Fast Send 2.0
By Jeff Mottle - CGarchitect.com

I recently had the opportunity to take FastSend 2.0 for a testdrive, a new digital file transfer service by FileFlow. FileFlow is a spin-off of Fast Search & Transfer – a leading search technology company and shareholder of FileFlow. FileFlow is Scandinavian based with headquarters in Oslo, Norway. FileFlow now boasts over 7000 users in more than 20 countries.

My introduction to this company came as a referral from an industry friend who has been using them for one of their projects in order to transfer files securely to their client. I have to admit I was not really aware that this type of service existed, but I was definitely impressed with the support and capabilities that this company offers.

You might be wondering about now, what exactly this review will be covering. Put simply, FileFlow allows you to securely send files to clients and colleagues via the FileFlow servers complete with email notification and a tracking system.

Admittedly while anyone with email or an FTP site could transfer files to their clients and colleagues, the ability to do so with absolute security and the ability to ensure fast and successful delivery is not always possible using these file exchange methods. For larger files, FTP is a necessity, but I can’t tell you the number of computer illiterate clients I’ve had to deal with who found trying to navigate an FTP application too confusing. FileFlow is definitely the answer for you if you find yourself in this same position.

After you sign up for the FileFlow service you will install a small application on your workstation that acts as the interface allowing you to transfer files. You simply drag the files you want to send onto the application, or add files directly from the interface. You then enter in the email address (or use your MAPI email address book) of the recipient(s) that you with to send the files, along with a subject and message if desired. Pressing send will compress your files and securely transfer them to the FileFlow server. The recipient will receive an email containing a link to the file(s). They simply click this link launching the free FastSend browser plug-in which automatically decompresses, decrypts and downloads the files to the chosen directory. You are then sent an email confirmation that the files have been downloaded.


FileFlow Interface


FileFlow Send Dialog


FileFlow email message sent to file recipient

There really is not much to this application as there has been a great deal of thought put into ensuring the workflow remains simple and efficient. There are a few features that are worth noting:

Transfer Speed: Although you may have an FTP site, most of us do not have a huge pipe to support it. This means both slow uploads for large files and slower downloads for your clients. FileFlow eliminates this problem by providing the infrastructure to send files 20-30 times faster. File Compression: Typically when a number of files need to be sent we have to collect them all into one place, save them with more compression, and then ZIP them all up before transferring them to the client. FileFlow automates this process by performing the compression automatically before sending. What makes fileFlow unique is its ability to compress most image types based upon a predefined compression setting in the interface. This is especially useful when sending many large images files that do not need to be the highest quality, although from my tests most of the compression settings do not affect image quality that much. The compressions settings are divided into usage types ranging from Lossless file transfer to visually lossless for Halftone printing. Cross Platform: FileFlow works on both Mac and PC platforms to ensure that all of your clients can receive your files. Supported File Types: FileFlow will compress the following file types: TIFF, EPS, PSD, JPEG, BMP and PDF. All other files types will be sent using ZIP compression.

The price for the Fileflow service is $240US per year, which considering the tracking and efficiency features, is in my opinion well worth the cost if you are sending large image files to your clients frequently. Coupled with unlimited bandwidth, this makes a pretty compelling application.

For more information on FastSend you can visit their website here: http://www.fileflow.com/en/fastsend a free trial can be downloaded here: http://www.fileflow.com/index.php?struct=61&id=65

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