Image: Litera
Litéra Corp. on Monday began shipping new software, called Secure File Transfer, which helps move large computer files among their clients and colleagues.
Secure File Transfer is based on a technology from London-based GCrypt Ltd., which sells a simpler version of the software called SSLPost. Litéra, in McLeansville, N.C., licensed SSLPost and then added features for the legal market.
"We've been in beta for a long time [and we] added on to it for email integration, digital signatures, and what we call smart send," said Litéra's Norm Thomas, who runs the company's legal sales and strategy. The smart send feature lets administrators configure an "Are you sure?" button before allowing replies to all recipients of a message. There are also options for data encryption and integration with Microsoft Active Directory.
The software works either as a plug-in to email applications or through a web page. The version for Outlook allows file attachments up 2 gigabytes, while the web version allows up to 100 gigabytes. Companies can set policies such as automatically routing files through a cloud server instead of through email if they exceed a chosen size limit, Thomas explained.
Thomas, formerly of Microsoft, said it's no secret that the popular Microsoft Exchange email server can experience data bottlenecks when users send large attachments. "Everything gets a little bit constipated, and you can use that word," he noted. "It's typically tuned for lots of transaction volume, not lots of data volume."
Versions are available for Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Domino, plus the open-source mail servers OpenGroupWare, Open-Xchange, and Zimbra. Supported document management systems include EMC Documentum, HP-Autonomy iManage, IBM FileNet, Microsoft SharePoint, and OpenText DM5.
Simon Dandy, director of U.S. technology for international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, said he and his colleagues requested such features from Litéra. "I haven't seen it yet, but one of our guys in London is working with [Litéra] on it," Dandy said, in New York.
"There's a very specific need for law firms, where a lot of off-the-shelf products don't really do what we need to do," Dandy added, in explaining the challenges of large file transfers. "We're often in a very tricky position with our clients demanding that we get things to them quickly, so we need to make sure the proper safeguards are in place."
Litéra Secure File Transfer starts at $7,500 for a server edition, which includes 25 users, and $100 annually for each additional user. A hosted version costs $12 monthly per user. Perpetual licenses may be available, Thomas added. A mobile application for the Apple iPad and iPhone is being developed, he said.
Evan Koblentz is a reporter for Law Technology News. Send email or follow him on Twitter.
