By Erik Small -

Ipswitch, Inc and Carbonite announced their continued partnership this week. Check out the press release here on eMediaWire.
It’s a great promotion — Buy WS_FTP Home and automatically receive 4 free months of PC backup from Carbonite.
This special offer is posted on the WS_FTP Home website:
http://www.ipswitch.com/purchase/products/ws_ftp_home.asp

By Erik Small -

FTPplanet receives numerous questions about FTP through the Discussion Forums. They range from troubleshooting simple to complex file transfer issues.
A good page to bookmark on your browser is our FAQ page.
It covers all the basics:
- Installing WS_FTP
- Problems Connecting with WS_FTP
- FTP Error Messages
- FTP Code meaning
….and more.
http://www.ftpplanet.com/ftpresources/ftp_faq.html

By Hugh Garber -

Here’s the latest vulnerability alert for the GlobalScape Secure FTP Server. Follow the link for lots more detail, code and screenshots.
“Where’s the problem?
GlobalScape FTP server does not filter user input properly, and crashes once ~3000 characters are sent by an authenticated user. The following python script will crash the server, with the resulting CPU registers.“
It sounds like a continuation of GlobalScape’s performance, reliability and scalability problems…..

By Erik Small -

If you have checked out WS_FTP Home & WS_FTP Professional and still a little unsure of the difference between the two, take a look at the Features Comparison chart here:
http://www.ipswitch.com/products/ws_ftp/index.asp?t=feature_comparison
One big difference is with WS_FTP Professional, which allows for SFTP & SSH connections.

By Hugh Garber -

Here’s an Indonesian blog posting that details how to install the WS_FTP Professional secure file transfer client.
Of course, the first step is to download the free trial software. Looks like if you download from the Ipswitch site now you’ll be entered into a sweepstakes for a free 80GB video iPod.

By Erik Small -

Kraig Grayson wrote a nice quick review on Review Central of the ease-of-use he has experienced with WS_FTP Professional.
He also points out that WS_FTP Professional offers additional protocol option through SSH connections, offering an added layer of file transfer security:
“Once launched, it asks you the type of protocol you want to use (obviously FTP, but SSH is also possible), your server address, user name and password, and a name for your site. You also have the option of saving your password for automatic logon the next time you use the software. Easy, isn’t it?! IPSWITCh WS_FTP Professional rocks!”
Full review:
http://www.kraiggrayson.com/2007/08/22/ipswitch-wsftp-professional-ftp-client/

By Hugh Garber -

Here’s a nice little plug for FTPplanet that was emailed to me yesterday by a FTPplanet site visitor yesterday. As you know, we spend a lot of time blogging and discussing all sorts of “how-to’s” and best practices related to secure file transfer…. and its nice to see that the information we’re sharing is really helping to educate people.
“I read the beginner’s guide to FTP @ www.FTPplanet.com. The site explained what file transfer protocol is, how it works, and even shows the new user a simulated FTP session in a FTP client. I was able to send a picture of a previous screen shot I had saved in my documents to the required address in no time at all. FTP is a secure, easy way to transfer files to and from your computer via a host page that allows you to organize and save your files.“

By Erik Small -

Every once and awhile, we want to make sure anyone new to FTP can quickly understand the basics of file transfer. The basics are found right here on FTPplanet. Our site hosts an online tutorial on getting started with FTP. It provides a nice overview for the different uses of File Transfer Protocol.
With FTP, you can:
*Publish files to a website
*Move files too large for email
*Transfer files securely between servers
*Upload images
*Backup files to a remote server
View the demo here.

By Hugh Garber -

Here are some words of wisdom about secure file transfer from self-proclaimed technology geek Zac Garrett.
“What most people do not realize is that FTP is insecure because it sends the username and password in clear text. If a malicious person wanted to break into a server all they have to do is sniff for a FTP transaction and you will get the username and password when a user logs in.
There are several solutions available for securing FTP, the two most common are FTPS and SFTP.
FTPS is very similar to HTTPS in your browser, it adds a security certificate to the FTP daemon and allows a user to connect to the server securely using those credentials.
SFTP uses the SSH protocol to do file transfers. SSH is extremely secure, as long as you are running version 2”
Well, I think that Zac is absolutely correct. I often preach about the need to use FTPS (also called SSL) or SFTP (also called SSH2) to encrypt files as they are being transported because plain FTP does not encrypt. But Zac is absolutely correct to point out that FTP also doesn’t protect your username and password and that is another super important benefit of the encrypted FTPS / SSL and SFTP / SSH protocols.

By Erik Small -

WS_FTP Home and a company called Carbonite has continued it’s special offer. The deal is if you purchase a license of WS_FTP Home for your file transfer functions, you receive 4 free months of online PC backup.
I have been using Carbonite’s backup function for my laptop, and it’s very easy to use and fairly simple to start the first automatic backup.
Checkout the offer here on the Ipswitch website. There’s also some extra details on Carbonite.
Also, I want to mention that WS_FTP Home 2007 is now fully supported with Windows Vista. Ipswitch released a new Vista compatible version in July.
Full URL:
http://www.ipswitch.com/products/ws_ftp/home/index.asp?ftpemid=planet081707

By Hugh Garber -

Got questions? Well, I know that other members of the FTPplanet community have some answers!
Let’s get some new activity at the FTPplanet discussion forums. Our recent server issues wiped out a few weeks worth of discussion forum threads ….. so let’s get going and create some new ones!
The link to the FTPplanet discussion forums is located in the top right corner of this page…. it’s the first link in the “Quick Links” section.

By Erik Small -

The American Customer Satisfaction Index recently conducted a study on consumer’s satisfaction of today’s PCs.
The study looked at how consumers view — service quality, price, problems, future or repeat purchase plans, and satisfaction related to expectations.
The results are interesting with Apple coming out on top with Compaq. (Compaq ranking really represents HP). A positive Compaq rank is the surprise, since they had such poor satisfaction pre-HP, but have made up some ground.
One thing I know for sure is that my Dell’s battery went from 3 hr battery life when bought new, to a mere 30 minutes in less than a year. Hmmm, Dell seems to have slipped a little and not keeping their customers happy.
Take a look at the artice from ZDNet

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6202366.html?tag=nl.e622

By Hugh Garber -

Here’s an article on the ComplianceHome website that showcases how WS_FTP Secure File Transfer products are helping companies achieve regulatory compliance.
“Keeping our customers’ information and documents secure and compliant with all regulations is essential in our line of business,” said Rashpal Bains, senior B2B analyst, Teleplan International. “With the unrivaled advanced security and logging capabilities of WS_FTP Server with SSH, we are able to keep track of all necessary documents and transfer critical business data easily and with assurance that no sensitive information will be compromised.””
WS_FTP secure file transfer products enable compliance with today’s most common compliance regulations such as HIPAA (healthcare), Sarbanes-Oxley (financial services), PCI DSS (retail), Basel II (european banking community) and J-SOX (Japanese version of Sarbanes-Oxley).

By Erik Small -

Web-based music players are readily available on the Web for Myspace and other social networking site users, but here is a popular list Peter Butler reviewed on the Webware blog. All the players he reviewed allow for custom playlists, which is a nice feature for embeddedable music players.
Read the full article here:

http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9758036-2.html?tag=cnetfd.mt

By Hugh Garber -

Here’s some great advice from IT veteran Steve Borsch on protecting yourself when connecting to the Internet from public locations.
“Security is an issue other than just at home…but it’s an underreported problem in internet cafes or public places that leave their networks wide open so it’s easy to get on them. Without a company Virtual Private Network (VPN) for your personal laptop, or some way to create a Secure Shell (SSH) to another computer for a secure tunnel, you’re vulnerable to prying eyes (email passwords go in the clear, etc.).”
Here are some smart tips from Steve to follow:
* Make certain to use a ‘real’ wireless access point.
* Turn on your firewall & turn off filesharing.
* Buy anti-virus software and use the update feature.
* Access your email with an https (versus http).
* Use encrypted FTP (ie: SSL / FTPS or SSH / SFTP).
Remember, surfing naked is hazardous to your health! Dress appropriately and be careful of the dangerous tide.