File Transfer through Outlook and Notes and via a Web Front End

Everyone transfer files over the network, though users may not think of them as ‘files’, but rather excel spreadsheets, PDFs, pictures, MP3s, documents and so on.

Email is ubiquitous as a method of sending files to recipients but sending large files regularly via email creates problems:

A typical corporate user sends and receives an average of 44,700 emails per year, 29% of which have file attachments. Osterman Research

Many corporate limit attachment sizes for email, even if you don’t the people you send files to may do.

People may bypass email and use Hotmail, removable devices, Instant messaging or DVDs and CDs, often without IT’s knowledge or consent.

End users bypass the ‘normal checks’ you have put in place for compliance and information assurance, as well as auditing processes.

Huge demands are placed on the network and mail infrastructure.

Email attachment is unscheduled and casual so planning is
impossible.

Legal discovery means companies are liable for providing documents or emails in response to a legal discovery request.

Until recently FTP was designed for technical people, not end users. FTP vendors have started integrating FTP with email via a plugin, the result is that users can now send files simply and easily via their email clients with little or no additional training.

The common term for this is Ad Hoc File Transfer.

This eliminates the infrastructure, cost, and security concerns that surround sending large and confidential files via email — without requiring end users to significantly change the way they work or download and master new software.

A Word On Secure Messaging

Secure messaging and Secure Ad Hoc File Transfer

This is a widely deployed and still used system that enables users to send large files on an ad hoc basis from a web front end via a secure message. The details vary slightly by vendor but in short the following process is followed. This is usually an ad on module to the main MFT Server.

Users fill out a web form with sender and recipient information

This sets up a temporary user account and login credentials.

An email notification is sent to the recipient alerting them they have a file for download.

The recipient logs on to the server, and they will only see the files meant for them, they simply click on this file and they can retrieve it – assuming they have permission to do so.

When complete the temporary accounts are disabled and deleted based on the schedule you set.