How to transfer files securely without using temporary storage

Secure file transfer protocols exist as a more secure way to transfer files. Yet even when choosing a more secure protocol, many businesses use a file-sharing option that temporarily stores files somewhere outside of their control. This weak point creates extra risks, but is there a way to avoid it? With the right solution, yes. We'll explain the risks in more detail and show you how to transfer files securely without using temporary storage. 

The problems with temporary storage

Most file transfer solutions involve using temporary storage in some way. So why does this matter? Temporary storage has a few major drawbacks that compound as your transfers scale. 

Compliance

The biggest issue is compliance. To use temporary storage in a highly-compliant industry like Healthcare with HIPAA data, each step of the transfer process needs to be done in a HIPAA-compliant manner. With some file transfer options, the temporary storage is owned by the third-party. When this is the case, businesses could be breaking compliance by ever having files stored on those servers, even temporarily.

Even when other best practices are followed, storage location can be a problem. With certain compliance standards, data has to stay within a specific location, such as within the borders of a country. When third-party temporary storage claims to meet compliance, often the specific location has to be specified by the user to isolate data properly. 

Speed

Another problem is speed. Transferring to a temporary location, then from a temporary location to the final endpoint is slower than transferring directly to the destination. Depending on the automation capabilities, this could be a significant delay.

Even with event-based automation that act as soon as a file appears, there's an entirely separate file transfer from temporary storage to the destination that has to take place. When this isn't event-based--or worse, is a manual process--speed issues only grow.

Cost

Cost can also be a factor. If you are the owner of the temporary storage, it's another account to own and keep track of. If you aren't actively using that temporary storage for anything else it's another subscription and cost. For large transfer volumes these costs can add up, especially if you don't have a thorough cleanup process in place for the temporary storage account.

Compatibility

Then there is compatibility. Having a temporary storage layer is one more system that needs to be compatible with both sides of the transfer.

Sometimes, temporary storage is used just for that; when the source and destination aren't compatible with each other, but each are compatible with the temporary storage, it can bridge the gap. While this works as a workaround, it's less ideal than transferring files directly between the source and destination as it adds another another point to maintain. 

Secure file transfers in the cloud with temporary storage

Some third-party file transfer solutions can ultimately transfer files between your storage accounts, but they don't do this directly. Instead, they transfer to a temporary storage account first, then to your destination. 

SFTP is highly-supported and you can connect many systems via SFTP. The problem is that most cloud storage platforms don't offer a direct SFTP to cloud connection. So if you need to SFTP into SharePoint, for example, there's no native solution to accomplish this. 

One workaround is using an interim storage platform. If you can't directly SFTP to SharePoint, for example, you could first transfer files somewhere like S3 and then from S3 to Google. This is the approach a lot of third-party providers use.

However, there are some downsides to this approach. 

Suppose that you need to transfer files from your ERP system to a Google Workspace shared drive every day. With one of these solutions, the tool will poll the folder daily and transfer any files it finds. Those files will be transferred somewhere like an S3 bucket first that's owned by the company, then from their S3 bucket into the Google drive.

This approach carries some risks with it.

First is that you have to give up some control of your data and how it is transferred. That S3 bucket isn't owned by you, so you're at the mercy of the company's configuration and security policies for that bucket. While any reputable company will put logical separators and strict access policies in place, if something goes wrong in S3, you likely have no power to make changes there. 

Second is that it adds an additional place where your data can be accessed. Even with the most secure tools, there's always the possibility that malicious actors will find their way in. If the breach is at the third-party tool--who happens to have your files stored in their temporary storage--they could potentially get access to them. This has already happened a few times with file transfer software, with several major data breaches taking place in the last few years. 

When possible, it's better to skip temporary storage and use a transfer method that's directly compatible with the source and destination.

What options do you have to avoid temporary storage?

Using temporary storage for secure file transfers is one of the most common methods, but there are other options to transfer files without any kind of temporary storage. These include security proxies and cloud solutions like Couchdrop. 

Security proxy solutions

Your business network has different security zones. The most protected area is your internal network, your LAN (Local Area Network). Beyond that, the public internet is the least protected. Sometimes, between the two networks is a buffer zone called a DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). This zone is much more secure than the internet, but less secure than a local network.

Some file transfer tools use a proxy, something that's essentially a security middleman. This proxy sits in your buffer zone and passes files through without actually storing them. 

With this approach, your main file server stays safely inside your protected local network. The proxy is authorized to bridge the local and public networks and nothing else. Some solutions even avoid creating new openings in your firewall, which is a significant security advantage.

Products like JScape offer this approach, but recent price increases have pushed them squarely into the enterprise-level category. This leaves many mid-sized businesses looking for more affordable alternatives that don't compromise on security.

How Couchdrop solves these problems

Couchdrop works differently. Our cloud-based file transfer service never stores your data, not even temporarily. Files move directly from source to destination without touching Couchdrop servers at all.

This matters if you have strict security and compliance requirements. You get the simplicity of a cloud service with none of the compliance concerns about where your files are stored. You can exchange files with external parties without having to share storage access, and without your files ever being stored by Couchdrop.

Users can also choose locations where data processing events. Files are never stored as part of these events, but by having them all occur in a specified region, you can meet strict compliance standards. 

For businesses tired of choosing between security and practicality, our approach eliminates the main risk – vulnerable file storage – while giving you all the file transfer capabilities you need.

With Couchdrop, you maintain your security standards without sacrificing functionality. Your files never sit in vulnerable places, giving you one less security concern to worry about.

Want to see if Couchdrop is right for you? Try Couchdrop free for 14 days with no credit card or sales call required. Simply register for an account and try it out. Sign up now to get started.