ShareFile is a secure content collaboration,

file sharing File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digital media, such as computer programs, multimedia (audio, images and video), documents or electronic books. Common methods of storage, transmission and dispersion include r ...

and sync software that supports all the document-centric tasks and workflow needs of small and large businesses. The company also offers

cloud-based Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage (cloud storage) and computing power, without direct active management by the user. Large clouds often have functions distributed over mult ...

on-premises On- premises software (abbreviated to on-prem, and incorrectly referred to as on-premise) is installed and runs on computers on the premises of the person or organization using the software, rather than at a remote facility such as a server farm ...

storage, virtual data rooms and

client portal A client portal is an electronic gateway to a collection of digital files, services, and information, accessible over the Internet through a web browser. The term is most often applied to a sharing mechanism between an organization and its client ...

s. ShareFile is owned by

Citrix Systems Citrix Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational cloud computing and virtualization technology company that provides server, application and desktop virtualization, networking, software as a service (SaaS), and cloud ...

History

Early history

Jesse Lipson, a self-taught

programmer A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software. A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...

, built and launched ShareFile in November 2005 in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Sout ...

. Lipson created ShareFile after several of his website design clients asked him to build a password-protected area where they could set up folders and exchange business files with their clients. He felt FTP sites of the time were insufficient and saw an opportunity to create a web-based product. ShareFile launched without a free version or outside

funding Funding is the act of providing resources to finance a need, program, or project. While this is usually in the form of money, it can also take the form of effort or time from an organization or company. Generally, this word is used when a firm use ...

, and focused on acquiring only business customers. By 2011, ShareFile had 3 million users in 100 countries. ShareFile was included on the

Inc. 500 ''Inc.'' is an American business magazine founded in 1979 and based in New York City. The magazine publishes six issues per year, along with surrounding online and social media content. The magazine also produces several live and virtual events ...

list of Fastest Growing Private Companies in both 2010 and 2011.

Acquisition by Citrix Systems

In October 2011, ShareFile was acquired by

. Under terms of the agreement, ShareFile was offered as a standalone service in addition to its software becoming integrated into Citrix products. With the acquisition, Lipson became vice president and general manager of a new data sharing division within Citrix under the deal. As of 2016, Lipson is corporate vice president and general manager of cloud services, which includes ShareFile and Citrix Workspace Cloud. A new 171,000-square-foot Raleigh office opened in October 2014 for Raleigh-based Citrix employees. As of April 2015, ShareFile had 55,000 corporate customers and 40 million users.

Product overview

ShareFile is a

secure Secure may refer to: * Security, being protected against danger or loss(es) ** Physical security, security measures that are designed to deny unauthorized access to facilities, equipment, and resources **Information security, defending information ...

platform for businesses to store and share large files. Businesses are able to create

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

ed, password-protected areas for files through the service. The software has a client-

portal Portal often refers to: *Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...

feature businesses can set up and customize to allow outside vendors and clients access to specific projects and files. Other ShareFile features include the ability to send and obtain e-signatures on documents with the integration of RightSignature; the ability to send

encrypted email Email encryption is encryption of email messages to protect the content from being read by entities other than the intended recipients. Email encryption may also include authentication. Email is prone to the disclosure of information. Most emails ...

through a Microsoft Outlook plugin or an online portal,

Office 365 Microsoft 365 is a product family of productivity software, collaboration and cloud-based services owned by Microsoft. It encompasses online services such as Outlook.com, OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, programs formerly marketed under the name ...

connection to access and edit documents stored in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business; and the ability for individuals to migrate data from their personal clouds into ShareFile. There are also

mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...

versions of ShareFile, which allow mobile editing and offline editing of documents.

Security features

ShareFile users have the option to store data in their own

data center A data center (American English) or data centre (British English)See spelling differences. is a building, a dedicated space within a building, or a group of buildings used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommun ...

s, Citrix-managed data centers, or use existing file storage systems via StorageZone Connectors. This allows companies to host files that they do not want stored in the cloud, in some cases due to regulatory concerns. IT managers can manage corporate content on ShareFile using remote wipe,

encryption In cryptography, encryption is the process of encoding information. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as ciphertext. Ideally, only authorized parties can d ...

, passcode lock and poison pill features. In addition, companies are able to restrict third-party editing tools that employees might try to install on their devices, and audit content accessed from a device that has been lost or stolen.

Industry-specific features

In response to updated regulations with

HIPAA The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA or the Kennedy– Kassebaum Act) is a United States Act of Congress enacted by the 104th United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 21, 1 ...

standards, Citrix created ShareFile Cloud for Health Care in 2013. This private virtual cloud was designed to help companies stay compliant with updated HIPAA standards. It runs on the

AWS Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to individuals, companies, and governments, on a metered pay-as-you-go basis. These cloud computing web services provide d ...

Cloud, but sets aside specific virtual servers to host protected health information (PHI). Also in 2013, ShareFile began offering a feature called "Archiving for Financial Services" to help organizations in the financial sector comply with data archiving regulations put forth by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is a private American corporation that acts as a self-regulatory organization (SRO) that regulates member brokerage firms and exchange markets. FINRA is the successor to the National Associat ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharefile Citrix Systems File hosting File sharing services Research Triangle Cloud computing providers Data synchronization Companies based in Raleigh, North Carolina Internet properties established in 2005 2011 mergers and acquisitions 2005 establishments in North Carolina