Aspera High Speed Transfer Software Comes of Age

Developer of Industry-Leading File Transfer Technology Introduces Its fasp 2.0 Software, Including Gigabit Per Second Transfers Over the Wide Area, New Strategic Partnership With the Leader in Clustered Storage, Isilon Systems, and Integrations in Leading Digital Media Platforms From Microsoft and Others
NAB2007

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aspera, Inc., developer of industry leading bulk data transport technology, today announced the launch of fasp 2.0, the second generation of its fasp software for high-speed file transfer, and significant milestones in its product and business development, including a strategic technology and resale agreement with Isilon Systems, new standalone products, and integration of its software by Microsoft, HP, and leading digital asset management vendors.

Aspera’s fasp transfer technology is widely deployed for high-performance digital file transfer. fasp 2.0 extends Aspera’s 1.0 technology to deliver gigabit per second transfer speeds over the WAN, perfect efficiency for large sets of tiny files, consumer-proof adaptive rate control, and enterprise-scale automation and bandwidth management.

With the launch of fasp 2.0, Aspera offers a flexible open SDK including JavaScript, SOAP, and C/C++/Java interfaces for embedding Aspera high-speed file transfer in 3rd party products. Aspera’s technology has been integrated in media solutions from Microsoft, HP, and North Plains.

Aspera also introduces new standalone transfer products: The Aspera Faspex application brings high-speed transfer capability to even non-savvy computer users through a complete web-based application for person-to-person file exchange and group collaboration. Faspex uses the popular Aspera Connect browser plug-in, now available for Firefox, Safari, and IE, for high-speed transfer in a browser.

In a separate announcement today, Aspera reported that it has signed a strategic technology integration and resale agreement with Isilon Systems, the leader in clustered storage. Under this agreement, Aspera’s high-speed file transfer software will be available for Isilon’s IQ Clustered storage system and resold by Isilon and its partners. The combined solution offers a uniquely powerful, scalable system for high-performance end-to-end content delivery.

Through the new partnership with Isilon Systems, Aspera’s Enterprise Server software will be available for Isilon’s entire line of clustered storage systems, including the Isilon IQ 200, 1920, 3000 and 6000 platform nodes and Isilon EX6000 and IQ Accelerator nodes. The solution will support high-speed file transfers for any file type, over any network, or distance to and from any Isilon cluster and Aspera-software enabled end-point—desktop, web-based, server based, or embedded in other 3rd party products.

“Isilon and Aspera share a similar vision of enabling customers to store, manage and instantly access their rapidly growing quantities of digital content,” said Sujal Patel, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Isilon Systems. “Unifying Aspera’s innovative, high speed file transfer software with Isilon’s clustered storage enables customers, for the first time, to accelerate and scale performance and capacity across wide area networks.”

Aspera Introduces fasp 2.0

Aspera fasp 2.0 builds on Aspera’s patent-pending fasp transport technology, which eliminates the throughput bottleneck of conventional file transfer and enables maximum speed transfers of large data sets over public and private IP networks, regardless of network conditions or distance. The fasp transfer rate control provides users extraordinary control of transfer speeds for guaranteed delivery times, plus automatic adaptation to use the full available bandwidth while still protecting other network traffic.

Specific new capabilities in fasp 2.0 include the following:

Eliminates Pre-Archiving of Small Files: A small file streamlining capability transfers massive data sets of even tiny files with perfect bandwidth efficiency, leaving no bandwidth unused between file boundaries. Users no longer need to pre-archive small files for high speeds. A transfer of thousands of 2 MB frame files between continents on a 100 Mbps link will achieve full bandwidth utilization and transfer in time equal to moving a single archive with Aspera 1.3.

Foolproof rate control: Users no longer need to “guess” at an appropriate target transfer rate. Automatic discovery of the user’s bandwidth capacity allows even the most en masse business or consumer application to take foolproof advantage of Aspera’s transfer capability. Applications may set bandwidth caps as a proportion of the discovered capacity and take advantage of an extended operating range in the adaptive rate control suitable for even very congested links.

Gigabit Speeds over the WAN: Through enhanced protocol performance and a new parallel transfer capability on server clusters or multi-core machines, Aspera transfers achieve gigabit per second file transfers over even intercontinental WANs. For example, with Aspera Enterprise software running on Isilon IQ clustered storage, transfers of large files and large sets of files between Aspera clients, servers and Isilon clusters — maximize speed and bandwidth control regardless of distance. Transfer speeds will increase by simply adding nodes to the cluster. For example, a cluster-to-cluster transfer over the WAN will achieve 1 gigabit per-second, or, 100GB transfers in 15 minutes, between distant geographic locations.

Aggregate bandwidth management: A new aggregate bandwidth management capability enhances Aspera’s adaptive rate control to gracefully regulate the aggregate bandwidth used by all Aspera transfers on a server or cluster with on-demand prioritization of individual transfers within the aggregate cap.

Microsoft, HP and Others Integrate Aspera Technology

Aspera offers a flexible open SDK including JavaScript, SOAP, and C/C++/Java interfaces for embedding Aspera horsepower in 3rd party products. Leading media workflow and digital asset management solutions from Microsoft, HP, and North Plains have now integrated Aspera transfer capability as a high-performance alternative to FTP.

HP’s Video Merchant Solution (VMS) powering a major retailer’s online video store has integrated Aspera software to receive and transfer thousands of titles through its merchandizing system and to a tier-1 CDN and DVD duplication houses.

Microsoft selected and integrated the Aspera Connect browser plug-in and Enterprise Server software for fast, reliable and secure transfer of large assets in the new Microsoft Interactive Media Manager (IMM) platform. Microsoft IMM is a collaborative media management solution that extends Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 for media and entertainment companies.

The North Plains TeleScope 8.0 integrates Aspera software for high-speed transfers of large assets. OpenText’s Artesia Digital Media Group will also integrate Aspera capability in the Artesia Digital Asset Management application to address the international distribution needs of a leading broadcaster.

Aspera Introduces New Products

Aspera’s standalone file transfer products built on fasp provide interoperable file transfer across all major operating systems for desktop, web-based, automated workflows. With 2.0 Aspera introduces enhanced platform support in its popular Aspera Connect browser plug-in, a new Faspex application for collaborative file exchange powered by Aspera’s fasp transport, and a new Central Console for automated transfer management throughout a network.

The popular Aspera Connect browser plug-in that seamlessly integrates Aspera transfer capability in web applications is now available for all major browsers – IE, Safari and now Firefox.

The new Aspera Faspex server application allows even non-computer savvy users to take advantage of Aspera’s superior transport technology for person-to-person file exchange and group collaboration. From a web interface, users can drag and drop digital packages consisting of single or multiple files and directories, along with metadata, to other users or project groups. Similarly, recipients receive packages in their web-based inbox, or as an embedded link forwarded to email. The packages are transferred to the Aspera Enterprise Server using fasp, so delivery times can be guaranteed independent of network distance or conditions, unlike FTP or HTTP.

During a transfer, the Sender, the Recipient, and the Administrator view the progress in real time through the web UI (allowing users to monitor ongoing transfers from any computer), and receive delivery confirmation via email notification. Recipients may browse the contents of a package before downloading, and preview media files while downloading.

The simple interface and easy setup are ideal for ad hoc transfer needs. A Group option allows project managers to quickly establish ad hoc groups of users that exchange packages. Each user and group has a historical log of all packages transferred, and archived packages are available for later download.

The new Aspera Central Console (phase one available Q2 2007) provides a single web interface for managing all Aspera endpoints in a network. Administrators can set up automatic transfer jobs between endpoints, monitor the status of active transfers, control individual transfer speeds, and set up virtual links to regulate the aggregate bandwidth used by all Aspera transfers on a server or cluster.

“Over the past year, the Aspera team has worked to close the gaps in our core fasp protocol to achieve ideal transfer efficiency for any network path and data set, and with robustness and transparency capable of serving consumer users. There is always more work to be done to perfect this new technology, but we are extremely excited about the progress made in fasp 2.0 and the performance feedback from early customers and partners,” say Michelle Munson and Serban Simu, Aspera co-founders.

About Aspera

Aspera, Inc. is a privately held and rapidly growing developer of industry leading bulk data transport technologies. Aspera’s software products solve the fundamental problems of transferring files, directories of files, and large data sets over the Internet and private IP networks. Aspera’s patent-pending fasp transport technology eliminates the bottlenecks of conventional file transfer technologies and dramatically speeds file transfers, even over inherently unreliable international, satellite, and wireless links. The speed adapts to use the available bandwidth and protect other traffic in automatic mode, while allowing the user to adjust individual transfer rates and finish times. Aspera’s software is deployed on six continents by major Hollywood studios, broadcasters, software and game publishers, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies, and is fully integrated in several 3rd-party platforms from Microsoft, HP, and others. For more information, please see http://www.asperasoft.com.