Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1152338
by James Delhauer 28 these sorts of services can also become quite costly as both the expense of cloud-based storage and slow upload speeds make the time commitment impractical. Moreover, FTP clients that utilize third-party servers present a security risk. If a production were to place all of its assets on a non-private server, those files would be vulnerable to theft should anyone obtain the correct login credentials. There is also the remote but still present threat that the server's provider (Amazon, Google, etc.) may undergo some sort of catastrophe and data loss could occur. Recent developments are removing these limiting factors and large-scale digital delivery is becoming more commonplace. Ten-gigabit internet connection pipelines have become more prevalent and cost-effective with time, which have in turn made ten-gig connectivity on consumer machines such as Apple's Mac Mini and recently announced Mac Pro, far more common. This allows for larger amounts of data to be uploaded to the cloud and then sent to network servers. There are also more FTP workflows that involve using a specific client software, eliminating the inherent flaws of browser-based FTPs. Private servers and network- attached storage devices are more prevalent, meaning that As Productions GO ONLINE A file transfer protocol, or FTP, is simply a network protocol used to transfer files between a computer client and a server. On a small scale, every email attachment makes use of an FTP in order to move the attached file from a device, onto an email provider's server, and then send it to the recipient's device. They have become a common, albeit nearly invisible part of the daily routine in production. More and more offices are adopting browser-based FTP services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Amazon Cloud Storage in order to make sharing and communication channels uniform across the team. In cases such as these, the user need only enter the address of the FTP server into their web browser in order to access data that has been stored there by another member of the team. Username, password, and sharing credentials are often added as a measure of security. Unfortunately, commonly known platforms such as these have their drawbacks. Most web browsers, such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Apple Safari are not optimized for large or automated transfer tasks. Similarly, most consumer computers are not outfitted for transfer speeds beyond one gigabit per second. Additionally, The evolution of communication technology since the turn of the century has revolutionized the way that filmmakers approach their craft. A short twenty years ago, productions made nightly phone calls and distributed paper call sheets each day to ensure that cast and crew were aware of the correct location and call time for each day's work. Widespread access to personal email accounts rendered this manual process obsolete and saw it replaced with mass mailing lists and digital attachment files. This is just one example that scratches the surface of how sending files over the internet can make production workflows simpler and more efficient. As we move toward a more globalized world of film production, the ability to communicate via the web has become an integral part of day-to-day life. More and more assets can be shared instantaneously, saving countless hours or the cost of constantly transporting assets back- and-forth. The most recent developments in file transfer protocol technology are allowing for entire productions to be uploaded to the internet and sent to multiple destinations across the globe in real time.