We are a new bulk mail company and we've got customers who are
semi-computer-literate who will be tranferring large database files
over the internet (of various file types, up to 200 MB in size). I'm
afraid that FTP will be too advanced for them. E-Mail would be too
limited size-wise. So my question is, what other alternatives are
there? Is there a simple program that we can use for them to transfer
files?

Hello nirolo-ga,

The ability to store and share large files (beyond the capabilities of
email) is in high demand. One of the most popular alternatives to the
usual FTP access is online storage services.

There are many such services available that work around the same basic
business model. As a customer, you are given a certain amount of space
(usually several gigabytes) for a fixed monthly rate. When these
services were first introduced the cost was quite high, but the
competitive nature of this business has driven prices down quite a
bit.

Here are a few of the better-known online storage services:

1. Xdrive - http://www.xdrive.com/

2. FlipDrive - http://www.flipdrive.com/

3. FilesAnywhere - http://www.filesanywhere.com/

4. Streamload - http://www.streamload.com/

5. iBackup - http://www.ibackup.com/

With any of these, the idea would be to set up a space where your
customers could log in using the information you provide them. They
could then use the friednly web interface to upload their files.

The cost of various plans with these sites range from $5 - $50 a month
depending on the amount of space you are looking to secure.

The other benefit is that online file spaces are very easy to maintain
and administer.

I hope this has given you some ideas and an alterate approach to FTP
transfers. If any of the information above is unclear, please post a
clarification and I will respond promptly.

Cheers!
answerguru-ga

---

Request for Answer Clarification by nirolo-ga on 25 Feb 2006 09:02 PST

Thank you for answering my question. However, we want to make sure the
files that our customers upload aren't vulnerable to public download.
Specifically, that our customers can't download each others' files;
fishing for new customers. Is there a way for us to buy one big
storage space and give each customer their own partition that is not
linked to other partitions for security reasons under one main
account?

---

Clarification of Answer by answerguru-ga on 25 Feb 2006 09:35 PST

Hello again,

Yes, you certainly can provide seperate spaces and accounts for each
one of your customers (called a drop zone) where only they can log in
and upload files which you can then retrieve for processing. If
configured correctly, your customers should not be able to see files
that are not their own.

Since each service varies slightly as to the exact nature in which
they do this, you may consider confirming how this is done exactly
with a particular service prior to signing up for an account.

answerguru-ga

you might want to try Symantecs PC Anywhere

This will definetly do it:
http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/products/remote_pc_fax/pca115/index.html

here are a few more http://www.listible.com/list/free-online-file-sending-and-file-storage-services