FileCloud Supports one of the World’s Largest Banking Institutions

November 17, 2021

FileCloud is developing ever more sophisticated features alongside the powerful benefits and UI that remain a core aspect of the solution. By responding to emerging industry needs for compliance and security, FileCloud supports productive, meaningful work for organizations of all sizes, particularly those working in the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector. A Modern […]

FileCloud is developing ever more sophisticated features alongside the powerful benefits and UI that remain a core aspect of the solution. By responding to emerging industry needs for compliance and security, FileCloud supports productive, meaningful work for organizations of all sizes, particularly those working in the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector.

A Modern Solution for the BFSI Sector

When we think about the types of information we want to secure, banking and financial data are at the top of the list. As IT infrastructure ages and threats become more refined, keeping Personally Identifiable Information (PII) safe becomes a significant challenge.

FileCloud can meet you where you are with your current IT infrastructure, providing an all-in-one secure cloud or self-hosted solution—or by integrating with your current infrastructure to bring it into the 21st century.

Email, file zipping, and VPNs are outdated and fallible, easy pickings for people who know how to break into systems and find the information that will do the most damage. FileCloud is a sleek, modern solution that provides robust, multi-layered security alongside ease of access for authorized users. With a plethora of integrations, FileCloud can incorporate legacy components like AD and NTFS permissions so you don’t have to start from scratch.

Powerful yet Flexible

The strength of the platform, the accessibility of the UI, and the functionality of features contributed to the agreement between CodeLathe (FileCloud) and one of the world’s largest banks. Here are some of the highlights that made FileCloud the best choice among competitors:

Security

One of FileCloud’s core strengths is the built-in security from the codebase all the way through top-level, user features. Clients can choose between FileCloud Server (self-hosting), FileCloud Online (cloud hosting with CodeLathe), or a hybrid cloud storage model.

Data Residency

For those opting for FileCloud Online, data is hosted in our world-class data centers in a region of your choice. This allows banks and financial service organizations to comply with global and industry data residency requirements. Clients can also opt for different cloud storage providers/buckets (e.g., Amazon S3, GovCloud, Azure Blob).

This particular banking client operates around the world but needed to ensure data was hosted in Australia to comply with regional regulations. FileCloud offers data centers all over the world, including Sydney, Germany, Ireland, and Bombay.

Compliance

FileCloud supports compliance with major regulatory bodies around the world and across industries. Notable examples for the BFSI sector include GDPR, CMMC, FINRA, SEC (17A, 31A-2, & 204-2), Sarbanes-Oxley, and IRS Publication 1075.

Major security features include:

Furthermore, FileCloud offers comprehensive audit capabilities, capturing Who, What, When, Where, and How file activity. These audit logs are easy to review in FileCloud’s Audit dashboard and can be exported as CSV files. Audit logs also support FileCloud’s Records Management Platform, an automated system that protects and preserves files throughout the document lifecycle, from creation and distribution through archival and deletion. Records Management takes the effort out of document management, ensuring critical records are identified and maintained in the event of internal reviews or external legal proceedings and/or governance requirements.

Integration with SIEM software provides another layer of security, with active monitoring and instant notifications and alerts. Admins can respond to notifications of shared data with banking customers to prevent unauthorized access or data leak.

One of FileCloud’s major strengths revolves around data leak protection (DLP). With customizable metadata sets, a smart content classification engine, and seamless DLP, the system can effectively automate file sorting and application of security protocols and policies. Upon upload, the content classification engine scans files for information that aligns with metadata tags (e.g., PII, credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc.). If a file is found to contain this information, the file is tagged with the appropriate metadata class.

When DLP is enabled, this metadata tag will trigger relevant policies for retention and share permissions. Thanks to FileCloud’s hierarchical permissions system, information is protected at the most stringent of levels. With metadata templates and custom metadata options, FileCloud can support organizations requiring distinct classifications. (The aforementioned banking client runs over 200 classifications as part of their DLP system.) 

Collectively, these powerful features help companies and organizations comply with global and federal regulations and guidelines.

Zero Trust Folders

To maintain the utmost security, cloud storage providers use “Zero Trust Folders.” This feature is currently being developed for FileCloud Release 21.3. In a system with Zero Trust Folders, if anyone logs in with a compromised account, they may be able to see folders, but the folder information and all the data within is encrypted. To access information or files, the unauthorized user would also need to know the encryption key or password. With FileCloud, this key would not be stored within the platform cache, providing an extra layer of security.

 

Accessibility

Customers and employees of global banks (like the one served by FileCloud) need to be able to access bank systems from anywhere in the world. To operate efficiently, the bank also needs to be able to share information with external customers and vendors.

FileCloud delivers this secure access seamlessly. The banking client deploys over 15 servers to best support their global network, which includes more than 20,000 employees and over 13 million banking customers.

One specific way FileCloud meets the extensive needs of this banking organization is through multi-tenancy. Each bank under the organization’s umbrella has its own brand identity and network. Multi-tenancy with FileCloud ensures that all the banks have their own data boundaries without requiring multiple FileCloud instances. The banking client is also able to reduce overhead costs and cut back on access abstraction, which provides more opportunities to invest in customer service and innovation.

Flexibility

FileCloud is eminently flexible, thanks to the user interface and the plethora of integrations with legacy IT infrastructure and third-party applications. The banking client specifically needed to be able to integrate their Authentication Directory into their portal, with support for Single Sign-On (SSO).

For the BFSI sector, FileCloud’s ability to work with older systems, modernizing them and providing top-of-the-line security, is a major strength. Banks invested early in IT systems to help streamline processes and security. The drawback of being an early adopter is that these systems have since become outdated and vulnerable. With FileCloud’s flexible integrations though, banking clients need not invest in a massive upheaval to gain security and access features that are absolutely vital for a modern, global organization.

Regarding third-party integrations, FileCloud works with other recognized software providers to ensure banking clients have the tools they are familiar with and rely on. One such example is Compass Plus, a payments software established in 1989 that continues to develop revolutionary and future-proof solutions.

Branding and Customization

Building a branded identity is essential for BFSI organizations to build consumer trust, reach potential customers by extending their brand in the market, and establish their reputation for select services. Branded platforms also help protect customers by providing clearly marked digital boundaries around the banking platform.

FileCloud provides full support for branding customization. FileCloud Server can be run under a custom domain, user and admin portals can be updated with the bank’s logo. Fonts and theme colors can even be adjusted to follow branding guidelines. Furthermore, banking clients can insert their own language for user communications such as terms of service and activity notifications. Multi-tenancy also plays a role here, enabling the banking client to run multiple, branded tenants from the same instance.

Workflow Automation

One of FileCloud’s newest features (released in 21.2) is Workflow Automation. This powerful feature empowers users to automate tasks associated with file activities, relieving employees of tedious yet critical processes that are part of the bank’s smooth operations. For example, FileCloud’s Workflow Automation can control file shares by automating the approval chain.

  1. User Shares a File
  2. Manager Reviews Share and Approves
  3. Shared File Becomes Available to Recipient.

Workflow Automation supports both efficiency and security for banking clients by reducing the opportunity for human error and time spent on routine tasks. Users can easily see and respond to workflow events within the notification tab. They can also review a history of their workflow actions in the new “Actions” tab in the left sidebar and even make their own workflows thanks to FileCloud’s no-code, drag-and-drop workflow builder.

Admins have even greater scope, with the ability to examine workflows in the dashboard and make changes to improve efficiency or update involved files, folders, or user information.

Conclusion

This major banking client chose FileCloud not only for the strength of its security or the sophistication of its features, but also for its flexible integration options, accessible UI, and award-winning customer support team. FileCloud is an innovative platform designed to solve real-world problems.

By constantly examining how it can mitigate inefficiencies across file storage and sharing systems and respond to emerging trends and threats, FileCloud provides a robust ROI. BFSI clients that partner with FileCloud have the infrastructure support they need to navigate a rapidly changing digital market and meet the needs of banking customers all over the world.

By Katie Gerhardt

Jr. Product Marketing Manager