HP Autonomy Delivers Proven and Secure Enterprise-grade Alternative to Consumer File Sharing Services

Global News

19
Aug
2013

Editor

LinkSite for WorkSite is industry's first hybrid cloud solution for compliant file sharing, synchronization and collaboration

HP Autonomy today announced Autonomy LinkSite, a hybrid cloud solution that integrates HP Autonomy WorkSite, an industry-leading on-premises document and email management system with HP Flow CM, HP's public cloud file sharing and collaboration service.

This solution enables organizations to securely share and collaborate on files in the cloud with colleagues, customers and business partners while maintaining visibility to, and governance of, content from within Autonomy WorkSite.

New file sharing services have made it easy for consumers to access and synchronize their content at any time, from anywhere and on any device; the expectation has grown among employees that they should find the same user experience in the workplace.

Corporate users face challenges when sharing large files with coworkers, customers and partners. Document collaboration by email creates version-control confusion, causes strain on servers and increases storage costs. This wastes time, stifles collaboration and often prompts organizations to restrict sending files via email.

Consumer file sharing services offer an easy-to-use alternative, but create another silo of content, disconnected from the internal content management infrastructure. This presents significant challenges to properly securing and governing information in the cloud, exposing companies to increased risk, rendering these services largely unsuitable for the enterprise environment.

Autonomy LinkSite combines an enterprise-grade document and email management system with the ease of use and simplicity of a consumer solution. It provides the enterprise with a single, integrated, user-friendly tool for external file sharing and collaboration. Autonomy LinkSite enables a single file or an entire project folder to be shared in the cloud with internal and external collaborators, directly from the Autonomy WorkSite application. Benefits include:

• Team collaboration beyond the firewall: Autonomy LinkSite extends the traditional workspace context from Autonomy WorkSite into the cloud. This enables users to share files securely and collaborate with individuals both inside and outside the firewall. Files may be password protected and set to expire in a specified timeframe, enhancing content security.
• Single point of access: Autonomy WorkSite users have access to all their files, whether stored within the enterprise content management system or shared externally, through a single interface. This allows them to view, edit, share and search both cloud-based and on-premises content from one place, helping them save time and improve productivity.
• Full device synchronization: Files shared via Autonomy LinkSite are synchronized across all employee devices, and can be accessed through any web browser, letting users work how and when they need to.
• Seamless extension of enterprise security, authorization and audit to the cloud: Content uploaded to the cloud with Autonomy LinkSite inherits all security properties set in Autonomy WorkSite, and all actions taken on content in the cloud are reported via the Autonomy Worksite audit trail, providing a seamless extension of enterprise security and governance to the cloud.
• Better than consumer-grade ease of use: Autonomy LinkSite can automatically suggest collaboration partners for any project, based on analysis of email communications, saving users time and hassle. Unified search across both cloud and on-premises repositories, combined with the ability to view cloud-based file shares from inside the native Autonomy WorkSite application, provides ease of use and efficiency not possible with current, disconnected file sharing systems.

"For the first time, organizations no longer have to turn a blind eye to continued use of undocumented consumer file sharing services," said Neil Araujo, general manager, Enterprise Content Management, HP Autonomy. "Businesses now have a very attractive alternative that satisfies the needs of the users as well as the IT and compliance teams."

"It is critical for organizations to make it easy for their knowledge workers to share and collaborate-both internally and externally-to drive productivity," said Melissa Webster, vice president, Content and Digital Media Technologies, IDC. "But they need enterprise-grade solutions that give them control over how information is shared with external customers and partners, and that ensure information is governed throughout its life cycle. Solutions that address the full scope of enterprise information management needs while at the same time offering the ease of use that's typical of consumer-focused file sharing are well positioned to meet evolving customer demands and succeed in the market."