According to a published report from comScore, one in three U.S. mobile phones is a smartphone. Have you joined the smartphone world? I held out as long as I could (refusing to join the rest of the world and enjoying my less than 24/7 presence from social networking sites) but broke down and got an Android operating device a few months ago. Since that day, I have not been without my smartphone. I’m never Twitterless and I’m constantly checking the latest news headlines and Facebook updates. I’m addicted. Apparently the rest of the world is too– 76.8 million Americans out of 234 million American mobile users have smartphones.

Ever heard of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)? Interesting concept in today’s fast paced environment. Mobile solutions like smartphones and tablets are quickly moving into the workplace. Such trends as BYOD are becoming more prominent in work policies. As a society, we seek to gather the most amount of information in the shortest amount of time. Smartphones and tablets allow us to do just that. Simply take a look around your office, the mall, or even the doctor’s office and a majority of the crowd is soaking up all the latest information via social media from their device of choice. Such devices are also convenient when traveling on business trips like conferences and other events- carrying an iPad is easier than a notebook.

Ryan and Norah take some time to talk about development at ShareFile and the rise of mobile development needs.

In last month’s newsletter, we announced an exciting upcoming extension of our mobile strategy. Guided directly by the feedback provided from our mobile-savvy customers, we were pleased to introduce the ShareFile Mobile App for Android on March 31st. The native application for all devices running Apple iOS will be available in early Q2. Both of these applications will be free to download for ShareFile users.

Users of the mobile applications will have seamless access to all files and folders on their account. Users can also browse files or folders and share them via ShareFile without having to download them. The mobile applications will also feature built-in access to previously downloaded files, allowing users to view files without having to re-download them. These applications are designed to play to the strengths of mobile devices and are optimized for mobile screen resolution and connectivity speeds.
With the recent launch of our Sync tools, mobile web application, and now native applications, we are continuing to make the process of sharing files easy and convenient for our customers. As with all product releases, we look forward to hearing your feedback and will continuously aim to develop innovative ideas to make the ShareFile service as seamless as possible for our users.

There has been a lot of excitement here at ShareFile from the development team. Guided directly by the feedback provided from our mobile-savvy customers, we are pleased to announce the newest addition to our mobile strategy- a native mobile application for Android.

Earlier this quarter we introduced the ShareFile Mobile Web Application, which enables browser-based access to ShareFile accounts from mobile devices. The launch of native mobile applications for Android will allow customers to access their files on-the-go and even save downloads in a convenient folder on the account. By using the application, customers can instantaneously access important files and simultaneously improve service provided to their customers.

Today has been declared World Back-Up Day to serve as a reminder to back up your files and to bring awareness to the importance of file storage. The concept is interesting- back up your files today, “Don’t be an April Fool.” Obviously, you should think more often about backing up and storing your important data but take this reminder to analyze how you are currently backing up your data.

With traditional storage methods, users worry about running out of space on flash drives and CDs or worry about keeping up with a physical device. However, with ShareFile you can upload files directly to your account, which provides an easy and secure online storage solution, customized for almost any small to medium sized business. All data is transmitted and stored with 128-bit SSL encryption, stored in a SAS 70 audited data center, and is audited regularly by a third-party. Users can store files on their account for a specified period of time and can access this information from virtually anywhere, even on-the-go through ShareFile’s mobile app for Android.

If you’re like most of us here at ShareFile, you probably love your smartphone. Of course, it’s awesome to be able to check critical scores for your favorite team and update others of your current status through every social media application imaginable while on the go. But we strongly believe that power of mobile applications can be of great use to businesses and for organizations as well. Within our own offices, we use mobile technology daily to help our support team monitor important issues after normal office hours and to receive constant updates about the status of our system.