GlobalScape adds ad-hoc, security features to file exchange server

New module includes authentication, compliance reporting

GlobalScape on Tuesday announced a module for its file transfer server that lets customers grant business partners temporary access to the server without having to set up FTP accounts.

The Secure Ad Hoc Transfer module works with GlobalScape’s Enhanced File Transfer Server and is designed for companies that need to securely exchange files of any size but don’t want to go through the process of FTP accounts, according to company officials.

The new module lets companies send and receive files securely with another organization by accessing a Web page, filling in the sender and recipient information, and attaching files. The module automates the setup of a user account, folder and login information. Once the files are sent, the recipient gets an e-mail alerting that the files are available, complete with a link for retrieving them and login information, officials say.

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GlobalScape on Tuesday announced a module for its file transfer server that lets customers grant business partners temporary access to the server without having to set up FTP accounts.

The Secure Ad Hoc Transfer module works with GlobalScape’s Enhanced File Transfer Server and is designed for companies that need to securely exchange files of any size but don’t want to go through the process of FTP accounts, according to company officials.

The new module lets companies send and receive files securely with another organization by accessing a Web page, filling in the sender and recipient information, and attaching files. The module automates the setup of a user account, folder and login information. Once the files are sent, the recipient gets an e-mail alerting that the files are available, complete with a link for retrieving them and login information, officials say.

Administrators can determine how long recipients have access to the secure files by setting a time period for each temporary account. Recipients can also be authorized to place their own files on the server for transfer to the sender.

At Grange Insurance in Columbus, Ohio, affiliated agents had been e-mailing the mutual insurance company photos of car accidents and insured products that could get as large as 40MB, says system administrator Brian Smith. Last October the company began using GlobalScape’s product and is in the process of retraining agencies to place these files on a server via a temporary account.

“They can go to this temporary account creation page and we really don’t have to worry about it; in seven days the account is gone,” Smith says, adding that the company maintains between 10 and 15 temporary accounts on an average day. “We pride ourselves on our ease of doing business so we don’t want to cause major problems [to our agents] in receiving these files,” he says. The company is working on a system to flag inbound messages with photos attached that come in from agencies and generate an e-mail directing the agents to the GlobalScape site where they can transfer the files to, he says.

The new module includes auditing capabilities, so that compliance to corporate, federal and industry regulations can be logged, officials say. These reports tell who connected to the file transfer server, when they logged in, and what files they transferred.

The Secure Ad Hoc Transfer module is priced at $4,995. The Enhanced File Transfer Server it runs on is priced starting at $7,695.

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