IntraLinks Offers Secure Intra-Company Mobile Collaboration Environment

IntraLinks has introduced Connect, a secure file storage Cloud service that can ensure the security of shared company documents on any device wherever they are accessed from.

The IntraLinks Connect service can secure a document down to the page or even paragraph level of access. It can also limit access to specific people or IP (internet protocol) address ranges as well as controlling who can download or merely view a file.

From any device, anywhere

Derek Flynn, IntraLinks EMEA managing director, told TechWeekEurope :“The picture we are getting from our customers is increasingly one of new employees who expect to use their own device for remote access to data. Similarly, enterprises are ordering thousands of iPads and other tablets to enable a mobile workforce. These strategies are great business enablers but it brings security risks of allowing access to sources of information to people you didn’t intend to give access to.”

He added that, with more collaboration being done between companies and their partners and suppliers, control of which device is used is beyond the control of the IT department. These documents may be highly sensitive in nature and the risk to intellectual property theft is increased.

“From a governance perspective you have to make sure that you’re not exposing the company to undue business risk,” he said.

IntraLinks sits between the company network and the attached device, insulating one from the other. The documents are stored in a virtual room, a workspace created by the customer in which documents can be viewed by those with the agreed access rights, which can include up to three factor authentication. All accesses are logged and this audit trail provides a legally enforceable document.

Encryption and fragmentation

Files entrusted to IntraLinks are encrypted and then fragmented to increase security. When a document is accessed, the fragments are brought together and decrypted. The customer can specify what kind of access is permitted and when it is allowed, such as only during work hours or between specific dates. This can also control if a full download of a document is allowed, or a full or partial revelation. When a view-only access is made through any browser, there is no trace of a footprint left on the recipients device.

For example, if a project to design a new product is being worked on, a third-party manufacturer can work on the document while it is held in the cloud. At no point will the partner be able to download the document but they can still see and modify the relevant part of the project – and nothing more. This protects the intellectual property associated with the overall project and tracks any permitted or unauthorised access that might be made due to lax security on the part of the recipient.

Michael Fauscette, group vice president for Software Business Solutions for IDC, noted that employees tend to use whatever tool they need to get a job done: “While these employees are trying to do the right thing, they are using tools that are not sanctioned by IT and may carry increased security or IP risks. IntraLinks Connect is part of a new generation of tools that are focused on building people-centric collaborative environments across enterprises, and yet at the same time provide security, control, and IP protection.”

Flynn stressed that it is not necessary to take out a long-term contract to use IntraLinks Connect. This could be useful to London-based companies which may be considering allowing workers to avoid going to the office during the expected transport chaos during the Olympic Games. Many of these companies will not normally permit remote working and the cost of setting up a temporary IT system could be avoided by using the Connect service, Flynn confirmed.

“For the past 15 years, companies have trusted IntraLinks for their most critical business transactions,” said Fahim Siddiqui, chief product officer for IntraLinks. “Now, IntraLinks empowers the IT organisation to extend their enterprise level control, security, and compliance to every business user within an organisation as they conduct business beyond their firewall.”

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