Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What's the primary purpose of Biscom Delivery Server?

A. BDS provides the means through which your users can transfer large and/or confidential files securely. BDS tracks everything that occurs with those files, so you know exactly who sent files, to whom, and when. You are also notified when someone picks up those files with a quick email confirmation. The best part – it's simple for your end users and the people they're sending files to – no complicated or manual user account creation, setting permissions, or reporting. BDS handles all of that for you, making it a truly self-service application.

Q. What are the hardware and software requirements needed to run Biscom Delivery Server?

A. BDS runs on Windows Server 2003, Ubuntu 8+, Fedora 8+, and Red Hat 4+. For hardware, a modern CPU, 1GB of RAM, 50GB of hard drive space, and networking capabilities are the primary hardware requirements. If you are running a virtualized environment, BDS also runs as a VMware appliance.

Q. What's the maximum files size I can upload?

A.There is no theoretical limit to the file size you can upload – the only constraint is the amount of storage space on the file system that is used to store uploaded files (which can be a SAN, NAS, RAID array, and other redundant or secure file store). Our customers send files over 100 GB at times.

Q. Are the files encrypted while on the server?

A.Yes! Not only are all transmissions between the client and server encrypted using SSL, but the files themselves are stored using AES 256-bit encryption. This ensures that your files are safe, both in transit, and at rest.

Q. How are new users set up?

A.When someone sends a file to a new user (recipient) who has never received a file before, the recipient receives an email notification that they have a secure delivery and an embedded URL or hyperlink is in the email. When the recipient clicks on the hyperlink, BDS knows whether this is a new user and if so, the user is automatically redirected to a new user registration page.

You can define user registration policies, including domains that are prohibited from registering, password complexity requirements, roles assigned to new users, and quota and user expiration schedules. You can also require users go through an activation process to verify their email address.

Q. How long are files kept on the server?

A.You can define how long files are stored in BDS – you can set this from 1 day all the way up to never deleting files from the system automatically. Auto-deletion is useful for companies that have strict retention policies, or simply because you want to keep your file transfer server unencumbered with files that are years old.

Q. Is Biscom Delivery Server compatible with email clients?

A. BDS offers an Outlook add-in that is integrated seamlessly with your Outlook 2003 and 2007 client, and does not require changes to user behavior. Users can use their existing address book, and can drag-and-drop files onto secure messages. The add-in supports multiple polices including attachment size limits, keyword matching, and file types to trigger a secure delivery. Users can also force any message, with or without attachments, to be sent securely through BDS.

Q. What are the hardware and software requirements needed to run Biscom Delivery Server?

A. BDS runs on Windows Server 2003, Ubuntu 8+, Fedora 8+, and Red Hat 4+. For hardware, a modern CPU, 1GB of RAM, 50GB of hard drive space, and networking capabilities are the primary hardware requirements.

Q. What are the advantages of a software solution?

A. BDS is architected as a multi-tier application that separates the presentation layer (user interface), the business logic (application server) and the actual data (your files and transaction logs). This flexibility allows your system administrators to apply tighter security measures around the more critical components, namely your data.

As a cross platform application, BDS runs on the hardware and software environment your IT staff is already familiar with, making the server easier to maintain when applying upgrades and security patches. When it comes time to upgrade the hardware (more memory, CPU, storage) the application and data can be easily migrated with almost no downtime.

Q. Can I make Biscom Delivery Server look like my Web site or application?

A. Yes, BDS can be easily branded to match your look and feel. Logos, fonts, colors, and text can all be changed to suit your organization. Every line of text within the Web application, including dynamically generated messages and email notifications, can be changed as needed.

Q. What about large file support?

A. Uploading large files can be problematic when uploading them through a Web browser. BDS has a transfer manager to assure a seamless upload. With the transfer manager, files can be dragged-and-dropped onto a Web page to upload, and multiple files can be selected for simultaneous download. Checkpoint restart is supported for both uploading and downloading of files.

Q. Does Biscom Delivery Server have support for LDAP or Active Directory?

A. BDS supports LDAP and Active Directory to help minimize duplication of user management. Administrators can maintain a single directory and assign roles via security groups, all without any schema changes.

Q. Can I change the default message and footer that goes out in the email notification messages?

A. Yes, BDS can be customized with content that you define, including default notification messages, default secure messages, and permanent footer text that is not editable by users. In fact, almost every piece of text in the Web application can be changed, including the automated email notification messages.

Q. Can I allow people outside my organization access to my BDS server?

A. Yes, anyone with an email address can be a BDS user. This capability enables you to easily and securely share information and files with your customers, business partners, vendors, and contractors, without having to give them access to your network or other sensitive data repositories. However, you have the ability to set policies and rules to restrict users and capabilities.

Q. How do I enable my existing application to take advantage of Biscom Delivery Server to send secure deliveries?

A. BDS has extensive Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that can be accessed from your application. You can extend almost any existing application with secure delivery capabilities using your choice of Web services, Java, or SMTP/XML APIs.

Q. Can I create my own applications using your technology?

A. Yes, we have a software development kit that allows you to build your own application without having to worry about security, tracking, report generation, and other complex tasks. Instead you can focus on your business and processes and quickly build applications to meet your specific needs. Every item of functionality and every feature is accessible through our APIs.