SafeMonk Buzz

Over the years, technology has been created to make our lives easier, both personally and professionally. Dropbox has made file sharing not only simpler, but also more convenient. Why? Because Dropbox allows you to access files and other data you need, no matter where you are and on almost any device. Thanks to SafeMonk, this convenience doesn’t have to change when using Dropbox in your company where files are often sensitive and must be secured.

Remember, like Dropbox, there are a number of reasons to like SafeMonk, including Tapproof Security, Account Management, and Auditing Control and Remote Kill features. When it comes to convenience, SafeMonk allows employees to access company data on Dropbox anywhere, at anytime, safely and securely. What’s more, IT policy enforcers can manage all of SafeMonk’s function, including anywhere access, from an easy-to-use mobile interface; it’s a double-dose of convenience.

There are lots of reasons why people love using Dropbox. It’s convenient, it’s intuitive, it speeds up collaboration, and it allows you to access your files from almost anywhere. Like Dropbox, there are lots of reasons to love SafeMonk.

The first reason is security. Remember, SafeMonk is the only tapproof encryption solution for Dropbox on the market. Even in the unlikely event of a data breach or subpoena request, user keys are protected and files aren’t viewable, because neither SafeMonk nor Dropbox can see the keys used to encrypt or decrypt files within SafeMonk. This gives CIOs total control over Dropbox inside their companies.

The second reason is Account Management. IT policy enforcers know that with SafeMonk, they have the ability to set password rules, add and/or remove users, disable user access, and even revoke file shares. In other words, this feature enables whoever’s in charge of company IT to say “yes” to using Dropbox.

Need another reason to love SafeMonk? Here you go: Auditing Control and Remote Kill. Auditing Control gives companies the ability to track, log, and report on how users are sharing company data within Dropbox, which is essential for compliance and non-repudiation. If you’re not happy with how data is being shared in Dropbox, you can simply revoke keys by file or by user with Remote Kill and render the data useless. What’s not to love about that?

On June 11, 2013, we launched SafeMonk publicly. It was an exciting time. As a team, we spent many late nights getting ready for that point in time. We left the office at 4am on the morning of the launch having been in the office for three long days and nights.

The week before we launched, someone thought it might be a good idea to add AntiVirus (AV) testing to our automated test platform. Within a day we realized we had a big problem. We had built 12 VMs to run our automated Windows testing, each with one of the top 12 AVs. Two of them worked and 10 of them failed. We spent frantic hours trying to uncover and fix what was going wrong. With four days to go, the team began to think we had to scrap the launch and throw away the fundamental architecture we had built for Windows. This was going to be a disaster. We wanted to show our parent company that a small team, secluded, co-located, focused and using strict agile could deliver something new in a short period of time (we had started not quite six months earlier). If we didn't do it, we would have failed in our experiment.

The AV debacle began the near 24-hour cycle to make our date. Hours were spent proposing new designs, throwing away ideas, and hitting the whiteboard. Finally, we had an idea and there was one way we could see that could solve the AV problem. It was a major throw-away-the-code-and-re-do-it time; we had 72 hours left to do it. Happily, we made the date thanks to the long hours, enthusiasm, and dedication of the team.

It was a significant moment for us, and also for SafeNet. SafeMonk is the first product released from SafeNet Labs, a SafeNet incubator. In just six months, a team of five developers had put together the first Dropbox encryption solution that supported sharing. Within weeks of our launch some competitors also announced support for sharing.

Last week, we shared with you a short video that explained the first step in how to become an office hero with SafeMonk. As you know, SafeMonk is the only tapproof encryption solution for Dropbox on the market. What this means is that neither SafeMonk nor Dropbox can see the keys used to encrypt or decrypt files within SafeMonk. So in the event of a data breach or a subpoena request, user keys are protected and files aren’t viewable.

While tapproof technology ensures that user keys are protected with SafeMonk, other SafeMonk features are designed to give CIOs complete control over Dropbox usage within their companies. One of these features is Account Management.

Simply put, Account Management gives IT policy enforcers the power to do a number of things with SafeMonk, including set password rules, add and/or remove users, disable user access, and even revoke file shares.

Did you know that nearly 5 million businesses, including 97 percent of Fortune 500 companies, use Dropbox to work in more collaborative and efficient ways? Why? Because Dropbox is simple, it’s easy to use, it’s convenient, and, by allowing their employees to use it, has turned many CIOs into office heroes. Yet despite knowing these benefits, many CIOs still don’t allow Dropbox use inside of their companies. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

With SafeMonk for Business, CIOs can say “yes” to Dropbox within their companies. SafeMonk for Business is an encryption solution built exclusively for Dropbox. The only tapproof solution for Dropbox on the market, SafeMonk for Business offers several unique features that give CIOs and other IT policy enforcers complete control over Dropbox usage within their companies. By knowing what’s happening with Dropbox inside of their companies, CIOs can not only give their employees the same benefits many companies have already experienced with Dropbox, but also turn themselves into office heroes.

So what features make SafeMonk for Business such a powerful addition to Dropbox security? Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll issue several brief videos from our own office hero who will discuss these unique features and how they work, beginning with this first installment on tapproof security. Enjoy.

Sign up for your FREE account today at www.safemonk.com

Hear what Chris Holland, Chief Monk at SafeMonk (a SafeNet Labs company) has to say about how SafeMonk works seamlessly within Dropbox to keep your sensitive data private, what tapproof means, & key management policies. He also talks about the user experience of SafeMonk, and how it doesn't 'break' the friendly, easy-to-use Dropbox experience---yet keeps your files encrypted. Yep--security AND ease of use!

SafeMonk allows data to be encrypted on the fly, transparently to the user.  This allows the user to have no difference in performance when using Dropbox-yet keep files encrypted. 

SafeMonk runs everywhere Dropbox runs, which includes clients for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.

Sign up for your FREE account today at www.safemonk.com

Dropbox has gained widespread popularity with more than 200 million consumer users worldwide. As an IT or security professional, this is an important stat for you to consider. Why? Because your business users are consumers too. They turn to apps like Dropbox to simplify their personal lives, and want that familiar file-sharing experience at the office.

In fact, the odds are high that your users are sharing and storing your company’s important data, files, and assets with Dropbox right now—even with your IT team shaking their fingers and telling them no. 

There is a way to stop making Dropbox your kryptonite. In the five minutes it takes to read this guide, you’ll learn about a dynamic duo of file-sharing solutions that gives you everything you need to say “yes” to Dropbox.

When you put Dropbox for Business and SafeMonk for Enterprise to work for your organization, everyone wins.

See how easy it is to say “yes” to Dropbox and become your company’s IT superhero?

Say you're ready to implement Dropbox for Business at work. You understand the power of Dropbox for Business, and you also recognize that all you need is an extra layer of encryption to keep your sensitive data and information safe. 

Before you select a Dropbox encryption solution for your company, make sure it meets or exceeds ALL of the criteria below:

Provides a seamless user experience that:

Is easy to use

Uses an encryption process that’s transparent to the user

Doesn’t break Dropbox

Provides key management and ownership that:

Uses tapproof security – neither the encryption vendor nor Dropbox can access keys

Ability to mandate the use of an encrypted Dropbox solution and experience

Provides robust security that:

Uses 256-bit AES and TLS

Has remote wipe capabilities

Allows password management

Is hosted by a company that’s a leader in security and encryption

Provides auditing and control capabilities that:

Give you the visibility you need

Allow you to grant and revoke access privileges

Enable you to monitor and report on traffic to meet compliance mandates

Dropbox for Business + transparent encryption layer for sensitive data

Even superheros have partners.  Think Batman & Robin. Ant-man and Wasp. The Fantastic Four. This is our version. With Dropbox for Business and SafeMonk for Enterprise, you don’t have to restrict (or turn a blind eye) to Dropbox. Combine the powerful simplicity of these two enterprise-ready solutions and you have all the administrative tools, security controls, and visibility you need at your fingertips.

Not to mention, you get to champion an effort that enables a more productive, efficient, and mobile workforce (something to remember at review time).

When this dynamic duo has your back, it’s one seriously awesome win for you—and your users.

What do users do when they need to send the latest sales numbers, strategic plans, customer lists, code, or HR information to the management team ASAP?

Your savvy users problem solve. They improvise. They upload files to their personal Dropbox account and share them. They BYODropbox.

Boom! They’re done and off to happy hour.

Now, just like that, your company’s important business stuff is off in the cloud, on unauthorized devices, and no longer under your watchful eye.

You’re not alone when it comes to navigating this growing, file-sharing dilemma. Many companies are finding employees (even IT employees…gasp!) circumventing security policies to use Dropbox.

So what’s an IT pro like you to do? As we see it, you have three choices:

Ban it and be the bad guy

Ignore it and keep your fingers crossed that nothing happens

Manage it and be the IT superhero

(HINT: pick #3!!!)

Continue to follow along to check out our IT Superhero action plan! 

Company policy for file sharing services and user behavior

Calling all IT Superheros!

No matter how hard you fight it, social media, cloud services, and mobile technologies have fundamentally changed how we work. Similar to the way mobile devices have led to the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) phenomena, BYODropbox has also become a pervasive trend with its own set of risks—especially if you choose to ban or ignore it.

You have the power to shape and protect the enterprise…consider it YOUR universe. Take this responsibility seriously to make sure this doesn’t happen to your company:

Doesn’t managing the problem and being an IT superhero sound so much better?

Diesel Cohen, ComNet CIO and famous Monk spokesman, takes encryption seriously – no matter where his travels take him. Check out these photos capturing his deep thoughts about the many benefits of adding an extra layer of encryption to sensitive data in Dropbox with SafeMonk!

We’ve talked a lot recently about why you should consider SafeMonk for Enterprise to add an extra layer of file encryption to sensitive data in Dropbox. Check out the latest video to learn more about the ways SafeMonk and Dropbox can benefit your business .Does ‘increased productivity’ sound good to anyone? What about avoiding a potential security breach? NOW we have your attention…

Makes sense, right? Our customers think so too. Here are just a few ways they're using Dropbox and SafeMonk for Enterprise:

The IT team at a large online retailer encrypts, shares and manages all of their internal data.

The human resources team at a research and analytics firm protects confidential employee and contractor information.

Developers at a search marketing company keep their code safe and secure as they collaborate and share with one another. 

Do you have a love-hate relationship with your users when it comes to Dropbox? If so, you’re not alone. Even if you are lunch buddies, all the fun you had during Taco Tuesday goes out the window when your colleagues find the fastest and easiest way to share documents at work–and you tell them “no.”

As an IT pro, you need to empower your users without losing visibility and control. Don’t deny it…You want to say “yes” and be an IT superhero for your team. It’s a good thing Dropbox and SafeMonk have exactly what you need.

Diesel Cohen, ComNet CIO and official Monk spokesperson, is back and badder than ever. On the heels of his epic YouTube debut in 2013, he just wrapped up a global campaign designed to teach IT and security pros how to say “Yes” to Dropbox for Business and become the company superhero with SafeMonk for Enterprise.

While it wasn’t easy dodging the paparazzi, we were able to capture a few inspirational moments on Diesel’s world tour. Here’s the first photo he asked us to share with his loyal fans. Be sure to follow SafeMonk on Facebook and Twitter because there's so much more where this came from!