Aside from all the ways SmartFile can help you at the office, it can also help you score some points with the family. With summer quickly approaching, a lot of us will be hitting the road for our family vacations and the one thing you always take, along with sunscreen, is your camera. And once the trip ends, you’ll usually hear somebody say, “I’ll email you the pictures.”

Well that’s easier said and most of the time not done, at least not before the kids are another year older. But with SmartFile, all you need to do is upload your pictures and videos, then simply (and Smartly) send file links to everyone and let them take care of the rest. They can download the files anytime and you can even keep an eye on who has or hasn’t completed their downloads. It makes reliving the memories as easy as 1,2,3 – that is, if you want to remember.

We all work with somebody that has “fat-fingers” and there’s nothing worse than losing your work because of a foolish mistake.
That’s why it’s important to make sure you always have a backup system in place. Ideally, you’re making regular
backups of your work and saving your files at crucial points. But if you’re one of those that are gambling on never being
fat-fingered, you might want to check your drink.

SmartFile has positioned itself to be a business-focused product that allows companies to easily move and share large files. The four main things that make us different are outlined below:

Different File Management Methods
There are several types of FTP companies on the market today.

• Companies that allow you to manage your files using FTP and FTP only.
• Companies that make you download their proprietary software to manage your files.
• Companies that give you the ability to only connect through their online file manager product.
• Companies that only allow you to send large files via email.
• Companies that only allow you to backup computer files using a PC backup program.

SmartFile was designed to allow you to do all of these functions seamlessly through one application. Our product was designed around the FTP protocol, therefore allowing you to connect using any FTP program. You can also use our web-based FileManager in conjunction with FTP to allow the less tech savvy user to easily manage files. Best of all, there is NO software to download. A very popular feature is our integrated File-2-Email capability, which allows you to send a link to a large file or group of files within SmartFile to as many users as is required. And if you want to backup your PC or multiple PC’s, you can install our SmartBackup for no additional fee.

Unlimited Users
This is the feature that really sets us apart from our competition. We are one of the only providers that allows you to add as many users as necessary to operate your FTP server. We will NEVER make you pay an additional fee to add more Administrators, Managers or Users.

Custom Branding
Most FTP providers fall drastically short in this area. The only branding they allow is your logo, which I guess is better than other providers that don’t allow you to brand anything. We’ve taken the time to truly integrate your brand into our product. We offer a customized URL (files.yourcompany.com), your logo, and your color scheme. Your customers will never know that SmartFile exists.

White Label Reseller Module
We have created a VAR (Value Added Reseller) module that allows you to rebrand our product to your image. This allows you to offer online file sharing and FTP capabilities to your client base. Our Reseller Module allows you to manage customers and integrate with your billing and provisioning systems.

As you can see, we are very different than our competition. By offering the most competitive pricing with the richest feature set, we make choosing an FTP provider…a Smart decision.

www.smartfile.com

This article is written to outline the expected costs involved in getting your FTP solution in place, thus giving you the facts when it comes to making an important business decision. There are several ways to go about configuring an FTP server, below is the most common:

1. Hardware ($2500)
Price ranges on processor speed and how much hard drive space you need. Here are the specs of a slimmed down server:

• A Dell PowerEdge server
• Dual Xeon 1.83Ghz Processors
• Windows Server Web Edition
• 1 Terabyte of storage
• Raid 5 (For hard drive redundancy)
• 4 Gigs of Memory
• 3 Year ProSupport

2. Software ($500)
There are many FTP server software programs to choose from. They range in price based on product features and how many users can access the account. There are many providers offering this type of product, but I have chosen three popular programs:

• Serv-U ($199-$999)
• GlobalScape ($696 – $1,995)
• FileZilla – (FREE)

3. Bandwidth (Soft Cost)
Hosting an FTP server in-house will certainly eat into your bandwidth when users start uploading and downloading files. This can cause a dangerous ripple effect on other employees trying to perform important functions such as emailing, web browsing, video conferencing and in some cases, phone calls.

4. Setup Time (1 Day)

• Configure Windows
• Purchase SSL (If security is a concern)
• Configure Network
  • IP addresses
  • Hostnames
  • Firewall Provisioning
• Configure Backups
• Configure FTP software
  • Create user accounts
  • Create directories
  • Create file system permissions
  • FTP server permissions

5. Support (Ongoing)
Must have tech-savvy person on staff to do the following:

• Manage
• Backup
• Troubleshoot problems
• Apply patches to server
• Upgrade
• Monitor

It’s easy to say that you can spend $5000 in creating an FTP server that people can use, not to mention ongoing costs. Cost aside, it will still not have features like custom branding, a web interface that allows anyone to upload/download a file, and a way for any non-IT person to administer.

Before making the decision to bring FTP in-house, I would highly suggest giving SmartFile a try (for as little as a $108.00 a year). Who knows, you might even make your IT person happy.

Live support is the key to providing the highest level of customer service, therefore we offer free technical support with all SmartFile packages. SmartFile serves customers in over 40 countries to provide them FTP Hosting, File Sharing, and Online File Collaboration. To make sales and technical support available to all of our customers, SmartFile has partnered with Skype to offer free international calling. You can go to our Contact Us page to connect immediately with us using Skype.

About Skype

Skype is software that enables the world’s conversations. Millions of individuals and businesses use Skype to make free video and voice calls, send instant messages and share files with other Skype users. Everyday, people also use Skype to make low-cost calls to landlines and mobiles. Click here to download your free copy of Skype.

Top 5 File Sharing, File Collaboration, File Sharing

There a lot of companies on the Internet vying for your online storage needs. Although pricing should always be a consideration, don’t be lured by cheap packages aimed at getting you in the door. Make sure the FTP host you choose offers a feature rich application, but not one that you need a computer science degree to operate. Below are the top 5 things to look for when you choose your provider:

1. Offer an Easy to Use System
   The last thing you want to become is a technical support agent for your clients, therefore ease of use is key. No matter what provider you choose, there are only 3 parts to any file sharing service. The ability to manage files, manage who accesses those files and some providers offer some type of reporting. In any case you need to be able to quickly add users and set permissions to files, without having to look at a manual or make a call to technical support.
2. Offer Multiple Ways to Connect to Your Data
   You should not have to download any proprietary software or be told that FTP is no good. Be sure to that your provider offers a way to upload and downloads through ANY web browser on ANY operating system. Also, your provider should be able to support any FTP client, such as Filezilla, CuteFTP, or Fetch. Some providers add other bells and whistles such as sending a files through email, API’s, or some type of computer backup agent.
3. Offer Technical Assistant
   There are several facets to support. The most important is a live person that is knowledgeable and are able to handle your question or problem without being on hold for hours on end, or worst, being transferred. Your provider should also have an online knowledge base that can answer your questions. If your like me, online video tutorials are a huge plus. Finally, if you feel more comfortable sending an email, your provider should offer a trouble ticketing system that allows you to keep track of the problem. However, trouble tickets are only as good as the time it takes for a person to respond to them. I believe 1 – 2 hours response time is a reasonable expectation.
4. Offer Unlimited Users & Connections
   Providers like to offer you a package that starts at $4.95 a month, but only give you the ability to add three users to your account. If your like me, I have more than 3 people I want to collaborate and share files with. I recommend choosing a provider that offers unlimited users, with unlimited simultaneous connections to the system. This way you don’t have to juggle users access rights or continuously have to upgrade your package to meet your needs.
5. Offer Custom Branding
   Custom branding allows you to use your own domain (uploads.yourcompany.com), your logo and color scheme. This allows the provider to be anonymous and for you to promote your company image and product offerings. Sometimes there is a small fee associated with this, but I would to look for providers that offer this for free of charge.

If you are looking for a file sharing, FTP hosting provider I would encourage you to take a look at SmartFile. They offer a free trial and packages that start at just $9.95 a month.

Unfortunately for us we are not the only company on the block offering online file storage and FTP Hosting. Although we do seem to be the only company offering unlimited users for all of our packages. That is right, I did say ALL of our packages are measured in space, and not by how many people have access to that space.

If you are currently using another service, don’t be surprised if you are charged extra every time you add a user. I can assure you there is NO technical reason for the extra cost, but maybe they have a business reason.  Could it be greed?