eHelpSecure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) is based upon the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol, and is used for transfering files between a local computer (such as the one on your desktop) and a remote computer. With SFTP, your password and your data are encrypted on their journey to and from the remote computer. SFTP replaces the old FTP protocol, which encrypts neither your password nor your data.
In the near future, no systems at Cal Poly Pomona will accept FTP connections, so SFTP will be the only way to transfer files. This is a good thing, because every time you use FTP, you are sending your unencrypted password across the network where anyone with the right software and access can intercept it and read it.
Other systems, outside Cal Poly Pomona, may not support SFTP, but you should always be wary of any system that doesn't protect your information.
If your only use of file transfer is uploading web pages to your web site, it's just a matter of telling your web design software to use SFTP instead of FTP. Instructions are provided for Contribute and Dreamweaver.
If you need a general purpose program for Windows or Mac to transfer files, you might have already been using WS_FTP or Fetch. Windows users can throw away their WS_FTP; WinSCP does everything it does, and more. Mac users can upgrade to the latest Fetch, which supports SFTP, but Fugu is in many ways a better program.
