FileCloud Alternative Review

Secure Alternative to FileCloud DRM: Is FileCloud Safe?


Protect PDF documents regardless of their location:

  • Stop unauthorized access
  • Stop sharing and distribution
  • Strong US Gov strength encryption, DRM and licensing controls

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   What is FileCloud?

FileCloud is an enterprise-targeted cloud storage and file sharing service that offers both an on-premises and cloud-based solution.  It is primarily designed to compete with services such as Citrix ShareFile and DropBox business to share files online, but it also offers limited Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology.

FileCloud claims to protect sensitive and classified documents and ebooks from unauthorized copying and distribution, and provide data leak protection through a combination of AES 256-bit encryption and instant document revocation tools.

It is worth examining the company’s DRM solution in the context of Locklizard Safeguard so that you can make an informed decision about which is right for your business.

   How does FileCloud DRM work?

DRM Document Protection

  1. To protect a PDF document, you must login to your account and upload the document to the FileCloud server where it is encrypted.
  2. You can then export multiple documents in a 256-bit AES-encrypted document container.
  3. This container can only be opened with a valid access key, which is provided to the user via message or email.
  4. Users have to enter this access key when viewing a document.  There is nothing to stop users sharing the access key and documents with others.

The FileCloud Viewer or client app

FileCloud provide a basic viewer for viewing protected documents which a user can install on their device.

Before users can open a document they must enter the access key each time.

This secure viewer restricts what a user can do with a file, preventing screenshots, printing, and editing.  It also restricts the user’s view to a rectangular section around their cursor.

The FileCloud Viewer lacks basic functionality such as search, zoom and annotations.  Only Windows and Mac operating systems are supported.  This would provide an unusable experience for most users even before the restricted view is taken into account.

FileCloud Server & Offline Use

Users cannot view documents or ebooks offline because to view a document you have to enter the access key which is checked against the Filecloud server.  This would be unusable for anyone wanting to view a document or ebook say on a beach, plane, etc.

   FileCloud DRM restrictions

FileCloud provides limited and rudimentary DRM restrictions or controls.

While it says it provides granular control, it lacks basic DRM functionality such as:

  • device and location locking
  • watermarks
  • secure printing (limited and degraded, prevent print to PDF, watermarked prints)
  • offline use

All of which one would expect to find in an document DRM or online Digital Rights Management service or system.

   Is FileCloud safe?


Whether or not FileCloud is safe depends on what your intended use is.

If your goal is to prevent sharing of documents, but users can still share them and the access keys, then you might consider the other DRM controls to be useless.

Just as with secure data rooms, we would not recommend that anybody stores their unprotected confidential files in the cloud on servers whose security they cannot verify. The on-premises version of FileCloud gives enterprises better control over their data, provided they have the expertise to secure it properly.

If you are planning on using FileCloud to protect confidential files, these are the risks you should be aware of:

  • FileCloud does not lock documents to devices or users
    A document access key can be used on any device and can easily be shared with unauthorized users along with the document.  The same document can even be opened using the same key on different devices simultaneously.
  • Exposing the key to the user is a bad idea
    Even if they do not have malicious intent, you cannot guarantee that the user will store the decryption key securely.  Users could end up storing the keys to dozens of confidential documents in a plaintext notepad file on their desktops.  Then there is the problem of managing them.
  • FileCloud does not support watermarks
    Though you can add a watermark before uploading, this won’t be dynamic – i.e. it won’t identify the user that has opened the document.  This is problematic, as if you enable printing there is nothing to stop a user from sharing printed copies or photocopies.  If a user manages to screenshot a document or take a picture of it with their phone, there is nothing to deter them then, either.
  • Screenshots are not prevented in virtual machines or RDP sessions
    Many enterprises use these tools daily, so this could present a significant and relatively non-technical workaround.  There is unfortunately no option to grey out the FileCloud viewer when it is not in focus.
  • You have to upload the unencrypted document to the server before you can secure it
    If the user does not delete the files afterward, a compromize of their account or the server could grant an attacker access to all of their unencrypted documents.
  • Remote wipe is useless
    FileCloud say they can remotely wipe data off a device.  But what about the backups?  See why remote file deletion does not work.

Overall, FileCloud does provide some additional security over Google Docs and some other document cloud services, but that’s not saying much.  Given its flaws, it’s difficult to recommend it for use with sensitive and confidential documents.

FileCloud pricing vs Locklizard

FileCloud pricing is significantly more expensive

Locklizard and FileCloud have fundamentally different approaches to pricing.  FileCloud follows the rest of the cloud industry in offering per-user pricing.  Locklizard provides a choice of monthly, annual, or perpetual licenses across two products: Safeguard and Safeguard Enterprise.  It is worth noting that the former still provides many features that are not available with FileCloud.

To gain access to FileCloud’s DRM features, you must be on its “Advanced” plan, which costs $18.75 per user/month, with a minimum of 25 users.  Therefore, the minimum monthly cost of FileCloud is $468 for just 25 users.

Safeguard PDF DRM offers a monthly license with support at $500 per month for unlimited users.  However, an annual license is available for $2995, which translates to $249 per month for unlimited users.  Safeguard Enterprise is available at $1000/month or via a $5995 per year ($499/month) annual license.  If you purchase a perpetual license for a Locklizard solution then the costs are even cheaper after year 2.

To get the full picture, however, we must see how the monthly cost compares at various company sizes.

  • No. of users

  • 25
  • 50
  • 100
  • 250
  • 500

  • Locklizard Safeguard

  • $249
  • –
  • –
  • –
  • –

  • Locklizard Enterprise

  • $499
  • –
  • –
  • –
  • –

  • FileCloud Enterprise

  • $468
  • $937
  • $1875
  • $4687
  • $9375

*Locklizard pricing reflects its annual license option.

FileCloud DRM vs Locklizard: DRM feature comparison

The point to understand about FileCloud is that it is casting a wide net. It is a Swiss army knife solution to cover everything from secure file sharing, antivirus, DLP, and document security.  However, the problem with this approach is that you can rarely provide functionality that is as deep as a focused competitor.  And this can be seen when comparing the DRM and secure viewer functionality of FileCloud and Locklizard Safeguard PDF DRM:

  • Feature

  • Prevent sharing
  • Restrict editing
  • Stop copying and pasting
  • Disable printing
  • Document revocation
  • Dynamic watermarking
  • Expiry & self-destruct timers
  • Screenshot prevention
  • Lock documents to devices & locations
  • Document use tracking
  • Limit number of views
  • Limit number of prints
  • Limit printing to black & white
  • Secure key transfer and storage
  • API integration
  • PDF optimization
  • Custom messaging on file open
  • Support for multiple formats

  • Locklizard Enterprise DRM

  • ✔️
  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✔️
  • ✔️

  • ✔️
  • ✖️

  • FileCloud Enterprise Online

  • ✖️
  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✖️

  • ✖️

  • Windows only
  • ✖️

  • ✔️

  • ✔️

  • ✖️

  • ✖️

  • ✖️

  • ✖️
  • ✖️

  • ✖️
  • ✔️

FileCloud vs Locklizard: Viewer feature comparison

  • Feature

  • Bookmarks
  • Search for words or phrases
  • Highlight and comment
  • Zoom in and out
  • Rotate documents
  • Offline viewing
  • Proxy support
  • Web Viewer
  • Support for Android and iOS
  • Support for MacOS and Window

  • Locklizard Enterprise DRM

  • ✔️
  • ✔️
  • ✔️
  • ✔️
  • ✔️
  • ✔️
  • ✔️
  • ✔️
  • ✔️
  • ✔️

  • FileCloud Enterprise Online

  • ✖️
  • ✖️
  • ✖️
  • ✖️
  • ✖️
  • ✖️
  • ✖️
  • ✖️
  • ✖️
  • ✔️

As you can see, FileCloud offers only basic viewer functionality and DRM controls.  Locklizard is a safe and more secure alternative to FileCloud – it is built from the ground up for document security, and as a result, can offer a set of modular restrictions.  These restrictions allow enterprises to protect each document in a way that is best suited to its use case.  Locklizard also provide a fully-featured PDF viewer application that meets all of the requirements of a modern business.

Conclusion of our FileCloud DRM alternative review


FileCloud, just like Dropbox, is a useful tool for businesses for file sharing while offering some DRM protection for documents.  However, its DRM is ultimately not effective at preventing the unauthorized sharing of documents.  Users can easily share their access key with others to provide access and screenshot via a virtual machine or RDP session to bypass copying and printing controls.  When printing is enabled, the lack of dynamic watermarking, printing to PDF files, and print number limits means printing is completely unrestricted and untraceable.  Users can distribute hundreds of printed copies or scan a printed document to create an unrestricted digital version.

Locklizard is a better alternative to Filecloud for document protection.  Locklizard provides DRM security that is more comprehensive, cost-effective, and customizable.  Locklizard Safeguard PDF and Safeguard Enterprise Rights Management lock documents to devices and locations with a secure key transfer mechanism and DRM controls that cannot be bypassed.  Our DRM software allows you to be confident that when you allow printing, it is controlled, and that users can still view your document while offline.

The Safeguard Viewer, meanwhile, provides a viewing experience that is well-suited to a business environment.  Our secure PDF viewer provides better protection while enabling annotations, proxy, zoom, search, and bookmarking functionality.

You can read more about our PDF security software here.  Add effective DRM security to your PDF files and protect your royalties or sensitive information, by taking a 15-day free trial of our DRM software.

   FAQs

Does Locklizard require me to upload unprotected documents to a server?

No, Locklizard only requires a licensing server, which can be self-hosted if you wish.  All protection is performed on your device.  You can optionally choose to upload protected documents to the Locklizard web viewer so that users can view DRM protected documents online.

What is FileCloud used for?

Businesses primarily use FileCloud for secure file sharing and storage.  It allows users to sync files across computers and create new documents using integration with popular office software.  Though FileCloud does offer some DRM controls, it is rudimentary and ineffective at preventing unauthorized sharing and copying.

Does FileCloud support live collaboration?

No.  Though FileCloud markets itself as a content collaboration tool on its website, its functionality in that regard is seemingly very limited.  At the time of writing it only includes the syncing of files across PCs.  If two people try to edit a file at the same time, a different version of the file will be saved for each user.

Is Locklizard a secure data room?

No, while you could use it to make a secure data room of your own, it is not in itself a secure data room system.  We do not believe that secure data rooms or other browser based ‘secure’ document sharing services offer a significant improvement to security on their own, as users can often just share their login info with others.

Is FileCloud free?

No, though it allows organizations to provide free accounts for external clients/partners.

Is FileCloud DRM safe or effective?

FileCloud is missing many protection features that are standard in any document DRM system.  In addition, users can share access keys with others and can make high quality screenshots using screen grabbers software on Mac and from remote devices.  Users can only view DRM protected files on Windows and Mac so it is very limited for a business environment.  While it says it is a competitor Locklizard and Microsoft Azure Information Protection, the reality is somewhat different.

What is the FileCloud server?

This is where files are stored and DRM controls are set.  Users have to connect to this every time they open a DRM protected document since a check is made against the access key that they have to enter.

Locklizard on the other hand does not force users to connect to a license server after a document has been opened once.  Key management is transparent, so there are no passwords or keys for users to enter or share.

Can you view FileCloud DRM protected documents in a browser?

No, you have to install an app to view them.  You can only share files using the browser.

Why Locklizard as a safe alternative to FileCloud DRM?

Protection that works, greater functionality and control over document sharing, copying, editing and printing, dynamic watermarks, offline use, secure viewers for all Operating Systems, etc. etc.  And that is even before you take into account the significant cost savings.

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