Cloud document sharing services are convenient when you need to share vital business information. What happens to that information after it is shared however, is essentially out of your control.
Files — some which you may consider confidential — could be downloaded, shared, or printed all without your knowledge.
WatchDox, which markets a file sharing solution for enterprise size clients, hopes to give you a little more control over your shared documents and other files with its new service called LockDox.
LockDox is a free file-sharing service. Users can share documents and other files, like media files. But they can also do something more. They can lock documents and control who sees the files, how they can access them, and even revoke access if they wish.
The company says that LockDox was created to allow small businesses the same level of confidential information security available to much larger companies. In an interview with Small Business Trends, WatchDox Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development Dan Barahona said:
“No matter what size business you work for, everyone has documents they want to secure. Everyone has data they want to protect.”
Unlike Dropbox and many other document sharing services available today, LockDox is attempting to add a new level of security to the online document sharing space.
To use the service, users sending files must sign up for a free account. Then users simply have to choose a file they’d like to share and with whom they’d like to share it. Instead of just sharing the entire file as it was last saved, however, LockDox users can also select what allowances recipients have with that file and lock documents if necessary. Tracking capabilities allow users to view when recipients open or view the files they’ve shared.
For instance, a shared file on LockDox can be sent as a Read-only document. Users can also restrict recipients from printing and downloading shared files through LockDox, too. Expiration dates can also be applied to shared files. And before a recipient of a shared LockDox file accesses it, they must confirm their identity, too.
Shared files are viewed in a Web browser window or tab. Files up to 1-gigabyte can be transferred through the LockDox service. Files can be shared via LockDox simply by dragging and dropping them from anywhere on your computer to the Web browser.
In his interview with Small Business Trends, Barahona admits there may be one security loophole with LockDox shared files. It’s impossible to prevent people from snapping photos of shared files on their screen. But those sending sensitive information via LockDox could apply a watermark to any document, photo or file sent. That watermark would feature the recipient’s email address splashed across the file. Barahona says:
“You’d have to be either really good at Photoshop or have your name and email all over the images.”
Image: LockDox
