Sending: Become an expert

Sending content using Aspera on Cloud is similar to sending an email with attachments.

You can select content to attach (files, folders, video, images, and so on) from your local machine, from a remote source, or from your Files app.

When attaching folders that are in your Files app (rather than on your desktop or a remote source), note the following:

• You can attach a folder that you uploaded to the Files app yourself.
• You can attach a folder that you moved to your Files app from a package you received.
• You cannot attach an entire folder in your Files app that has been shared with you; instead, open the folder and attach the contents as individual items.

Aspera on Cloud collects the content you select into a digital package, and transfers the package to your recipients when you click Send.

You can send a package to either:

• One shared inbox (enter the shared inbox name)
• One or more of the following:
  • Aspera on Cloud users in your workspace (enter Aspera on Cloud user names)
  • Aspera on Cloud groups (enter Aspera on Cloud group names)
  • A personal or workspace-level distribution list
  • All members of your workspace (enter the workspace name; your administrator can disable this capability).
  • Aspera on Cloud users outside your workspace (enter Aspera on Cloud user names; requires specific permission: see "Sending to Outside Users" below)
  • People who are not Aspera on Cloud users (enter email addresses; requires specific permission: see "Sending to Outside Users" below)

There may be limits on the outside users to whom you can send. In Aspera on Cloud, outside or external users are either of the following:

• Aspera on Cloud users who are not members of your current workspace.
• People without an Aspera on Cloud account.

When you send a package to an outside user, Aspera on Cloud delivers an email notification to your recipients; the email contains a link that allows them to access the package. Your recipients may be required to create an Aspera on Cloud account and log in to access the package. Aspera on Cloud presents a portal that provides access to the package you sent. The recipients do not become workspace members.

Typically, Aspera on Cloud prompts outside users to download and install Aspera Connect. For more information, refer to Aspera Connect for Outside Users.

Notes:

1) Due to security reasons you are not allowed to send packages to external users on an Aspera on Cloud trial account.

2) You can also give an outside user access to Aspera on Cloud content by using the Files app to share a public link. A public link shares content rather than sending it in a digital package. For details and a procedure, see Share with external users.

3) You may be unable to send a watermarked package to outside users. Your admin controls this setting.

See also What is a shared inbox??

To send to a shared inbox, you must either be a member of the shared inbox with Send permission, or you must have a submission link that allows you to send. See Request a package to a shared inbox.

If you address a shared inbox by name in the To field, all members of the shared inbox can browse and download the package contents, can forward the package, or save package contents to their own Files app. The administrator may have configured metadata fields to collect information about package contents; if so, the Send files form presents those to you as a sender when you click Next.

If desired, you can configure an application setting that accelerates your sending to a shared inbox. To configure this setting, do the following:

1. Click your user icon on the right side of the upper black banner; select Account settings.
2. In the Applications settings panel, select the check box labeled Autofill the shared inbox name in the 'To' field when I send files from within a shared inbox.

To take advantage of this setting when you are sending files and folders to a shared inbox, do the following:

1. In the Packages app, enter a shared inbox by clicking the inbox name in the left panel.
2. Click Send files.

The shared inbox name is automatically entered into the To field, saving you the time of entering it manually.

Forensic watermarking is an anti-piracy solution to prevent and trace illegal content redistribution and security breaches.

The AoC administrator can enable watermarking for packages sent in a given workspace. Once watermarking is enabled in a workspace, the admin can make watermarking required or optional.

• When required, Aspera on Cloud automatically applies a watermark to all packages sent from the workspace. Watermarking is transparent to the sender.
• When optional, you can choose whether to apply watermarking to a given package. You can click a toggle on the Send files form to apply watermarking.

In either case, every supported file type in the package receives the watermark. The watermark allows an integrated watermarking service to identify files outside the expected workflow and determine which individual users are most likely responsible for the piracy.

Supported File Types and Profiles

Watermarking is applied only to the files in the package that conform to supported profiles. Profiles comprise not only file types (supported file types are: .ts; .ps; .mpg; .mpeg; .mov; .mxf; .mp4), but codecs, dimensions, and more; see the Irdeto watermarking service documentation for requirements.

Special Characters Not Supported in File Names

Do not include files that have special characters in their names in a watermarked package.

Working with Watermarked Packages

A watermarked package in a package list displays the subtext "Watermarked".

Keep these points in mind as you work with watermarked packages:

• Recipients of watermarked packages must log in to retrieve the package. Traceability using forensic watermarking requires that users in the content workflow be authenticated. Therefore, package downloads from public links are not supported.
• Recalled packages: You cannot recall a watermarked package.
• Draft packages: If a transfer fails to start, AoC moves the package to the Drafts folder. You cannot change the watermarking setting for a package in the Drafts folder.
• Forwarded packages: You cannot forward a watermarked package.
• Adding recipients to a package: When you add recipients to a watermarked package, the new recipients receive packages watermarked for them. Adding recipients generates an immediate notification to the new recipients.
• Save to Files: You cannot use the Actions menu to save a watermarked package to the Files app.

Depending on the settings configured for your workspace, you can apply an expiration policy for this package or edit a policy already applied by the administrator. You can apply or edit one or both expiration policy types:

• Time-based expiration: Setting this policy type causes Aspera on Cloud to delete package contents at a configured number of days after the package transfer completes. For example, if you configure this setting for 10 days, Aspera on Cloud deletes package contents 10 days after the package becomes available to the intended recipients.
• Download-based expiration: Setting this policy type causes Aspera on Cloud to delete package contents after all recipients have downloaded the package (either the entire package or all the individual contents of the package in one operation), or after any one recipient has downloaded the package.

  For a shared inbox, the download-based policy can either delete or archive the package. Archiving moves the package from the shared inbox to the recipients' Archived tab. Archiving does not delete package content. The admin configures this setting.

If a policy already exists, you can further restrict the policy, but you cannot relax it. For example, if the admin-configured policy calls for expiration after 10 days, you can change the policy for this package to 5 days, but not to 12 days. Similarly, you can apply a download-based policy if one does not already exist, but you cannot remove it if it does exist.

When more than one policy is applied, the package expires or is archived based on the policy that applies sooner.

When a package expires according to the policy, the content is deleted from the transfer server and cannot be retrieved. You can view summary statistics for deleted packages by clicking the package row in your Deleted/Expired list.

When a packages is archived according to the policy, the package is moved from the shared inbox to the recipients' Archived list.

Note: Your administrator may also have configured a separate policy that applies expiration parameters to packages you have sent and recalled and that now exist in Draft status.

You can notify specific people or groups regarding package events by configuring notifications directly on the Send Package form.

• When the package is available: When your package is uploaded successfully to the relevant transfer server, Aspera on Cloud sends a notification to the individuals or groups you list in this field.
• When the package is downloaded: When a recipient downloads all or part of your package, Aspera on Cloud sends a notification to the individuals or groups that you list in this field. The notification includes the name of the recipient who downloaded.

Individuals and groups you list for notifications do not receive package contents or any message you include; Aspera on Cloud simply sends an email notification that the upload or download has occurred.