Item: ShareFile
Rating: 10
Author: Joe Spradlin

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We are an AS9100 company that must conform to the NIST 800-171 and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Clause 252.204-7012 due to doing business with the US Government. Citrix ShareFile is being used by our organization to securely transfer engineering data from our engineers, project managers and estimators to our vendors and customers. Due to the potentially sensitive nature of CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information), it is required for us to safeguard the information and know where it has been and where it went.

Pros and Cons

First and foremost, it is simple to use. Within minutes of our purchase of ShareFile, we were up and running with our first user and client.
Second, there are multiple ways to use and take advantage of ShareFile. There is a plug-in for Microsoft Outlook, a desktop app as well as Sync. All options are easily implemented and simple to navigate.
Third, When thinking about simplicity and making it as seamless as possible for your end users, you can also set up ShareFile as a Drive Map that allows your users to take advantage of the Windows file system without dealing with synchronization of account content.
There are so many advantages to this product, however, I feel that the simplicity and functionality are the main advantages. Citrix ShareFile tech support is amazing and they really (if you need help) answer all question extremely fast.

In my experience with Citrix ShareFile, I have not found any significant CONs to report. Many people may have Drobox and other products...I would say that these products are not an apples-to-apples comparison. There are significantly different pricing structures between products, some of them being a little on the pricey side if you are a small business.
I have heard of a few people having issues with browser compatibility, however, I have not. We have about 20 users that are using IE11 as well as Edge w/ Windows 10 Pro and we haven't experienced any issues at all.
The only function/feature I would like to see improved is the audit reporting and logs. You have to go to each folder/individual to obtain the activity log/report and to me that is cumbersome. I would like to see a centralized audit log generation tool that categorizes the users and the folders and provides details needed.

Return on Investment

POSITIVE IMPACT: Considering the process we were using prior to ShareFile (FTP and WinZip), our ROI was almost immediate. ShareFile took the complexity out of the process and gave us control and audits over our file collaboration functions.
POSITIVE IMPACT: We all know that a happy user is soo much better than an unhappy one. I have approximately 20 users at this time and they have provided nothing but POSITIVE remarks about how simple and fast it is to use.
POSITIVE IMPACT: Centralized management as an IT Manager is paramount. ShareFile is easy to manage and deploy to end users. I would say it's as close to effortless as it can possibly be.

Alternatives Considered

Alternative #1: 7-Zip or WinZip
We were using this technology prior to ShareFile. If you are busy and need to exchange secure files with many individuals "zipping" is a cumbersome (IMHO) way to perform this task. Can be pricey and will have overhead in managing the applications from an IT perspective. This method created issues with securely distributing the decryption passwords to the recipient in a timely fashion. The ShareFile method is a far better solution to the problem as you can deploy as a web-based cloud product without ever installing any software on the end users workstation. Additionally, you can control access to the shared folders and if needed remove access if necessary. With the other products, you cannot tell what files were transferred and who transmitted and received them.

Other Software Used

Veritas Backup Exec, VIPRE, Wireshark, Aerohive Wireless

Likelihood to Recommend

Well suited for people that need to transfer large files between people or businesses. We were using FTP & password (AES256) encrypted Zip files to transfer data, which is fine for an every now and then function but was becoming a hindrance to productivity. The communication between sender and recipient was slowing down the process of delivering and receiving the content due to providing the decryption password etc...With ShareFile, you simply set up the recipient as a client and they get a welcome email to create the account for seamless transfers.

I can't think of any reason where it wouldn't be appropriate to use ShareFile other than it may be cost prohibitive for small businesses. My company found it very affordable when compared to other larger products in the industry. One of the great aspects of ShareFile is that you can add unlimited Clients as you only have to pay for per Employee use.

Products Replaced

Yes - When we started looking for a product/method to replace WinZip & 7-Zip as well as FTP, we looked at several products. We are a small business and found that the products that target large businesses such as Boeing are quite pricey and not cost effective for us. We reviewed 2 products MOVE-IT and EPIC. Both products were more complex and significantly more expensive than Citrix ShareFile. The biggest issue for us with the other products was their licensing structure was significantly more expensive and complex. That is what drove us to Citrix ShareFile...they license on a per user base and allow you to have unlimited clients. In the end, we needed a streamlined approach to file transfer and collaboration and Citrix ShareFile gave that to us in a simple and affordable package.

Key Differentiators

Price
Product Features
Product Usability
Product Reputation
Vendor Reputation
Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor
Third-party Reviews

Product ease of use, functionality, simplicity in deployment and cost were the main factors to our selection of Citrix ShareFile. There wasn't really a single factor...I guess out of the three I mentioned, I would say the products ease of use was the most important driving factor. Second would be the cost of the product. Due to the issues we had with utilizing file compression / encryption type products, it was important to me to provide an easy and comprehensive solution to our problem...Citrix ShareFile got us there fast and affordable.

Evaluation Lessons Learned

I wouldn't change a thing...I am very methodical in my process of evaluating products. First, I discuss my requirements and needs to the vendors sales team. Second I request a deep dive into the product over a phone call and live demo. If I am satisfied with the outcome and comfortable with the support team, I will then be open to discus pricing.

Usability

I give it a 10 for an overall rating for several reasons.

1. Technical Support is one of the best around. I get immediate help and resolution to any issue I have faced.
2. The product is simple to use and provides businesses with amazing features to streamline the sharing of large files.
3. The product is easy to deploy and manage. As an IT Manager, it is important to have control over your data.

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar	None

Easy Tasks

Deployment to end users and clients
End User friendly, easy to invite new clients to transfer files to / from
End user training is a breeze with the Tutorials provided on End User Dashboard.
Integration Apps are readily available to end users and simple to install and use

Difficult Tasks

Audit functions are not available from the main screen of dashboard, you must dig a bit. Other than that, I can't find anything cumbersome or difficult when utilizing Citrix ShareFile.

Mobile Interface Availability and Impressions

Yes, but I don't use it - The

Citrix ShareFile...Simplifying file transfer and control

Overall Satisfaction with Citrix ShareFile