Cloud Security: DataLocker Lets You Encrypt Your Sensitive Dropbox Files For Free

We’re all becoming increasingly reliant on consumer cloud services, as cloud storage providers like Dropbox make it easy to share and store files, folders, images, sync between platforms, and more. They make our lives easier, but because they store an enormous amount of potentially sensitive data, there are some inherent risks. While Dropbox is for personal use, it and services like it are increasingly being used by businesses — another example of the ongoing consumerization of enterprise and IT.

It’s also true that most people want their data in their cloud service to be synced across all platforms on which they have the app installed, mobile, desktop, etc. So, with individuals and companies storing sensitive data in the cloud, cross-sync can make for some potential security problems, and it’s not really something you want to do at work.

That’s why virtualization provider AppSense has created DataLocker, a set of mobile and desktop apps for iOS, Windows and Mac that enable users to encrypt sensitive information in their Dropbox accounts for free — without giving up the convenience of cross-platform syncing.

DataLocker is the first product from “AppSense Labs,” the company’s new research arm, which is dedicated to building consumer-friendly solutions around cloud, mobile, and data that work within traditional IT infrastructure. As the boundaries between personal and professional computing are blurring, AppSense Labs will look to ride that wave with new products that capitalize on this transition, making it easier on consumers and enterprise, piece by piece.

And to that point, DataLocker is a great first step in alleviating some of the worry over the security of our personal information as it moves about the cloud. With the advent of Apple’s iCloud and Microsoft’s SkyDrive, businesses will have to decide whether these proprietary clouds are something they want to adopt. In iCloud’s case, user accounts are tied to Apple not to businesses, which may lead to some businesses balking at using the service to share sensitive company information.

This is where DataLocker could really come in handy. For now, it’s focused on Dropbox, but there’s potential for it to move beyond Dropbox, even if iCloud/SkyDrive integration isn’t in the cards. Businesses want to use friendly cloud services, and encryption of sensitive data is key to encouraging further adoption.

As to how the app works? It’s fairly straightforward, users simply install the app and link it to their Dropbox accounts, at which point they can upload new files, protect them instantly, while browsing and viewing existing and protected Dropbox files.

Evolving Expertise

The latest Human Resource Competency Study conducted in 2011 indicated that HR is becoming an even greater influence in the following areas out of a score from 1 to 5, 5 being the highest score: 

• a credible activist - 4.23
• strategic positioner - 3.89
• capable builder - 3.97
• change champion - 3.93
• HR innovator and integrator - 3.90
• technology proponent - 3.74 

The take-a-ways from this latest study show that HR has been stepping up its' game since the study first took place in 1987 and has the same pattern all across the globe, not just the US. The six (6) domains of HR competencies have an impact on both the perception of the effectiveness of the HR professional and the business performance where the HR professional works. 

The study details which was conducted by David Ulrich and his associates @ RBL Consulting Group can be found in the January/February edition of the Human Resource Executive or  at www.hreonline.com .   

The Value of Knowing Your People

I had a great discussion with an former employee today that really emphasized the value of knowing your people.  We talked about what was new with the company and what had changed. The discussion led to that there were still employee asking about me and that they missed my coming around each day to see them and get to know what they did as well as how they felt about their careers. So imagine that after four years has passed they still think about how HR impacted their life and that HR cared about them as individuals and about their career. 


I have said this since I first got into HR that the cornerstone of what we do and how we do it is based on the linkage we have with employees and what the employees think of us, not what we think. The value of getting out of your office and mingling with employees has a value that you cannot imagine. So I will say again, there is so much value in getting out of your office and getting to know your employees personally and their job functions. It is long lasting and and provides a direct link to your success and the value you bring to the company. 

Pinterest: Everything You Wanted to Know About 2012′s Hottest Startup [INFOGRAPHIC]

Pinterest has emerged as the runaway social media hit of early 2012. You probably knew that already. But did you know the company just has 12 people? Or that 97% of Pinterest’s Facebook fans are women?

Lemon.ly, a visual marketing firm, took a deep dive into the data to catalog Pinterest’s stunning rise and produced the infographic below. What’s clear is that with 10 million users, Pinterest has already made its mark in terms of web design influence, if nothing else.

It also has the potential to become a forum for satire, as this fake Mitt Romney account illustrates.

Since the company appears to be the hottest thing going — at least at this writing — consider this a snapshot of the next social media giant or the answer to tomorrow’s trivia question.

Why Share Your Expertise?

A lot of times people ask me why I blog, tweet, share stuff online. They think I am wasting my time. But its is because of such sharing that I have discovered and learned more than other people who look forward to learning as a formal "event" that they or their employer has to pay for.

Online sharing of ideas and opinions are like a dialog and often helps in helping you think about an issue in more clarity after the discussion than you had before. Connecting around learning online also leads you to discover content in various types from text, to documents, to slides and videos.

Hyperlinking makes online content dependent on what the user needs rather than what an author or trainer wants to convey. It gives the adult learners an option of going deep into a subject or to keep it at a surface level. 

When you share your skill you also ensure that others look at you as an authority, if they find your content compelling. People can vote with their feet and leave when the value of that content falls, when better people start sharing their content too!


So Guatam really answers the question people have asked me. 


Gautam is Platform Evangelist and India Marketing Lead at BraveNewTalent and blogger at Gautamblogs.com. He specializes in the areas of HR, Organization Development and how businesses can leverage Social Media for Organizational Learning and Employee Engagement. 

How to Understand the Big Picture

This quick post is really for those HR professionals who are not at the VP, EVP, or CHRO level. 


Make sure you see the big picture in your organization and not be fixated on the lower level HR issues you deal with on a daily basis. To do this you need to understand the "Big Picture" and understand the cornerstones of the strategy, technology corridors your company plays in and the frontiers your organization will play in and blaze new trails. 


So how do you do this when you are confronted with the day-to-day issues and projects you have to deal with to meet your VPHR's or CHRO's objectives. I found that the best way is to make sure you and your fellow HR staffers understand the strategy from a grass roots basis. What do I mean from that, here is what and how to do it:

• make sure you staff meetings have on the agenda the overall strategy of the business,
• ensure that your head of HR also provides a detailed map of how the company intends to address each strategy component, and how that effects your direct HR responsibility,
• understand completely what the competitive issues are and how the organization will address them,
• make sure that the cornerstones of the organizational strategy is linked to your division or line of sight responsibility, and 
• make sure that the managers and superiors you manage have the same understanding.

I have found though my many years of HR experience that the "Big Picture" is only understood by a choice few and the information does not always flow down stream the way it should. I have also found that if you are not excited about what you do and the company you work for your interest is not where it should be and for that reason, you should move on or get lost in the maze. 


A quick word to the wise - be aggressive, assertive, and intelligent on how you get the information without making waves along the way.  

Can You Hear Me Now? The Impact of Social Media on Your Workforce

Can you hear me now?

That ubiquitous phrase made famous by Verizon became quite apropos at the end of 2011. After the most embarrassing debacle in history of marketing/pricing, Verizon was forced to backtrack, put their tail between their legs, and somberly walk away from what they thought would be another revenue steam.

Netflix was faced with the same situation in mid-2011.

What was the major connector to both of these events? What was the determining factor that drove them to make an immediate u-turn? The answer: social media.

Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2011 was the protester. What drove the protest throughout the world that drove their movement? Again, social media was the key.

Two of the most driving forces going into 2012 are social media (and the power of it), and the employee, regardless of the level of engagement.

The pendulum has swung

What is the Future of Human Resources

HR plays a critical role in any economic environment and most critical in a recessional economy. The keys to success are: stay close to the CEO, make sure your HR strategy is aligned with corporate strategy, stay close to your customer base, add value by testing the theories of the company, products, and services, know the business inside and out,  understand the dynamics of the organization, know the managers, don't rest on laurels,  think outside the box, don't get caught in administration, and most of all be real so the organization embraces you and your HR team.


I am sure each of you have additional comments on how to make sure your future in HR is bright and secure. Don't take anything for granted and make sure you make an impact on the business daily.