ownCloud With Plug-in for Microsoft Outlook ($5.50/User/Year)

ownCloud GmbH announced a new plug-in for Microsoft Outlook allowing ownCloud users to send their files easily and securely, even when sharing entire folders.

Instead of attachments, the plug-in automatically adds links to the corresponding file in ownCloud, without the user having to change his normal workflow. The plug-in is integrated into Outlook, easy to use, and works with SSL encryption.

Integrated split functionality also offers an added layer of security. It ensures that the link to the files and the password needed for downloading them are automatically sent separately.

To facilitate proactive virus protection, all the data is checked for malicious software prior to being deposited on the sender’s ownCloud server.

In view of the current security problems caused by crypto viruses, many companies are already implementing protocol to prevent sending or receiving attachments by email. The ownCloud Outlook plug-in provides a simple and safe alternative to those limits, which in no way restricts users at a company, and still offers a maximum in security.

The Outlook plug-in was originally developed by BW-Tech GmbH as an extension to its own ownCloud-based file sharing solution epiKshare. Following the necessary customizations, the plug-in is available for all ownCloud users.

Under this link, both subscription and community-based users of ownCloud can download the plug-in and try it out first for 30 days free of charge. English and German versions are available for Microsoft Outlook 2010, 2013, and 2016.

Holger Dyroff, COO, ownCloud, Nuremberg, Germany, views the plug-in as an important addition to the platform: “Outlook is still the default solution for emails, calendars, and tasks at many companies. With the new plug-in, we are opening up a new dimension in secure email-based file sharing for the more than ten million ownCloud users. Many Exchange operators have explicitly asked us for an Outlook plug-in. Thanks to our partnership with BW-Tech, we are now able to make one available for the market!“

Further advantages of the plug-in benefit ownCloud users who frequently transfer large amounts of data or send out mass mailings. Since only the links and access data for the downloads are sent, size limitations do not need to be observed on the source or destination mail servers when using the plug-in. At the same time, network traffic and the memory load on the mail and file server are reduced.

The option available for setting a time limit for accessing the files or folders is viewed by Frank Böttcher, COO, BW-Tech, as an important additional advantage of the plug-in: “The sender decides whether he wants to set a time limit for accessing the files or folders or not. The default access time has no limit set, but he can also enter an expiry date, after which the data can no longer be accessed.“

The ownCloud plug-in for Outlook costs $5.50 per user per year.