transferring files

Category: transferring files

The changing business of large file transfer- From FTP to SaaS

Businesses these days mainly operate on data like facts, figures, and values. However, the same data becomes a nasty drain clog when its stockpiles. Organizations tend to face significant financial losses if they can’t bring data to the right place at the right time. The flow of data across the Internet is steadily and constantly increasing, with annual global Internet Protocol (IP) traffic predicted to reach 3.3 zettabytes by 2021. As per the Cisco report, the overall IP traffic is expected to grow to 396 EB per month by 2022, up from 122 EB per month in 2017, a CAGR of 26 percent

Via https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/white-paper-c11-741490.html

As most of the organizations need to transfer a huge amount of unstructured data across the borders, they tend to rely on the outdated FTP technology. The FTP method for data transfer solves less than half of the problem. This protocol doesn’t handle beyond 30 connections and its failure rate of 8% is very expensive. Apart from the costs surrounding this protocol, there are reliability, security, auditing and flexibility issues associated with it. Some the reasons why we need to stop using FTP are listed below https://www.esecuresend.com/why-you-need-to-stop-using-ftp/

The latest technology which is used for data transfer is managed file transfer which is a Software as a Service(SaaS) based platform. This platform enables data security, operational efficiency, governance, and compliance. Our product eSecureSend (eSS) is a managed file transfer solution using a SaaS platform for large data transfers. It is widely used across various industry segments like media, healthcare etc. and others which deal with video production, video marketing, and advertising. With our hands-on onboarding process and the sophisticated platform, eSS is the best solution for meeting any enterprise and B2B data transfer needs.

 

The SaaS Based platform is a software delivery model, in which the software and its associated data are hosted remotely – in the cloud. SaaS solutions enable user access through a web browser client – promoting collaboration between remote locations, and allowing quick customization. The flexibility and accessibility of SaaS solutions also enable to reduce the cost of IT maintenance and support.

 

eSecureSend our cloud-based managed file transfer solution using SaaS platform provides scalable, reliable, secure enterprise solutions to power the cloud and deliver value to your customers. It lets you manage a single, security-rich, highly reliable connection between you and your partners. This file transfer solution offers an alternative to more expensive FTP method and other on-premise software while helping in reducing the operational impact on your technology staff. eSS will provide complete end to end encryption of data at transit and at rest. All the PII is encrypted prior to upload. Block cipher is AES, which is the same that is being used by the United  States National Security Agency. It is further encrypted using the elliptical curve for additional security.

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Record Breaking File Transfer

Today, eSecureSend is excited to announce that we’ve surprised even ourselves with a lightning fast, uninterrupted, and secure transfer of an enormous 616GB file at speeds of up to 800MB/s, taking only 2 hours, 16 minutes, and 57 seconds!

 

When it comes to transferring large files online, there are several factors that determine your upload and download speeds. Even if your office is equipped with a state-of-the-art, fiber optic connection, your client’s business might run on residential wifi. If the file you’re sending is hundreds of GBs like this one, you could be waiting for a while.

 

But there is one factor you actually have a choice in: how you transfer those files.

 

FTP, for better or worse, is the industry standard. But since it is built on tech developed in 1971, it’s worse more often than not. With slow speeds and connection interruptions, you have to split up larger files and babysit transfers to ensure anything even went through. FTP is also very vulnerable — as evidenced by the recent ransomeware attack on one of Netflix’s production houses.

 

Cloud services like Dropbox or Google Drive, even their premium versions, will throttle speeds and limit file size — at times down to 20GBs. File transfer services like Aspera or Signiant only provide a discrete chunk of their bandwidth that their customers have to figure out how to divvy up.

 

eSecureSend is proud to offer a better solution: easy, reliable, and secure transfer built with today’s business in mind. No interruptions, no throttling, no security worries, and no need to split the file.

 

That same 616GB file took 11 days to upload over residential wifi with a 5MB/s upload speed — not a connection you’d want for a business dealing in large files. But even over connections like this — be it hotel wifi while you’re traveling or the home networks of your clients — eSecureSend’s auto-download and auto-resume functionalities make sure the transfer is safely completed as fast as it can.

 

You have choice in file transfer service. Connect with eSecureSend today and see how we can simplify and accelerate your file transfer logistics. Don’t spend another second babysitting your FTP!

Why are we still shipping physical drives when we have the Internet?

In enterprise environments, regardless of how tech savvy other workflows are, the methods used to transfer data is ironically non-technical. The preferred method for large file transfer today is still dominated by physical forms of file transfer, i.e. snail mail. The benefits in streamlining file transfer workflows with technology is the difference between just meeting business objectives and truly boosting the value of your bottom line. Investing in the right file transfer tool is a process that, if not handled properly, could delay your project or even lead to a failed implementation.

The sudden spur in digital information in the modern enterprise today has made managing file transfers more challenging. Organizations strive to connect to a global ecosystem of partners and customers on a level that is affordable and secure. However, transferring data efficiently and securely challenges even the most skilled IT teams. They need to address common file transfer concerns such as scalability, adaptability, and security.

Above a certain threshold, it makes sense to transfer data physically. Sachin Date eloquently tackles this problem in his article, “Should You Upload or Ship Big Data to the Cloud?” On deciding whether to physically transfer data or transfer it online, he concludes:

“Which technique you choose depends on a number of factors: the size of data to be transferred, the sustained Internet connection speed between the source and destination servers, the sustained drive-to-drive copy-in/copy-out speeds supported by the storage appliance and the source and destination drives, the monetary cost of data transfer, and to a smaller extent, the shipment cost and transit time.”

The scale at which Sachin Date is referring to is at the hundreds of terabytes scale. Amazon has tackled data transfer at this scale with Snowmobile. The 45-foot truck can store the equivalent of 50 trillion pages of text. Amazon can’t offer a fast and reliable method for file transfer at that scale over the internet. If they had the option, the problem would have already been solved.

Below a certain threshold (hundreds of gigabytes up to a few terabytes), physically transferring data is less efficient than transferring it online. With online file transfer, organizations can rely on benefits and features such as:

  • Optimizing speed of data transfer
  • Using encryption and user-based access roles in order to maintain data security
  • Detailed tracking on who received which file
  • Reliable delivery of data without worrying about physical corruption of drives

 

Organizations now have a plethora of online file transfer options but there are only a handful of truly reliable and robust online distribution platforms that can process hundreds of gigabytes of data (hint hint, we’re one of them). We know we’re preaching to the choir, but we’ll say it anyways: we all need better methods for online high-speed file transfer that allows organizations of all sizes to transfer their digital assets securely and efficiently. Shipping hard drives is not the way of the future.

 

The better file transfer solution for a television news station

Recently, one of our potential clients (a local TV station) approached us with the challenge of improving their file transfer workflow. They wanted to receive news footage in a timely and efficient manner. After a discovery meeting, we found out that they were relying heavily on FTP through a cellular network. These two are a deadly mix. FTP is not resilient to intermittent data connections and cellular networks are loaded with intermittent data connections.

Transferring files between 150MB to 500MB while driving around in a news truck over FTP is less than ideal. We all know the common issues with FTP transfers. Instead of rehashing, let’s just say it doesn’t work. And cellular coverage is not everywhere, as much as telephone companies like to claim.

In this client’s case, thirty minutes before the content goes live, editors are calling reporters saying that the videos they sent were corrupted or incomplete and needed to be resent. Reporters who are in the middle of working on the next story have to stop what they’re doing and resend the file. Both reporters and editors are stressed because with 5 minutes to go, neither side knows if the files will be transferred successfully.

With or without the content, the show must go on. If the file transfer fails, the work that the reporters put in doesn’t even make it to the live broadcast. This was the daily reality for our client.

Our client finds the ‘relief’ with eSecureSend

When a reporter starts a file transfer, it should just work. It should also work fast. By leveraging the reliability and speed of BitTorrent architecture (see who else is using BitTorrent), eSecureSend creates an enclosed and highly-secured ecosystem for resilient, high-speed file transfer.

Our client no longer has editors calling reporters to restart file transfers. With auto-resume features, eSecureSend is resilient to intermittent internet connections. The file transfer just keeps going until it is done. When it finishes the transfer both reporters and editors get an email notification. They no longer live in suspense!

Whether sending media content a few miles away or across the globe, a reliable online file transfer platform is an essential utility for any station. TV stations that rely on eSecureSend to reduce inefficiencies in their media workflow meet deadlines while providing the great quality programming that a station’s audience demands.

Towards a Reliable File Transfer Solution for TV Stations

Modern TV stations need a reliable way to send huge files quickly. High definition footage plus tight deadlines and fast production workflows means there is no time left over to wait for video files to be transferred from one location to another. Online file transfers are currently dominated by FTP. The architecture behind this file transfer methodology is notoriously unreliable and error-prone, especially for massive media files.

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Sports teams prioritizing reliable online file transfer reach more fans

From on-demand replays to event promotions to broadcast highlights, moving digital assets from the game to the fans requires enterprise file transfer infrastructure. 

 

In the era of engagement marketing, building loyalty is no easy feat. Luckily, sports fans are the most loyal of them all. With great content, you can win them over!

All the footage that gets captured on game day is valuable content, especially when it’s repurposed effectively. Whether the footage comes from the production team or created by in-house marketing, once the content is created, it needs a way to get to its final destination. There are a hodge podge of services that each have their advantages and disadvantages. From file sharing services to file transfer sites to setting up FTP, what you should look for is resiliency and reliability in any file transfer method.

Sports content consumption is perishable, necessitating a reliable file transfer platform

The window of opportunity to disseminate sports content is limited. Commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, hits the nail on the head when he said that “it’s not about lamenting the limited lifespan of live sports; it’s about being prepared, with ways to amplify, disseminate, and re-purpose content, before it’s forgotten.”

This orchestrated operation that sports marketing requires wouldn’t be possible without the right systems and tools in place.  Once the team is prepped and empowered to produce content on the fly, the question now is how do you distribute that content to various organizations around the world?

Some of the challenges that production and marketing teams have to manage include:

  • slow and unreliable bandwidth at broadcast stations
  • geographically dispersed network of affiliates
  • tight turn-around times
  • finding a distribution solution that adapts to the seasonality of the sport
  • growing file sizes of UHD and virtual reality content

To meet these challenges, a resilient and reliable distribution platform is needed.

Why FTP doesn’t make the cut as a reliable file transfer platform

FTP is a technology that was first developed in the ‘70s. In technology years, that’s old. It was never designed to expediently and securely transfer massive amounts of data as we see it today. There is no mechanism to check the integrity of the file that is transferred or whether it’s been successfully sent or received. It also requires dedicated resources in terms of hardware and man-hours.

One of the most important reasons to avoid FTP is that there is no security. Any file delivered via FTP can be easily snatched. SFTP (FTP over SSH) was implemented as a way to address that weakness. It requires a little more work to implement and it slows down file transfers, but it can work. However, just because it’s an encrypted channel, that doesn’t mean it’s the safest method for file transfer.

Beyond lack of security, FTP is missing many other critical features—like file integrity checks, auto-resume, and audit trails.

File integrity checks are useful when a file hasn’t finished transferring and the computer transferring the file loses connection to the internet. Ideally, the FTP client would know that the file hasn’t finished transferring and would not make it available to the recipient. Unfortunately, the opposite often happens where both the sender and recipient are left frustrated wondering why the file is corrupt and reattempting to resend the file. The amount of time spent on incomplete transfers adds up and opportunities for disseminating sports content is reduced.

In an a more ideal scenario, the transfer would automatically resume from wherever it left off and then notify the recipient that the file is ready for access. Then as a manager, you’d be able to see who accessed what file at what time. These features can be built on top of FTP but more often than not, it leads to file transfer inefficiencies and increases IT overhead.

In short, FTP isn’t an efficient option, especially when you consider the bandwidth available at broadcasting stations around the world. Sports content is increasingly becoming a global commodity. To engage fans, media files have to travel to where the fans are quickly and reliably. With FTP’s unreliability and inefficiencies, it doesn’t make the cut.

What does a reliable file transfer platform do?

A reliable file transfer platform should efficiently transfer files in a variety of situations. It should run like clockwork. If for some reason it stops working, you should have someone you can rely on to get it back up and running ASAP.

A reliable file transfer platform performs regardless of the available bandwidth at a broadcasting station. Whether it’s slow or fast, it ought to complete a transfer without ever needing to restart a transfer. If the bandwidth connection drops, the transfer can resume itself without human intervention. When the transfer is completed, the recipient is alerted and is ready to disseminate the content appropriately.

It expediently reaches all corners of the globe. As sports content becomes increasingly globalized, sports marketing teams have to think about engaging fans wherever they might be.

It’s not only reliable, it’s also fast. Because sports content has such a short shelf life, the value of the content diminishes as it’s being transported from one location to another. The file transfer platform should be built for speed.

It adapts to your business needs. Sports are seasonal. A file transfer platform should scale up quickly during the peak seasons and scale down as needed.

Lastly, it keeps up with the changing pace of technology. Technology changes quickly. An IT team can keep a company ahead of the game when they’re not bogged down managing current implementations and putting out fires with failed transfers.

Prioritizing reliable online file transfer helps you reach more fans

File transfer, especially for sports content, is an essential business utility. Like electricity, water, or internet, it should work reliably and efficiently. When it does run like clockwork, a marketing and production team is spending less time managing file transfers and more time creating and repurposing content. They reach their fans faster.

eSecureSend is built for reliable online transfer

Clients that we work with in this space are able to capture footage that day and send it to a home base for broadcasting same-day. They’re able to distribute content to affiliate stations all around the world for a fraction of the cost and time. From slow transfer speeds to incomplete transfers, the online-file transfer landscape makes shipping a physical external drive more reliable and trustworthy than shipping it online. We’re here to change that. Interested in learning more about how we can help you transfer files online? Let us know and we’ll be in touch.

Waiting on Slow Transfer Speeds?

Wondering why your online file transfer is so slow?

Just because you’re paying $300 a month for lightning-fast Internet speeds doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to move at full speed all the time. Think of it like driving on a highway. Your speed limit is 75mph. Your car can go 250mph, and you just left work during rush hour. Even though you have the equipment and bandwidth to go fast, you can’t go faster than the traffic that’s moving at 35mph. With the Internet, you have similar problems.

Determining file transfer time under ideal conditions

Let’s say that you’re sending a 10GB file in the middle of the night, and there is no Internet traffic of any kind. Your upload speed from your Internet service is 20Mbps (Megabits per second). So assuming that conditions are perfect, your file transfer should be done in about 1 hour and 6 minutes, right? Here’s how to calculate it:Waiting on Slow Transfer Speeds?

  1. Convert 10 Gigabytes to Megabits = 80,000 Megabits (Convert your file size on Google here)
  2. 80,000 Megabits / 20 Megabits per second = 4,000 seconds
  3. 4,000 seconds to hours = 1 hour and 6 minutes

 

Why are services like Dropbox and WeTransfer telling you that it’s going to take more than 4 hours to transfer? Good question! Here are some factors to consider:

Are you hard-wired or wireless?

Wireless connections are less reliable than hard-wired connections. By their nature, wireless signals are weak or strong or unstable. Hardwired is the way to go. An Ethernet cable connecting your computer directly to the router will give you a reliable connection to the Internet.

Are the files that you’re sharing stored locally or on an external hard drive?

This is one of the factors that our clients encounter the most. When you’re sharing or syncing any file from an external hard drive to the cloud, the speed of transfer is only as fast as the weakest link. In this scenario, you would need to check the speed at which files are transferred from the drive to the computer before you could consider the speed between the computer and the cloud.

Above all, what is the technology designed to do?

The technology’s design is the biggest determinant of what it can do. If the purpose of the service that you’re using is to back up files, chances are that it’s designed to move slowly. But if you’re using a service that’s designed to move large files from point A to B, then it will move faster than any other back-up service.

There are several other variables regarding why your file transfer is moving slowly, which can be determined on a case-by-case basis. You can start to gauge whether you’re utilizing all your available bandwidth by taking a speed test at SpeedTest.net. Once you have your bandwidth speed, you can calculate how long a transfer should take and compare it with the time estimate that the file transfer service is giving you. If you’re tired of finding a way to make it faster, give eSecureSend a try. We promise to use all the bandwidth you have available so that your file transfer goes at maximum speed.