Digidesign has announced DigiDelivery, a new system for secure transfers of digital media files anywhere in the world.
For many involved in the world of digital media production, moving files quickly and securely between facilities remains a bottleneck. FTP services can be tricky to set up and customize, can require extensive account management, and can be unreliable with large file transfers. Overnight delivery services are expensive and can limit your schedule.
DigiDelivery™ makes easy work of exchanging everything from a single graphics file to a colossal post session by offering an efficient, secure means yet of transferring digital assets across the Internet. Downloads are as easy as clicking a link in an email. There’s no need to enter IP addresses, usernames or passwords. Each digital transfer is protected by the same heavy-duty encryption used by banks and government agencies. DigiDelivery can save time and money by eliminating service fees and missed deliveries.
Based on technologies from RocketDelivery™ , DigiDelivery is the first module of Digidesign’s collaborative workflow system centered on a choice of two Ethernet-connected server appliances that ship preconfigured, for easy installation. The Digidesign Serv|LT™ suits small- to medium-sized facilities and stores 20 pending deliveries (up to 80 GB total). This appliance supports one “Standard” account that can exchange deliveries with anyone and unlimited “Guest” accounts that can exchange deliveries with the Standard account. The Digidesign Serv|GT™ has higher data throughput and can store an unlimited number of deliveries (up to 500 GB total). It also features unlimited “Standard” accounts making this the choice for major facilities.
Ease of Use
The DigiDelivery system is designed so that anyone with a basic understanding of computers should be able to configure their server via its SetUp Wizard. Similarly, the simple client utility makes the drag-and-drop process of creating and sending a delivery as easy as sending email.
When a delivery is posted, an email notification is automatically sent to the recipient. That message contains details about the delivery, a message from the sender, a link to download the client software if necessary, and the encryption key that the recipient simply clicks to securely download the delivery. (For maximum security, the key can be transmitted verbally instead of via email.) No passwords, IP addresses, etc., are needed. Once the recipient successfully downloads the delivery, the sender receives a confirmation email.
While DigiDelivery is optimal for any kind of digital asset transfer, Pro Tools users have extra advantages: Drag-and-drop your Pro Tools session icon onto the DigiDelivery interface to “package” and deliver all related files, including audio, video, and plug-in settings (with Pro Tools 5.1 or newer sessions). No need to worry about missing files, time-consuming consolidations, or storage-consuming copies.
Additionally, the DigiDelivery server is self-maintaining. Deliveries that have been successfully downloaded by all recipients are automatically deleted from the server appliance after a waiting period determined by the sender.
Security
All deliveries are encrypted on the client before posting and only the recipients of the secure keys can download and decrypt them, so your media is safe, even if the server is stolen! And unlike FTP sites, senders and recipients never see the contents of the DigiDelivery server, so there’s no need to administer account privileges. Recipients require no passwords, greatly reducing the risk of sensitive access information being improperly distributed. DigiDelivery’s special account structure allows you to let other people post deliveries to recipients whom you know, but prevents those posters from hijacking your server to send deliveries to strangers.
Speed and Reliability
DigiDelivery’s design includes several measures that ensure maximum efficiency and stability. Proprietary communication protocols guarantee the robust transmission of data between server and client. Upload and download files at LAN speeds, freeing up local workstations much faster than posting to a public FTP site. Lossless compression (optional) reduces the size of the files to be exchanged by as much as 60%, resulting in faster upload and download times, while ensuring a totally bit-accurate copy on delivery.
In the rare case of a lost connection (common with long FTP transfers), DigiDelivery’s auto-reconnect feature reestablishes contact and resumes the transfer from where it left off.
Reporting and Billing
Comprehensive reporting and billing functions offered within DigiDelivery provide clear confirmation of delivery and make it easy to bill clients. With a standard web browser, you can view all deliveries and even have reports automatically emailed to you daily.
Additional information is avalable at the DigiDelivery site.
