Sending large files sounds simple, until it isnโt.
As file sizes grow into the hundreds of gigabytes or terabytes, many organizations discover that traditional file transfer methods break down quickly. Transfers fail mid-stream. Performance becomes unpredictable. Security and auditability suffer. And operational teams are left troubleshooting under pressure.
For enterprises moving sensitive or time-critical data, sending large files is no longer just a convenience problem. Itโs an operational, security, and governance challenge.
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐น, ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐จ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ธ
Across banking, media, healthcare, retail, and government, large file transfers underpin critical workflows:
ย ย โข eDiscovery and regulatory data production
ย ย โข Media and content distribution
ย ย โข Data replication and analytics pipelines
ย ย โข Partner and inter-agency data exchange
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐น๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐๐ป, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ๐น๐:
ย ย โข Missed deadlines and SLAs
ย ย โข Compliance and audit exposure
ย ย โข Partner escalations
ย ย โข Manual rework and operational firefighting
From a leadership perspective, the real question is not:
โCan we send large files?โ
It is:
โCan we send large files securely, predictably, and repeatedly at scale?โ
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐
Many organizations still rely on tools that were never designed for sustained bulk data movement:
ย ย โข Email and ad-hoc sharing tools hit size limits quickly
ย ย โข Standard FTP/SFTP struggle with latency and long-distance transfers
ย ย โข Web-based upload tools lack governance and auditability
ย ย โข Manual retries and restarts increase failure risk
These approaches often work for occasional transfers, but they donโt scale operationally and they donโt hold up under audit or regulatory scrutiny.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ-๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐
A modern enterprise approach to large file transfer must address more than speed. At a minimum, it should provide:
ย ย โข High-throughput bulk transfer capability
ย ย โข Strong security and encryption by default
ย ย โข End-to-end audit trails and chain-of-custody
ย ย โข Resilience to network interruptions
ย ย โข Operational visibility and control
ย ย โข Integration into existing workflows and systems
This is where Managed File Transfer platforms designed for scale differ fundamentally from basic file-sharing tools.
๐๐ผ๐ ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐ง๐ฃ ๐๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ
At bTrade, large file transfer is treated as a governed workflow, not a one-off transaction.
TDXchange as the Control Layer
TDXchange provides orchestration, security enforcement, monitoring, and auditability for file transfers across enterprise environments. It ensures that large file movement is visible, controlled, and defensible.
๐๐๐ง๐ฃ: ๐ฃ๐๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ-๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐๐น๐ธ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐
bTradeโs Accelerated File Transfer Protocol (AFTP) was specifically developed to handle large, sustained bulk transfers. Unlike traditional protocols, AFTP is optimized to:
ย ย โข Maximize available bandwidth over long-distance networks
ย ย โข Handle latency and packet loss efficiently
ย ย โข Resume transfers reliably without manual intervention
ย ย โข Deliver predictable performance for very large datasets
Together, TDXchange and AFTP allow organizations to move massive files faster and more reliably without sacrificing security or audit requirements.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น-๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐
Today, customers across banking, media, retail, and government rely on TDXchange and AFTP to send large files in production environments.
๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐น๐๐ฑ๐ฒ:
ย ย โข High-volume eDiscovery data delivery
ย ย โข Media asset distribution at scale
ย ย โข Retail data synchronization during peak cycles
ย ย โข Secure inter-agency data exchange
In each case, success depends on repeatability and control, not just raw speed.
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐
Sending large files securely requires more than encryption in transit. Enterprise-grade solutions must support:
ย ย โข Strong encryption and authentication
ย ย โข Role-based access controls
ย ย โข Immutable audit logs
ย ย โข Non-repudiation and traceability
ย ย โข Policy enforcement across environments
TDXchange embeds these controls directly into the transfer workflow, making security and compliance inherent rather than optional.
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐
Sending large files at enterprise scale is not about finding a bigger pipe, itโs about building the right foundation.
Platforms like TDXchange, combined with AFTP, transform large file transfer from a fragile, manual task into a resilient, governed, and repeatable process. For organizations dealing with growing data volumes and increasing regulatory pressure, this architectural approach is what enables both speed and confidence.
๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ
Don Miller is President and General Counsel of bTrade, where he leads day-to-day operations and oversees legal, regulatory, and compliance activities for the companyโs secure managed file transfer (MFT) platform. In this dual role, he helps ensure bTradeโs products and services meet the operational, data-protection, and governance expectations of enterprise and regulated customers. Don brings more than 20 years of legal experience advising businesses on risk management, contracts, intellectual property, and dispute resolution, applying that background to the practical realities of software operations and compliance. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and is admitted to practice before California state and federal courts.
FAQ:
Q: What is AFTP and how is it different from FTP or SFTP?โ
A: AFTP (Accelerated File Transfer Protocol) is bTradeโs proprietary protocol designed specifically for large, sustained bulk data transfers. Unlike FTP or SFTP, which were built for transactional file movement, AFTP optimizes throughput, latency handling, and reliability for very large files and long-distance transfers.
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Q: Why does AFTP perform better for large files over long distances?
A:ย AFTP is optimized to handle high latency and packet loss common in global networks. It efficiently uses available bandwidth and supports resilient transfer behavior, allowing large files to move faster and more predictably across regions than traditional protocols.
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Q: Can AFTP resume large file transfers after network interruptions?
A: Yes. AFTP is designed to resume interrupted transfers without restarting from the beginning. This is critical when transferring multi-gigabyte or terabyte-scale files across unreliable or long-distance networks.
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Q: Is AFTP suitable for global file transfers across continents?
A: Yes. AFTP was built to support global data movement, including intercontinental transfers, by minimizing the performance impact of latency and network variability. This makes it well-suited for enterprises sending large files between regions.
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Q: How does AFTP handle very large files compared to HTTPS uploads?
A: HTTPS uploads often struggle with long-running connections and require manual retries for failures. AFTP is designed for sustained bulk transfer, offering better throughput, automatic recovery, and predictable performance for large datasets.
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Q:ย Does AFTP support secure file transfers?
A:ย Yes. AFTP works within TDXchangeโs security framework, supporting encryption, authentication, access controls, and audit logging. Performance improvements do not come at the expense of security or compliance.
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Q:ย How does TDXchange manage large file transfers using AFTP?
A: TDXchange orchestrates large file transfers as governed workflows, applying policies, monitoring progress, enforcing security controls, and capturing audit trails while AFTP handles efficient bulk data movement.
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Q:ย Can AFTP be used for regulated data transfers?
A:ย Yes. Organizations in banking, healthcare, media, retail, and government use AFTP within TDXchange to transfer regulated data while maintaining encryption, access control, and auditability.
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