Extended Collaboration
According to Gartner, this use case entails the publishing, sharing and syncing of files between two or more people and allows for commenting, notification, data protection, rights management and versioning capabilities.
There are 2 specific use cases that align to this category:
Collaboration: Providing users with a place where collaboration like editing, task assignment and comments can take place
Workflow: Adding or improving workflows via API or other integrations between sync & share vendors and other ecosystem partners such as DocuSign, Slack and SalesForce.
TAKEAWAY: This use case does not compete with the Code42 offering.
Workforce Productivity
According to Gartner, this use cases focuses on enabling people to work and be productivity with files in a modern, mobilized environment that comprises different locations, devices and productivity tools.
Specifically, Gartner sees sync & share deployments take place as part of a workplace mobilization effort. Sync & share products offer increased productivity by untethering workers from the office, allowing them to be more responsive, and providing them access to up-to-date files.
TAKEWAY: This use case creates some tension between Code42 and sync & share. Code42 has talked about enabling workforce productivity by allowing users to work how they want (saving locally),. This value proposition is weakened by the additional data access that sync & share provides, and it’s likely confusing our buyer. and restoring files themselves when data loss happens
Infrastructure Modernization
According to Gartner, this use case applies to organizations that want to rationalize their legacy data infrastructure by replacing file servers and FTP servers and moving to the cloud, data residency and backup/recovery automation.
There are 5 sync & share use cases that align with this category.
Replacement of file shares: Moving data that had been stored on on-premises file servers to cloud, using a TCO justification.
Managed file transfer: Replacing ad hoc, person-to-person transfers via FTP, using ease of use as a justification.
Replacing backup: Using sync & share as a “good enough” backup solution. Gartner states this may be viable for highly-budget conscious organizations but lacks full functionality and SLAs provided by backup vendors.
Content extranet: Provide the ability to share content with suppliers, customers and contractors.
Access to legacy document repositories: Replace repositories like SharePoint that can be difficult to access on mobile devices or outside of the corporate network.
TAKEWAY: This use case creates a lot of tension between Code42 and sync & share. 2 of these 5 use cases (replacing backup and replacing file shares) have been primary use cases for Code42. This use case is the largest reason we’ve had to explain technical differences between sync & share and endpoint backup.
Digital Workplace and Enterprise Mobility
--Digital workplace is a business strategy which requires technologies to help users accomplish tasks that are not well-defined and are not highly repeatable.
--CIOs are being asked to carry out digital business transformation, not only by adopting modern applications, but also by building systems that support the customer-facing side of the business.
--Before IT can properly carry out a digital workplace strategy, it must first embrace the digital habits and mobility of its own employees by providing them with the resources they need to perform business tasks on a variety of devices, and from any location or network.
--EFSS is a required step to carrying out the digital workplace, and it’s one that business stakeholders put into motion through “Shadow IT” cloud services. By adopting corporate-sanctioned sync & share, IT is now taking ownership of the technology needed in the digital workplace.
IT Transformation & Modernization
--Although cloud is not a new trend, it’s been largely adopted through net-new cloud applications. Infrastructure and Operation professionals still rank “developing a cloud strategy” as a top 2017 initiative.
--IT teams have only recently begun the process of moving existing on-premises technologies to the cloud.
--EFSS is being sold as a way to modernize IT infrastructure and get rid of on-premises storage.
Vendor Pressure
--Microsoft is putting a lot of pressure on customers, trying to move them to the cloud office suites.
--They have desirable pricing, bundling, and discounting tactics to incentivize their customers to adopt the cloud suite, and customers also know it’s an inevitable move.
--By getting customers into Office 365, Microsoft is not only increasing EFSS adoption but becoming the default EFSS to be adopted.
--While businesses know the move to Office 365 is inevitable, they still need to be able to justify the time and money required to make the move. OneDrive is one of the most tangible benefits provided by Office 365, so IT leaders and procurement professionals are using it as a primary budget justification, causing them to eliminate any redundant technologies.
Analyst Influence
--Analysts have stopped covering the endpoint backup market. The last Gartner Critical Capabilities report came out in the end of 2015, and Gartner has no plans to create a new one. Similarly, Forrester’s last report on endpoint backup was in 2014. Analysts say this is due to lack of inquiry requests and lack of report views.
--Meanwhile, while endpoint backup lost dedicated analyst resources, the EFSS market grew by 41%. Digital workplace, mobility, and modernization trends triggered an increase in inquiry calls, allowing the space to gain analyst attention.
--Because more analysts are paying attention to EFSS, it is also mentioned as a solution or recommendation in a variety of analyst strategy papers—something endpoint backup no longer gets because no analysts are thinking about the technology.
What can we say about HR’s impact on growth?
Impact = Decreased Human Capital
The data we collect can help identify data exfiltration via removable media, common EFSS folders like Google drive, OneDrive, Dropbox and Box, and via browser uploads (for instance, if someone attaches a file to their personal Gmail account). In addition, we track what files a user restored and when. This can help identify if users are restoring files to take with them or for other purposes. Lastly, we have the ability to detect files that have potentially sensitive data patterns such as SSN or other PII which may expose the business to risk. All of this information can be consumed via our web app, and exported to CSV for further analysis. Or more commonly used in conjunction with a SIEM tool such as Splunk or Qradar.