Having access to important company data is an essential function of most businesses. Employees need to be able to download company files in order to work on daily activities, as well as upload information for others to use. The most traditional file transfer service that is still used by many companies today is FTP. While many people might have heard of FTP, or might even use it at work frequently, they still may be wondering: What is FTP?
What is FTP?
FTP, which stands for File Transfer Protocol, is a network protocol that allows various users to transfer files over a server. The FTP server is able to store a large number of files that users can access and download onto their own computers. They are also able to upload files to the server to make them available to other people who have access to the network.
Advantages and Disadvantages of FTP
As was said before, FTP is the traditional method for transferring files over a network, and a number of different features have allowed it to still be relevant today. Perhaps the greatest advantage of FTP is that it creates a way to share large files back and forth between a group of people. For example, a manager can upload information to the server that they want to share with employees, and each employee can then go on the FTP server and access the file. FTP also allows a person to quickly download large files. Multiple files from a folder can all be downloaded at once, eliminating the need to individually download each file.
One of the major disadvantages of FTP is that it does not protect the files that are sent back and forth over the server. This means that all file transfers are susceptible to a security breach and could result in the loss of private company or customer information. Businesses that frequently handle private information typically use an SFTP server instead, which is a secure file transfer service that encrypts files before they go anywhere over the network.
FTP is a great way for a company to share large files with big group of people, and it is a great file transfer method for companies that don’t store private information. As one of the oldest methods of data delivery that is still used today, FTP has continued to be a flexible and relevant function for many businesses around the world.
