Secure File Delivery White Paper Matthew Covington & Garth Robbins 07/15/2010 2010, Smith Micro Software, Inc.
The Challenge Simply put, email was not designed for file delivery, and its limitations make it an unsuitable tool for any business that relies on the exchange of electronic documents. Sending Large Files The size of email attachments is growing quickly. Today s email user is faced with a number of challenges when it comes to sending large documents. Many email services are configured to block email attachments above a certain size, and, in many cases, such policies can prevent files as small as 5MB from being successfully delivered. For a business sending proposals, contracts, presentations and other critical materials electronically, the flaws inherent in email file delivery present a considerable barrier to success. This challenge will only worsen as video becomes a more common means of communication. Simply put, email was not designed for file delivery, and its limitations make it an unsuitable tool for any business that relies on the exchange of electronic documents. Studies have shown that in a typical organization, nearly one-third of all email sent include attachments and that 20% of these files are usually greater than 5MBs in size. Such large files slow email server performance email was designed for shorter messages. Research also shows that large email attachments are usually sent un-encrypted. While FTP (File Transfer Protocol) has typically been used to cover the limitations of email, configuring and maintaining FTP servers can be costly and time-consuming. File recipients require special software to download shared documents and must have accounts created on the sender s server. As business security requirements become increasing sophisticated, the lack of encryption provided by standard FTP servers also represents a potential problem. In many businesses, users faced with the problems inherent in email and FTP have gone rogue, looking outside of IT-blessed solutions to find ad-hoc work-arounds. For an IT department, users adopting solutions that are beyond the control of system administrators creates a serious security risk. With the increased demands business users place on corporate email, IT can face an uphill battle in finding solutions that are cost-effective and secure, yet which also meet the requirements of the staff they must support. Storage Costs Email as a file transfer tool is increasingly becoming a major cost center for enterprise. A recent survey conducted by Information Week Analytics suggested that, of 328 business technology professionals surveyed, over 62% suggested storage associated with email was expected to grow by between 11% and 50% a year, with 14% of respondents suggesting they expected growth in excess of 50% a year. These statistics placed email as the most significant factor driving demand for increased storage in the responder organizations. According to a recent Microsoft survey, 95% of the storage required for the average email inbox resulted from saved attachments. While limiting file attachment size is one strategy that can be employed to curb email storage growth, it is a solution that itself carries a high cost in terms of a company s ability to efficiently conduct business. FTP and on-premises file management solutions also provide solutions that are often far from ideal; in the case of FTP, the issue is often one of user support and security, while with on-premises software the issue is often the high cost of entry combined with the need to keep the software and the server on which it runs up-to-date with all appropriate patches, security updates and upgrades. 2010, Smith Micro Software, Inc. 1 http://analytics.informationweek.com/abstract/2/1045/business-continuity/research-2009-state-of-enterprise-storage.html 2 http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_live/b/windowslive/archive/2010/03/29/email-in-a-world-of-social-networking.aspx 02
The Solution - Smith Micro s SendStuffNow Overview SendStuffNow is a cloud-based file delivery service managed and hosted by Smith Micro. It draws on more than 20 years of experience in the compression and encryption space to provide enterprise customers with a safe and reliable way to deliver documents that are too large to send via email. The SendStuffNow workflow differs from traditional email file delivery by separating the file attachment from the rest of the message. Users upload the files they wish to deliver via the SendStuffNow website and, at the same time, provide the server with a list of recipient email addresses. The file delivery is a simple, two-step process. The server sends an email invitation to the recipient (including any message the user has provided), and the recipient picks up the package from the SendStuffNow website. Each invitation includes a URL that is specific to a single file delivery and recipient. Clicking this link takes the recipient to a landing page from which they can download the file using their default web browser. Unlike email, SendStuffNow allows files up to 2GB in size to be reliably delivered, and, unlike FTP, the recipient sees only the files intended for them and is not required to have an account, login or special software to successfully receive a file. UPLOAD INVITE DOWNLOAD SENDER RECIPIENT Designed for the Enterprise The SendStuffNow service is designed to meet the file delivery needs of enterprise endusers without compromising the reliability and safety of a corporate network. SendStuffNow allows the IT manager to provide users with the file delivery services they demand without increasing the burden on corporate email services. In fact, with SendStuffNow, IT can direct all file deliveries to the service, immediately and significantly decreasing email storage and processing requirements. Use of SendStuffNow also removes the need for the enterprise to maintain FTP servers as a solution to transfer large files. Where FTP is typically expensive to support, requiring a significant investment of man hours to configure accounts and assist users, SendStuffNow offers unparalleled ease-of-use to both senders and recipients. Recipients do not require accounts to retrieve files from the cloud server and no special software needs to be installed. 2010, Smith Micro Software, Inc. 03
Encrypted (AES 256) StuffIt X Zip Catalog Data Compliance and Control SendStuffNow provides a robust administrative tool kit that allows the IT manager to monitor all file delivery tasks across the enterprise group. From a central dashboard, the IT manager can visualize usage patterns across the enterprise and can access powerful reports highlighting potential abuses. IT managers can delete any file scheduled for delivery by service users, and can also rescind specific invitations on a case-by-case basis. IT can specify the file compression and encryption settings to be used by the group, and can also create a legal notice that can be appended to all outgoing file delivery invitations. Security SendStuffNow provides a secure web experience using both SSL and file-level encryption. The file encryption capabilities provided by the server leverage Smith Micro s StuffIt compression engine. The StuffIt engine uses AES 256-bit encryption to encrypt the content of both Zip and StuffIt X archives. When the StuffIt X archive format is used, document owners benefit from an additional security layer that prevents recipients from viewing a list of the encrypted archive contents without the correct password. The server uses an RSA 2048-bit key and a Secure Sockets Layer to encrypt communications between the server and the client or web browser so data transactions are always secure. Microsoft Outlook Support The SendStuffNow add-in for Microsoft Outlook provides users with an email-based workflow. The add-in is designed to automatically redirect to the SendStuffNow service file attachments that exceed, by default, 5MB. The add-in uses the information provided by the user in the original email message to create a title and description for the file as it is uploaded to the SendStuffNow server. The add-in also uses the contacts specified by the user to create individual invitation emails that the server sends out to recipients inviting them to download the newly hosted file. Mobile Clients Users are able to access the SendStuffNow service from their iphone, ipod Touch and ipad devices using a free SendStuffNow application. (Android and Blackberry client applications will be available soon.) This app allows users to track the status of their file deliveries, to resend existing invitations, to issue new invitations to existing files, and even to upload and share photos and videos created on the device. The SendStuffNow service, in combination with the iphone app, provides a powerful document management solution designed with mobility in mind. By uploading presentations, reports, demos, and other documents prior to departure, the mobile professional can share these documents over even the slowest wireless data connection without first having to download the file to their device. With its secure cloud vault, SendStuffNow also provides access to critical documents in the event that a laptop or other device is lost or stolen during a trip. The SendStuffNow app will be made available with both iphone and ipad-specific versions included. Support for Android and Blackberry devices will be provided in the second half of 2010. 2010, Smith Micro Software, Inc. 04
Key Benefits SendStuffNow features a wide range of unique benefits. End-User Benefits Easy to use SendStuffNow s streamlined user interface ensures that the process of sending a file is quick and easy, whether using the Microsoft Outlook add-in or the service s web portal from a PC or mobile device. No special training is required. Save time With built-in compression, you can eliminate the hassles of waiting for large attachments to be successfully sent and dealing with emails returned as undeliverable. Just use SendStuffNow and you can instantly turn to something else, with complete confidence that your file will be delivered. Peace of mind Users will value SendStuffNow s ability to clearly indicate whether a sent file has been downloaded by the invitation s recipients. Secure With SendStuffNow, your files and their metadata are 100% protected via AES 256-bit encryption. You can even password-protect your downloads for increased security. Administrator Benefits Reduce email costs Deploying SendStuffNow across your business makes it possible to offload large attachment traffic to Smith Micro servers, reducing your storage and bandwidth requirements. Related expenses will also decline as the overall burden on your corporate Exchange server is alleviated. Easy to manage A web-based management portal provides a single control point from which employee activity can be monitored and managed by IT workers. Enforce your corporate IT policies Users will no longer need to turn to ad-hoc solutions to overcome local policy restrictions. You will be able to easily audit, monitor, and control the outbound flow of all documents. Recall emails as needed Rescind file delivery requests and automatically block file deliveries by email address or domain. Conclusion In the world of physical documents, business has come to rely on trusted partners such as FedEx, UPS, and others to securely deliver sensitive, mission-critical documents in a timely manner. SendStuffNow from Smith Micro provides businesses with a similar, trusted solution for the secure delivery of digital files. Created, hosted, and managed by a public company that has successfully delivered business-ready solutions since 1982, SendStuffNow also draws on the pedigree of more than 20 years in the file compression and encryption space from the StuffIt family of products. As a solution provided by a company and a technology that users have trusted for more than two decades, SendStuffNow is ideally-suited to meet the needs of today s demanding business customer. 2010, Smith Micro Software, Inc. 05
About Smith Micro Smith Micro Software, Inc., is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California and has offices in Europe and Asia. The company develops mobility solutions that enable seamless broadband connectivity and next-generation media and mobile convergence products over wireless networks. The SendStuffNow service leverages a number of unique Smith Micro capabilities. The company has a strong track record of providing file management solutions. Smith Micro has broad experience hosting web services for large-scale user groups. And the company is an industry leader in software solutions spanning mobile device connectivity and a wide range of consumer titles. Smith Micro s complete lines of products are available through its sales groups, direct from its websites, retail distributors and value-added resellers. Smith Micro s common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol SMSI. For more information, please visit: www.smithmicro.com. Smith Micro Software, Inc. 51 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92626 USA +1 949 362 5800 www.smithmicro.com Copyright 2010 Smith Micro Software, Inc. All rights reserved. SendStuffNow and Smith Micro Software are registered trademarks of Smith Micro Software, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All specifications, terms and features are subject to change without notice. 06