Technology advancements have made file transfer easy compared to a few years ago. The most basic features of the early internet adoption involved file transfer between users. Solutions such as Google Drive and Dropbox came later and simplified file syncing.
However, these solutions do not meet the requirements of enterprise customers such as media companies. This is because these companies transfer and sync large amounts of data in real-time.
This led to the development of enterprise solutions that simplify and streamline file transfer and sync for such companies. These solutions are also referred to as EFS (Enterprise File Sharing). Here are solutions used by media companies to transfer and sync files seamlessly.
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Peer-To-Peer Solutions
Also referred to as P2P solutions, Peer-to-Peer solutions can be defined as mechanisms for sharing files that are designed to share and distribute large files between users. One common P2P solution is BitTorrent.
Unfortunately, even though this solution is highly effective, torrenting is not very common among companies. This is because it has been very popular with the pirate community. This does not mean the solution is illegal.
You will find it among Linux distributions, especially when they are sharing software between users. This is because apart from being efficient, it is also fast. Peer-to-Peer solutions work by creating smaller pieces from large files. The smaller pieces are then sent to different locations. After that, they are reconstructed for the end-user.
File Sync Solutions
File Sync, also referred to as File Synchronization, allows media companies to ensure that data in different devices or locations is updated automatically. This is dictated by rules set by the media companies.
It is one of the best solutions for companies looking for file versioning and backup solutions. There are different solutions available for media companies to use, with one of the most common ones being Signiant.
However, Signiant performance is below par when it comes to file synchronization. This means that companies need to look at Signiant alternatives for file sync solutions. These alternatives use the Rsync protocol that allows them to only copy new files or parts of files instead of having to rewrite entire files.
Some of the most common Signiant alternatives include Resilio Connect, IBM Aspera, and PeerGFS.
Cloud Storage
This is one of the most common transfer and sync solutions used today. Even though they might not address the requirements of large media companies, you will still find them used largely, especially within the companies.
Some of the most common cloud storage solutions available today include OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, Apple iCloud, Amazon Cloud Drive, ExaVault.com, and Files.com. They offer a free plan but are quite affordable for media companies that want to expand.
For instance, Dropbox offers 2GB of storage for free. Media companies that want to expand this can subscribe to 2TBs for $19.99. Google Drive, on the other hand, offers 15GB of space for free. Just like Dropbox, users can upgrade at some fee.
WebDAV: HTTP-based File Transfer
HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) was initially designed to display websites. So where does the transfer and syncing of files come in? Well, the HTTP and HTTPS protocols load files such as JavaScript, PHP, and HTML files, among others to make users see websites.
This means that files are transferred between the client (web browser) and server (website). WebDAV, on the other hand, can be described as an HTTP extension that comes with many features. For instance, media companies can manage their web content remotely on a web server.
This way, the web server can be seen as a file server, allowing the transfer and syncing of files. This extension is common among some collaboration services. For instance, Sharepoint uses WebDAV to allow the creation, upload, modification, and download of files from the cloud.
File Transfer Protocols
File transfer protocols were created to allow media companies and other large enterprises to transfer and sync files regardless of their size or type. This explains the reason most cloud storage solutions use these protocols when transferring files between users.
Media companies that use these protocols without cloud storage rely on software, a server, and a client. For instance, when using a computer, a user can install a client such as FileZilla and then use WinSCP to connect to FTPS.
This way, the user can transfer any amount of files through FTPS without any problems. These protocols can be used with tools such as SolarWinds SFTP/SCP Server, Cyberduck, WinSCP, and FileZilla.
The transfer and syncing of files among media companies are important in helping them relay information uniformly. This explains the reason why they rely on the solutions discussed above.
