In today’s digital world, we rarely share files in their physical form. Be it an official document, or a personal video, everything is digitized, and it is digitized for good. Sharing a digital file with others is much easier than the traditional hard copies.
The file-sharing technology has evolved over the years to make it simple and convenient for users. Here we will discuss 5 methods of sending soft copies or digital files.
1. File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
It is a standard network protocol that transfers files from a server to a client computer. Therefore, the files are saved on the server. The client computer can establish a connection with the server over the network to access the files. Usually, the users need to authenticate their identity by providing a username and password to access the file stored on the server. However, in some servers, authentication is not required. They are called anonymous FTP.
You can share large files with multiple users using this technology. However, security remains a concern for FTP. This protocol was designed during the 1960s-70s when data security was not something people would think about. This technology does not encrypt the user authentication data and the file data, meaning it sends them as plain texts. Thus, the data becomes susceptible to cyber-attacks and password sniffing.
2. Email
Email remains to be the most popular and widely used method of sending digital files. You can send files to as many recipients as you want, just with a few clicks. You do not need any other software or apps to send files using emails services. Meaning, you just need to attach the files, wait until the upload is complete, and hit the send button. It is free and convenient.
You can describe the components of the file in length in the email body. As people check their emails frequently, it is less likely that they will miss the notification. However, you can only send small digital files using an email service. The email service providers set a size limit for the files that can be shared via email. In the past (it was almost always sufficient as most of the time) we used to deal with smaller digital files. But today, we often need other services to supplement emails.
3. Peer-to-peer file sharing
Peer-to-peer technology earned a bad name since many used it for distributing pirated copies of films, music, and software. However, it is still a very convenient way to share big files over the network. It is a way to send a file from one computer to another without any central server. In peer-to-peer file sharing, individual computers connect to a distributed network of peers. Via personal network connections, the files transfer from one computer to another.
As peer-to-peer applications do not use a centralized server, it is the responsibility of individual users to keep their systems secure. They need to ensure that no malware is introduced to the network.
4. Removable physical storage
This is a traditional way to send digital files from one user to another. Flash drives, memory cards, external hard drives, and SSD are some of the most common physical storage that you can use for transferring big data files. The biggest drawback of this method is its inaccessibility over the internet. Either you need to meet the person to hand over the storage, or you may use a courier or postal service to do that for you. It is a secure method to transfer data files as your files are not vulnerable to online attacks. However, physical risks are involved while you transfer digital files using this method. You can lose the drive while transported. Besides, these drives are prone to corruption or malfunction.
5. Cloud-based file-sharing platforms
Cloud-based file sharing is the most advanced method to share big files over the internet. This method is fast and secure. You can send big data files to as many people as you want by using this service. The platform makes sure that your data is secure and confidential. Any good file-sharing website or app should use end-to-end encryption to ensure that no one gets hold of your information while being transmitted. Many cloud-based file-sharing apps in the market let you share big files free of cost. The user interface of these platforms is pretty straightforward, and often they let you share files without registration.
Bigg.ly is an online file-sharing website that allows you to send big files securely and confidentially. Visit Bigg.ly to know more about the service.