Full disclosure: We're building an online file transfer service ( https://www.esecuresend.net/were-driven-to-make-online-file-transfer-reliable/ ). We have the basic features worked out and we’re getting ready to redesign the interface. Instead of assuming that we know all there is to know, I wanted to reach out to you and ask for your help to make sure we're building something that works for you.

What are your biggest challenges when you’re sending the final deliverables to a client? In what scenarios do you ship an external drive via the post office versus FTP versus something like Dropbox/WeTransfer? What would hold you back from using a dedicated online file transfer service?

The biggest limitation is my upload bandwidth (and the download bandwidth of the destination). If it's more than a few gigs, then I will look to post them a disc or USB with the footage. Or even a HDD if the data is over 32Gb.

I can upload about one gig per hour on my top speed cable internet connection. During the day when it's not dropping in available bandwidth due to local congestion.

Andrew

You'd have to offer something your competitors don't.

I would be pretty hesitant to use anything that didn't have a dropbox/google drive interface - i.e. no web interface at all, but put it in a folder on my computer, it appears in a folder on yours.

It would have to be basically free or bundled in with something else if it were paid.

The biggest limitation is my upload bandwidth (and the download bandwidth of the destination)....I can upload about one gig per hour on my top speed cable internet connection. During the day when it's not dropping in available bandwidth due to local congestion.
Andrew

Would it be accurate to say that you'd prefer to spend the __X__ hours to copy and paste the file to an external drive and visit the post officer more than letting a file transfer run in the background over the course of a day?

By the way, there's a lot of variation in the transfer speed that you would get out of any file sharing/transfer service. Browser-based services are generally slower because of technical limitations. They might only use a small percentage of your available bandwidth whereas other services that have a desktop version might use more. A dropped connection in the middle of a file transfer isn't fun either. If I said that by using our service you'd have faster file transfers and you wouldn't need to babysit it, would that make it more worthwhile?



I would be pretty hesitant to use anything that didn't have a dropbox/google drive interface - i.e. no web interface at all, but put it in a folder on my computer, it appears in a folder on yours.

That is a service that we're working towards. There will need to be a way to establish the relationship between two computers which would need an online website/interface. In this scenario, would speed of the transfer even matter?


It would have to be basically free or bundled in with something else if it were paid.

There are costs associated with shipping external drives and online services like Dropbox and Drive, right? Are these costs usually bundled into the price that you charge a client?

That is a service that we're working towards. There will need to be a way to establish the relationship between two computers which would need an online website/interface. In this scenario, would speed of the transfer even matter?
Within reason, no, transfer speed wouldn't matter. We usually do these transfers overnight anyway. Remember, I am a computer expert and "establishing a relationship" between my computer and anything else is no big deal. Remember, my client can't find his way out of a wet paper bag and anything (and I do mean anything) he has to do on his side is arduous and painful. Furthermore, many of the clients are monolith corporations where users have no rights to install anything on their computers.
There are costs associated with shipping external drives and online services like Dropbox and Drive, right? Are these costs usually bundled into the price that you charge a client?
Right. You would have to be better than Dropbox and Drive. That's "Drive" as in Google Drive. You just have to beat Google, then I'm all yours. I don't say this to be a jerk, but to honestly tell you what you're up against (with me).

Would it be accurate to say that you'd prefer to spend the __X__ hours to copy and paste the file to an external drive and visit the post officer more than letting a file transfer run in the background over the course of a day?

By the way, there's a lot of variation in the transfer speed that you would get out of any file sharing/transfer service. Browser-based services are generally slower because of technical limitations. They might only use a small percentage of your available bandwidth whereas other services that have a desktop version might use more. A dropped connection in the middle of a file transfer isn't fun either. If I said that by using our service you'd have faster file transfers and you wouldn't need to babysit it, would that make it more worthwhile?

I'm loathe to have an upload process run throughout the day as I may always need to reboot the computer for something, and having to put it off due to the upload in progress then makes life a little more complicated. Yes, I know that desktop apps will have auto-resume.

For me, the post office is no big deal. It's a 5 to 10 minute walk away and I need the exercise. I also need to collect my mail from the PO box every now and then.

So far, I have found that whatever I have been uploading has used the full amount of the upload bandwidth available - so no issue there for me.

The good thing about dropping it off at the post office is that you know that it is done, and then then move on to the next item. The client also gets a physical deliverable.

I don't have too many big uploads, and the bulk of what I do fits very nicely within the 15Gb of what you get for free with Google Drive. Google Drive (compared to Dropbox) is a pleasant surprise as I can get a full 10Mb/sec download from it ... the maximum my connection can take. I don't really have any significant pain points at all.

Posting a HDD is super-rare for me. A USB drive / stick at best.

In the last example of having a significant amount of data to transmit and get it there quickly, I had shot some footage on the Gold Coast which was a late request/addition as pertinent b-roll for a documentary. The doco was being edited and graded (and almost finished) in Melbourne at the time and we needed to get the footage there that afternoon. Rather than upload the 50Mbit XDCAM footage which would have taken a good 10 hours, we (in discussion with the editor) elected to convert the files to 20Mbit .mp4 versions and transmit those with the ability to transmit specific originals later if needed. It worked very well for both the edit and the colour grade - you seriously can't tell the difference. Never had to send the originals in the end.

Andrew

Within reason, no, transfer speed wouldn't matter. We usually do these transfers overnight anyway. Remember, I am a computer expert and "establishing a relationship" between my computer and anything else is no big deal. Remember, my client can't find his way out of a wet paper bag and anything (and I do mean anything) he has to do on his side is arduous and painful. Furthermore, many of the clients are monolith corporations where users have no rights to install anything on their computers.

That's good to know! Thank you Mike.

You just have to beat Google, then I'm all yours. I don't say this to be a jerk, but to honestly tell you what you're up against (with me).

Honesty is exactly what we need if we're going to provide something useful :)


I'm loathe to have an upload process run throughout the day as I may always need to reboot the computer for something, and having to put it off due to the upload in progress then makes life a little more complicated. ..... The good thing about dropping it off at the post office is that you know that it is done, and then then move on to the next item.

Even though our service can resume after a computer reboot, I can see why it's overbearing to have an upload process in the background... especially when the post-office is so close to you! Also, I never considered that there could be less mental clutter to be able to drop it off at the post-office and "know that it is done." We're aiming to make file transfer as painless as possible, but unless there was an "online shipping" model where you could use someone else's computer resources to hit "send" and know that it's done, it just won't be the same.


In the last example of having a significant amount of data to transmit and get it there quickly...

This example is helpful for me! Thank you for sharing that.