Accellion Secure File Transfer System review

Too many companies and government agencies choose the least secure file transfer methods. USB sticks, CDs, couriers, pub car parks, park benches, you name it and they've used it.

Accellion's Secure File Transfer System (SFTS) aims to offer an alternative that's designed to be highly secure, yet easy to use. If your staff can use email then they'll have no problems with the SFTS.

The SMB solution on review comes as a good-quality HP ProLiant 1U rack server, and Accellion has a range of appliances for different user bases, plus a VMware virtual appliance.

Installation is easy, the appliances' web interface is intuitive, and SFTS offers a number of access modes, with the simplest being the web browser client. After authentication, users are presented with a simple interface that looks like an email web client. All they do is compose an email, add attachments and send it.

The email goes through the normal channels but the attachments are sent to the SFTS appliance. The recipient's email contains a web link to the stored file and selecting it creates a secure HTTPS session to the appliance. After providing their SFTS account details they can then download the file. Accellion showed how easy it was to use by sending us the PDF manuals via the appliance.

The price includes plugins for Outlook and Notes, and when you create a user account on the appliance you can add an install link for these. We tested the Outlook plugin, which added an extra icon to the New Email toolbar, an entry in the Tools menu and a utility that shows upload progress and status.

Using the Outlook plugin is simple: compose an email, select the plugin icon and pick the files you want attached. When you send it, the attachments are automatically sent to the appliance.

There are plenty of file-handling options, including setting expiry dates on download links and reducing files over a specific size. Receipts can be sent to users to tell them when a recipient has downloaded the files and you can block certain file types.

SFTS generates passwords and uses global policies for password strength. After a certain number of failed login attempts accounts can be locked out, inactive accounts set to expire and SFTS can generate and email new passwords to forgetful users.

For the Outlook plugin you can set the minimum file size that should be sent to the appliance and also send files attached using drag and drop or the paperclip icon if they are larger than this threshold. If required, the plugin can even encrypt and compress attachments before sending them to the appliance.

With solutions such as Accellion's SFTS, businesses have no excuse for failing to comply with regulations governing the movement of data. It's reasonably priced, secure and requires virtually no training to use.

Author: Dave Mitchell