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Drop-Box
Service June 30, 2007
Since 2003, we've been providing Bravo Drop-Box Service
to our patrons, building your own for you at
standard consulting rate. It is now formally a flat-fee service, which
represents a significant costs reduction to you.
What Is It?
- your patrons can submit large files through your web site
(browse & click Upload)
- the content of "drop-box" is accessible to you only, and invisible to
the public
Benefits
- eliminate factors beyond your control (and reduce your stress)
- less time wasted providing tech support
- no artificially imposed size limits by multiple third parties
- not subject to frequent SMTP server congestion and delay
- avoid risks of false positive in filtering & resultant
confiscation
- sidesteps firewall issues
- does not clog up your email servers & message archives
- less impact on your Internet bandwidth
- more professional image
- better customer service and satisfaction
- zero-client-install, zero-learning, zero-coordination
(asynchronous process)
Typical scenarios
- exchanging collaborating materials: photos, audio recordings,
videos, etc.
- accepting engineering/financial reports in the course of
your operations
- clients submitting QuickBooks data for your processing
- dissemination of large PowerPoint and other multimedia
presentations
- branch offices submitting databases for HQ review &
consolidation
- Hot-Standby Site partners routine
cross-site archival storage
Shortcomings of Other Alternatives
- email: per-piece & daily quotas from ISP, plus
other limits
along the path
- IM: requires install, live interaction, plus technical
firewall and NAT issues
- consumer-oriented free upload: ads/spyware,
throttling, unprofessional image, closely linked with (and completely subsidized
by) piracy & porn.
- legal issues: control, privacy & regulatory compliance (i.e.
inappropriate EULA)
- need to deal w/ many different programs/sites, plus train your
patrons!
Costs: $90 (1-time fee)
What's Included?
- server-side software
- PERL/CGI programming
- server-side installation
- addition to your existing web site (required):
- 2x html pages + 1x redirect page
- open submission page (no password
required)
- plain utilitarian user interface with no artistic theme
- your company identification info
- link to your main web page &
contact link
- customize size and number-of-files limits per your requirements
- testing
- informational Materials:
- public URL for submission + private URL for admin
- Bravo standard policy & disclaimer (for public) template
- dropbox management (retrieval,
deletion, space monitoring)
- best practices, tips and list of frequent problems
- 5-minute basic demo
- on-going troubleshooting of server-side operations
- hosting must be on Mach 4 Network (otherwise
billable at premium
rate)
- excluding any alteration/upgrade/restore
What's Not Included (extra costs)?
- hosting space (might require
upgrade to your existing plan)
- general web design & development (billable
at standard webdev rate)
- customization to match existing web design theme
- additional design & features not essential to the actual
file transfer
- client-side installation (billable at
standard consulting rate)
- any FTP program (required) installation
- instructions on how to use FTP programs
- on-going client-side troubleshooting and training refresher
- troubleshooting for, and assistance to your patrons on their
systems
- extra security measures (optional projects)
- user authentication for submission page
- encryption strategies & implementation
- implementing/adjusting file type filters
- incidences resulting from the natural of accepting
files
- malicious files
- abuse of your hosting bandwidth and space quotas
- legal issues: copyrights infringement, inappropriate content
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