Microsoft remains top file sharing service, outranking Google Drive, Dropbox

Dive Brief:

Even with contenders entering the market, Microsoft OneDrive remains the most popular form of cloud storage and file sharing services, according to a Spiceworks report of 544 respondents in the U.S. and Europe. More than half of organizations use OneDrive and another 10% are eyeing its deployment in the next two years. Google Drive and Dropbox clenched the second and third spots, respectively.
Only 13% of businesses use Apple iCloud, 6% use Box and 3% use Amazon Drive. Though iCloud outperforms Box in current implementation, Box is adopted at a higher rate in the enterprise.
Shadow IT is a particular problem with file sharing solutions, according to the report. More than half of employees use Dropbox without direct authorization from their IT department. But that is still a decline from the 78% of employees who used Dropbox in 2016 without approval.

Dive Insight:

Those who decide what cloud storage service is the most appropriate for their business also need to take their organization's risk factors into account. Security and reliability both come before the cost of a service, according to the report.

If a product offers a poor user experience or does not reflect how employees use technology in their personal lives, shadow IT will arise. More than 60% of organizations have a cloud governance policy in place to help regulate the increase in shadow IT. Having an efficient oversight of what shadow IT is lurking on a network can help reduce the likelihood of an unintentional data breach from an insider.

Dropbox made governance part of its business model. After much anticipation, Dropbox went public in March while promising to adhere to its "consumer internet playbook and applying it to business software." But the consumer-familiar name Microsoft is dethroning Dropbox because of preference.

However, during a time when efficiency is beginning to upstage security, IT professionals need to be cognizant of how employees are using cloud-based service. IT departments should perform an assessment of not only their business needs but the needs of employees because unwillingly inviting services that disregard existing IT policies will inevitably lead to a breach in security.