Question

Why might a business decide to use a system other than email to distribute files among employees?

Responses

Email is a highly insecure way to share files.

Email is a highly insecure way to share files. - no response given

Email providers often place size restrictions on files.

Email providers often place size restrictions on files. - no response given

Sharing files through email is very expensive.

Sharing files through email is very expensive. - no response given

Using email to send files opens a company up to legal liability and lawsuits.

Using email to send files opens a company up to legal liability and lawsuits. - no response given

Answer 1

Which of these are good reasons to avoid using email for internal file distribution?

1) "Email is a highly insecure way to share files." — True (reason)
- Email by default is sent in plain text and attachments travel through multiple servers. Without end-to-end or transport encryption and strict access controls, attachments can be intercepted, forwarded unintentionally, or exposed by compromised accounts.

2) "Email providers often place size restrictions on files." — True (reason)
- Most providers limit attachment size (e.g., ~25 MB). Large files or many files don’t work well via attachments, forcing workarounds that are inefficient.

3) "Sharing files through email is very expensive." — False as stated
- Sending an occasional file by email is not inherently costly. However, inefficient use of email for large files and long-term storage can increase storage, backup, and admin costs. Still, "very expensive" is not generally the primary reason.

4) "Using email to send files opens a company up to legal liability and lawsuits." — Partly true (reason)
- If regulated or sensitive data (PHI, financial data, PII) is sent insecurely or without proper controls/auditing, that can violate laws or contractual obligations and lead to liability. So legal risk is a valid concern when email lacks appropriate safeguards.

Other practical reasons to use alternatives:
- Version control and collaboration (cloud file systems, SharePoint, etc.)
- Access controls and audit logs for accountability
- Centralized backups and retention policies for compliance
- Easier large-file transfer (dedicated file-transfer services)
- Reducing inbox clutter and duplicate copies

Common alternatives: secure file-sharing services (OneDrive/SharePoint, Google Drive, Box), managed file transfer (SFTP, HTTPS-based), enterprise content management, or internal file servers with DLP and encryption.