In case you’re wondering, Moore’s Law is the famous rule that states “The number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years.”. What this has actually meant in practice is that, every 18 months or so (give or take), the speed or computational power of processors has doubled. This has played a huge part in the many advances we’ve seen in Information Technology, including the fact that the telephone I have in my pocket as I type this is thousands of times smaller, and tens of thousands of times more powerful, then the first computers developed.

But back to Michio Kaku!

He points out that “Computer power cannot continue its rapid exponential rise using standard silicone technology” – which makes sense, as silicone will only allow so many transistors to be crammed onto a circuit board of any given size. He says that it is already slowing down and predicts that it will flatten out completely in 10 years.

However, all is not lost – he points to research into 3-dimensional computing, quantum computing, and so forth, that (if realized) may allow us to transcend Moore’s Law completely.

Here is the complete video – well worth a look!

There a plenty of sites out there that pull from social media and assorted (public) databases to gather information about you – and whether the information is incorrect, out-of-date, or more correct than you’d like, Safe Shepherd will actually do all the work of getting your information removed from these sites – the service will make phone calls, send letters, and follow up and make sure the information is taken off of the site. Unlike their competitors they don’t just use SEO tricks to get your information pushed farther down a search results page: they actually contact the site owners and make sure the information is removed.

The company offers a free version of their service, which includes the initial search for your information, alerts you to the results of the search and the removal of the most basic records at no charge  definitely a great introduction to their service. If you want to get more done (like remove more difficult records, or to activate continuous privacy monitoring) you can sign up for their premium plan.

Considering how little individual privacy is valued these days, this is an especially valuable service – doubly so since they do the most tedious and time-consuming work for you.

Forbes, Mashable and Business Insider can’t all be wrong. If you’re interested in controlling your online image (and you should be) Safe Shepherd is worth a look!

Firesheep is only one of many ways that using an unsecured Wi-Fi hotspot opens you and your online accounts (and, thus, personal information) to unauthorized access. But what can you do about it?

Turns out…plenty.

One option is to set up your own Virtual Private Network…but this is a complicated and difficult option. A much easier alternative is to use Cloak – it’s an app that sees whenever you’re connected to an open Wi-Fi network and connects you to it’s own VPN service for private, secure browsing. It really is that simple! Just sign up for an account with Cloak, then download and install the app (currently only available for iOS & Mac). If you’re using it on your iPhone or iPad, the app adds a switch labelled “VPN” to your device’s settings. Just go into settings and flip the switch for secure browsing on an open network. The service is free for up to 2 hours or 1GB per month (whichever comes first) but there are paid accounts available for those of us who spend a lot of time in coffee shops.

Another weapon in your “how to stay safe on the Internet” arsenal is a free browser extension called HTTPS Everywhere. The extension simply sits in your browser’s address bar and, if it detects that a site can be accessed through HTTPS, will automatically switch you to that encrypted connection. We highly recommend it because of it’s potent combination of effectiveness and ease of use.

Considering what appears to be a proliferation of hackers and other online privacy threats, it’s good to know that there are tools out there – free and otherwise – that can help us stay safe on the World Wide Web. Do you have any favorites that weren’t mentioned here? If so, let us know in the comments!

FilesDIRECT has been added to a list of safe sites by Webutation – a site that rates sites for their safety in terms of fraud and malware.

The site seems to use an automated system to try to assess how safe a site is, checking for links from various social media (Google+, Facebook and Twitter) and Wikipedia, as well as checking both Google Pagerank and a site’s Alexa rating.

Sadly, several of their assessment systems seem to be broken (neither our Pagerank or Alexa ratings are displayed, for instance), but it’s a good concept for a site…there is a lot of fraud and malware out there, so it’s important to be careful.

So, thank you for including us in your list of safe sites, Webutation! It’s nice to be trusted. :)

Numecent is developing enterprise technology that it calls “cloud paging” – a “successor technology to application streaming and virtualization”. Basically, the technology instantly “cloudifies” any software (including operating systems like Windows), allowing any software to be delivered over the cloud and run as fast (or faster!) than if you were running it on your own desktop! Now what is especially interesting is that this will still work even if your device (be it your PC or even your smartphone) gets disconnected from the Internet! And it’s efficient – Numecent claims that their “cloud paging” technology will reduce your software’s delivery time drastically…from 20 to 100 times.

The technology seems to allow very fine-grained control, allowing “cloudification” of 100% of Windows applications – and still cloudify and deliver plug-ins separately from their base applications. Their server architecture can be deployed on MS Windows platforms, Linux and even Android, so if you’ve ever wanted to turn your smartphone into a portable server, now you can.

They are already experiencing such success that they have created a spin-off company called Approxy, which is entirely focused on applying Numecent’s innovations to the gaming industry, allowing gamers to play games without ever downloading the software onto their own machines – similar to listening to music online, but without the latency – creating installation-free, instant gaming!

It all sounds pretty exciting and truthfully, I probably should have asked one of our developers to write this post, as they would have a much more solid grasp of the technologies involved and the broader implications for IT and other industries. But if they’re calling their new tech the “death of the download”, I think it’s going to be big.

Used by governments and businesses, data encryption has become a common practice in today’s Internet-connected world as an important method for securing personal communications and information.

Now, encryption itself is a complicated set of mathematical processes involving modular arithmetic, prime factors, etc. but the following video explains the process simply, using mixing paint as a metaphor. Basically, the gist of it is that it’s easy to combine 2 (or more) items (like numbers, or colors) but it can be very difficult to reverse the process.

Encryption is a key part of security online, and is essential if you want to keep private data safe from prying eyes. FilesDIRECT uses 128-bit AES encryption to protect our client’s file transfers – the same level of encryption used by e-commerce giant Amazon and by many banks – because it provides excellent security without unduly compromising upload or download speeds.

How secure are your file transfers?

Image courtesy Gizmodo

Their new facility in Maiden, North Carolina does not require any power from “the grid” at all and – as is usually the case with “Net Zero” buildings – it relies on more than one source of power. The first is a 100-acre, 20-megawatt solar power array on the land surrounding the data center, which will supply 42 MILLION kWh every year. The array is the largest on-site end-user owned solar array in the United States (!). 2012 will also see the creation of a 5-megawatt biogas fuel cell facility (which will pump out over 40 MILLION kWh a year) next to the data center. In keeping with the theme, it will be the largest facility of it’s kind in the U.S. as well.

One of the few buildings of its kind to achieve the (difficult to earn) LEED Platinum certification, the facility incorporates a variety of energy-saving measures, including a white cool-roof design, high efficiency LED lightning, high-voltage power distribution to reduce power loss, and more.

Here is the original report from Apple on their environmental efforts in regards to their facilities. It’s quite interesting and informative, and it’s great to see a major corporation taking environmental awareness and energy-efficiency seriously.

This free extension smoothly fits into your workflow and even lets you name the new folder while you’re creating it. The download site says that Files 2 Folder works on 32-bit versions of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, though a reviewer found it worked just fine on a 64-bit version of Windows 7.

Sounds like a handy little tool, and best of all, it’s free!

Image courtesy Lifehacker

This is not a minor issue.

Image courtesy http://www.xkcd.com

The article points out that the biggest threat to your online security isn’t some dude trying to guess your password – hackers use a variety of software applications that make thousands of attempts to crack your password per minute.

There are several “tricks” commonly used by people that password-cracking applications already account for: “Leetspeak” (substituting numbers for letters) won’t work because these cracking apps will try “Leet” versions of words before they try the correct English spelling. Using dates (like your birthday) are right out too, since these programs know that if there is a string of 4 numbers in a password, chances are it starts in “19″.

Using one password across several different accounts is also a big no-no, since if your password is cracked on one site, it will be tried on others…

So what can you do? The author offers a few suggestions:

1. Make your password long – really long. Experts suggest that all passwords be at least 12 characters in length (apparently, adding even one more character to your password makes it exponentially harder to crack).

2. Use pass phrases: a useful trick to help you remember all those characters! Use something personal, because that makes it easier to remember. One suggestion is to start with a line from one of your favorite songs, then pull the first letter from each word in the line and stick them together in one big jumbled-up word – it’ll be easy for you to remember, but difficult to crack.

3. Use every character possible: letters (captialized and otherwise), numbers, parentheses, all the weird symbols you find scattered around your keyboard.

“And how am I supposed to keep track of all these long, difficult passwords?” An excellent question! Gizmodo has a handy list of password management services (we like KeePass, mostly because it’s free).

The writer of the article wrote the post to let people know about Change Your Password Day (which is today, actually) and to help people take greater control of (and strengthen) their online security.

You can find the full article here – don’t forget to comment below!

Long accused by media companies and trade groups of assisting in copyright infringement around the world, the U.S. grand jury indictment (which you can view here) accuses Megaupload of causing $500 million in damages to copyright owners and of making $175 million (via the sale of ads and subscriptions). The sting is the result of an investigation that began 2 years ago and relies extensively on private correspondence between the accused, showing that the operators of the sites knew that their services were being used to share illicit content, despite advertising their sites as a way to transfer large files.

The hacker group Anonymous responded by shutting down a number of prominent websites, including the Justice Department itself, the Motion Picture Association of America, the Recording Industry Association of America, and others.

Interestingly, the raids took place the day after widespread online protests against proposed “antipiracy” bills SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (the Protect I.P. Act). Whether or not the timing is coincidental, it adds an interesting element to the debate around these proposed laws: the U.S. Department of Justice was able to shut down the major player in the file sharing industry (and accused violator of intellectual property rights) with currently existing laws. Neither SOPA nor PIPA (with their broad powers of censorship and ability to shut down domestic and foreign sites without due process) was needed to shut these sites down or prosecute their owners and employees.

Additionally, FileSonic and Uploaded.to, two of Megaupload’s competitors, have reacted to the site’s shutdown in different ways: FileSonic has disabled all sharing features and Uploaded.to appears to have stopped offering it’s services to American consumers. While these might be viewed as overreactions to the situation, these events may force other companies in the large file transfer industry to re-examine the situation and their own service offerings. As of this writing, FilesDIRECT has no intention of reducing its service offerings – either in terms of transferring files or in for clients in the United States.

You can read more about these events at the New York Times website and at Digital Trends.

Considering it’s popularity, it’s no surprise that the site is a haven for a variety of cybercriminals – in fact, Facebook sees 600,000 attempts to hijack logins EVERY SINGLE DAY, and more than 20% of Facebook users (that’s over 160 million people) have been exposed to malware.

But thanks to Zone Alarm, there’s a handy infographic that not only breaks down the number and kinds of attacks we’re talking about, but also gives 6 simple solutions to avoid these kinds of problems. Take a look below:

Mashable also has an excellent post on how to tweak your Facebook privacy settings to help ensure your safety on the site – it’s a great article and very informative, covering settings like:

• Sharing
• Existing photos
• Checking in to places
• Connecting on Facebook
• Apps
• Instant personalization
• Info accessible to your friends
• Public search
• Friend lists
• Enabling HTTPS

It might seem like a lot (and some of these settings can take a while to tweak), but the guide walks you through it step-by-step, and let’s face it: Facebook is not exactly known for caring about their users’ privacy. So it’s up to you to secure it.

Almost everyone seems to be using Facebook – hopefully everyone can learn to use it safely.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

• Dan Kaminsky (the security expert who co-authored a paper about the problems with SOPA)
• Stewart Baker (former DHS/NSA top official, who has warned about SOPA harming internet security)
• Dr. Leonard Napolitano (from Sandia National Labs)
• Alexis Ohanian (the entrepreneur behind Reddit, Hipmunk and Breadpig)
• and others

You can read the article here.

He also wrote another excellent post that looks at, as he says:

“Lamar Smith’s claim that all of the problems of SOPA are “hypothetical” and no one has shown any language as to what’s wrong with the bill? Yeah, it seems that one such “hypothetical” has decided to take Smith up on his challenge. Enter Dajaz1, the American music blog that was censored for over a year and denied due process… under SOPA’s predecessor, the Pro-IP Act (which many of us tried to warn about at the time it was being debated). Yes, it appears that Dajaz1 (finally relaunched) has a thing or two to say to Lamar Smith about his “hypotheticals.”

It’s a well-written piece, though a tad lengthy, but definitely recommended – especially if you want to learn more about how SOPA and similar legislation hurts both regular “at home” Internet users and business to boot. Check it out.

Now, if you only go a bit over your monthly limit, no big deal. But if you transfer a lot more, it can lead to some hefty additional charges.”Well,” you might ask “is there anything I can do to avoid them?”

There certainly is.

Did you know that you can change your payment plan up to the day before you are billed? It’s true! So if you look at your usage for the month (you can see it in the top right-hand corner of your screen when you’re logged in to your FilesDIRECT account)

Now, if your usage is over 100% (or you know it will be before you are billed), you can easily switch to a bigger plan, and thus avoid overuse fees. To change your plan, just:

1. Mouse over your name in the upper right-hand corner of your screen

This will open a drop-down menu.

2. Select “Pricing Plan” from the menu

3. Choose the plan you want, and bada-bing, bada-boom, you’re done!

Also, we’ve added a new feature to FilesDIRECT – if you’re over your monthly file transfer limit, and will save money by switching to another plan, you will see a notice in bright red letters on your dashboard when you log in. Handy, right? If you see the notice, just follow the steps outlined above to change payment plans.

And remember: if your usage is LOWER than your plan allows, you can switch to a smaller plan too – the same steps apply.

So there you go: send large files AND save money.  :)

The post also examines what the authors believe will be the next wave of technological innovation (and thus, opportunity for entrepreneurs), the “Hypernet”. They discuss why it’s too late to start a meaningful social networking company (I agree), and that even the space for creating social networking apps is quite crowded.

I found it to be an interesting, informative article and highly recommend giving it a read. You can read it here.

Starting this week and running until New Year’s Day (i.e.: January 1, 2012), we are offering 50% (yes, FIFTY PERCENT) off all new Starter plans: this means that you get:

• A custom upload page / dropbox
• 2 GBs of uploads and downloads a month
• 30 GB of Cloud storage
• Managed file transfer (track file downloads and uploads)
• 128-bit SSL encryption available for all large file transfers
• Phone and email support

And much, much more, for only $9 a month!

What are you waiting for? Click here to get your discount now!

Published on December 2, 2011, jonathan53 of Site Opinionz , the review made sure to mention our wide variety of features (such as offering a custom dropbox, file tracking, 2GB file transfers, etc.) and mentioned our low prices! He mentioned our “tight security” and ease of use, two items of great importance to us and our users.

This is definitely one of the most thorough reviews we’ve seen so far, and one of the most glowing as well – both our management and our staff were all very happy to hear that jonathan 53 has had such a positive experience with our service, and was willing to share it.

So, thank you Site Opinionz! Your review is most appreciated, and we’re happy to hear FilesDIRECT exceeded your expectations!

No Email Day (‘celebrated’ on November 11th), for instance, is a campaign whose aim is to get people to stop using email for just 24 hours to experience greater productivity and see just how much email is now abused/overused. There are more and more studies showing that people can become addicted to email (on both an individual and organizational level), and even without the shadow of addiction, email tends to overload workers and distract them from their actual jobs. No Email Day gives people a chance to take a bit of a break from their inboxes and, perhaps, examine their options.

From auto-responders to posting communications guidelines on your website, there are a number of ways to reduce the hold that email has over us. Have you found any methods that work well for you? If so, tell us in the comments!

Commuting can kill.

Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. BUT, according to a study published in the BMC Public Health Journal, a team of Swedish researches performed a variety of tests on a group of Swedish commuters – with a sample size over 20,000 strong – and saw that workers with longer commutes often deal with poorer sleep, greater stress, and poorer health than those with shorter commutes. Interestingly, commuters who were on the road for less than half an hour, or for more than an hour, experienced fewer negative symptoms. The researches believed this was due to the location of the study, with the longer commutes going through “Sweden’s tranquil countryside”, thus leading to less stress on the part of the commuter. Interestingly, test subjects who with short commutes (30 minutes or less) who rode public transit were found to have decreased levels of everyday stress.

The tests measured a wide variety of factors, including length and type of commute (private vehicle vs. public transit), sleep patterns, stress levels and feeling of general well-being.

As if that wasn’t enough, apparently economists have calculated that a commute of 45 minutes takes such a toll on a person that they need to make 20 percent more (!) to make the trip worth it.

So there you go: one more reason to telecommute (as if you needed it).

How To Upload Files from Files DIRECT on Vimeo.

How To Manage Files from Files DIRECT on Vimeo.

How To Send Files from Files DIRECT on Vimeo.

Thanks to this handy infographic from Streamline Refinance (put together with data from Y Combinator and Mr. Money Mustache) we can now get a better idea of how much it actually costs to go back and forth to work every day.

It seems to me that the costs associated with commuting come from 3 sources:

1. Cost of owning a car (finance payments, insurance, maintenance, etc.)
2. Cost of driving a car (gas, tolls, etc.)
3. Cost in time

The infographic assumes a certain length of commute, a certain hourly wage, and it also assumes that you are married, and that both you and your spouse commute. However, all of the calculations used still seem sound, and any or all of these assumptions can be easily changed to apply to your specific circumstances…

Click image to enlarge

Those are some pretty shocking numbers! For example, assuming a driving cost of 34 cents per mile and factoring time lost with a salary of $25 per hour, each mile you live from work costs $795 in commuting expenses per year (!)

While the infograph suggests living closer to where you work (a perfectly valid idea) I don’t see why people can’t go with a more “extreme” solution: telecommuting. We’ve talked about the benefits of telecommuting before, and I really feel this information drives the point home. Considering how easy it is to work online, and that services like FilesDIRECT let you send large files with ease, there’s no reason to brave the gridlock, and every reason to save yourself hundreds of dollars a year.

According to the Twitterverse, Time Warner Cable has been experiencing some MASSIVE (as in, across the U.S.) service outages today.

Though many users have been reporting that their service has been restored, outages have been reported across the United States, including in:

• New York
• Los Angeles
• San Francisco
• Kansas City
• Dallas
• Cleveland

and in other cities and regions throughout the U.S. Requests for information from the media to Time Warner Cable have yet to receive a reply.

Hopefully the issue has been resolved – were any of you affected? Let us know in the comments below!

Here’s what you do:

1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Click on the “Tools” button and select “Internet Options”
3. Go to the “Security” tab at the top of the pop-up window, then click on the “Internet” icon
4. Click on the “Custom Level” button at the bottom of the pop-up window and scroll down to “Scripting Options”
5. Choose “Enable” for the active scripting option and click “OK” to save the changes

Here’s what you do to turn on JavaScript in Firefox:

1. Open Firefox
2. Click on the “Tools” button on the Menu bar
3. Click “Options” and then select the “Content” tab in the pop-up window that appears
4. Select the checkbox next to “Enable JavaScript”
5. Click “OK” at the bottom of the “Options” window

Here’s what you do:

1. Open Google Chrome
2. Click on the “Tools” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen (it looks like a wrench)
3. Select “Options”, then click “Under the Hood”
4. Click on “Content Settings” to open the “Content Settings” window
5. Click “JavaScript” in the “Features” section of the window. The “JavaScript Settings” window will open
6. Select “Allow all sites to run JavaScript”
7. Click “Close” to save changes and close the window

We recently received a message from Eric, editor of Online Storage Reviews, to let us know that he had added us to his site under the Best Online File Transfer Solutions section.

This was a very pleasant surprise for us, as we are always happy when people find and enjoy our service…and our marketing department of course loves it when people tell others about our service!  ;-)

It’s a large, thoroughly-researched site, and we’re proud to be added to it. Thanks Eric!

For example, if you set up your large file transfer account on January 20, then your billing period will end midnight of Febuary 20. Trial plans are 14 days only. Check out our new 30-day free trial!

You have full control in choosing the best plan for your organization for each billing period – just one of the ways that FilesDIRECT saves you money!

We do not automatically or arbitrarily delete our clients’ files: any file will take up storage space until you delete it from the system.  If the total storage space used exceeds the storage limit for your plan, uploads will no longer be available until either the plan is upgraded or existing files are deleted.

HOWEVER, FilesDIRECT offers our clients a massive 30GB of cloud storage – you’d have to work hard to use it all!

For example, if someone sends you a 20MB file, and you download the file once, the total amount of data transferred is 40MB. If you download the file twice, then the total amount of data transferred is 60MB. Deleting a file does not increase the amount of data transferred.

• The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) cryptographic protocol ensures the privacy and reliability of all large file uploads and downloads.
• 128-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) file encryption is also used to protect against any unauthorized access of our clients files. 128-bit encryption is the level of encryption used by banks and major online retailers (like Amazon.com), and the AES standard has been approved by the US government’s National Security Agency (NSA) for the encryption of classified information.
• Downloads can also be password-protected to ensure only the intended recipient can access the file(s), and download links can also be set to work only once, thus preventing unauthorized access to your files should the download link be forwarded on to others.

This makes using FilesDIRECT significantly more secure than practically any email or FTP solution. FilesDIRECT allows you to make secure file transfers without all the work of other methods.

Google’s new take on the social space, Google +, is a monster that is taking the industry by storm: the fastest-growing social network in history, it has already reached nearly 18 million users since it opened it’s doors on July 6.

Now, this isn’t Google’s first time to the rodeo, though they’ve had their ups (Orkut and YouTube) and downs (Google Wave and Google Buzz). But how does their newest attempt to take down Facebook fare?

Now, it’s only fair to mention that Google + is still a VERY new service. They’ve got some neat ideas, but let’s face it: the reason they started with a comparatively “limited” release was to get some users “in the trenches” so they can find out what works, what doesn’t, what needs to be added, fixed, or taken away.

It’s important to remember that Google + isn’t a social network, per se, but more like a collection of social services, all tied together under the Google brand:

• Stream (news feed)
• Sparks (recommendations)
• Hangouts (video chat)
• Huddle (group texting)
• Circles (friend management)
• Photos

Google’s stated intent is for these services to be an extension of Google (thus the name), integrating as seamlessly as possible into the user experience, rather than having it act as a standalone service.

One of Google + ‘s biggest strengths is “Circles” – Google’s version of Facebook “Friends”. However, rather than lumping everyone you know together – and forwarding any posts, links, etc. to everyone – Circles lets you organize the people you know into different groups. No longer will your posts intended for your college buddies be seen by your co-workers (for instance)!

Another advantage over Facebook is Hangouts, which allows up to 10 users to chat simultaneously…on video! While there have been rumors that Facebook is working on video chat, Google beat them to the punch, with a smooth, easy-to-use technology that, rather than you having to reach and harass your friends to come chat with you, you simply create a “hangout” where people can come and join you, and chat.

One of the down sides, though, is that the service is “noisy”: any time there is a new comment (from any of your circles) it gets pushed to the top of your Stream (news feed), whether or not it’s something you consider interesting or important, and there is currently no way to change how content is posted to your Stream.

A big issue is the lack of integration with other Google products. Currently, Google + does not work with Google Apps (which is a little strange) and (strangest of all) neither does search. That’s right: the King of Search doesn’t let you find content that your friends are sharing.

Pretty weird.

We knew there would be bugs that would need to be ironed out this early in the game, though, so it’s not like we could expect it to be some flawless, finished product. Overall, it will be interesting to see how Google + develops…and it will be equally interesting to see how Facebook responds to those developments.

Anyone out there on Google +? What has your experience been like so far? Let us know in the comments!

“FilesDIRECT has been awarded and recommended as the top rated file sharing tool provider by Web Hosting Search, a leading hosting review site on the Internet.”

So, there you go. Sounds all impressive and press release-y, doesn’t it?

And look! They’ve even given us a fancy badge! 

So, there you go. Thank you, Web Hosting Search! We appreciate your kind words and hope they help encourage more people to try our 30-day free trial.

*Cough! 30 days free! Cough* Sorry, had something caught in my throat, there. ;)

This is a question our support team hears pretty often, which is why we’ve decided to blog about it. Let’s get to it, shall we?

There are a few possible reasons why your recipient has yet to receive their file:

1. The first, and by far the most likely, is that they DID receive the file…it’s just in their spam folder. This happens because email programs and service providers (like Gmail or Hotmail) are getting better and better at filtering out spam…but this also means they tend to “flag” almost any email from an unknown source as spam – even if it’s not. So, the first thing to do if your file hasn’t shown up yet is to contact the recipient and tell them to check their spam folder. Once they find it there (and they probably will), make sure they add our domain (filesdirect.com) to their list of safe senders.

2. The next most likely reason the email didn’t go through: the SENDER used the wrong email address – sadly, this happens more often than anyone would like. We often see people trying to copy and paste a contact over from Outlook – which means that they copy over a person’s name AND email address (“FirstName LastName “) into the FilesDIRECT “Send To” field, which doesn’t work – it only accepts email addresses (“name@wherever.com”). Sometimes, of course, it’s just a simple spelling issue…so, before you get too worried, make sure that the everything has been spelled correctly!

3. Another possibility (though a distant third) is that the recipient’s email SERVER is blocking the email. This can happen sometimes if your recipient uses a corporate email account – the server that runs all the employees’ accounts sees the emails before they even get to the individual accounts, and will sometimes decide that a message is spam and file it away early on, before the recipient would even see it, much less be able to decide if it’s spam or not. The only thing that can be done here is to have the file recipient contact their IT department and ask them to check the email servers’ spam filters, and to then add the filesdirect.com domain to the list of safe senders.

If your file hasn’t gone through, those are the three most likely reasons why. So no need to worry! Here are the simple steps you can take to save yourself some time on the phone with our support department:

1. Ask the recipient to check their spam folder (and add filesdirect.com to their safe list)

2. Make sure that the recipient’s email address is correctly spelled – and that the “Send To” field contains ONLY their email address…not their name and email address

3. Have the recipient contact their IT department and have them check the email servers’ spam filters (and – you guessed it – add filesdirect.com to their safe list)

If your file hasn’t shown up, it’s probably one of these issues. But if you’re still having trouble, our support department is happy to help! Just send them an email at support@filesdirect.com!

File Sharing and Collaboration

A good file sharing service makes it easy for team members to share design files that are too large to email back and forth. It saves on setting complex file systems or maintaining servers, and should track file uploads and downloads from the service (including who transferred the file and when) so that the workflow runs more smoothly. It also adds an additional “Safety net”, since the file is saved both at the firm and in the Cloud. This being the case, firms looking for a file sharing solution would be better served by a service that includes a great deal of storage (the amount needed could be determined by the size of the files and the number of projects the firm is / will be working on). It is also important to find out how long files are stored on the system, as some services delete them after a few weeks (or less!)

Share Files with your Clients

Once a design is ready for client review, sending it to them can be as easy as sending an email. These emails include a link to a Web page where the clients can directly download the file through their web browser – thus avoiding the file size limits imposed by email. The clients can then download the file and make any suggestions or changes they see fit. If the file sharing service allows uploads from non-members, the client can then navigate to the architectural firm’s upload page and send the file back. Unlike email, this process is nearly instantaneous, so the file is available as soon as the upload is complete.

How Secure is File Sharing?

Most companies are keen on keeping their information private (and for good reason). Thankfully, Internet-based file sharing is much more secure than email…many such services include at least password-protection, and several include encrypted uploads and downloads at no additional cost to their users. This is a boon to architectural firms in particular as it helps ensure that the plans and drawings they share with their clients are not accessible to the wider world (or competitors).

So there you have it: cheaper than couriers. Easier than FTP. More secure than email. For architects looking for an easier way to collaborate and work with clients, online file sharing is a good bet – but don’t take my work for it: sign up for a 30 day free trial and find out for yourself!

An increasing number of law firms and legal departments (corporate and governmental) have started using digital dictation and (of course) a team’s lawyers and paralegals do all their work on computers. Now, one might be tempted to think that email is the way to go here, but despite it’s ease of use (almost everyone and their grandmother uses email) it has two major flaws – especially for the legal industry:

1. File size issues: email was never designed as a way to send, store or track files. IT departments (rightly) limit the size of files that can be sent or received to keep their servers from getting overwhelmed. Anyone who’s ever worked for a big company has probably received a message from IT asking them to go through their email folders and “clean house”. And in the unlikely event that your firm doesn’t limit attachment sizes, chances are that the recipient’s email account does. So even if you CAN send it, they can’t receive it.

2. Security: email is not really known as a secure method of communication, and files sent by email are easy to retrieve or send on to an unauthorized source (just click “Forward”). Legal files may contain information about cases, defendants, plaintiffs or witnesses, so ensuring their security is of utmost importance.

Despite security necessities, lawyers have better things to do with their time than futz around with file transfer and administration, so a large file transfer solution has to be not only secure but easy to use as well.

Enter large file transfer from FilesDIRECT! Unlike FTP, there is no software to download (and thus no holes in a company’s firewall) and our system uses an intuitive, “e-mail style” interface. But unlike email, it highly secure, and includes 128-bit SSL encryption on all file transfers, password-protected downloads, and the ability to set files to only download once.

Simplicity, security and tons of features all mean that FilesDIRECT is the sine qua non of large file transfer – click here to try it free for 30 days !

File Sharing Should be Easy

All these services (including FilesDIRECT) do, however, offer the ability to share files with people who may never set foot in your office. Really good services let you share any kind of file: documents, spreadsheets, Photoshop files, videos, etc. no matter how exotic or unusual the file type. New users can usually sign up in a matter of minutes (or seconds!) and are usually easy to use – especially when compared to outdated technologies like FTP. This is great for folks who aren’t that comfortable with technology and can really smooth workflow for everyone involved.

File Sharing vs. FTP

Many companies used to use FTP (File Transfer Protocol) to send or receive large files, but have found it to be a generally difficult system: difficult to set up, difficult to train people on and difficult to use. Using a file sharing service like FilesDIRECT means companies can provide simple, easy to use file sharing to employees and clients without the expense of hiring an IT specialist to set up, maintain or modify an FTP system.

“The global oil market is incredibly volatile. Unpredictable events like political unrest and natural disasters can spike the price of a barrel, translating into higher gasoline prices. Moreover, the long term price trend in the oil market is very clear – prices have risen for decades, and they will continue to. This has a significant impact on both business and households, driving up transportation costs as well as the cost of anything that relies on petroleum during either production or delivery to market.”

And there, as the Bard used to say, is the rub: soaring oil and gas prices affect much more than just how much you have to pay to drive your car around – especially when the global economy is still on shaky footing. Increased transportation costs (airline fares, shipping rates, etc.) raise the price of a wide swath of goods and services. This creates a “domino effect” as these increased prices are passed on from business to business to business, until they eventually reach the individual consumer. Everyone is affected.

Let’s say you’re a local architect, and you’ve just netted yourself a major client: a national corporation who wants you to design their new offices in your city. Excited, you get to work right away and soon have a several potential plans to show their executives back at their home office. You head down to your local UPS office to ship them, and…wow.

You get the picture. And whether or not you’re an architect, if you have any sort of information to send (images, video, documents, etc.) sending it over the Internet is probably the most cost-effective method available to you (because, you know, it doesn’t involve airplanes).

If your files are small enough (usually 10MB or so), email is definitely the way to go. But any bigger (nearly always the case when it comes to business) and email just won’t cut it.

You probably already know what I’m going to say next, but I’ll say it anyway: if you want to send large files (or receive large files) the easiest, cheapest solution is a managed file transfer solution like FilesDIRECT. Send files up to 2GB with no software to download. No couriers. No waiting. No increased shipping costs.

Who knew “No” could be so nice?

“We’ve had many of our clients asking us to set up a Facebook page” said Juan Rojas, FilesDIRECT’s Marketing Consultant “even as entries to our Innovations contest. We have been building our presence on social media over this past year, but I have to admit that such a strong demand from our users came as a bit of a surprise.”

“Our Facebook page will include tips and tricks for our users, contests (including some that will only be available to our Fans on Facebook), links to blog posts, and an open forum for users and the public to share their questions, ideas and concerns.”

FilesDIRECT is inaugurating their new page with a contest: the first 100 users who “Like” the new FilesDIRECT Facebook page will receive a $15 discount on their next month’s bill.

“Some call it bribery,” says Juan “but I see it as an equal exchange: we’re asking our users to let their friends and colleagues know about our service, and speaking up like that definitely deserves a reward.”

FilesDIRECT is the original, and still one of the best, companies providing secure web based file transfer. Serving individuals, government agencies and companies of all sizes, thousands trust FilesDIRECT to instantly and securely send, receive and track their valuable data. Working with any type of file, FilesDIRECT’s wide variety of features is available to all their clients for no additional cost, making them a top choice for easy, secure large file transfer.

If you’d like more information about this topic, or would like to schedule an interview with a member of our Executive Team, please call (888) 520-3999 or email juan@filesdirect.com

We’re very happy to see that our service is of value to so many people from across this wide world of ours – and we want to make sure it’s available to as many people as possible. We know that business is conducted everywhere, at every time of day and night, in a huge variety of industries, and many of those businesses need to send and receive large files. Whether they are print shops in Mexico or architects in Australia, it can be a tricky thing to do, especially if you want your large file transfer to be:

A) Secure
B) Fast
C) Affordable

So, we here at FilesDIERCT have decided to “step up to the plate”, so to speak, and make our service more accessible by translating both the front-facing site, as well as the back end of the service itself. We are starting with Spanish translations, and when we are ready to launch will shortly afterwards be focusing on assisting clients in other languages (probably Mandarin or Cantonese). Once we know we can manage a wider, Spanish-speaking clientele well we can focus on broadening our language offerings.

We can’t set a firm date yet for when the site translation will be in place (it’s a surprising amount of work) but please do know that we are already offering our famous phone and email support in Spanish! Watch this space for further updates on the ongoing translations. We look forward to helping people mandar archivos grandes en Espanol soon!

Cross-State Crimes and Secure File Transfer

In the cases of cross-state crimes, secure file transfer can help everyone involved in solving the crimes across jurisdictions and districts, allowing the safe, confidential and secure transfer of files, especially for files over the maximum size allowed by email servers. Even in one state, there will be several districts / counties that need to share information. In all cases, secure file transfer is the ideal sharing solution that opens doors to data that could solve cases, or provide crucial support when it’s needed most.

Previously, files would have to be transferred by courier, then reviewed before being returned– which inevitably creates  delays. Secure file transfer supports instant, real-time transfer of information between two (or more!) law enforcement groups, of any size, with any system. The two teams can be as far apart as Hawaii and Florida (even in separate countries!), and secure file transfer is still the ideal solution to ensure that everyone is on the same page and has auditable, traceable access to all the information they need.

Policing is not Just About Catching Criminals

Policing also involves community outreach projects, and helping people protect their property. Police services also liaise with other emergency (and non-emergency) services, visit schools and patrol areas where people expect to see a police presence. From security at large events to community outreach, secure file transfer can help with any of these projects, without interfering with what the law enforcement does best.

Secure File Transfer and…Security

It’s important to understand that the primary concern of any data from the police is confidentiality – and ensuring that they aren’t the victims of data theft or compromise themselves! Secure file transfer represents the most secure way to transfer data that is easily accessible without creating extra ‘walls’: see for yourself and sign up for our 30-day free trial today!

Email Large Files and Save the Planet

Here are some statistics for you:

• Making paper is the third-largest industrial cause of greenhouse gas production in the world
• It takes one tree to make 85 lbs of paper
• Making paper uses a lot of water: it takes over 100 gallons of water to make 5 lbs of paper!
• Besides saving you the frustration of splitting your files, here’s another reason not to break your files up and send them via multiple emails: sending one email uses energy equivalent to burning 3 lbs of coal

Burn a Disc or Email Large Files?

Many individuals and companies still ship discs for a number of different reasons. Large file transfer trumps them all, not just in terms of security and cost-effectiveness, but environmentally, too:

• CDs and DVDs are made of plastic, which means greenhouse gases: making one CD or DVD discharges 3 lbs of CO2 into the air. With over 200 billion CDs sold worldwide in 2007 alone, it adds up to a lot of CO2
• Shipping them costs both money and GHGs: for example, shipping a few discs from San Francisco to San Diego, California will release over 325 lbs of CO2 into the atmosphere

You can’t argue with the math: every time you email large files with FilesDIRECT you ease the strain on the planet AND your pocketbook – now that’s return on investment!

We like to think of ourselves as trend-setters, after all.  ;)

We actually had 3 major reasons for the change: marketing/SEO, versatility and time management. We’ll delve into each of these reasons below:

Marketing / SEO

This was my main reason for pushing for the switch to WordPress.

The easy WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) visual editor allows me to write, edit and post content directly to the site. I no longer need to write content and then wait for one of the technical staff to have a free moment before it can be posted online: I just log in, do my work, and voila!

Additionally, WordPress itself is very well-designed in terms of SEO: you can easily edit tags, titles, etc. The ease of use (especially for someone who isn’t technically adept) means it’s easy to post content – either on this blog or on the site itself – and search engines love frequent updates and unique content! You can even pick your own URLs, which makes it much easier to keyword-optimize the site.

WordPress also has plugins – many of which are designed for use in SEO or social media – which give us additional functionality like social sharing, keyword optimization, etc.

Versatility

As I mentioned in the last section, WordPress has thousands of plugins to choose from, all of which give you additional functionality for your site with just a few mouse clicks. It’s easy to create pages or blog posts, move them to different parts of the site (for whatever reason), upload or change images (including changing their alt tags), and much more. If we ever feel like totally changing the look of the site, for instance, all we need to do is change the template. While some of it needs the deft touch of a professional web designer (I’m not allowed anywhere near the home page, for instance), most of it is simple enough for me to handle.

Time Management

This was probably the main selling point for our developers when we discussed the switch to WordPress, as it meant that I wouldn’t need to constantly pester them to make even the smallest change to the site. Not only that, but they can concentrate their efforts on the “back end” of the site – focus on bug fixes, upgrades to the service and generally improving our users’ experience, without needing to worry about affecting the public-facing half of the site. Having the “front end” of the site on WordPress means the Marketing team and the Development team can each focus on their core competencies and reduce back-and-forth by a large degree.

Nobody likes unnecessary meetings!

So THAT’S why WordPress

As you can see, we’ve found the switch to WordPress to have been a very beneficial business decision, and it has helped us save time, money and effort. We’d love to hear about your experiences with WordPress (good and not so good) in the comments below – did you switch to WordPress from a different CMS? Did you create your site on it from the get-go? What’s worked? What hasn’t? Let us know!
 
 
 
 
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Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Ross Mann and I am the Product Manager and one of the developers for FilesDIRECT. The head of our development team and I will be making a trip to the Microsoft Mix convention (#mix11) Tuesday and I thought this would be a great opportunity for getting parts of our other team writing to our followers and perhaps giving people some insight to the Web world at the same time.

As many of you might already know, the application portion of our product is mainly developed in C#.net, however, we recently converted our public facing site into a WordPress application – so far with great success (read more about it here) . Oddly enough, there will be a focus on using WordPress as a business tool in the Microsoft environment at Mix 11.

This should be an exciting visit and of course Vegas is always a great place to travel. I am looking forward to learning about all the new Web technology and how we can apply it to FilesDIRECT to provide you with a faster,  more reliable, and better service.

As lives are disrupted, so too is business: flights have been cancelled, telephone service is down, roads have been destroyed, and more.

Preparation Pays

It’s true: preparation goes a long way. Despite the magnitude of the quake and the following tsunami, Japanese early warning systems ensured responders had at least some lead time. Combined with well-designed, redundant systems, Japan has not come to a complete grinding halt. For instance, even though telephone and mobile service has been disrupted, Internet service, by and large, has not.

This is of vital note to knowledge-based industries, or for any companies who need to transfer data from one location to another, or to (or from) clients. Technologies and services like FilesDIRECT allow for large file transfer to and from any computer with a Net connection. This presents a variety of benefits over moving data on discs or in paper files:

Security: couriers can be intercepted. Files can be read. A good online file transfer service, however, will encrypt your data before sending it, ensuring that it can only be read by its intended recipient.

Reliability: as illustrated by the recent Japanese earthquake, the extreme winter weather experienced by Europe in 2010, or the massive volcanic eruption in Iceland of the same year, nature’s extremes have a big impact on global transit, impacting not only the airline industry and those who rely on it, but even land and sea transportation as well. What do you do if your courier is trapped in an airport because all flights have been grounded? Or if the van carrying your financial documents was in a city struck by an earthquake?

Price: One of the biggest benefits is cost savings – no shipping costs means you can get your files back and forth quickly and cheaply from anywhere in the world. Let’s see DHL do that.

Why leave your business to chance? Sign up for our 30-day free trial today try FilesDIRECT for yourself.

(Photo credit: Alex Schweigert)

Step-by-step: save some cash on large file transfer

However, with a bit of diligence, you too can easily prevent overuse charges by using our easy account management options to change your plan as needed. Here’s what you do:

1. Log in to your FilesDIRECT account

2. In the upper right-hand side of the screen, look at your total amount of transfer used (highlighted below in yellow):

3. If you’re getting near your limit, click the “Settings” link in the upper right-hand corner (highlighted above in red)

4. This will open a drop-down menu. From this menu, click on the link that says “Pricing Plan” (highlighted below in red).

5. This will open a new window that will show you what plan you are currently using, and give you the option of choosing another:

Pick the plan that you think will give you enough transfer usage (or storage) for your needs for the rest of the month. Remember, if your usage goes down next month, you can always switch to a lower account too! File transfer has never been so easy.

Our Manager of Business Development sent out an email today directing us to File Transfer Reviews – a site I admit I hadn’t heard of – because of a very interesting development:

We’ve been reviewed!

As their name implies, File Transfer Reviews looks at large file transfer sites and rates them on a number of factors:

1. Length of free trial
2. Lowest cost to use the service
3. Maximum size of files that can be sent
4. Transfer limit on accounts
5. Storage space available for clients

We feel very fortunate to have been reviewed by File Transfer Reviews, as it is one of the few times we have been so far (much to my consternation). Not only that, but we’ve hit the top ten – coming in at number 5, to be exact. Woo!

However, I am sad to admit that there are a few errors in their review of our service:

1. The file transfer limit is technically unlimited for all accounts: every account has a specific amount of transfer that is included, and more can be purchased on a per-MB basis. One can also easily switch to a more robust plan that allows for more transfers, then switch back when usage goes down.
2. Max file size is actually 2GB per file – this is a limit imposed by web browsers, and though we’re working on an app that will allow file transfers of any size, it’s not ready for deployment yet.  :(
3. We do offer 30GB of cloud storage on our Starter plans – but our other accounts get more…up to 150GB.

It’s a pretty sparse review, one must admit, but these guys have got a lot of sites to go through. So! Thank you, File Transfer Reviews! We do appreciate inclusion on your site and in your list. Keep up the good work!

Some will let you store files as well, though most offer very limited storage. A few will let you receive files from other people.

Even fewer let you do so for free.

(Photo credit)

Many companies and consultants need not only to send large files (like drafts, plans, video, etc.) to clients, but to get them back so they can make needed changes or edits. Since many online services only perform file sending, this usually means convincing your client to get an account with one of these services so they can send things back to you. Hopefully they’re willing!

The truth of the matter is, the simpler you make something, the more likely people are to do it. A classic example is FTP: though widely adopted, most people hate it because it’s hard to use (not to mention it’s other well-known flaws). Why not simplify things? If you could just have a link on your website that points to a page with simple, easy-to-follow instructions for sending you files, why wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t your clients (or bosses) prefer that too?

It’s called a “dropbox”, and some of our competitors do have them – but they’ll charge you extra…especially if you want it customized!

(Photo credit)

But here at FilesDIRECT, that’s just not how we roll. You want a setup where other people can send you large files free? Done. You want a dropbox? Done. You want to be able to customize your dropbox to match your company’s branding? Done.

You want it for free?

Done.

That’s right: a free dropbox that you can customize. Whatever size account you have, it’s yours – even on a free trial. Try it free now and discover our other great (free) features!

“We’ve been in business since 2003,” says Ross Mann, Director of Business Development at FilesDIRECT “and we pioneered several of the systems and features now widely-used in the managed file transfer industry. While we’re no strangers to thinking outside the box, we know that the people who know our service best are our clients.”

“So, starting today, we’re inviting our users to suggest new features, applications or improvements that they think will take FilesDIRECT to the next level. The FilesDIRECT team will choose the top 3 ideas – which will then be implemented onto the site – and award the following prizes to the winners:

First place wins an Apple iPad and a Starter account free for one year.

Second place wins an Apple iPad.

Third place wins a free Starter account for one year.”

FilesDIRECT welcomes submissions from all members, including new trial users. Contestants can enter by going to http://www.filesdirect.com/filesdirect-innovations-contest?utm_source=prweb&utm_medium=contest&utm_campaign=InnovationContest and filling out the form on the page

FilesDIRECT is the oldest, and still one of the best, companies providing secure web based file transfer. Serving individuals, government agencies and companies of all sizes, thousands trust FilesDIRECT to instantly and securely send, receive and track their valuable data. Working with any type of file, FilesDIRECT’s wide variety of features is available to all their clients for no additional cost, making them a top choice for easy, secure large file transfer.

If you’d like more information about this topic, or would like to schedule an interview with a member of our Executive Team, please call (888) 520-3999 or email juan@filesdirect.com

Other airports across the continent, already impacted by the weather, were hard hit by the cancelled flights into and out of Heathrow, and a cascading chain of cancellations has spread around the world…like dominoes, but much more aggravating.

Intercontinental railways have also been hard hit, as have roads all over Europe – in one example, Italy’s main north-south highway (“Autostrada”) was jammed with hundreds of vehicles, and was still closed in one direction as of Saturday, with cars backed up nearly 25 miles.

Millions, if not billions, of dollars have been lost as transportation has ground to a halt for the second time in a year (remember the Icelandic volcanic eruption in April?). Along with stranded (and frustrated) travelers, air, train and truck freight has all been stopped or delayed.

While FilesDIRECT can’t do anything for the stranded travelers (though we wish we could), how much money could business & industry have saved over the course of this fiasco if they used online file transfer? Plenty.

While nearly any document, plan or type of information can now be sent online, many government organizations and big businesses (like financial institutions) insist on sending important information by air courier. As mentioned in a previous post on this blog, billions of dollars worth of financial transactions are recorded onto discs (or tapes!) and sent via couriers all over the world for download and processing.

Business and government shouldn’t grind to a halt because of bad weather in one part of the world – what they need is a solution that allows for the secure transmission of data (including valuable financial information) that works no matter how hot, cold or wet it is outside. Modern business demands a reliable, secure, easy-to-use file transfer system that works anywhere and everywhere.

What they need is FilesDIRECT.

(Photo Credit)

There are many large file transfer services that offer dropboxes, allowing their customers to receive files from anyone online – far fewer of them allow their users to customize or white-label their dropbox. FilesDIRECT is one of the only services that includes a free customizable dropbox with every user account – every single one!

There’s no need to understand HTML coding, nor do you need any other sort of technical expertise: your account includes an easy-to-use design wizard that lets you customize your upload page with ease, including colors, logo, etc. You can adjust the page so it matches your company site’s branding, and easily link to it from your website (or email, documents, etc.).

This allows our users to easily receive large files from anyone, whether or not they have an account with FilesDIRECT. Our new, expanded storage and robust tracking now make it easier than ever to send, receive and store files online – whether you’re transferring to or from co-workers, clients, consultants, friends or family.

We take pride in being able to offer these services with our super-simple interface. Why not sign up for a 1-month free trial and start receiving large files – free! – today?

Large file transfer tools (like FilesDIRECT) are an important part of the vagabond lifestyle: whether someone is an online marketer, a graphic designer, a music producer, or otherwise involved in a “work-from-anywhere” business, chances are you will need to receive large files (or send them) at some point.

(Photo credit)

Another benefit of this kind of web-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is that it works for any file type: whether you’re sending videos, photos, Word documents, PDFs or something more exotic, you can send files to (or receive files from) clients without dealing with FTP sites or putting up with email’s built-in size limitations. It also operates through web browsers, and since this means you don’t need to download software (with FilesDIRECT, anyways), it also means it works with any operating system – so there’s no need to worry if you’re on a Mac and your client is on a Windows-based system (or something more exotic).

Online file transfer with FilesDIRECT is also much more secure than either email or FTP, since it uses a powerful combination of the SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) cryptographic protocol, 128-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryption and robust password creation to keep uploads and downloads secure. This means you can send files back and forth with clients, Virtual Assistants, drop shippers, etc. with total peace of mind.

And if you run your business from your laptop, it’s a (very) good idea to keep important files in the Cloud, in case something should happen to your computer. FilesDIRECT offers 30GB of storage free with our Starter plans, with increasing amounts available to suit your needs. There’s no time limit on storage, either (unlike services like Mediafire) so your files will be stored as long as you have an account (unless you choose to delete them).

Need a custom dropbox so people can send you files? No problem! All FilesDIRECT accounts include a free customizable upload page so others (without an account) can send you files with just a few mouse clicks.

(Photo credit)

If you own an online business as part of your vagabond lifestyle (or are planning to!) FilesDIRECT gives you a secure, feature-rich way to send and receive large files easily from anywhere in the world. Try our free trial today and see just how easy large file transfer can be!

Hackers who use the information they access for illegitimate/criminal gain (called “crackers” among the hacker community) are a very real threat to individuals and companies of any size: individuals can have their private data accessed, and along with the resulting feelings of helplessness and violation, can have credit card numbers stolen, their computer hijacked as part of a botnet to attack others, or have their identities stolen and used to commit further crimes.

(Photo credit)

The situation for companies is at least as bad, as a break in network security can affect many people – the owners, employees, clients and contractors (and others). Loss of financial data, user account information (remember what happened to Winners a year or two ago?), proprietary research results or information, and more are compounded by the costs in time, money and public opinion that can haunt a company for years afterwards.

However, potential risks notwithstanding, people and organizations can’t just disconnect themselves from the Web – not only does it offer a wide variety of tools and benefits, but chances are everyone they know (and most of their clients) are on there. Everybody has a website now, and most companies rely on the Internet not only as a means of finding clients, but of selling them their products or services as well (via e-commerce).

One of the benefits of the Web is the ability to send large amounts of information quickly and easily. Architects, lawyers, insurance underwriters, medical service providers, marketers, musicians and many more no longer need to depend on a slow, unreliable postal service to send (or receive) work from clients, contractors or field personnel – it can all be done online.

But this brings us neatly back to the issue of security: if we don’t want to resort to techniques employed by the CIA since it’s early days (dead-letter drops, armed couriers, etc.) how can we make sure we can send large files (and receive large files!) securely?

(Photo credit)

Using a service like FilesDIRECT takes care not only of security issues, but ease-of-use issues as well:

• Multi-character password creation is in place to help ensure secure account access
• Use of SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) cryptographic protocol ensures privacy and reliability of large file uploads and downloads
• 128-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) file encryption is also used to protect against unauthorized access of client files. 128-bit encryption is the encryption standard used by banks and major online retailers (like Amazon.com), and the AES standard has been approved by the US government’s National Security Agency (NSA) for the encryption of classified information
• Unlike systems like FTP, however, the security features do not impact the user experience – it is very easy to use FilesDIRECT, as the features operate in the background and require no special training or knowledge to use

Combined with robust security on the user end (firewalls, hard-to-guess passwords, etc.), FilesDIRECT can ensure secure file transfer for individuals, professionals and companies in any field.

“Considering the decreasing costs of storage, it only seemed natural for us to offer this to our subscribers. We’ve seen some of our biggest users have to delete old files from their accounts to free up space, and that’s against our goal of providing a service that is both secure and easy to use.”

(Photo Credit)

“Starting today, all Starter plans will have 30 GB of free online storage; Store 2500 will now have 150 GB, and so on. This will be especially good news for our corporate clients who use the service for managed file transfer between several different offices. Along with some bug fixes and improvements on our back end, we are constantly working to provide an easier, more feature-rich way for our clients to send and receive large files.”

In other words, whatever kind of account you have (trial accounts excepted), you can now have three times more storage for your files.

I mean, 30 GB is a lot – and it only goes up from there. Why not sign up and you can start to send large files today!

PS: Before I forget, we’re still offering 50% off of Starter plans: send and receive large files – and store 30 GB – online for just $9 a month! Sorry folks…this promotion is no longer available.

“Considering the decreasing costs of storage” said FilesDIRECT Manager of Business Development, Ross Mann, “it only seemed natural for us to offer this to our subscribers. We’ve seen some of our biggest users have to delete old files from their accounts to free up space, and that’s against our goal of providing a service that is both secure and easy to use.”

“Starting today, all Starter plans will have 30 GB of free online storage; Store 2500 will now have 150 GB, and so on. This will be especially good news for our corporate clients who use the service for managed file transfer between several different offices. Along with some bug fixes and improvements on our back end, we are constantly working to provide an easier, more feature-rich way for our clients to send and receive large files.”

The increase in client storage is part of a general technical update in Q4 of November 2010, and will be announced on the company site along with a 50% off promotion for new Starter Accounts in the same time period.

FilesDIRECT is the oldest, and still one of the best, companies providing secure web based file transfer. Serving individuals, government agencies and companies of all sizes, thousands trust FilesDIRECT to instantly and securely send, receive and track their valuable data. Working with any type of file, FilesDIRECT’s wide variety of features are available to all their clients for no additional cost, making them a  top choice for easy, secure large file transfer.

If you’d like more information about this topic, or would like to schedule an interview with a member of our Executive Team, please call (888) 520-3999 or email juan@filesdirect.com

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SENDING INFORMATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE

While there are many things that still need to be physically sent, the advent of computers and digital media have dramatically changed how information moves around the world. Updates to friends and family, invitations to special events, even postcards are now sent electronically. Email and services like Facebook allow us to send and share smaller amounts of information with each other, but there are times when a more robust or secure file transfer solution is needed:

• Sending video to friends and family
• Architects or designers needing a client’s feedback on plans or designs
• Insurance agents transferring client or policy information to a partner firm
• Lawyers sending large legal documents
• Film or television producers receiving edited files

There are too many kinds of documents, media or files to list, but you get the idea. Almost everyone has switched to email when it comes to general correspondence, and it even works for basic file sharing. This has saved individuals and businesses millions of dollars in postage and associated supplies (envelopes, mailers, etc) and has helped contribute to the decline of the U.S. Postal Service (and others) as demand for their services has dropped dramatically.

However, email doesn’t always work for the above-mentioned business file sharing applications – very often either the sender’s or receiver’s mail servers will bounce messages that are considered too large (generally in the range of 10MB). This is fine for an average PDF document or small video clip, but what if you’re sending design files to your printer, or a video to your editor? Burn it to a cd or copy it to a USB key and then mail it?

SEND YOUR LARGE FILES LIKE THE C.I.A. – IN THE 80′S

There are a number of issues associated with sending digital content via physical media:

• Cost: as mentioned earlier, shipping costs are rising, and this will apply across the board – whatever the size of the package
• Reliability: even the most trustworthy, skilled and professional courier cannot guarantee that your information will arrive at it’s destination safely and on time. Bad traffic, sudden Nordic volcanic eruptions, and a host of other potential hazards lie in wait. And this is assuming the courier does their job…let’s face it, there are a lot of stories of disgruntled or unbalanced Postal employees losing, stealing or otherwise tampering with the mail. There’s a reason the phrase “going postal” was coined in the first place!
• Security: you could certainly encrypt the data on the disk – but you’d need to get the key to your recipients first anyways. And it won’t matter if the disk doesn’t make it there to begin with.

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So, going “Old School” and sending an encrypted disk or USB key via special courier is an option – and while it’s more reliable than sending it in the mail,  there are easier, less James-Bondian methods available.

SEND VERY LARGE FILES ONLINE

Online services like FilesDIRECT let you send large files over the Internet by having you upload your files to their servers and then sending your “target audience” a link that they can click on to download the files. It’s actually easier than it sounds, and it’s much more secure and reliable than either the mail or couriers. It saves on costs (couriers are expensive – especially if you’re sending something overseas) and lets you track exactly who has been uploading and downloading your files. Just follow the link to get more information, easily send large files online and get a 50% discount too!

Your humble author of this large file transfer blog has had another article accepted by ezinearticles.com – the Internet’s leading article directory!

In this article (“Large File Transfer – Why Bother With FTP?”) I tackle the subject of sending big files via FTP – the outdated technology we all know and love (or, y’know, dislike intently – guess which one I am?).

The article looks at the age of the protocol, as well as security and usability issues. I’m no Mark Twain, but I think it’s both readable and informative, and (here I confess to bias) worth taking a look at.

Just follow the link to the article on (basically) FTP replacement. Of course, considering that you’re here, it’s not hard to guess what I recommend instead of FTP for sending large files…

Please let me know what you think in the comments!

For those who don’t know, Drop.io took an unusual approach to sending large files by allowing users to create temporary “mini-drop-boxes”. There were no other features – just the ability to anonymously share files for a brief period of time.

According to TechCrunch.com, the social media moguls have bought not only Drop.io’s technology, but their talent: CEO Sam Lessin (and perhaps others) will be moving out to Palo Alto, California to join the Facebook team.

The company’s incipient demise (non-paid accounts have already been shut down, and paid accounts will be closed on December 15, 2010) sends an interesting message to the rest of the file-sharing industry: Facebook is planning to add online file transfer to their service offerings.

This may or may not be a good thing, depending on one’s point of view. Facebook has 2 main strengths that they can apply to the field that most online file transfer services cannot:

1. Massive traffic, and

2. Massive capital to spend on application development.

If they do go ahead and implement a technology similar to Drop.io’s, and integrate it fully into their service, it would probably mean the demise of many of the current companies in the field – especially the new, smaller start-ups with little to offer besides sending files too big for email.

If the services that let users transfer big files wish to survive, they are going to have to “go the extra mile”, and offer more than ad-serviced large file transfer.

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What sort of value-add features should users look for in a big files transfer service?

1. The ability to receive large files: only a few of these companies let their users receive files from those without accounts, and they usually charge for the privilege.

2. Storage: while many users are only interested in sending large files, many more (especially businesses) are also looking for the ability to store files online – allowing them not only to collaborate but preserve valuable data.

3. Robust tracking: of special value to corporate users (from any size business), the ability to track uploads and downloads is a must – especially if multiple users in separate locations share one account.

FilesDIRECT (of course) offers all these features, and more, for free with all accounts:

1. Free customizable upload and download pages (“dropboxes”). Now your clients can upload files to your personal page – or download files from a set of private files you send them a link to.

2. Paid accounts start with a whopping 10GB of free storage – and it only goes up from there.

3. Tracking: live tracking of what files have been uploaded and downloaded, when and by whom.

There are many more features and our development team is always working on more…while fly-by-night “free” operations should be worried about the news out of Brooklyn, we know that FilesDIRECT will still be around for a long time to come.

Smaller companies often don’t have the resources to set up their own servers (either in terms of hardware and the IT staff to maintain it), especially in the earlier days of an enterprise. This limits their ability to use FTP (the traditional choice for sending large files) or network drives (the simplest solution for internal file sharing). Large companies also face similar limitations, especially in current difficult economic times. Let’s face it: everyone’s on a tighter budget these days.

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While email is a common choice for sending files, it suffers from a number of downsides:

1. Lack of security: email is a very easy electronic media to access…in other words, it’s easy to hack. This is a major concern for businesses that handle sensitive information, such as health care-related companies (insurance firms, doctor’s offices, etc.), financial institutions, or law firms.

2. File size limits: most common email programs impose limits on the size of attachments that can be sent along with messages, generally in the range of 25MB. While this may not be an issue for many non-business users, many companies need to be able to send or access much larger files, such as contracts, architectural drawings, computer applications or patient files (among many possibilities).

3. Poor tracking: if a particular file (or set of files) is subject to changes from several people, email does not really give the ability to properly track changes made, who made them or who has accessed the files in question.

The inherent risks and issues involved in FTP were discussed in the previous post on this blog.

So, if neither of the 2 most popular methods of sharing files are the best way to go, what is?

A web based file transfer service.

Online file sharing solves all of the issues mentioned earlier. For example, FilesDIRECT offers:

1. Security: 128-bit encryption is used for uploading and downloading files (the same level of encryption used by banks and major online retailers like Amazon.com), and files are sent using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) cryptography. Combined with the ability to password protect downloads and uploads, this is a level of security that cannot be matched by other methods.

2. While the vast majority of email programs severely limit the size of files that can be sent (most to a max of 25MB or less), FilesDIRECT allows users to send files up to 2GB in size without downloading any software. Downloading the free desktop app allows for file transfers of any size.

3. FilesDIRECT’s built-in file management includes automatic tracking of files, including the file name and type, it’s size, and upload and download history.

Another benefit is that, once a company has an account, they can set up a (free!) upload page (aka: a dropbox) to allow others (such as clients, contractors, etc.) to upload files to the company for free…without having to open accounts of their own.

All of these features make big file transfer with FilesDIRECT a natural choice for businesses of any size in any industry.

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FTP stands for “File Transfer Protocol”, and it is a method used to copy files from one host to another over networks like the internet – technically, over “TCP/IP” networks, which stands for “Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol”. Access to an FTP client can be either anonymous or password-protected, depending on how it’s been set up.

FTP was originally created by Abhay Bhushan in 1971, with the standard specifications having been updated twice since then (in 1980 and 1985). Let’s look at that again: the File Transfer Protocol, one of the major methods used to send files, was first written in 1971 and it’s last major update was in 1985.

1985.

25 years ago.

Moreover, ask any (honest) IT professional and they’ll tell you that FTP was never designed to be a secure method of sending data, and even with security upgrades, it’s still vulnerable to a wide variety of attacks (according to the good folks at Wikipedia). Though somewhat mitigated in modern versions, data (including user names, passwords, etc.) can often be easily accessed and read. Additionally, it tends to leave mile-wide holes in your firewall, thereby opening your computer to potential attack.

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As one would expect for such an old system, usability is not very good – even newer versions are often clunky and distinctly not user friendly. If you’ve ever had to use FTP, chances are you’ve experienced this firsthand…I know I have.

“There’s got to be a better option!” You might say. And I would respond “Yes. Yes there is.” It’s been 25 years since the advent of FTP, and a lot has changed since then, including the coding languages available to programmers and, in fact, the very structure of the internet.

This is a very good thing, because it’s given us a variety of choices, the best of which are probably online file transfer services like FilesDIRECT. I confess to being biased, but let’s look at the reasons why:

• Password protected uploads and downloads
• 128-bit SSL encryption
• Easy to use – super-simple user interface
• Send large files (2GB using your browser, or files of any size with the desktop app)
• Send and receive multiple files simultaneously
• There are no servers to maintain
• Works with any operating system

And, of course, much more.

With modern, more secure options like this, I can’t think of any good reasons for using something as outdated as FTP.

It’s time to move large file transfer into the 21st century.

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I was directed to this fantastic post by Frank Strong (of Vocus & PRWeb fame) on the TopRank Online Marketing Blog that ties the classic 80′s movie into social media.

I confess, as both a martial artist and marketer, that I think the concept is awesome all-around. Besides having a neat concept, the article is well-written and provides useful advice, especially to those new to social media marketing. It doesn’t have anything to do with large file transfers, but I think you’ll find it interesting and useful.

Here’s the link. Enjoy!

While the service is maintaining its current overall design, a number of upgrades have been implemented to streamline the user experience:

1. File Receive Wizard: an easy-to-use, step-by-step process to shows users how to get files from other people. The wizard will send an email to an address of the user’s choice with specific instructions on how to upload files to the user’s account – free of charge.
2. Search: clients can now search through the files in their account on their Manage Files page.
3. Sort files: a “Sort” function has been created for the Manage Files page, and the client’s sort order will be remembered the next time they login.
4. Facebook Connect: current and new users can now associate their FilesDIRECT account with their Facebook page, allowing them to use Facebook to login to their FilesDIRECT account.

FilesDIRECT was one of the first companies to offer file transfer services (online since 2003), and they are positioning themselves as the premium service in the industry by giving their clients a host of additional benefits, including 128-bit SSL encryption on all transfers, 10 GB of storage to start, and more.

If you’d like more information about this topic, or would like to schedule an interview with our company President, please call (888) 520-3999 or email rossmann@filesdirect.com

This post is really to toot my own horn (so to speak) but what can I say: I’m excited, and the rest of the team here encouraged me to write a blog post about it, so here we are:

I am now listed as an “Expert Author” on EzineArticles.com, the Internet’s leading article directory.

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And yes, before you ask, I was almost as excited as a kid at Christmas.

Anyways, the article is titled: “Send Large Files Safely Online” (feel free to click the link) and it gave me the opportunity to discuss some of the knowledge I’ve gained over the past few months about sending large files, receiving large files, and online storage – specifically focusing on the security issues involved in online file transfer.

It’s not an in-depth discussion of different security protocols, or a careful examination of different methods of cryptography (although, come to think of it, those are some petty good ideas for later articles…hmmm…) so much as a brief overview of the security issues to consider when choosing a file transfer service.

Feedback is welcome (just leave a note in the comments) but please – be gentle. :)

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Regulations like HIPAA demand that healthcare organizations keep personally identifiable health information confidential, and that they track and report on how that information is accessed.

The challenge is that the systems used must not only be secure, but be simple enough that any staff who need to access the information can do so easily and effectively.

Email, though widely-adopted and easy to use, suffers from a lack of security and an ability to transfer only small files (10MB or less). FTP, though commonly used by IT professionals, is very complicated to use and very insecure.

Example

A local hospital has a wide variety of staff, clients and partners, not all of whom are on-site. Doctors and nurses need to access and update patient information on the fly, while hospital administrators have to manage the access given to the hospital’s billing service, who is then in contact with patients’ insurance companies. They had previously used email and FTP – but their FTP system lacked encryption abilities, and email was becoming less scalable and using increasing amount of server resources. To top it all off, neither system lets them manage workflow or enforce appropriate access to patient records.

The solution is online file transfer and storage. These services (like FilesDIRECT) let healthcare organizations store data offsite, which gives redundancy of important information and reduces server load.

FilesDIRECT’s “One-Click Send” system is easy to use; with a simple, customizable public upload page. This allows hospital staff and partners to use the system without time-consuming (and expensive!) training.

Our online file transfers use the same level of encryption as banks and major online retailers (like Amazon). This means healthcare organizations can rest assured their patient information is secure.

Simplicity, security, and built-in tracking means FilesDRECT is the perfect solution for HIPAA compliant file transfer.

Try it FREE today!

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Using one-click send and a secure SSL encryption, FilesDIRECT is the best and most convenient web based file transfer service available.

Whether you are a large enterprise business needing to email thousands of confidential documents or a small graphic design firm trying to get dozens of large Photoshop files to the printers, FilesDIRECT is the perfect solution.  In addition, no FTP or tech knowledge is required, just click to upload your file and emails are instantly sent to both you and the recipient letting everyone know the files are ready to be downloaded.

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Have questions?  Want to try FilesDIRECT?  Sign-up for our FREE trial and start emailing large files right now.

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One of our top picks is iBooks – Apple’s free e-book app. The built-in search, easy organizing and bookmarking, and pdf-reading capability all make this a perennial favorite. Make sure you’ve got iOS 4 before you pick this one up so you can get all the latest features.

Bump made the grade as a networking app: all it takes is a quick fist bump and you can share photos, contacts, and calendar events, become friends on Facebook, and more.

Zoocasa got the thumbs up by our CEO himself as a real estate search app that is simple and easy to use. It shows you local homes that are up for sale and displays them as a Google map. You can filter the results by number of bedrooms or bathrooms, as well as price. It lets you view photos as well as agent contact info, and email the info with just one tap.

The next 3 apps made it onto this list because most of our staff travel internationally on a regular basis:

XE Currency is a powerful (and popular) currency converter powered by XE.com – access current conversion rates on over 180 currencies.

Next up is TripAdvisor. This handy little app lets you find flights, restaurants and things to do wherever you’re travelling. It includes over 35 million reviews, and it works with your iPhone’s GPS to get you directions and point out nearby options.

The last of the “travel app trio” is Flight Tracker, which lets you search for and track upcoming flights, and keep track of relevant details like gates, arrival times, baggage claim info, flight delays, etc. It’s biggest draw is that it suggests alternative flights (and their connections) so that you’re not entirely at the mercy of the never-that-reliable airline industry. While not really free, at $0.99, it’s so close that it might as well be.

A fun free app (if you’re a Star Wars nerd, anyways) is Lightsaber. On the off chance you haven’t tried this yet, it does just what you think: creates a big glowing line across your screen and produces all the sound effects of the elegant weapon from a more civilized age.

Game-wise, it’s hard to beat Monster Kill for sheer manic enjoyment. You have a wall. Monsters come down the screen and try to break through your wall. You kill the monsters. Repeat. A simple but effective formula.

So there you have it – some of our favorite apps. What are yours?

Okay, you’ve just signed up with FilesDIRECT, and you have some files you’d like to send – now what?

First, log in to FilesDIRECT by entering your username and password in the upper right-hand corner of the screen:

Once you have logged in, you will see two tabs on the upper left: “Dashboard” and “Manage Files”. Make sure the “Dashboard” tab is selected:

Once you are in the Dashboard, you have 3 main options:

1. Send a File

2. Manage Files

3. Customize Page

Click on “Begin Upload” (underneath Send a File)

This takes you to the Upload page – once the page loads, click “+ Direct Send” at the bottom of the page:

This will bring up the additional fields to fill out to send the file(s).

First, verify your personal information at the top of the page: feel free to add or remove data as you like (the only information you need to have is your name and email address)

Halfway down the page is the “Add files” button. Click it.

Now you can select the files you want to send via the popup window:

Once you’ve selected the files you want to send, just scroll down, enter in the recipients’ email address, and the subject and text of the message you’d like to send them along with the file. Then decide if you want to password-protect the download and/or have the file automatically erased after being downloaded:

If you want to encrypt the files, select “Click Here for Secure Uploads” at the top of the screen.

Then just click “Continue” and sit back and relax as your files are uploaded and sent!

Simple, easy, safe: that’s FilesDIRECT.

The real question is: on what basis does it not?

Security – For the past thirty years, plain FTP has ignored security concerns, passing its passwords across the net in plain text.  In today’s world that’s completely unacceptable, especially with the huge rise in easily eaves-droppable mobile devices.  Also, FTP plays havoc with firewalls, opening a new connection for every file, which makes your network less secure (especially when the firewall is configured out of desperation to allow FTP, but disallow better security.)  FilesDIRECT is SSL-encrypted every time, and nothing passes in plain text.

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Usability – Timestamps on files aren’t kept with FTP, leaving users lost as to what version of what file they’re looking at after a transfer. Directory listings aren’t standardized, meaning users can be stuck working with clumsy, incorrect information about what files are where.  FilesDIRECT uses easy to read links and lists to display directories and timestamps are what they’re supposed to be.

Simplicity – FTP clients are confusing, especially for new users. What thirty year old software technology wouldn’t be? By comparison, if you can use email and a web browser, you can use FilesDIRECT.

Sadly, FTP won’t be going away any time soon. The good news is you don’t have to keep using it: now you can choose FilesDIRECT!

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When you’re trying to send your files, you assume that once you’ve sent them off, they arrive at their destination, right?

Not necessarily.

If you’ve tried using email to send large files, or to arrange file sharing via FTP, you know that (as the song goes) “you can’t always get what you want”. Maybe the file’s too big. Maybe it got saved to the wrong directory. Maybe your account’s been hacked.

Your data is too important to be trusted to “maybe”.

FilesDIRECT offers solid architecture that ensures top-notch security and availability. Our secure North American servers make sure that you can both send and receive your files easily, from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Unlike older, outdated models of transferring information, your files are sent instantly, stored securely, and constantly tracked, so you always know who has access to your data. As the premium online file transfer service, FilesDIRECT offers you:

Instant email notification to let you know when your file has been downloaded

Acceptance of any type of file up to 2GB in size

Free online storage for your files

Usability with any browser or operating system

Industry-leading support for our clients, including live phone support (even for our trial users!)

Ability to track your files & transfers in real time (by file, IP, email address & time)

All this and more through a simple “one-click” interface. Why leave your file transfers to chance?

Of course not.

Unlike other online file transfer services, FilesDIRECT won’t charge you extra to send larger files, or for a minimal (ie: barely noticeable) amount of storage, or demand you have a minimum number of users on your account (each of them having to separately pay the full price, of course).

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Our free trial account starts with 2GB of storage, and it only grows from there – the starter plan gives you 10GB (EDIT: Now 30 GB!) of storage and lets you transfer up to 300MB a month.

There’s no “pay to play” with FilesDIRECT: all our plans (including the 30 day free trial) come with our full suite of services, including:

• Detailed tracking
• 128-bit SSL encryption
• Customizable email notifications
• Personalized “drop box”
• Full (phone and online) support
• and much, much more

You get all this starting at just $18 a month. If you want to send large files, FilesDIRECT gives you the most bang for your buck – guaranteed.

Try it FREE today!

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There are many problems with receiving large files – almost as many as there are trying to send them. FilesDIRECT takes care of everything for you: no more complicated FTP, email size limits or expensive couriers.

Our web-based service means even someone without a FilesDIRECT account can send you files up to 2GB in size with literally a single mouse click – and you can download it just as easily.

Here’s how it works:

When you sign up with FilesDIRECT, we’ll create (and host) a webpage where others can upload files for you.

This page is easily (and completely) customizable to meet your company’s branding needs.

Once files have been uploaded, we’ll send two emails: a confirmation to the sender and a notification to the user. Once you receive the email, just log in to your FilesDIRECT account and start downloading!

The files are stored on our servers for as long as you like, ready for you to download at your convenience.

All our file transfers come with full 128-bit SSL encryption – the same level of protection used by banks and big online retailers like Amazon.com.

No more burning cd’s, hiring couriers or putting up with FTP. Easy file transfer is finally just a click away!

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With everything from floor plans and schematics to 3D renderings and CAD files, engineers and architects have to send large files to various people and companies, often in different cities and even across the globe. Whether you are looking for the ability to send large architecture files or email engineering files, FilesDIRECT can solve all your file transfer problems.

With the ability to send files to anywhere in the world with our simple one-click upload and send, FilesDIRECT is the perfect architect and engineer large file transfer tool. Sign up now and start sending your files with:

1. 128-bit SSL encryption for maximum security

2. File sizes of up to 2GB – no email size limitations

3. Compatibility with all operating systems

4. No server setup or hassle from dealing with FTP’s

With a new 30-day free trial, you can literally be sending your files in minutes.

Whether you need to send confidential financial data or personal information, you can never be too careful when making sure it doesn’t get in the wrong hands. With so many security issues caused by the vulnerabilities of email (easily hacked) and FTP (opens huge holes in your firewall), you need to make sure you keep your files safe with a secure file transfer service like FilesDIRECT.

At FilesDIRECT, every file uploaded to our secure servers is protected with 128-bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption so that your information stays secret. This is the same encryption protocol used by banks and major online retailers like Amazon.com. In addition, our one-click upload and send offers the easiest secure file transfer possible.

FilesDIRECT is perfect for: hospitals, health care providers, government agencies, financial institutions, universities, and anyone else sending sensitive information online.

Sign up for our 30-day trial offer and see just how easy FilesDIRECT really is – try it FREE for 30 days!

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The problems are:

The File Probably Won’t Get There

Video files are big by nature, and with the proliferation of cameras on laptops more video clips than ever are being created.  Sharing these clips is key to business in a lot of cases, just like it is for PDFs, photos (JPEGs and GIFs) word processing and spreadsheet documents and all kinds of data types.  The problem is that video clips are larger (contain more data) by far than any of these kinds of files.  When you send a file using email, the sending program doesn’t check with the receiving program if the attached file is too large to make it over, and with video, most of the time it is too large!   So what happens is the email is sent – and bounces back with “attachment too large”.  But sometimes, much worse than that, the second big problem with video email happens:

The Attached Video Didn’t Get There And You Don’t Know It

The way email works means that a message with a big video file attachment probably won’t get where you’re sending it, which is bad enough.  What’s worse is: you might not even know it didn’t get there.  When email fails, you get a bounce message, but maybe not right away, and maybe not at all.  Plus, it’s very common that the email makes it over but the attachment is prevented from coming over — and you are never told!  That’s no way to conduct business.

The Solution: Files Direct

Because Files Direct doesn’t rely on email, any video attachment up to 2GB will make it to its destination!  Just send the file and an email confirmation to you and to the recipient appears immediately, taking the mystery and unreliability out of video file delivery across the Internet.

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Whether you work in the commercial, TV, or film industry, FilesDIRECT can help you send large video files anywhere in the world. It can be a big bottleneck: between the set, producers, editors, and others all needing access to what’s being created, you need an easy versatile solution that doesn’t require more training.

With our simple one-click send, your videos will be uploaded and emails instantly sent to recipients for download. Not only that, but your files stay online as long as you choose for continued access.

Never again will you have trouble transfering large video files thanks to FilesDIRECT offering:

1. SSL Encryption for maximum security

2. None of the limitations of email

3. Compatibility with all operating systems

4. No server setup or hassle from dealing with FTP’s

With several different plans to choose from, you can sign up and start sending your files in minutes.

In it, Mr. Josephes makes an excellent case for replacing this frankly outdated protocol: he discusses the fact that it’s over 25 years old (!), designed to fix old problems in IP protocol, etc. He gives an excellent (though disheartening) list of the many issues that FTP users (and the IT staff who try to help them) have to try to sort through.

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He also offers a few suggestions on potential replacements. Although he doesn’t mention online file transfer services as an alternative, one of the options he mentions is HTTP, which acts as the backbone for many of these kinds of services. Interestingly, he makes a broad appeal for improved file transfer through internet browsers, which is exactly what FilesDIRECT lets you do.

Sites like FilesDIRECT offer everything FTP doesn’t: secure file transfer, ease of use, and not having to troubleshoot some obscure issue every other day.

With a 30-day free trial, 128-bit SSL encryption and one click file transfer, why not try it today?

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With the ability to upload, send, and store large files online in just one click, FilesDIRECT is the perfect solution for any print or design company looking to transfer large image files. Unlike FTP, FilesDIRECT doesn’t require downloading any programs or worrying about setting up any servers – everything is done through your browser and can be used on any operating system.

You avoid couriering cd’s back and forth, saving you and your clients time, money and frustration.

FilesDIRECT also uses SSL encryption so that you’ll never have to worry about your files getting in the wrong hands. With a variety plans to choose from, FilesDIRECT is the most affordable site for anyone needing to email large images or any other type of media file.

Try FilesDIRECT free for 30 days and start sending your files today!

“I write scripts for animation shows – cartoons for kids and adults,” says Gary. “I’m on a team with the animators, the voice talent, the producers of the show and the network airing the show. That means there are four places video clips have to move every time something is changed or added to any episode of any of the shows I write.”

Gary uses FilesDIRECT to download the video clips as well as clips of audio and video from the show’s producers containing changes they need made to the show.

“A single episode runs 11 minutes, with two episodes per show. There could be twenty or thirty changes during production time. None of us works in the same office, so we rely on FilesDIRECT to get our video to where it needs to go at the right time.” Gary says “With so many people in the loop – animators, producers, voice talent, interns, network execs, – it’s incredibly easy to get mixed up with the wrong video file being sent to the wrong place at the wrong time.”

FilesDIRECT takes the guesswork out of the process by reducing the complicated process of large file uploads down to simple emails containing links, which keeps the laughs coming on your TV or computer screen.

“It’s true that the further you get away from the front line of production, more toward the network offices or producers’ offices, the more you need your tools to be simple and easy to use. Without FilesDIRECT, I can only imagine what kind of nightmare we’d be facing every day.”

File Transfer for the “Big Boys”

In the financial realm, reconciling the books every week for, say, a department at an insurance giant or a federal agency used to mean running off tapes from mainframe machines and flying them by air courier to data processing facilities. Literally trillions of dollars have been moved this way over the years, and the expense and hassle involved is very large.

The urge to cut costs and the public’s increasing comfort level with online file transfer has combined to change the assumptions about that kind of data handling. The Internet is everywhere, and those big collections of cheques or payments get to their destinations much more quickly and cheaply on the Net than by courier.

But lurking in the casual nature of file transfer is the specter of lost security. Sending sensitive files by any free email service, such as Yahoo or Google, sending physical media by mail, or using FTP all add up to huge security risks. The Feds know this and passed the Secure Federal File Sharing Act, but the effect hasn’t been as great as was hoped.

FilesDIRECT is not FTP. Our transfers are encrypted using SSL from end to end, making it virtually impossible for anyone between the sender and the receiver to decrypt the contents. You get all the convenience and none of the risk. If you want easy to use (but still safe) file transfer, you want FilesDIRECT.

Of course, delays and errors are common with old internet technologies. In the early days of the net, computer professionals were the net’s only users, so the software tools were built with no bells and whistles such as email notification, SSL encryption, or web upload. Everybody used FTP to upload and download large files. They logged into servers using weird little FTP client applications, they navigated directories, they made guesses as to what file to get or to put, and they did all of it by typing, if you can believe it.

One example of the problems and dangers of using FTP for this is when one law firm working on a huge lawsuit needed legal support from a law firm across the state. Their own staff had been struggling along with FTP but the new firm was from a much smaller town and used FTP maybe once or twice a year. When the legal secretary from the new firm uploaded critical medical files not to the bigger firm’s server, but to her own hard drive by mistake, the team missed a major filing deadline as they attempted to phone-support the legal secretary, who insisted that the files had moved. She was right, they had moved, just not to where she thought they went. That kind of thing happens with FTP all the time.

If instead of FTP, she had FilesDIRECT, a click on a web page would be all she needed to get it right and on time. The alert emails would be automatically sent, the right file gets to the right place and the right people are alerted every time, and a multimillion-dollar judgment goes your way instead of the highway.

Independent or small-company media producers look with envy at the big companies with their large IT staffs who make technical problems go away. Yet the reality inside these large firms can be very different: a corporate media department is often saddled with legacy systems that are set up for smaller files and more generalized business use. Having IT keep a shared drive available for internal use can be a challenge – and just try getting one made available to the internet through the corporate firewall in less than a few weeks time – if you can even break through the political firewall!

Meanwhile, media staff at big corporate outfits look with envy at their small-company or independent counterparts and imagine they can quickly put up any shared drive service they want as fast as they need it. But the reality there is also troublesome. Many small operations use web hosting for FTP services, and we all know how much of a hassle FTP is.

The best files transfer solution for large and small business is FilesDIRECT. Big-company media shops can punch through the corporate firewall using a plain old web service and email – two things their IT department can’t complain about. And small service providers can get the job done with nothing more than web and email – no FTP hassles. Truly, FilesDIRECT is the best of both worlds!