The speed of business isn't slowing down any time soon. The files we send are getting larger, we're distributing them to more people, more often and over increasingly greater distances. The accomplishment of our collaborative tasks is heavily reliant on one universal tool: File Transfer Protocol (FTP). But FTP's capabilities and convenience factors are beginning to wane in the shadow of drawbacks that are increasingly apparent in the hastening digital business environment. 

We've put together a list of four of the most common ways FTP can harm your business. It might be wise to evaluate whether any of these are impacting your company:

1)    Security Vulnerabilities

You don’t have to look far to find resources online that decry the security flaws in FTP. Increased concerns over privacy, security and compliance regulations are prompting many firms to reevaluate their technology tools, and FTP should rank near the top of that list.

Every other application or program that is as commonly used and tied to as many systems as FTP is given the highest levels of security scrutiny. It is only practical that we should examine our FTP systems in a similar fashion.

2)    Permissions Management

CIO’s, system administrators and webmasters should be all too familiar with the idea of managing permissions. FTP servers are accessible via the web and there are usually multiple users accessing the same FTP site. Because of this ease of accessibility and the folder-file directory system inherent to FTP, there will always be permissions issues. This is especially true if you have a lot of users, a lot of FTP sites that serve various purposes, and/or sensitive data to protect from prying eyes.

Managing who has what level of access and which parts of the FTP server they can see can quickly sap precious time away from IT administrators. FTP seems convenient and it’s easy to use. But it’s imperative to evaluate how much time (and money) is wasted managing FTP users, sites and all their individual directories. After all, your IT department is also managing your servers, your email systems, your workstations, your networks…you get the idea.

3)    Tracking and Monitoring

This one is pretty simple – FTP simply doesn’t have the proper tracking and monitoring capability. Aside from very basic and hard-to-interpret activity logging, there is simply no way to see a visible trail of activity or any way to monitor activity on the server.

With so many users, folders and files – especially on larger FTP servers and web servers – there is too much room for error. Files can get overwritten, deleted or moved and there’s simply no way to immediately know about it, and certainly no way to track down the offender and hold them accountable.

4)    Costly Servers

Most users only see your FTP site from their side of the screen. Perhaps even your own employees are never aware of the ‘back end’. But the reality might prove more sobering, especially to those concerned with the technology budget.

All FTP sites are often based in heavy, space-hogging, high cost servers. If the servers are on-site, they represent a direct cost center to the company, including maintenance, server management, security, cooling systems and more. If the servers are off-site, you’re paying for the colocation, hosting services, monitoring, rack space and support.

It’s been almost three years since Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers remarked that Cloud computing platforms would represent a “security nightmare”.  That was back when the Cloud was a relatively young innovation and the concept wasn’t so widespread. Even then, the technology titan recognized the challenges that could result from the shift to such a network-intensive nebula.

Today, business leaders are flocking to the Cloud even more ambitiously, possibly even too rapidly; yet the security issues are still largely unabated. As Cloud computing gains traction in the corporate realm, the awareness factor for best practices and security becomes crucial. Planning is imperative, not just because of the risks associated with poor security, but because it will undoubtedly heap a whole new set of challenges onto IT departments and CIOs – many of which could already be overextended.

Perhaps the smartest plan for companies in the Cloud, or those preparing for the jump, is to follow a simple set of Best Practices to alleviate the security and logistical stresses. Companies that successfully migrate to a Cloud architecture through the application of Best Practices are also playing a dual role for the entire corporate technology community by blazing a trail and helping to establish standardized methods that work. Furthermore, those that take a little more time in the planning phase could enjoy the luxury of watching others make mistakes, taking notes and thereby avoiding similar pitfalls themselves.

While each firm will differ in terms of strategy during such a mass migration, (although the banking industry has discovered a unique cooperative solution) there are a few good options and best practices that everyone can leverage during the challenging change:

*When shopping for Cloud services, learn all you can about the provider, paying special attention to their guarantees, privacy policies and security protocols

*If possible, choose Cloud providers and SaaS developers that offer technology management and consulting services for added support throughout the migration.

*Find out exactly where your data is being stored. Also check into the data protection laws that govern the location and who has access to the servers.

* If you’re undertaking a large-scale migration, take extra time shopping and comparing providers. Consider seeking an independent security audit of the firm or hiring a Managed IT Consultant.

*Look at the integration factor from every angle, taking extra care to ensure that the Cloud provider can work within the scope of your technology assets and security policies.

*On the internal side, set up robust monitoring systems and security alerts. Educate the staff about the migration and share pertinent details with the appropriate teams.

*During updates, upgrades or any other such change in the system, run security checks, scans on local workstations and make sure that all users and their permissions haven’t changed.

Handling a big technology change is no easy task for any business, which is why many have opted to outsource their IT operations and hire a Managed IT provider. Not only does IT outsourcing shift the tremendous burden away from the company leadership, but it ensures that the migration is handled with the proper planning and under the watchful eye of technology experts. Contact us if you’d like to learn more about how to make the big jump to the Cloud.

A recent Saugatuck Technology report about Cloud-based business solutions is revealing some interesting details about the way today’s businesses are approaching the necessary development of IT architectures and their places in the global tech arena.

For the majority of IT and business leaders, the mass migration toward cloud-based computing isn’t much of a shock. The real surprise for tech teams and CEOs is how much faster it’s happening than previously expected, along with predictions that an entirely pure Cloud Computing environment could be a reality within four years.

The growing pains suffered by businesses as the corporate realm moves toward Cloud architecture are compounded by the rapidity at which it’s happening. In many cases, it will be purely a matter of competition that motivates some companies to join the exodus, regardless of their readiness for such a move.

Highlights from the Saugatuck report include some details sure to garner the attention of CIOs across the nation, including:

*Collaborative tools and customer relationship management (CRM) resources will top the list of necessities driving the push toward the Cloud through the year 2016.

*Tech leadership and corporate executives at the enterprise level are concentrating on boosting revenues within the scope of current business models, working to bring in more profits rather than expand the business.

*Over the next couple of years, the deployment of business applications and on-site software resources will plummet, giving way to Software as a Service (SaaS) and Cloud based resources; presenting a substantial challenge for enterprise IT.

*Security and privacy are still top concerns (as with any IT asset), especially as companies view the SaaS technology environment more and more in terms of integration and operational flexibility than standalone solutions. 

The impact of these turbulent technological times is expected to sweep across the corporate world globally, challenging the focus, flexibility and agility of enterprises and their IT teams. Preparedness is key, along with smart planning and a realistic view of the level of difficulty required to pull off this type of migration while maintaining a focus on the core business and managing the changes effectively.

Those in the know agree that the best innovators will encounter the fewest setbacks. The revelations gleaned from the recent tech report indicate a potential rift between CIO and CEO roles, where IT departments will quickly recognize the hurdles in front of them and that accomplishing the burdensome goals imparted by their superiors for this migration won’t be easy. While business leaders want to continue pressing on with haste, the IT crews might be saying “not so fast”.

The strategies of SaaS developers and purveyors of cloud-based resources could also play a crucial role in the movement. Support provisions will be increasingly important, as businesses make significant changes to their infrastructures to accommodate the tools. SaaS providers with the proactive foresight regarding the challenges their customers are facing will work to provide additional Managed IT Services as a supplement to soften the blow of such significant changes. 

Aiming Higher

The quickening pace of the cloud-based file sharing trend is taking the competition toward enterprise-level markets, with leaders in the industry actively pursuing IT departments at bigger businesses.

While there’s still plenty of ebb and flow for competitors in the mainstream small to medium sized business markets, the enterprise-level realm represents a unique challenge.

File sharing giants such as Dropbox are finding that it might be tougher than they thought to apply what they’ve learned from conquering a user base of 25 million by this time last year as they break into enterprise markets.

So far, the needs of users have been relatively clear. FTP Alternatives such as Dropbox and Yousendit enable workers at all levels to accomplish simple, yet important collaborative tasks more quickly and easily.

A ‘Free” For All

Free versions of popular file sharing services are especially attractive, and not just to the bread-and-butter clients in the SMB arena. Employees at enterprise-level firms are indeed gravitating toward the services, but often unbeknownst to – and without the approval of - their respective CIOs.

As a result, the focus is shifting toward the technology leadership at enterprise businesses, but the approach will need some tweaking to land the bigger fish.

You Get What You Pay For

CIOs have greater concerns beyond those of the majority of users. They want systems that are scalable, easy to use, meet their specific needs and integrate seamlessly. But few factors are more important than document security.

In many cases, CIOs are finding that free versions of the more popular services won’t meet their needs effectively. Furthermore, by purchasing enterprise-level licenses for their file sharing software, CIOs can provide their subordinates with the tools they need while mitigating widespread unapproved usage of less secure services that could create vulnerabilities. 

Do You Know What Your Employees Are Downloading?

For many managers and business owners, the answer to that question is 'no'. However, network security company Palo Alto Networks has some helpful insights to shed light on the matter.

The detective work began when some Palo Alto Networks techs installed a firewall for a Fortune 100 client. Shortly thereafter, flags were raised when one of the company's servers was found to be exchanging huge amounts of data in and out of the network, at a rate of about 300 GB per day. 

Typically, large data transfers are justifiable for legitimate work reasons, but this data was coming from a major web-based file sharing site. Furthermore, the content offered on the site includes commonly pirated multimedia such as movies and music, being shared without permission from the copywright owners. 

Among companies that use Palo Alto's firewall product, file sharing is a common practice, with tons of traffic on the networks to show for it. And it's evident that a significant portion of the files being shared and data being exchanged is not for company business.

Upon examining traffic through 1,636 of its clients from April to November in 2011, Palo Alto Networks discovered that 92 percent of those organizations' networks were actively exchanging data on browser-based web file sharing services. These services share data over Port 80, the same one used for HTTP web traffic. But it doesn't stop there.

In addition to the troublesome findings regarding web- and browser-based illegitimate file sharing traffic happening routinely at these companies, peer-to-peer file sharing is also out of control. Of those same 1,636 companies, 82 percent had some type of peer to peer file transfer program running. On average, each company was using about six different P2P clients. In most cases, employees were using torrent applications.

Palo Alto's discoveries, while serving as a wake-up call of sorts for many businesses, are also timely in their revelations, coming on the coattails of the recent crackdown on Megaupload and similar online piracy sites. In fact, Palo Alto Networks has also shown how popular Megaupload was even on company time.  

During the latter part of 2011, 57 percent of the organizations analyzed by Palo Alto had exchanged data with Megaupload. Following Megaupload's shutdown, Palo Alto reports, users rapidly shifted to alternative file sharing sites, with a majority of them heading over to Putlocker.

Large file transfers are a common aspect of many businesses' day-to-day operations, so it's easy for prohibited activitiy to go unnoticed on the network.  The importance of this message goes beyond network security for the average company. Allowing such large amounts of unwarranted traffic across the company network to go unchecked could land the business in hot water. Employers should be vigilant, lest they be blindsided by copyright infringement lawsuits or any number of piracy and fraud related legal woes.

It's imperative to use tools that will mitigate unauthorized data exchange over the company network. Products such as Palo Alto's firewall applications can provide the proper security and monitoring. Additionally, it is advisable to use a file sharing service, such as eTransmittal, that offers a secure, dedicated point of exchange that's easily monitored, verified and trackable. In this fashion, the true nature of your employees' file sharing activities can be pinpointed and audited.

March 2, 2012 -- The crackdown on shady file sharing sites and online piracy began with the digital demolition of the infamous Megaupload website and its 'sister sites' in early February, but has since spread to other potentially problematic pirates.

Torrential Troubles

Torrent websites and other similar file sharing venues with a deluge of multimedia content have been popular targets for the crackdown, some now reduced to a single page bearing an FBI Anti-Piracy Warning. Even some streaming sites offering major league sports content are getting axed.

While the felonious fraudsters are being picked off left and right, still others are taking the hint and taking action. Many have already posted public announcements regarding changes to their policies and practices. While the usual suspects scramble to clean up their acts, fearing their place in line for judgement is edging closer to the chopping block, the changes they're making have been largely off-putting to users.

Multimedia Magnetism

However, one notable torrent tycoon refuses to abandon ship, providing users with an alternative to their popular torrent provisions rather than simply doing away with them. The Pirate Bay has long been a comfortable cove of bittorrent booty on the cyberseas. But the website published an announcement this week that torrents on the Bay are getting tossed overboard.

While the change seems detrimental to their loyal followers on the surface, Pirate Bay still intends to share its treasures with the crew; in the form of "Magnet Links". Most users will see little difference between the torrent methods previously used on PB and the new Magnet Links. According to the PB Blog, the new Magnet Links prove beneficial time and space savers for them, not to mention an un-trackable alternative to torrents for users. 

Furthermore, PB notes that the strain on their servers and resources is substantially mitigated and bandwidth consumption is reduced. With censorship threats moving in from all sides, especially in the European Union, the solution allows the Swedish file swap shop to ensure their policies and practices are all on the up-and-up and still keep users happy, maintaining the busy buzz of all that media moving around.

Getting More Builders to Adopt Green Standards

Every structure begins with a foundation and a framework; a representation of the precepts applied by an industry that is always building, growing…...creating our civilization as we know it. So isn’t it time that such an enterprise, so focused on growth, take extra measures to prevent the deterioration of our environment?

It’s understandable that most businesses will opt for cost-effective measures over eco-friendly ones… especially when the notion of reducing their carbon footprint threatens those sensitive budget boundaries. 

But what if there were solutions that benefited both profits and planet? Hopefully it would be a no brainer.  Perhaps most A/E/C firms want to operate at the greenest possible standards, but there simply aren’t enough cost-healthy resources available to do so.

There’s no fairness in shaming a construction company for environmentally harmful practices if they lack access to more eco-friendly methods that won’t break the bank. As such, the responsibility falls equally on the shoulders of supporting industries and vendors patronized by A/E/C firms.

Lumber should come from sustainable sources. Vehicles and heavy equipment should produce fewer pollutants with higher efficiency. Tools of the trade, both physical and digital, should help reduce waste as well as overconsumption.  And all of these need a more reasonable price tag.

As the ‘green’ movement gains momentum, most notably with concepts such as “LEED” (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and similar programs, more contractors and industrial entities will come under scrutiny for eco-friendly practices…and perhaps rightly so.

Even at the Federal level, with environmentally-focused cabinets, committees and legislation becoming a Congressional mainstay, private industry is compelled to make changes for the benefit of our planet.

Fortunately, the first (albeit least expensive) steps are being taken by many firms across the country to initiate proactive green practices. Those first few steps may be small ones but they’re extremely important, as they represent the educational groundwork that is so essential to creating significant and long-lasting changes.

However, simply perpetuating awareness and holding weekly meetings or ‘toolbox talks’ is only a supplement of the greater solution, which involves taking action. Again, we have to remember that the most practical methods are those that don’t require a sacrifice but rather create a win-win scenario for enterprises wishing to employ greener standards.

Just because something is ‘green’… if it doesn’t also contribute an evident value, why would a company adopt it? More importantly…isn’t it a bit presumptuous that we would expect them to? We are only fooling ourselves to think that motivating greener standards through ‘doom and gloom’ scare tactics and guilt trips will ever prove effective in the current ‘cash is king’ society. The solution will be the same as it is for selling anything else to a corporation: Justifying the value.

For example, consider an A/E/C-focused file sharing software such as eTransmittal. At its core, it meets the need for sending, sharing and tracking large files commonly handled among building project teams. The green benefits of using eTransmittal are significant. It eliminates the need for building teams to print and ship large documents, blueprints and other paperwork, thereby slashing paper waste and over-consumption.  It offsets the carbon footprint of typical construction jobs. But no one expects an architect or engineer to pay for such a product solely based on its green benefits. The value lies in the features that cut the core costs, streamline the project, improve overall efficiency and solve problems encountered when using the wrong file sharing tools.

As a support service for A/E/C firms, we know the product has to present value for the core business first and foremost.  Contributing additional green advantages is secondary, although equally important. The bottom line: Pushing momentum in the green building movement is substantially easier and more effective if project teams can acquire environmentally friendly resources that present value in other ways. Support starts with solutions, let’s just try to keep them green.

Building Delays Are Avoidable with Preparation and Proper Tools

Almost anyone in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, in any position will agree that building projects are anything but predictably cut-and-dry.  The majority of building projects are inherently prone to delays, derailments and disasters.

Executing without issue given the sheer size and scope of most projects, combined with the complexity of so many workers, tasks, tools, resources and materials all being coordinated at once, and on a deadline, is a tall order. Here are a few of the most common setbacks that could be avoided with the proper planning and tools.

Shipping & Delivery Distress

It’s hard enough to coordinate the logistics of construction equipment and building materials. You shouldn’t have to worry about shipping and distribution for blueprints, yet so many do.  Because building plans, drawings and other crucial documents can stack up the gigabytes in digital form, it’s hard to send them electronically. As a result, many of these documents get printed out, packed up mailed to the recipient. The sacrifice is immense, turning a time frame of a few seconds into a few days, not to mention the added shipping costs.

Solution: Traditional methods of sending files electronically, such as FTP and email, won’t be able to handle huge AutoCAD drawings. But instead of settling for snail mail, use a file transfer software properly equipped for the task. Check out our FTP Alternatives page to learn more.

Insufferable Inspections

The hallmark of a successful building project is a well-built, safe and sturdy structure ready to serve its occupants with long-lasting enjoyment and utility. It is largely in the hands of the Inspectors to see that this is accomplished, and done so safely and within regulations. While inspections can often contribute to delays, we can take simple preparations to ensure we instead benefit from the Inspectors.

Solution: Don’t jump the gun, even on a deadline, and call in any inspectors too early. Ensure that you’re entirely prepared for the inspection before you order one. Use online resources; sharing files with inspectors on the web can shorten the process and ensure a timely delivery of the project documents.  Similarly, don’t schedule an inspection too late, giving yourself time to make corrections as needed.

Blundered Blueprints

If you’ve ever tried to construct a complex model, toy, or furniture piece without an instruction manual, you can understand how difficult it would be to build a structure without blueprints. That’s bad enough, but what if you had the instructions, yet they were incorrect and you didn’t know it? Your job would be even harder! Builders deal with this problem all the time, and it’s because they typically use FTP to collaborate on a shared drawing file.  With so many revisions and updates, and so many different users accessing and updating the file, changes get lost or updates aren’t tracked or they’re overwritten. It’s a nightmarish scenario for building crews, but it’s avoidable.

Solution: Don’t use FTP for collaboration on such crucial documents – it isn’t suited for that. Instead, use a collaboration software tool that is specifically designed to establish a trail of accountability and prevent overwrites while ensuring everyone has the latest version of every file. Transferring files using transmittals and submittals keeps things more tidy and gives you nice document history.

SOPA’s Last Death Rattle

While the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) endured a web-wide battering, most notably on January 18 with titans like Wikipedia and Google participating in the protest, the anti-piracy rallying rippled far enough to reach one of the biggest alleged offenders. 

On the coattails of defeat over legislation that would have threatened the very fabric of the internet, Anti-Piracy advocates celebrated a small triumph as Federal Prosecutors shut down behemoth file sharing website, Megaupload. 

Slaying the Download Dragon

Accused of costing copyright holders $500 million at the consequence of online piracy, Megaupload’s demise didn’t just coincide with the heated SOPA controversy. They were also trying to straighten up and fly right, trying to work towards cutting out the illegitimacy from the business. 

Despite putting their best foot forward, it was too little, too late for the download dragon. Upon visiting Megaupload.com, or any of its associated domains, you’ll be greeted by an FBI Anti-Piracy notice explaining the site has been seized and the responsible parties charged with crimes ranging from Money Laundering to Racketeering.  

Now What Do We Do?

The aftermath of the shutdown has left 180 million registered users without their go-to file sharing site, and many are now searching for alternatives. With the popularity of FTP, finding a new solution shouldn’t represent too many challenges, although FTP has its drawbacks.

To overcome those drawbacks, most are flocking to the growing array of FTP alternatives. When it comes to storing and sharing really big files, a Cloud-based system such as eTransmittal is much more desirable, especially considering the importance of speed, storage space and security. 

Building Momentum

As a fresh new year kicks off, full of opportunity, A/E/C companies are gearing up for a busy year. Apart from some amazing architectural exhibitions and record-setting building achievements capturing the attention of an industry recently, one big trend is picking up speed – ‘Green’ Building.

From EPA awareness efforts to green building blogs around the web, the topic of employing ‘greener’ standards in our building practices has taken center stage in a promising new initiative for the betterment of our planet.

Visions of Green

A growing number of enterprises, organizations and building firms have become enchanted by the progressive movement, yielding a promising upswing in the amount of resources and awareness on the internet and other media. Here’s a few of those we’ve noticed recently:

The U.S. Green Building Council: With its ambitious vision focusing on sustainability for buildings and communities, the USGBC anticipates it will contribute $554 billion to the U.S. GDP over a stretch from 2009 to 2013. With tons of resources and educational materials available on their website, and memberships reaching in the hundreds of thousands, USGBC remains a forerunner in the green building movement.

Construction Digital: Despite being first and foremost a construction industry magazine, the Construction Digital website offers a robust suite of resources. Among their offerings, a sub-section focused on green building standards, information and news stories offering fresh perspectives on the newest applications of eco-friendly architecture and construction practices.

GreenBuilding.com: From residential to commercial, greenbuilding.com offers a diverse, almost limitless array of tips, tools, resources and advice about green building. While energy efficiency (in both home and office) is a primary focus for the 30-year building industry veteran and website curator, David Johnston, he takes this invaluable resource above and beyond with myriad training opportunities, localized info guides (by state), and ideas that seek to carve out new frontiers in green building.

Participation Counts

Sure, we’ve only scratched the surface of what’s out there in terms of green building resources, and undoubtedly there will be more to come. The important takeaway from the trends we’re seeing in the building community is twofold:

Firstly, green standards and practices are increasingly imperative for building a sustainable community. Those employing cheaper, less eco-friendly operations are becoming the minority. Providing resources and awareness is a key implement toward progress.

Secondly, everyone must participate. Here at eTransmittal.com, we take pride in offering a software solution that provides greener alternatives for the vast array of file sharing operations that builders employ every day. We are doing our part, and we’d love to hear what you’re doing to jump on the big green bandwagon. We’ll be pointing out more outstanding places on the web as we strive to develop positive A/E/C community relationships, so contact us with your suggestions today!