SMEs worried about cloud file sharing security can rest easy with Tresorit: it delivers total end-to-end encryption. Your data is encrypted client-side, in transit and on Tresorit’s cloud servers and as no encryption keys or passwords are stored anywhere in unencrypted form, only you have access.
We’re reviewing the Tresorit Business plan which costs £8 per user per month if you pay yearly. You can trial the product but Tresorit asks for payment details beforehand, so remember to cancel the trial if you decide not to keep it or you’ll be charged.
The Business plan starts with 1TB of encrypted cloud storage per user and offers a wealth of features including deleted file restoration, unlimited file version recovery, security policies and Outlook integration. It builds on the Small Business plan by adding Active Directory (AD) support, password recovery, custom portal branding and remote wipe for stolen or lost mobile devices.
Deployment is swift; we used the admin cloud portal to send email invitations to users. These contain a download link for the Tresorit desktop app and after installing it, they provide their full name and enter a password.
Central to Tresorit’s service are Tresors which are secure encrypted folders. The desktop app adds a personal Tresor when it first loads and each user can create as many as they want, up to the limit of their personal cloud storage.
The app is easy to use and when creating Tresors, you can add an existing folder where its contents are uploaded and synced with the cloud. If you create a new Tresor, its starts with file syncing turned off which can be enabled with one click when you’re ready.
From the Windows desktop app, we viewed the contents of all our personal Tresors, uploaded more files to them and moved, deleted or renamed individual files. The app also creates a new local drive for quick access to Tresors and each user has their own web portal.
Sharing Tresors and files is easy as you select this option and choose which team members to invite. Once they accept, your Tresor will be shared with them and you can decide whether they are allowed to edit files, add new ones or merely view them.
Tresorit’s Outlook plug-in means never having to send an unencrypted attachment again. You simply select a file or a complete folder and it will upload it, encrypt it and provide a secure link in the message body.
It’s very easy to use – you create a new email, select the ‘Upload and attach’ icon and choose your file or folder. During this phase, you can set a link expiration date, decide how many times it can be opened and password protect it.
The Admin Center portal opens with a dashboard showing a summary of users, storage usage and devices along with graphs of the top 5 users and platforms. The activity chart alongside is basic as it only shows invitations, acceptances plus policy creations and updates.
Security policies are powerful as they can enforce 2-step verification, control which devices are permitted to access the cloud service and apply IP filtering to stop access from specific locations. You can decide whether users may create file links, set login session limits in days, stop browsers from remembering login credentials and deny them personal Tresors.
Tresorit may not be able to match the collaboration features of its competitors but it beats them hands-down for security. Its zero-knowledge encryption makes it very easy to deploy and use, the desktop apps are well designed and Tresorit’s Business plan is an affordable option for SMEs.