5 Reasons Why Sharing Video on a Thumb Drive is a Bad Idea

It’s Not Worth the Risk

Something happened yesterday, a theft, a slip and fall, or a traffic accident outside. Luckily you caught the incident on camera, located the video on your system, and saved the clip. But how do you share a copy of it with the police, the local news, or your insurance company? If your next move is to reach for a DVD or a USB thumb drive, you should think again! Find out why sharing video using physical media is a bad idea and how online clip export and sharing can streamline video export and improve security for your company.

It could transmit a virus or malware

Physical media like thumb drives are vulnerable to carrying malware or a virus from system to system – without their users’ knowledge. If a thumb drive is used in a variety of systems and shared with external users there is a chance that it could transmit malware between those systems. Cybersecurity best practices lead many system administrators to restrict the use of USB drives and even disable them on computers so the users can no longer connect USB drives to access shared files.

Cloud sharing eliminates this risk and makes it easier to share files with individuals that may no longer have a CD/DVD disc drive on their computer or be able to connect USB drives.

Maintaining the chain of evidence

If you are using video as evidence in the prosecution of a crime it is important to be able to document the chain of evidence and in a court case this can mean requiring testimony from every person that handled the video from the person who exported the clip to when the disc was handed over to the authorities. This can cost time and money for contractors and employees to provide testimony and give evidence that the video is authentic and hasn’t been tampered with.

Video clips exported to the cloud can be shared directly with the authorities and contain all of the details of the video clip including the date and time and which recorder and camera the clip is from. It also includes a log of all people that the clip has been shared with and a log of views and downloads.

It could be lost or misplaced

How often do you misplace your keys or your wallet? We lose track of small items all the time and a video clip saved to a disc or thumb drive is just one more thing that we have to keep track of and store properly and keep secure. There are so many points along the way where the disc or thumb drive can be lost or damaged. Heat and time cause physical media to degrade. If you need to view the video after many years you run the risk that you won’t be able to locate the media or of the file being corrupted and damaged due to degradation.

You don’t have to remember where your video is when it’s saved in the cloud. Video saved in the cloud is accessible from anywhere with your username and password and you can save it directly with as many people as needed. Files in the cloud have redundant backups so they aren’t vulnerable to loss or damage at a single location.

It takes extra time to deliver

When you’re sharing video using physical media, you have to physically deliver it in person, via messenger or parcel service. From hours to days or even weeks, this adds extra time between the incident and receipt of the video. This could delay action or hinder an investigation where time is important. 

By using the cloud to share video the recipient can receive it instantly and they can view it on any device that they receive email on including their phone or other mobile devices.

It could fall into the wrong hands

Just as easily as leaving a disc on your desk or a thumb drive falling out of a bag — anyone could easily pick it up. You don’t know who has the file and it could easily get into the hands of someone without permission or clearance to view the video.

Video clips that are shared in the cloud are only available to individuals that have been provided a link to the video and clips can also be password protected for further security. For sensitive video an administrator can additionally set an expiration date on shared clips, so even if the link is accessed in the future the video is no longer available to view without requesting permission again for access.

The Benefits of Using the Cloud to Share Video Files

There are many benefits to switching from using physical media to using the cloud to share video files.

• The cloud is faster, video can be accessed and shared from any remote location connected with an internet connection.
• There is no software for the recipient to download, which is restricted for many users on corporate networks, just to view a video clip. This can result in significant time and labor savings for companies that regularly share video with colleagues internally and with partners externally.
• The whole process is more efficient and it takes less time to export the video.
• You don’t have to make multiple copies to share with multiple people and video is backed up and duplicated in data centers across the country making it available for use in the future without having to keep track of and store video on multiple discs in a single central location.

Online clip sharing generates significant time savings for organizations that regularly export and share video events with coworkers, law enforcement or insurance.

Learn more about the powerful cloud-based clip sharing capabilities of OpenEye Web Services and our commitment to cybersecurity.