Sending Big Files

I often need to send large amounts of files from my campus to other campuses across the country.  As our Barracuda firewall gets meaner and meaner and the number or size of files we can send becomes more limited, I’m always looking for better ways to send large sets of files off to the people that need them.  Most of the files I send are MP3’s or MSWord documents, and these can send up major red flags not only in Exchange with Barracuda running on our end, but on the receiving end with similar limits and firewalls.  Short of sending a CD through the mail (“mail-netting”), I don’t have a lot of alternatives.  Torrents are flat-out against policy here, for lots of good reasons, so that’s out for what I’m doing.

So, I turn to the web for file-sending sites that can take the loads of files I need to send.  Up until recently, YouSendIt was just about the only game in town.  But unless you bought a subscription, which could be pricey (as much as $100 a month for their corporate plans), you were limited in how much and how often you could send files.  It was only a matter of time before other providers appeared on the horizon.  Several have established themselves fully and are becoming viable alternatives to YouSendIt.  There is still the matter of subscription fees for larger amounts of files, but almost all of the services offer at least some file sending services for free or as a “trial.”  Prices range from $15 a year to upwards of $50 a month, depending on what level of service you require.

• MailBigFile
• DropSend
• SendYourFiles
• TransferBigFiles
• SendThisFile

There are likely many others, that I have not stumbled on as of yet. These are ones I’ve tried and find work adequately for my needs.  I would love to hear about others.

As to what is in those MP3’s I’m sending, I work with disabled students, converting textbooks to alternate format including audio MP3’s (recorded voice – electronic or live voice).  Sometimes I’m sending textbook scans that are intensely marked-up MSWord files, and sometimes Digital Talking Books (DAISY).  All of these files send the red flags flying when sending through our email, or using a legitimate Torrent upload/download, so finding alternatives ways of sending these files is pretty critical for my job function.