FTP alternatives without the security risks

Many freemium file sharing platforms exist as point-to-point solutions, solving the problem of distributing files, but failing to address the management and collaboration that often goes with it. As an example, Dropbox will let you share and synchronise a working folder, but it doesn’t support advanced metadata, or let you search based on it. WeTransfer supports file notifications, but not the ability to add comments, tag team members or mark up an image.

The lack of these features can prove a stumbling block to the very processes that file sharing is meant to support. It’s great if the London office can share content with an agency in Sydney, but if there’s no inbuilt support for version control, comments, feedback or approvals, there are still major obstacles to getting things done.

Collaborators needn’t be on the other side of the world to benefit from such in-line tools. The growth in home working has shone a light on the need for easy and seamless collaboration. And while platforms like Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive can provide it for documents, marketers and creators need additional tools fit for rich media – such as time-coded commenting on video or audio.

The same is true when it comes to proper version control. While many platforms include rudimentary file history features, few offer support for iterative asset creation. Again, without version control, many teams are left with a partial solution, and the need to implement other fixes to keep on top of iterative processes.

When compared to a purpose-built solution, all freemium file sharing platforms are lacking in user and asset management features. Even the paid or business versions of some platforms have rudimentary user control – for example, not providing granular control of team and individual permissions. And with staff often relying on free accounts, access and sharing controls can in practice be very basic.

The same applies when it comes to managing projects, folders and collections of material. Not all platforms support easily managed containers, making it far harder to organise projects, groups of contributors, and their security.

Again, free accounts make this particularly hard, but the use of free accounts betrays a bigger problem: the lack of a centrally managed, properly controlled platform. By driving staff toward ad-hoc sharing using free accounts, organisations risk losing control over where, how and with whom their precious content is shared. And when multiple file iterations are shared between stakeholders using several freemium accounts, chaos can reign.

If freemium platforms are lacking, what’s the alternative? Businesses that work with large asset stores need more powerful metadata, search and management features. Those who work collaboratively with multiple iterations of large media files need version control, in-line commenting and annotation. And those who rely on freelancers, agencies or globally distributed colleagues need fast and flexible sharing – without the risks of poor user control.

These are the kind of features you find in purpose-designed digital asset management (DAM) and media asset management (MAM) platforms. Designed from the outset to do more than just simple file sharing, a DAM ensures that a business’ digital assets are centrally stored, properly controlled, and securely available to only the right people.

Comparing consumer-grade file sharing products to Imagen’s asset management platform reveals the many ways in which businesses benefit from implementing a proper solution. Built to handle business-critical, IP-sensitive and other high-value assets, Imagen Go draws on our twenty-year history of media management to bring true security to a collaborative asset management platform.

When you outgrow freemium file-sharing services, you need a smarter video distribution platform. Imagen has over 20 years of experience in working with customers to implement innovative DAM solutions. Unlike the options we’ve looked at here, Imagen Go enables you to simplify, centralise, and automate media asset workflows with one intuitive content management platform.

Imagen Go distinguishes itself from freemium solutions with end-to-end encryption, including encryption of assets at rest within the cloud-based system. Granular, centrally managed access control allows tight management of individual, project, and team-based access. File sharing remains easy through emailable links, but security is maintained through password protection, and configurable download and time limits.

A DAM platform offers more than just file sharing, however, and Imagen Go is full of features to help categorise, organise and retrieve content. Assets can be marked with customisable metadata fields, for example, allowing easier sorting, filtering and searching – saving staff hours of digging around for mislaid content. Even among rival DAM solutions, Imagen Go leads the competition with unrivalled AI-driven automatic tagging, a speech to text engine, and powerful file conversion.

Imagen Go provides more than an answer to file sharing: it supports collaborative workflows with multiple tools for reviewing, iterating and annotating assets. Features such as version control and time-coded commenting on video and audio files enable smooth feedback and iteration during creation, editing and signoff. In-line commenting, and other inbuilt review and approval tools, ensure that stakeholders can discuss projects and their assets, whether they’re colleagues in the same office or working from home, or they work for an external agency.

With more features and far stronger security, an asset management platform such as Imagen Go offers far greater flexibility and control over your digital assets, and how they’re shared. Just as importantly, powerful collaborative working tools ensure that Imagen Go offers a complete solution.

Rather than just solving immediate file sharing needs, Imagen Go is a robust and reliable platform for managing dynamic digital assets. More than just a tool to get files from A to B, it simplifies and integrates related workflows, solving challenges surrounding security, user management and collaborative working. And more than just an ad-hoc lashup, it’s a powerful business tool, proven to improve efficiency and deliver a strong return.