Secure File Transfer

[austin3515]

What are people yusing to securely xfer files to clients? We send our clients 2, maybe 3 files a year. We currently use Sharefile, but 90% of the time the client writes back and says "I forgot the password." Why they won't click the forgot password link is beyond me, but it is what it is. sometimes they do and the password reset ends up in spam. Secure file transfer has become more than a small part of our existence.

I'm wondering how well Drop Box works in this kind of environment. We have a couple of payroll vendors sending us files each pay-period using Drop Box which is nice because there is no log in process. On the downside, we are constantly adding new recipients, and as such an email based solution is quite preferable.

Anyway, I'd be curious to know if there is a better mousetrap.

[My 2 cents]

1. I am no expert in the software used to convey confidential data securely, but I wonder about Drop Box (as you described it) - if there is no log in process, how secure is it from hackers?

2. No offense intended to any persons real or imaginary, but isn't the burden on the tpa's/consultants/practitioners to be sure to send all emails containing confidential information in a sufficiently secure form and the burden on those with a legitimate reason to access that information to do what it takes to access it? Everyone (surely) has trouble remembering all of their passwords (for those working on defined benefit plans, think of the plan sponsors who have to go in to MyPAA once a year for their PBGC premium filing), but if help is made available (a link saying "I forgot the password"), is it too much to expect them to use it? Do their spam filters relegate the response email into a spam folder that can be accessed or do the spam filters render it impossible to see such an email? Can the sponsor contact the service, find out what the email address used to send the response email from the "forgot password" site will be, and adjust their spam settings to let those emails come through? Perhaps a cryptic note somewhere with the password (or at least a good hint meaningful only to the sponsor) is the way to go.

[ETA Consulting LLC]

I use Dropbox. There is no login because the server is downloaded directly to your computer. Hence, If your computer is password protected, they there would be no access to Dropbox. At the end of the day, it's something that you'd have to vet for yourself.

Good Luck!

[austin3515]

How difficult is it to add new users in drop box? What if someone has multiple vendors using drop box? Are there just different directories when you click on the little drop box icon?

Most of all, it sounds like Drop Box does work for you in an environment similar to the one I just described?

[Bill Presson]

We use Sharefile. Occasionally we get the calls you mention, but it gets more and more rare the longer the client is with us.

[Gadgetfreak]

You can also look at Hightail (previously yousendit). You don't have to use a password (though you can) and I imagine that is the same as Dropbox - a complicated URL but it can be accessed by anyone who knows it. You can also recommend to your clients to use a password manager like Lastpass (free for desktop) which will help eliminate the forgotten password issues.

Finally, look at your software providers for portal features. I know FTW and Relius have that capability. Also, there are vendors that offer CRM with portals. PensionPro does. Not sure about EBG.

[austin3515]

http://ftwilliams.com/Docs/ftwilliam_PortalPro.pdf

Might want to take a look at this. We love FT Williams. I've never used this but if you read the description it is EXACTLY what we want it to be.

[Gadgetfreak]

I urge you to due some extensive due diligence before deciding on this. I have been testing this on and off for several months and in-depth over the last two weeks. This is still a fairly new product and there are a lot of (in my opinion) obvious features that are missing. FTW is fantastic at listening to their users and getting enhancements done but this is still in its infancy. At the same time, the potential for this product is amazing which means that I continue to question whether to commit to a competitor until I see what FTW does with this in 2014. Perhaps the deficiencies I see are not important to you so you need to test yourself.

As a brief example, there is no way to send a message to all the portal users of an existing single client at one time in an easy manner. When you are in the client screen, you can see a list of only those company contacts and select one. But to select the remaining company contacts requires you to look through a list of ALL contacts sorted by name and without even the company name next to it. So basically you need to know who you are looking for before you select. A glaring omission in my opinion and I hope the rectify that soon.

[austin3515]

I agree that this sounds like the kind of thing FTW will fix soon.

I wont bore with you the 100 or so questions that I have

[BG5150]

We just send stuff carrier pigeon. No one ever thinks to hijack a carrier pigeon.

[austin3515]

How true that is...