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ESG Research Finds Businesses Rapidly Adopting Online File Sharing and Collaboration
MILFORD, Mass. --(Business Wire)--
Online file sharing and collaboration (OFS (News - Alert)) is taking hold at the
corporate level. According to the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), a
leading IT research, analysis, and strategy firm, 28% of organizations
have already established corporate accounts for online storage and file
sharing services. That number is expected to grow to 50% over the next
year, according to ESG's survey of nearly 500 IT professionals at small,
medium, and large organizations.
The complete results of ESG's comprehensive survey are captured in the
new ESG Research Report, Corporate Online File Sharing and
Collaboration Market Trends.
OFS solutions are Internet-based services that enable users to store,
access, share, and collaborate on documents and other files in the
cloud. These services have become popular in recent years as people look
for ways to access their documents from multiple devices, including
traditional PCs, tablet computers, and smartphones.
"By now, many, if not most, knowledge workers have been exposed to some
form of consumer online file storage service such as Dropbox or Box (News - Alert),"
says Terri McClure, ESG Senior Analyst and co-author of the report.
"However, the fact that these services have been rapidly adopted by
consumers on a personal basis, often via their smartphone's app store,
has led to a situation in which companies are increasingly looking to
standardize their employees' use of these services through company-owned
and -managed accounts. Our research validates that IT and business
professionals are serious about making OFS services a company-wide
resource for their employees."
Among the report's other key findings:
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Organizations are adopting formal corporate OFS service plans for two
main reasons: The first involves increasing employee productivity via
improved collaboration capabilities. The second reason relatesto
improving the employee experience and safeguarding the security of
corporate data by making sure that all employees use the same
company-approved, company-managed service.
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To date, corporate OFS services have been adopted primarily by a
relatively limited selection of individuals and groups within
organizations, but deployments are now beginning to expand further
within and beyond organizational walls. For instance, within three
years, the percent of organizations sharing and collaborating with
outside organizations such as customers and business partners will
reach 53%, up from 35% today.
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Security concerns are the biggest roadblock to adoption. Concern over
potential security vulnerabilities-such as data loss, theft, or risk
of regulatory compliance violations-is the top reason that
organizations are not deploying OFS.
"OFS vendors are seeing significant uptake from individuals and, now,
businesses," says Kristine Kao, Market Research Analyst and co-author of
the report. "However, customers are feeling growing pains as they
implement these services. For example, customers surveyed by ESG cite
the need to train employees and struggle with managing rogue personal
accounts. This new research report can help prospective OFS customers
understand the challenges their peers are facing and help OFS vendors
identify the areas they can help customers through improved products and
services."
The ESG report is the most comprehensive of its kind specifically
covering the rapidly growing market for business-oriented online file
sharing and collaboration services. It provides valuable insights to any
organization currently considering an OFS solution, and it assists
vendors of OFS solutions, traditional file servers, NAS storage, and
content management systems.
The report includes:
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Current and projected OFS adoption rates by business users
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Reasons organizations do or don't use corporate OFS accounts
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Characteristics of typical OFS deployments
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Key purchasing criteria that organizations are using to compare OFS
solutions
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Most important features that organizations require from an OFS solution
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Impact of OFS services on existing file storage and collaboration
technologies
An abstract of the report is available online at http://www.esg-global.com/research-reports/corporate-online-file-sharing-and-collaboration-market-trends/.
About Enterprise Strategy Group (News - Alert)
Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) is an integrated IT research, analysis,
and strategy firm that is world-renowned for providing actionable
insight and intelligence to the global IT community. Recognized for its
unique blend of capabilities-including market research, hands-on
technical product validation, and expert consulting methodologies such
as the ESG Strategy Lifecycle-ESG is relied upon by IT professionals,
technology vendors, investors, and the media to clarify the complex.
For more information visit: www.esg-global.com.
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