Why Content Collaboration is Key to Your Company Security
Several years back, we wrote a post about how to pick a content collaboration solution, which was basically a comparison and review. We discussed common integrations with Salesforce, such as Box and Dropbox, gave some suggestions on naming and organizational conventions, and discussed tips for static vs. dynamically edited files.
Oh, how I wish it were still that simple. Yes, naming conventions are still relevant, but the stakes are much higher now.
Recently we have undertaken a large internal project to rework our content collaboration process, provoked by staff shifts and tighter security protocols. We sat down with our CEO Rob Jordan to share a conversation about why this project became a priority at Idealist Consulting, and why it is worth considering for any organization.
What inspired you to start reworking our document storage?
The use of Google Drive can be a bit chaotic. We have been using it for years; as such, individuals over the years have had varying approaches to storing dynamic content like blog posts or internal process documents. This became problematic when there is no clear method to search for data.
Additionally, we have used Dropbox for years to manage static documents. But lately, GDrive has made static document management more viable than it used to be, by facilitating a much better live editing engagement than Dropbox.
This led me to consider how and why we still use Dropbox. Static management solutions like Dropbox haven’t really evolved on the dynamic side of things (by allowing us to manage a document like a project or allowing for multiple editors in real-time), so it seemed it was time to consolidate behind GDrive. However, Dropbox still is great for static documents like large design files. Permissions and its flat-file structure are easy to manage (which makes it easier to adopt) which is enough for many businesses.
Why does this matter now?
There is a growing awareness of security issues for small businesses and as a business owner, I wanted to get out in front of this before we really had problems. Both Dropbox and Google Drive have decent password processes, allow for user access management, and are generally equal in the security realm.
However, it is more complex to manage user access in GDrive which can lead to negligence, and there is a lot of responsibility on the individual user (note: Team Drive can assist with this and makes it easier to manage user access).
If you’re not using Team Drive, you will want to consider what teams need access to what, and consider what files should be moved out of individual ownership for risk prevention.
Did Salesforce Lightning affect how you think about this?
My observation so far is that the GDrive integration got worse with the move to Salesforce Lightning: it’s not intuitive. Our workaround was to put a backlink to GDrive as a Salesforce field. If you’re a larger organization, you will probably be better served by Box or Microsoft Sharepoint. These tools allow for content search, tagging, etc. Box generally has the reputation of having the best Salesforce integration.
Any parting advice for an organization tackling these challenges?
Whether you’re a newer business just beginning to consider content collaboration tools or a business with years of files, my best advice is to figure out some sort of high-level organization and naming conventions. Make naming logical and consistent, for example beginning folder names with the department name, and commit to never orphaning a file. Put some time into updating old files that are still relevant, and enforce this architecture moving forward. Think about your company culture and what people can adopt and work from there.
Want to learn more about content collaboration and storage solutions for Salesforce? Connect with us!
