File sharing solutions for small business are sold on encryption and judged, in practice, on whether the firm can say who opened a file last Tuesday. This page gives the three records to check before choosing the best secure file sharing for small business, says what secure file transfer for small business must record on the way out, and explains where the best file sharing for small business and the best secure file sharing differ from the enterprise tools that carry the same names. The free document capture worksheet on this site sizes the backlog; Batesio Pro keeps the record for $19 a month for the whole firm.
The three records to check
A number on every file, so it can be cited; a log of every open and share against a named person; and a retention date the software applies. Encryption in transit and at rest is the floor every serious vendor clears, so it does not separate them. Ask the demo to show the log for one file and the retention date on another; a product that can do neither is storage, whatever its name. The NIST framework cited below is the vocabulary to use for the rest of the conversation with a vendor.
What secure file transfer for small business must record
On the way out: the link, the named recipient, the expiry, the open and the download, and the ability to withdraw. On the way in: the upload page the client reaches without an account, and the upload logged against them. That two-way record is the difference between the best secure file sharing and a shared folder with a link; the folder is fine for the firm's own files and wrong for a client's.
Where small-business tools differ from enterprise ones, and the price
Enterprise tools add classification schemes, legal holds, integrations and an administrator the small firm does not have. Dropbox publishes its Standard team plan at $15 per user per month as the storage rate. Batesio Pro is $19 a month for the whole firm and is the record on top of the storage: the client portal both ways, the Bates number, the access log and the retention record, with an export.
Questions people ask about file sharing solutions for small business
Is the best secure file sharing for small business the one with the strongest encryption?
Every serious vendor encrypts. The one with the log, the number and the retention date is the one that answers the questions a firm is asked.
Do we need separate secure file transfer for small business software?
No; a portal that handles the upload in and the link out is the transfer layer, on top of whatever storage the firm keeps.
Can a shared folder link be secure file sharing?
For the firm's own working files, yes. For a client's confidential file, the link needs a named recipient, an expiry and a log.
How is Batesio priced?
$19 a month for the whole firm, no per-user fee.