by Steve | Jan 4, 2011 | Desktop App, General Information, New Features
The My Docs Online website is a great way for you and I to store files in the cloud. Using the website is easy – it’s accessible from anywhere and using it is simple. However, there are a few things that we’d like to do that we just can’t do through the website.
The My Docs development team has heard our requests and they’re in the beta test phase of introducing a new desktop based application. This application will do a number of things that, because of the nature of web browsers, can’t be done through Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome or other browsers.
I’ve been working with a number of you who are beta testing this new product and you’re telling me both what you like about it and the features that you’d like to see added.
Here are the top five things you say will help you with the new app:
- File compression on all uploads and downloads – This is mentioned often as a big time saver, especially for users who upload and download lots of files and folders each day.
- The “Open Last Folder” at login option – Those of you using this option (it’s in the preferences section) really like the way the app takes you directly to the last folder used as soon as you log in.
- Drag-and-drop or file select for file uploads – I’ve always been a big fan of using file select for uploads but many of you report a preference for drag-and-drop file uploading. This new app allows us to upload files either way.
- Easily login into and out of multiple accounts – Some of you maintain multiple My Docs Online accounts and mentioned this as a much easier way of accessing them.
- Being able to lock the files you’re working on – (It was the power users among you that mentioned file locking.) The desktop app allows you to apply file locks to any file type. This means that you can “Lock and Open” any file in your account without fear of any of your other team members trying to update the file while you have it open. When you’re done with your changes you simply “Save and Unlock” the file and it’s available for use by any other team member.
Not surprisingly there were also features that are not yet in the beta version of the Desktop App that you’ve requested as well. The most requested feature available through the website that is not yet available in the Desktop App is the “give” feature that you use to share files with people who may not be My Docs Online users.
The Dev team hopes that you see the Desktop App as a useful addition to the My Docs Online website. If you’d like more information on the beta test program, or if you’re interested in helping us test the new product (we’d love to hear your feedback) please send me an email using the [email protected] email address.
by Steve | Sep 27, 2010 | New Features, Web Folders
We are currently developing a new application that will replace and extend the features currently available with a combination of Web Folder / WebDAV and Microsoft Office. The new application will be able to “lock, download and edit” virtually any type of application file, including Office files, Quickbook files, and more.
The application will work for both PCs and Macs, and will not need Web Folders / WebDAV.
If you are interested in participating in the beta test of this upcoming application drop us a line at Beta At MyDocsOnline Dot Com to get on the list to be notified when it is available.
by Steve | May 25, 2010 | File Sharing, General Information
Data theft and loss are two significant areas of concern in today’s society. The world demands and expects instant communication, and much of that communication consists of sensitive information that is stored and transmitted electronically. That means that our sensitive information is not always under our care, custody, and control, and we are forced to make some difficult choices.
How Safe Is Your Information?
In many corporations, there is little or no control over the sensitive information that has been entrusted to them. This is true for information exchanged within a business, as well as information that is transmitted to parties outside of the company. Because of this failure on the part of many organizations, legislation has been introduced in some areas requiring protective measures. These regulations include HIPPA, Basel II, SOX and many others. It is not merely sending information that makes it unsafe, it is also the manner of storage that is in question. Items like CD’s, USB sticks, and even tapes are used, and then often placed in a location that is easily accessed by other parties.
Not very long ago, personal and banking information on over 25 million people that had been stored on two CD’s was misplaced in the United Kingdom. On October 18, 2007 these two CD’s, containing information on each family that had filed for the Child Benefit, were sent to the National Audit office.
This correspondence was sent without the protection of postal registration and was not documented.
This constituted a breach of existing protocols, and endangered the financial and physical safety of every person listed in the communication. It was approximately two weeks later that an announcement was made, informing everyone of the existing situation. It quickly culminated in the resignation of Mr. Gray, who was HMRC Chairman at the time.
Another event of data loss or contamination involved the United States Army Reserve. As of May 2010, a contractor had been storing sensitive information on 207,000 reserve members on his laptop. That is risky enough, but when this laptop containing a CD-ROM with Reserve names, addresses, and social security numbers was stolen, the potential for disaster increased dramatically. The two other laptops that were stolen were not in possession of sensitive data. There have not yet been any further complications from this inability for the U.S. Army Reserve to store their information safely.
IT Security Protocols
It is very common for some IT departments to overlook guidelines that pertain to security authorizations. It has been estimated that in more than 50% of accounts, the majority of employees, regardless of employment status, have access to all of the existing files. Given the volume of information that is exchanged between information systems, on a daily basis, it is crucial to guarantee the safety and reliability of the transfer procedure. Most current methods are proven to lack either of those qualities.
Following a well-known incident that involved personal information being sold on eBay, the chief executive of Applied Security was quoted as saying, “ Instead of looking at specific technologies such as laptop or USB encryption, the focus should be on encrypting files and folders at the source.”
It is quite obvious that Mr. Frank Schlottke is correct in his statement.
What Can You Do?
My Docs Online was founded in 1998 to provide a exceptionally secure online environment for the storage and sharing of files globally for enterprise workgroups, small businesses, and for individuals.
The My Docs Online development team is comprised of former Senior Principal Computer Scientists from a leading Internet security firm. Their design and the goals of the My Docs Online Member services are to protect the integrity of the user database, and to prevent access to your files or documents without your knowledge or consent.
We are a privately held corporation located in sunny Naples, Florida in the U.S.A.
Our 10 years of online file sharing and collaboration experience has given us the opportunity to successfully help businesses of all types in over 160 countries with their file transfer and storage problems. Give us a call today at 239-495-1181. We take security seriously and have several convenient plans to fit your needs.
by Steve | May 12, 2010 | File Sharing
Most of us are familiar with the popular quote that warns, ‘Doing the same thing over and over, yet expecting different results is a form of insanity.’ How true this statement is, in every area of our lives.
We, as business owners, may have cleaned up our computer files and stopped wasting valuable time trying to email large files to our clients and colleagues, and that is a huge step in the right direction. An account with MyDocsOnline.com has proved to be invaluable. File sharing, file storage, and archiving is now a snap with the drag-and-drop system. In fact, we’ve become an efficiency tornado. Client files are never left on the desktop of our computer…everything is neatly organized and in its proper place.
Personal Files
But what about our personal files? Have you stopped to consider the fact that all the songs on your iPod are wiped out at least once per year?
What about the photos stored on your Blackberry?
Remember when you lost the video of your niece’s first steps?
This is an expectation that seems to be the norm, year after year. When you purchase a new computer, phone, or iPod, you automatically figure that song purchases, photos, and videos are lost. Why is that?
Because that’s what has always occurred. Songs, photos, and other large files have always been at risk of loss, no matter how important or precious they are.
What can we do about this? Amazingly, the answer is pretty simple. You need to get in the habit of saving your photos and songs, just like you do your business files. It’s not a big deal, but most people surf the web for an unlimited amount of time to acquire the song they are thinking of at the moment, without giving much attention to how they will preserve these files for years to come.
When you think about the expense involved… at least $1 per song on iTunes, doesn’t it make sense to store your music library on MyDocsOnline.com?
Photos
What about those treasured family photos? Do you think it’s enough to have an unlimited amount of SD cards randomly stored around the house?
Your photos are your memories of important events, days gone by, milestones, and marked occasions in your life. Do you want to trust them to a memory card or even a separate hard drive? I didn’t think so. With MyDocsOnline.com you can edit your photos, crop them, and change them in any way you’d like before saving them to your online file cabinet.
It’s not rocket science, but it is a change in the way you do things. You used to save photos and song lists on your computer and your phone. Those days are gone. Now you can save them right alongside your business files, and why not? Your personal files and photos are just as important to you as your client’s business files. MyDocsOnline.com provides you with enough space to store personal as well as business files. With our file storage system, you will never have to experience the loss of personal files again. Isn’t that good news?
Contact MyDocsOnline.com today, for all your file sharing and storage needs.
by Steve | May 6, 2010 | General Information
We’ve almost rolled halfway through 2010 and chances are, many of those changes you were thinking of making to your business may not have been accomplished as originally planned. If I’m correct, and I think I am, maybe it’s time for a ‘productivity check-up.’
I can already see the roll of your eyes as you imagine yet another uninteresting article, telling you how to simplify, and how to break down uninteresting tasks into manageable tidbits that you still won’t enjoy.
I promise, that’s not the case. This productivity check-up will actually help you to quickly recognize where your time hogging tasks are. By doing so, you’ll be able to change or adjust the way you complete your tasks, and ultimately create more time to check your fantasy baseball stats…err, I mean, to engage in more productive business duties.
Example…I am aware of a local sign business who writes each of their invoices by hand. This task generally takes the owner a good deal of time every Sunday. It’s a task he dreads. What is the reason for the hand written bills? A lack of computers? No, surprisingly it is only because the owner refuses to stop his regular daily grind long enough to install the necessary software. Sound silly? Maybe, but numerous businesses continue to put off unfamiliar tasks for fear of risking the work momentum.
So, how do we break the unhealthy cycle of defeat? Start by making a list of all the basic things you spend time on during your day. Be sure to include weekly tasks, such as writing invoices by hand.
Now call your spouse or business partner into the room and take a look at your tasks with an extremely critical eye. Is there anything that you do, that could be streamlined? Just as a bit of help, here’s a list of the most common time sucks, along with ways to complete these tasks efficiently.
- LARGE FILES: Whether you are trying to store them or share them, large files can become quite a hassle. Do you find yourself repeatedly trying to email or reduce the size of a file? This can take blocks of time out of your work day. MyDocsOnline allows you to store large files in a safe, organized fashion, and seamlessly share them with your clients and colleagues. We can’t help you with poor filing skills, but we will keep them safe.
- INVOICING HEADACHES? Freshbooks has excellent time tracking tools for the small business owner or the freelancer on the go. Freshbooks creates professional invoices that can conveniently be branded with your business logo.
- EVENT AND APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING: If you’re still playing phone and email tag with clients or groups of individuals, trying to come up with mutually compatible meeting times, come on out of the dark ages. Doodle is an easy and convenient scheduler that practically makes your appointments for you. Compatible with your Google calendar, Facebook, your mobile phone, and more…You’ll have your appointments and meetings neatly scheduled while you spend time on more important business tasks.
Okay that’s your first three helpers. We’re taking baby steps. Each one of these changes is painless and extremely ‘time management’ approved!
They are without complicated software downloads and can be used immediately. By making them part of your business toolbox, you’ll save countless hours of ‘time hogging’ tasks. What a great way to start your week!
