Web-based replacement for FTP server

Sharing files on the Internet has been a challenge. Often companies deploy FTP servers to allow users to upload or download files. These sites are difficult for business users to use, time consuming for IT to administer, and lack the reporting and tracking capabilities necessary to demonstrate compliance.

Unlike FTP, SynaMan allows users to easily and securely share files across devices, anytime, anywhere. With SynaMan, on-going file and account management is easy. LDAP and Active Directory (AD) integration ensures that SynaMan users are automatically validated with existing network accounts and passwords.

SynaMan can be effectively used as a replacement for an FTP server. The following table lists some of the benefits in using SynaMan verses an FTP server.

SynaMan	FTP
HTTP protocol SynaMan uses HTTP as the communication protocol, which is friendlier to firewalls. Most companies do not restrict outbound HTTP traffic and therefore, chances are that more users will be able to connect without any change to their network firewalls.	FTP protocol FTP server use FTP protocol to transfer files. This protocol requires two TCP/IP ports through the firewall. Most companies block inbound as well as out-bound ports for FTP communication.
Web browser for client Clients connect to SynaMan's interface using their favorite browser. Every machine, regardless of the operating system, comes with a browser and therefore, connecting is very easy.	FTP client An FTP server requires FTP clients. Users have to either download free clients available on the Internet or pay a premium for more popular and user-friendly clients.
Secure If security is a major concern, you can always enable the SSL option in SynaMan, allowing users to connect over an industry standard secure mechanism.	Insecure The FTP protocol lacks encryption. As a result is exposes any data including passwords and user accounts to any intruder snooping in your network.
Complete audit-trail SynaMan maintains a complete audit trail of every user activity. Hence providing a complete user history when something unexpected occurs. Read more...	No standard for audit-trail Audit trail logging is not part of FTP specification leaving the implementation to individual vendors.
Email notifications Receive email notifications when users upload or download files to any shared drive on your system	May or may not be available Depending upon the vendor of your FTP server this feature may or may not be available.
Public links Create public HTML links and send them via email allowing one-time users to upload or download files. Read more...	Anonymous login FTP servers allow anonymous login accounts. However, many organizations disable this account for security reasons.
Discovery service The built-in discovery service in SynaMan makes it easier to install in an environment using a dynamic IP address and still expose it to users on the Internet. Read more...	No discovery service FTP servers are typically installed on machines with static IP addresses that can be published on the Internet.