Mythbusting: Why Cloud File Sync & Share is not the same as Endpoint Data Protection

There are many misconceptions about cloud technologies out there. A particularly common one is the notion that file sync and share, or content collaboration tools, can be deployed as an effective alternative to endpoint data protection. Let’s take a look at how these technologies are not interchangeable and how file sharing and collaboration solutions today cannot replace the endpoint backup tools needed for proper enterprise data protection.

 

First of all, enterprise business continuity/disaster recovery strategies vary significantly from that of productivity or content management strategies. BC/DR ensures a company can recover from any data loss or disaster scenario, whereas content management is all about providing users with the tools they need to collaborate with one another and drive productivity.

 

So why is there the impression on the market that Enterprise File Sync & Share (EFSS) can serve as an endpoint data protection solution? Often the vendors themselves are at fault, positioning themselves in such a way that creates confusion in the market.

 

Therefore it is essential to arm customers with the facts – so that they are not swayed by appealing but ultimately misleading arguments.

 

First of all, EFSS does not protect all user data on a laptop or desktop. Typical file sharing solutions require users to write business-related data into one designated folder – and that is the only folder the solution touches. Other user data is not protected in an EFSS-only scenario, creating a significant risk of data loss.

 

Also, EFSS does not back up every version of every file. So, for example, if the wrong version is chosen for roll-back as a restore copy, then all the newer versions will be lost. Given that the ability to back up the latest information and versions is the main line of defense following a ransomware attack, this is clearly an issue.

 

And finally, EFSS does not offer easy recovery options. Recovering files after a data loss event can be a cumbersome, file-by-file process. Additionally, EFSS tools are unable to address file dependencies and links such as linked Excel spreadsheets or Word documents – again, creating a glaring hole in data protection and recovery strategies.

 

Enterprise endpoint backup solution, on the other hand, protects all user data, backs up all file versions and ensures recovery points are consistent across the entire file system with a quick and painless recovery.

 

That is not to say that customers should question the validity of EFSS or as Gartner calls it CCP (Content Collaboration Platform) solutions in providing a certain level of protection, but it is a simple fact that there are endpoint data protection requirements that a file sharing solution cannot meet. As Gartner said in a 2017 report “…file sync and share solutions were not designed to enable corporate IT to control their own recovery in the face of user data loss after malicious attacks… I&O leaders need to evaluate their requirements for investing in a separate backup system for cloud EFSS.”

 

In this age of tight IT budgets and consolidation, the ideal situation would be if users didn’t have to choose and could access robust enterprise solutions for both content collaboration and data protection from a single, unified platform. There is technology available today that provides exactly that: a complete range of enterprise file services, from file access and sync and secure content collaboration across internal and external users to backup and recovery that can be centrally managed at large scale.