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optimus_nz
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Best way to distribute a file

Hi Team,

We have a client with a SBS 2008 Server. We need to distribute a file each week to 350 employees that don't have email (they're not users on the server). At the moment a document is being faxed to them. Apparently they can get on the Internet though. What's the best / easiest method for us to host a folder on the server so others can pick up this file when they need to. These employees are the exact opposite of Computer Savvy.
SBS

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optimus_nz

8/22/2022 - Mon
Lucian Constantin

Without an e-mail box I think you shoud set a location that would be accessible from the outside users and then you have to send a single information that will announce that "permanent link" from where the document could be downloaded every week.
Also I think you shoud instruct that employees that they have to visit that link even if will not be any update.
Now depending on other requirements that are not stated here, you may be need a protected location - in this case it would be more difficult if you need to set individual passwords or a common one that would have to be changed from time to time and then you have to distribute this informations again to everybody.
Lance_P

The 'Best' Way would be to see what the end users would be comfortable with.

One easy way would be to have a standard URL for all users. eg. www.xdomain.com/myweeklyupdate

This is turn could be pointed to a URL like a file share site (xshared etc ) where the file could be password protected. (This is also because you don't want to give anyone anonymous access to your internal server. )

An admin just needs to change the URL every week once he uploads the new file and that's it. The end users will receive the file every time they go to the same link each week.
pmckenna11

Not sure if this would be appropriate in your situation but I ran across this cloud based file sharing site. You can upload a file then email a link to whomever you like. Very easy to do from both ends.

http://www.ge.tt

I have been using it a lot lately for non-confidential transfers and it is really handy. If you can collect all the users into an email list then it would be a simple 2 step process for you to get the file to them.
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William Peck
optimus_nz

ASKER
Hey team,
Good ideas.
I'm looking to be able to host a folder online that I can change the files at, that way the users can just  go to that folder whenever they get an update to do so... these look like an easy way to host files but not a whole folder....
anything else?
pmckenna11

actually www.ge.tt does give you a persistant folder not just a single file if that is what you want.

Good luck!
Lucian Constantin

Well optimus,

You did not tell us the "entire picture"... for example is the SBS 2008 server connected to the internet so the users could access an "shared folder" on that server... is security an concern for that share - it should be, but how you will cover it - they have individual user accounts or you'll have to set a common account...

As Lance pointed out:
The 'Best' Way would be to see what the end users would be comfortable with
So... what would be the best way from the end-users perspective?... maybe Dropbox could be taken into account as it could be used to get the files from the server to the HDD of the end-users automatically?... and they will have nothing to do, but you maybe have to configure the dropbox account on all of the 350 user PC's (but this could be automaded).
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The solution was resolved by the customer.