Every once in awhile, we get asked the question “we’re considering your service and [insert file hosting service here]…what’s the difference?”  Most people who ask this question usually want to achieve one thing – to get files from one person to another.  While you can technically use a file hosting service to send a file to someone and thus may seem the same as a file transfer service, they are in fact very different in the way they work and should be used.

File hosting services, or “one-click hosting”, are typically sites where someone can upload a file to the host’s server.  The user can then share the file by giving people the URL that is associated to that file on the host.  Here are some examples of “one-click hosting” URLs:

http://www.yousendit.com/download/dVlvY05naFI3bUJMWEE9PQ
http://rapidshare.com/files/230291054/LeapFILE_Desktop_Client_with_Outlook.pdf.html
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=M6QJ7OUF

While this type of service allows you to share the file rather easily, there are some inherent risks involved:

1. Anyone can get the file by accessing the URL.  If the document uploaded contains sensitive information or private data, then imagine what would happen if this link got distributed (unintentionally or intentionally) or posted all over the internet.
2. In reality, file hosting sites are generally used on internet forums to share pirated movies, music, software, and pornography.
3. Also, since many of these file hosts are free to use, they serve third party ads.
4. You can only upload one file at a time.  If you want to send multiple files, you’ll need to do it individually and share separate URLs for each one.
5. There’s no tracking or delivery confirmation, so you have no idea if or when your intended recipient actually got the file and if any unintended people accessed it.

If you are a “business” user trying to send private documents to clients or partners, do you really want to have your files sitting on the same server with pirated movies, run the risk that the file will get into the wrong hands, and have your clients be blasted with a bunch of advertising that’s not even associated with your business?

One-click free file hosting services may seem to be a good and cheap way to share business files, but closer inspection will show that it’s just not built for that purpose.

Stay tuned for future posts about the differences between free (aka “consumer”) and business-focused file transfer solutions.