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Secure
Transfers of Large Files Over
the Internet Using YouSendIt
Ahsan
Haque
- October 23, 2004
Introduction
Does
the following situation sound
familiar to you? You have
to send a large PowerPoint
presentation document to an
overseas customer, and the
customer’s e-mail system
will not accept large file
attachments. Your customers
need the file as soon as possible.
You try different options,
different e-mail clients,
sending a CD by post, or even
setting up your own FTP server.
If security isn’t your
biggest concern, setting up
the FTP server is generally
a manageable option. All you
have to do is get permission
to open up the appropriate
ports on your network, set
up the FTP service, send the
file over, close the connection,
and then shut down the server.
It’s a lot of work,
creates a lot of potential
security holes, and if you
have to send large files on
a regular basis, it can become
a very cumbersome process.
If
you’ve faced
the challenge
of sending a large
file over the
Internet, I’m
sure you’ve
told yourself
that “There
must be a better
way”. There
is. Developed
by a group of
McGill University
graduates residing
in California,
YouSendIt is a
free, secure,
on-line service
that conveniently
allows you to
send large files
over the Internet.
Their free web
service can be
accessed at www.yousendit.com.
For large-scale
secure enterprise-level
file transactions,
YouSendIt also
offers a turnkey
solution called
the YouSendIt
Enterprise Server.
The Enterprise
Server is a dedicated
server package
that can be customized
to integrate with
your organization’s
security infrastructure.
What
is it and how
does it work?
YouSendIt’s
service offerings
consist of a free
public-use web
service, and the
specialized Enterprise
Server. Both services
use the same underlying
technology to
handle the file
transfers. To
send non-sensitive
data, the free
service works
very well. Both
the Enterprise
Server and the
free service use
the following
basic procedure
to send files:
To send a file
using YouSendIt,
simply go to the
web site and enter
the e-mail of
the person you
want to sent the
file to, select
a file to send
from your computer,
and click on Send.
The system uploads
your file to the
YouSendIt server,
and then sends
an e-mail notification
for file pickup
to the recipient.
The recipient
clicks on the
link, and downloads
the file. There’s
no software to
install, no account
creation process,
and your e-mail
inboxes never
fill up with large
files.
The
main difference
between the two
offerings is that
the Enterprise
Server is a customized
offering that
can integrate
with your existing
security infrastructure
and runs on a
dedicated server,
whereas the free
service runs on
the YouSendIt
public servers.
TEC
spoke with Amir
Shaikh, vice president
of business development
at YouSendIt with
regards to the
system security
options, and the
company’s
goals for the
YouSendIt service.
“We want
to become the
de facto standard
for large file
transfers over
the Internet.
We saw a market
that stemmed out
of our own needs
to transfer large
files, and we
were frustrated
by the fact that
there was no easy
way to achieve
this. We initially
decided to come
up with our own
system that filled
our personal needs,
and then developed
it into the commercial
service on the
site.” With
regards to e-mail
protection of
users, Amir says,
“We want
to ensure that
the system is
fast, non-intrusive,
and easy to use.
YouSendIt does
not redistribute
any e-mail addresses
to anyone and
advertising on
the site is limited
to the file download
portion of the
site. This way
the user can focus
on transferring
their files without
any cumbersome
advertising to
detract them.”
Security
Features of the
YouSendIt Free
Web Service
The
free web service,
which is available
at www.yousendit.com,
offers quite a
few security features.
The upload process
for the file transfer
between your computer
and the YouSendIt
server is handled
via a secure
sockets layer
(SSL) connection.
This commonly-used
Internet encryption
process will protect
your data from
interception during
transit. To access
the SSL upload
option, simply
click on the “Need
Secure Transfers?”
link on the main
page. This will
bring you to the
secure transfer
page. It should
be noted that
sending a file
with SSL encryption
requires additional
time and processing.
You can send files
of up to one gigabyte
in size. The recipient
will receive an
e-mail notification
which contains
a link to the
file and a secure
token allowing
access to the
file download.
The file recipient
then visits the
site, inputs their
secure recipient
token, and gains
access to download
the file. Recipients
can even lock
the file for deletion
after the file
transfer process
is complete. If
the file is not
marked for deletion
it is kept on
the YouSendIt
servers for a
period of seven
days. The process
is as simple as
sending an e-greeting
card—minus
the card and the
advertising.
Security
Features of the
YouSendIt Enterprise
Server
In
addition to the
free public service,
YouSendIt also
has an enterprise
server for dedicated
secure file transfers.
If your enterprise
needs to send
a lot of files
to customers,
the enterprise
server provides
for a powerful
solution. This
service becomes
especially useful
when you have
to transfer sensitive
documents back
and forth that
may contain non-disclosure
agreement
( NDA) level material.
The system can
even be used as
a billable dedicated
service for customers
if required.
The
YouSendIt Enterprise
Server includes
use of a standalone
application server
that contains
the same scalable
architecture of
the free service,
but with additional
privacy and security
options. The Enterprise
Server offers
multi-tiered end
user security
including SSL
encryption for
data transfers,
S/MIME for notifications,
and optional SGC
128-bit encryption
for even stronger
protection. Also
available is a
“Straight
Through Processing”
option which allows
users to receive
a file as it is
being uploaded
by the sender.
Files themselves
can be password
protected and
MD5 filename encryption
is available.
All of the above
security features
can be customized
according to your
enterprise needs.
Administrators
can maintain their
enterprise server
through secure
authentication
tokens including
RSA SecurID and
CryptoCard. This
provides additional
security for system
administrators
who want to manage
their server remotely.
The Enterprise
Server service
is highly customizable
and scalable according
to business requirements.
There are many
reporting and
logging options
available for
administrators
as well. The Enterprise
Server edition
can also automatically
integrate into
your enterprise’s
own network authentication
if desired.
With
all of these security
features in place,
the YouSendIt
Enterprise Server
provides your
organization with
the necessary
tools to handle
a secure large
file transfer
infrastructure.
Conclusion
YouSendIt
fills a much-needed
niche in the file
transfer space.
As a simple web
service, it’s
very effective
and fast. The
fact that there’s
no software to
install, no account
to create, and
no security risk
in creating and
maintaining an
FTP server, makes
the YouSendIt
web service so
compelling to
use. It should
be noted that
the free service
does have some
limitations in
terms of security
options. Also,
the fact that
files are kept
on the server
for only seven
days means that
the free service
cannot really
be used as an
FTP service replacement
for persistent
files. However,
these issues are
addressed in the
YouSendIt Enterprise
Server edition.
Enterprises looking
for a complete
secure file transfer
infrastructure,
the Enterprise
Server, with its
vast array of
customizable security
options, can easily
scale to meet
your organization’s
needs.
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