Data is the heart of any business. This resource is accrued by employees and dictates many of the decisions that you make without you even realizing it. Every document, picture, spreadsheet, or PDF is needed to accurately represent your business, and without this information, you would be lost.

However, your business will not survive if you keep this information to yourself. It needs to be shared among your staff and investors so they are aware of the current circumstances. Unfortunately, cybercrime has made it more difficult to share digital data among peers, so you will need to find other methods. Luckily, that is exactly what this article will provide you with.

USB Flash Drives

The world has come a long way since the days of cumbersome floppy discs. These large physical storage devices were the only way to retrieve data from a computer and pass it on to the next once upon a time. They were rudimentary and could barely hold 1.44 megabytes, which often meant that you had to make multiple transfers to get your data across.

The modern equivalent of this technology is the USB drive. These devices are much smaller, and they can store up to 8GB of data at one time. While this is a safe way to share your data among colleagues, it can be time-consuming. You will need to actively pass the drive on from person to person, and that isn’t always a viable option.

Upload To A Cloud

A cloud server can be shared among all the employees in a single office, and you can give access to the server to whomever you wish. This type of storage is constantly encrypted, making it harder for unfriendly eyes to get hold of your personal data.

Therefore, any time you need to share something through the office, you must upload it to the cloud and wait for your employees to download the information. Unfortunately, these servers can prove costly to run.

Converting Files

The most difficult part of navigating this digital age is the fact that everyone uses different business software. This makes sending data quite hard because you may need to own the same software programs to share their data.

Fortunately, there are ways to get around this issue by converting your files to the necessary format before you send them. For example, you can convert JPGs to PDFs so that it is easier to interpret for the person that receives this information. What’s more, converting files is a particularly safe method of sharing data as PDFs can only be read and not distorted. Also, many file converters have been used to carry viruses in the past, which means that this type of software has to implement some of the fiercest online security protocols.

Peer-To-Peer Networks

A peer-to-peer network is a decentralized network that is shared among several computers. This system links two or more computers using a Bluetooth network, allowing the users to access the same data and services, such as a printer. A closed network such as this means that the employees linked to this network can freely share files amongst themselves with little delay; however, anyone outside of this network cannot see the data within.

A peer-to-peer network is a great way for a few people to safely share their data in the workplace. Unfortunately, it can get quite costly, and does make it difficult to share data outside of this circle. While this is the point of a peer-to-peer network, it can make the team difficult to manage.

Encrypted Emails

There are going to be times when you need to send important or sensitive data across a long distance. The best way to send information like this in the modern age is by email; however, this process is susceptible to viruses or other forms of cybercrime.

Fortunately, there are ways to encrypt your emails to keep your data safe. Most email providers give you this option, and it will convert your text into ciphertext. The information you then send is scrambled and sent to the recipient in a secure manner. While encrypted emails are a great way to send sensitive data over long distances, they can pose a problem if the recipient does not have the appropriate software necessary to unencrypt your email. Make sure that you are sending your emails to those who have the correct software to avoid losing crucial data.

Conclusion

Data sharing may be an essential part of life, but it can get quite complicated. Cybercrime is always on the move, which means that you need to always stay alert and make some of the best investments to protect your data. Try to follow at least one of the processes above to avoid a data breach. You can feel more confident when sharing your data, which benefits the internal workings of your organisation and the external.