Do your salespeople sit down many days or weeks before a client presentation to prepare? Most likely that is not the case. According to a recent study by Brainshark indicates that salespeople wait until the prior day or even day of a presentation to prepare. Read more.
How do your salespeople access the information on your network from a coffee shop or gym or client’s parking lot or even the bathroom? You need to have that information available but it needs to be secure as well.
An option available to large companies has been the VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection.
Pros
- Access to files and resources can be similar to that enjoyed in the office.
- Very secure connection due to advanced encryption and double-authentication.
Cons
- Typically must be setup by IT staff and doesn’t move between computers without advanced support.
- Many VPN clients do not work well with mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.
Another option is file sharing applications.
Pros
- Easy to setup for end users
- Most applications feature apps for smartphones and tablets
- 3G and 4G LTE connections mean access to files just about anywhere
Cons
- Security issues with storing files on a common shared cloud storage server
- Security issues with potential loss or theft of remote device
- The inability to control the life of the shared documents
Most companies today are using a mix of these of two solutions. The VPN is great for allowing salespeople to access corporate order entry systems that can generate reports or customer data. Both of which are very important for productive salespeople.
File sharing is great for salespeople to carry documentation and presentations to immediately share with potential clients over a cup of coffee or quick meeting which is common in today’s business world. Companies such as DropBox have began marketing their consumer-grade products to businesses for these applications. The problem is that these products were created to share family portraits etc – not sensitive business documents. Another problem is that your salespeople need to share the documents manually ahead of time. This can cause them to have out-dated documents.
That is why Lotus Management Services introduced LotusShare which features 448-blowfish encryption and complete document control. The encryption is many times more secure that offered by competitors which means your data is encrypted in transit and on the device. Complete document control also means that as administrator you can wipe remote users devices in case they are lost or stolen. Your file server can also be enabled so that salespeople have direct access to shared documents right from your server.
Learn more about LotusShare at lotusshare.com