Send Anywhere Upgrades P2P File Transfer Utility

Sending files between two or more devices can be difficult. For many people, there has always been email, and it is perfectly functional for unencrypted transfers that are not too large and have little chance of being marked as spam. For others, text messaging programs can sometimes contain file transfer mechanisms, but those can also have their difficulties because they can be unwieldy, slow, or only able to send files—just like email—up to a certain size. Then there are public clouds and physical transfers of flash drives or DVDs—both of which have numerous security concerns. One company, a Korean startup called Send Anywhere, is trying to relieve users of those headaches.

It recently announced an updated release of its file transfer application of the same name; Send Anywhere allows users to send files with their desktop or mobile devices through the company's app that works on iOS, Windows Phone, Android (News - Alert), and as a Web service. According to a blog post at Beta News concerning the app, Send Anywhere works by utilizing peer-2-peer technology that does not require users to log in or sign up for any type of service. All they have to do is download the app and select the files they want to send. Once that is established, the app generates a one-time use security key that it sends to the recipient, and the recipient can use the key, within the next 10 minutes, to download the files the sender has chosen.

Send Anywhere recently updated the iOS platform that provides users with enhanced security keys that can reportedly provide better encryption. The iOS app now also comes with a cleaner user interface that should help users send files even more easily. On the other hand, the Windows Phone (News - Alert) app only currently has basic functionality, but Send Anywhere says it will be developing that platform to also provide Windows users with future enhancements.

This application may provide ease-of-use for single users, but it appears to lack the functionality that some businesses may desire, including the ability to send files to entire groups or perform file delivery assurance measures or auditing capabilities. For that sort of advanced usage, businesses are beginning to look into the managed file transfer (MFT) market. A report from Research and Markets this August illustrated that MFT is the "linchpin to cloud stickiness," and indeed it may be the next wave of file transfer capabilities for businesses that are serious about their security and file transfer features. MFT may include capabilities such as on-boarding file transfer validation, automation, protocol translation, file delivery assurance through transmission monitoring, data privacy through encryption, operational security through login authentication, file security through pairing with anti-virus programs, and auditing through comprehensive logging of file transfer activities.

Some of those features may one day end up in Send Anywhere if businesses adopt the app more widely. In its current state, however, it appears to be a solution geared mainly toward individuals who have a need for privacy and simplicity but who also have no desire to share multiple files with groups or maintain transfer logs that could be essential to other business operations.