File transfer is the sharing or transmission of a logical data object (file) between different computers and networks either locally or remotely. It’s governed by a communications protocol, and often involves both uploading and downloading. File transfer is a critical component of most computer applications and online services. Examples of well-known protocols include the File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and BitTorrent.
Data files can be structured or unstructured and may contain text, graphics, images, audio and video, and other content. They can be shared using both download and upload, and transmitted both inside and outside the enterprise. File transfers are typically facilitated by a server and a client, where the client initiates the transfer.
A server provides status information to the client over a control connection using three-digit ASCII codes and an optional text message. For example, a 200 response indicates the transfer was successful. An ongoing transfer can be aborted by an interrupt message sent to the control connection.
As data volumes continue to grow, enterprises require better performance and visibility from their file transfer solutions. High-speed transfer rates allow for more detailed analytics, while operational visibility reduces costs by enabling proactive issue resolution. Whether it’s sending a batch transaction file to an outsourced payroll provider or delivering digital videos for a marketing campaign, businesses are relying on file transfer systems to keep data moving.
Choosing the right solution for your business can help ensure that you’re always meeting your goals and objectives, no matter how large or complex your needs are. For example, if you want to move 4K videos, you’ll need a system that’s fast enough to handle them. You’ll also want to make sure that you have a backup system in place to protect your data from disaster or an unforeseen circumstance, like a hardware failure.
The Cerberus Support team can help you select the best file transfer option for your business and get started today. Contact us with any questions.
Use our online tool to estimate file transfer time over different network speeds. Simply enter your file size, available network bandwidth or transfer rate and the units you’re using for measurements.
The file transfer speed calculator includes the ability to calculate how long it will take to download a 100GB file at various network speeds and interfaces. This is useful for IT professionals who are working with multiple interfaces that might have different speeds, such as a copper wire cable versus a fiber optic cable or a router that has a different speed than the destination computer. The calculator also helps to identify the slowest interface, which can be helpful for troubleshooting. Units used for measurement include bits per second, byte per second, megabyte per second and gigabyte per second. Other common units are terabyte per second, gibibyte, mebibyte and kibibyte. You can also choose to use metric units such as the watt/hour, kilogram and liter. The calculator is also available in English and Spanish.Send Large Files
