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 tipmont

“On-premise storage, and cost were probably the biggest factors to choose FileCloud” -John, IT Manager

Background

Over 25,000 users in Indiana, US, mostly in rural areas, depend on Tipmont REMC (Rural Electric Member Cooperative) for their power. Founded in 1939, Tipmont is a member-owned cooperative that is also a Touchstone Energy Cooperative within a national alliance of local, consumer-owned electric cooperatives. The organization’s goals are to provide high standards of service to its members with integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community. That means that data security and confidentiality is also a prime concern for the organization, both in terms of its internal operations and its customer information.

Challenge

 
Employees May Leave but Data Must Not

The first challenge that Tipmont faced was the use of unsecured online file sharing accounts. As John Plahitko of Tipmont explains, some employees of the company were using free Dropbox accounts to share information. But if one of those employees then left the organization, the risk of a data breach automatically increased. Tipmont had no control over the accounts and had no easy way to find out who had access to which information. On the other hand, online file sharing and synchronization was clearly useful functionality. With almost 70 employees and normal staff turnover, Tipmont realized that it needed to make sure it had the right operational tools in place to correctly protect its data. The company needed to keep the convenience, but move up to the right level of security.


Solution

Smart FileCloud Features to Beef Up Data Security

Data access control, visibility and trackability were hot items for Tipmont. When John reviewed the comprehensive capabilities of FileCloud, he immediately identified a number of security features that matched Tipmont’s needs. With FileCloud, Tipmont could see which data was being shared, set granular access controls to precisely determine which users got what, and track file sharing and synchronization activities through the FileCloud audit logs. Active Directory integration was also a FileCloud feature of interest. This gave Tipmont the possibility of single sign-on and efficient file access management – good news for users, IT staff and enterprise security.

Activity Alerts and Remote Device Wipes

In addition to the security features above, FileCloud also offers administrator alerts for any suspicious activity. In such cases, administrators can selectively block devices or permanently prevent users from accessing the data concerned. John also notes the remote wipe capability that allows administrators to remove company data from remote devices. That means that if employees leave the Tipmont, the company can run a standard ‘employee departure’ process that includes the automatic removal of Tipmont data from PCs or mobile computing devices that are not Tipmont property.

Further FileCloud Advantages for Tipmont

Tipmont considered a number of different possibilities in its quest for a quality, cost-effective online file sharing and synchronization solution. However, it was hard to find another vendor that could match the FileCloud feature line-up. And FileCloud’s on-premise data storage capability and cost-effectiveness outpaced competitors completely. The FileCloud solution in this case was available for about one-fifth of the costs of other, less performant solutions. In addition to the attractive FileCloud mobile client and web interface, the availability of the software for the Linux server platforms (Debian and Ubuntu) used by company meant that the search was over. FileCloud, for all these reasons, became the solution of choice for Tipmont REMC.

How FileCloud Can Help You Today

Whether your organization is member-owned like Tipmont REMC, a commercial business entity or a government agency, FileCloud can also be a great solution for your own private cloud storage, synchronization and sharing solution. User populations can range from tens to millions. The full range of FileCloud’s secure yet user-friendly features is available throughout. Further advantages include automatic file versioning, backup and recovery facilities, and integration with existing application and access control systems. And as government and other regulatory controls change, FileCloud’s activity and access logs, and connected devices inventory help keep pace with all your data compliance needs too.

Talk to FileCloud today to see how you could benefit and to try FileCloud for free on your own server for 14 days.

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