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In order to meet the various constraints associated with data sharing (file size and format, overloaded mail transfer agents, lack of traceability, etc.), software publisher Oodrive has created PostFiles, an innovative solution, offering companies a simple, effective and secure way of sending large files.

A thorough study into the functional needs of companies

As a major market player in developing file sharing and online collaboration solutions, Oodrive has 8 years of client relations and experience in responding to company needs as closely as possible. Oodrive noted that the rise in electronic exchanges gave rise to very specific functional needs for its client companies, the three main ones being:

1/ Companies need to exchange files simply, irrespective of the size or format, without saturating their mail transfer agents.

Companies and their external partners are working on increasingly larger files (both receiving and sending). In the absence of appropriate tools, they are mostly using the following file-sharing methods:

• FTP servers: limited functions, lack of intuitiveness and security.
• Burned CD-Roms despatched by courrier or postal service: costly and usually not suited to company deadlines and budgets.

2/ Companies would like their file exchanges to be secure.

Files shared externally are often confidential. Therefore, it is essential for a company to be able to guarantee their confidentiality.

3/ Companies must be able to trace their file exchanges.

Traceability is a key factor in the exchange of files. In some companies it is essential, and in others, such as for professions not currently accustomed to such features (press officers, sales persons, trainers, etc.), it can constitute an important value-added service.

PostFiles - the solution for sharing large files

In response to company needs and in order to confirm its place as a major market player, Oodrive has created PostFiles, an innovative solution, offering companies a simple, effective and secure way of sharing large files between collaborators within the same company and their external contacts.

The principle behind PostFiles is simple and effective: instead of attaching files directly to an email, a secure link to the files - a few Kb in size - is attached, disguised as an attachment.

This allows company employees to send, internally or externally, all their files no matter the size or format, without risk of them being blocked by their own or their correspendents' mail transfer agent.

There are various ways that users can send large files:

1/ Thanks to the PostFiles interface: the user can send any type of file, and even entire folders, irrespective of the size or format, thanks to a simple internet connection. Once the files have been sent, the sender can remotely keep control of the length of accessiblity and the number of downloads allowed. Similarly, the user can receive large files from their internal, as well as external, contacts. By managing contacts' access rights, the user can authorise third parties to make files available via shared folders (a drop-box system).

2/ By email, thanks to a plug-in embedded in PostFiles, direct from the user's Outlook email service: when the message and attachment are sent, the plug-in automatically detects the size of the file to be sent, and if it exceeds the size permitted by Outlook, PostFiles takes over sending the file. The recipient will receive an email of a few Kb, containing the sender's message and a link to a download disguised as an attachment. Thanks to the Outlook plug-in, large files can be sent directly by email in a totally transparent way.

A key factor in the success of PostFiles within companies lies with its simplicity of use. It has been adopted by users, some of whom are IT novices, thanks in large part to its ergonomy and intuitiveness.

In order to have a quick and effective preview of multimedia and technical files, the PostFiles interface includes online preview functions, namely video/audio streaming and image viewing. Thanks to these functions, the recipient can preview the files before downloading them. The pay-off in productivity is immediate.

Furhermore, Oodrive's PostFiles solution is available on all Windows Mobile equipped SmartPhones and PDAs (iPhone compatability is expected by the end of November).

All actions carried out by the PostFiles interface (whether sending or receiving), as well as all email transfers, are archived. Thus the user benefits from complete traceability, knowing which documents have been downloaded, when and by whom. Similarly, the list of accesses as well as each contacts' IP addresses are archived in an address book.

To ensure the confidentiality of exchanged data, PostFiles includes a high level of security throughout the file sharing process: securing access and data transfer (128 bit SSL transfer), file storage (128 bit AES or 192 bit Triple DES encryption), passwords (encryption using the signature of their choice - SHA1, MD5, etc.).

In order to satisfy the demands of the IT department, PostFiles offers a supervision control panel, a truly global administration tool, giving a total overview of the solution's usage and effective management of its many settings.

The supervision control panel is a real "back office" tool targeted for use by companies' IT deparments, allowing:

• user management (creation, disk space allocation, etc.)
• global overview of usage (logs, traceablity, used disk space, etc.)
• management of usage settings (limiting rights, filtering certain types of files, automatic file deletion, etc.)
• management of security settings (encryption type, password type, IP filtering, denial-of-service attack alerts, etc.)

"Via PostFiles, we provide companies with a solution that really meets their needs with regards to sharing large files. Thanks to PostFiles, companies can send all sorts of documents no matter the size or format, while safeguarding confidentiality and providing strong traceability. PostFiles is available in SaaS mode, via a simple monthly subscription, giving companies a unique and innovative solution, and a high quality service requiring little investment", affirmed Edouard de Rémur, Oodrive Sales Director.