Data sharing is a very important tool in our everyday lives. Most of the time, it’s very easy to pair your phone with an acquaintance’s in order to just send and receive a few documents, files and data, whether for work, school or any other purpose.
However, one main issue that often gets neglected when sharing files is the safety of the transfer medium. These days, there are many media for transferring files. However, not all of them are safe and can guarantee the protection of your files from intruders, spies or thieves.
Even cloud sharing could be a risk. Cloud-based file storage and sharing services are advantageous to all types of businesses as they provide easy, economical and convenient access to information anytime and from anywhere. However, if any of your employees uses their personal accounts and free services that are designed for consumer use, they could be putting your business at a huge risk of a security breach.
The safety of shared files and sensitive data has become a major technological question these days, especially since the hacking of several seemingly impregnable storage services has let out a lot of information that is valuable to millions of people around the world. We have bridged that gap and come up with a list of safe media for file transfer. Our list is compressed to just 5, although there are many more in the market today.
Dropbox
Dropbox, although mainly used as a storage medium, is also quite awesome in sharing files and data. To protect a file or data that is being sent, Dropbox makes use of SSL/TLS for its file transfers. It creates a secure tunnel that is protected by 128-bit or higher AES encryption security. Dropbox file data is stored in file blocks that are fragmented, almost unrecognizable and highly encrypted using 256-bit AES encryption.
Apart from this, a Dropbox user can’t directly view another user’s files unless he is provided with a link to share or view folders. It’s quite secure, although human users also have to be vigilant in protecting their data.
Google Drive
Yes, Google Drive is a form of cloud storage service and we have stated earlier that cloud storage might not be as secure as we think it is. However, Google Drive is one of the few exceptions to our assertion. Google Drive enhances flexibility, reduces overhead costs and promotes collaboration.
To secure files, it also makes use of high levels of encryption. This means that as soon as a file is backed up to Google Drive, its security can be guaranteed. If you want to share a file from Google Drive, its security while in transit is still 100% guaranteed. No intruder will be able to scan your files and you’ll be in full control of what you want to do with it.
Barcode Media
Barcodes are specific images with specific codes embedded in them. A barcode is specific to a device and no two devices have the same barcode. Recently, there have been great strides in transfer using barcodes and barcode scanners.
However, not all file transfer media that make use of barcodes are secure. For a secure option, we’ll recommend Waspbarcode. This service, although primarily a tracking and monitoring device, ensures the security of files that are sent via its medium, also making use of top notch encryption.
SHAREit
SHAREit is a file transferring app that was developed by Lenovo to enhance the speedy dissemination of files from Windows and Android-operated devices over a network. Although its potency has been questioned over the years, SHAREit recently launched a new version which included hard coded passwords. SHAREit has a secure mode, where it asks users to provide their passwords before they can successfully share files to others. Secure mode also makes use of 256-bit AES encryption in securing file transfers.
NFC
Near Field Communication is a service, like Bluetooth and Infrared, that allows for free and safe file sharing, although it started as a means of making payments. Its breakthrough came when Apple decided to make use of it on their devices to make payments.
To secure the files that are sent through its service, NFC makes use of special processors and a high-end encryption process. Its security is very stable, although it is advised that when you’re not making use of it, you should turn it off as an idle NFC device could serve as a host for intruders to tap into the files of others whose NFC services aren’t so secure.
