Proofpoint, Inc. introduced Proofpoint Secure File Transfer™, its new solution for addressing the security, compliance and usability issues associated with sending large file attachments over email.

Proofpoint Secure File Transfer lets end users send large files—and files that require enhanced security—quickly and easily, while minimizing the impact of large attachments on their organization’s email infrastructure. The new module—which can be added to any Proofpoint appliance, virtual appliance, software or Proofpoint on Demand deployment—is ideal for organizations in the healthcare, financial services, government and other sectors that need to send large files in an ad-hoc and secure manner.

Proofpoint Secure File Transfer ensures that large or sensitive files are transferred securely and in compliance with common data protection rules—but with the same ease as using email attachments.

 For each file transferred, the Proofpoint Secure File transfer module automatically provides a secure, limited lifespan link for the recipient to click on and download the attachment. Recipient authentication features protect confidential information by ensuring that only valid, verified recipients can receive sensitive files. Return receipts let end users confirm that their files were delivered, while the module provides an audit trail via file tracking and reporting features.

Proofpoint Secure File Transfer complements Proofpoint’s suite of email security and data loss prevention solutions by fixing the three main problems with sending file attachments—especially files that are large or that contain sensitive, confidential or regulated content—via email:

1. The explosive growth of digital information and proliferation of large files: It is now routine for end users to email attachments larger than 10 Megabytes. In specialized fields like medicine and media, files of 100 Megabytes or more are common.

These attachments are often blocked by receiving mail systems that cannot handle such large files. The attachments also consume large amounts of storage on mail servers, leading to email delivery delays, administrative overhead and increasing email infrastructure costs. Proofpoint Secure File Transfer remedies this problem by removing attachments from the email system and transferring them over a separate, secure channel.

2. Alternative file transfer systems are inadequate: While FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and secure FTP are well established methods for sending large files over the Internet, they can be complicated, hard for non-technical business users to use and costly for administrators to maintain. Alternatives, including instant messaging, create their own security problems.

Proofpoint Secure File Transfer solves this problem by letting users send files from within their email or a convenient, web-based email interface, just as they normally would. Users don’t have to learn anything new and Proofpoint Secure File Transfer automatically takes care of the details of securely transferring the file outside of the email system.

3. Increasing security and compliance concerns: Often, the contents of file attachments are sensitive, confidential or governed by various regulations and require special handling. For example, they should be encrypted prior to transmission and access to such files should be carefully controlled.

Regulations may demand that there be an audit trail that records who sent which files to whom. Proofpoint Secure File Transfer addresses these issues by sending files over an encrypted channel, and logging which recipients have received the attachment. Proofpoint Secure File Transfer can also automatically purge the files after recipients have downloaded them, or after a set period of time.

To learn more about Proofpoint Secure File Transfer, download the free whitepaper, “No More FTP: Eliminate FTP and Email Attachment Issues,” by visiting the following URL: http://www.proofpoint.com/sftwp

About Proofpoint, Inc.
Proofpoint provides unified email security and data loss prevention solutions for enterprises, universities, government organizations and ISPs to defend against inbound threats such as spam and viruses, prevent leaks of confidential and private information across all protocols, and encrypt sensitive emails