Sharing Securely 

Behind most image transfers that brands make, is likely a system called Secure File Transfer Protocol, or SFTP. With popular providers like FileZilla, WinSCP and Cyberduck, or Transmit for the Mac users out there, SFTP is encrypted, reliable, and built for large files. This has made it the gold standard for transferring images for a long time. 

Canto’s experts discuss the technical details of SFTP in a recent blog. But the important thing for now is that SFTP tells your organisation all about one important topic: if the file arrived securely.

Security sorted? Not quite. 

The SFTP Problem

What SFTP isn’t designed to manage is what happens to images after they reach their destination. And arguably this is just as important, because without the right processes and tools to manage their content – organisations can easily get caught out.

For example, if you don’t have a clear workflow for image approvals, it’s all-too-easy for the wrong or unlicensed assets to be published. And is anyone tracking the rights, licenses, or usage requirements for your content, so you have a clear audit trail? On top of this often sits a clunky, manual workflow which probably involves file duplication, long hunts for images, and time wasted manually tagging each file.

This is a big problem, with content teams saying security and access control is their biggest worry about managing content over the next two years, according to Canto’s State of Digital Content 2026 Report. 

So, with your files secured by SFTP, how do you streamline and speed-up your content without creating risk? 

Enter Digital Asset Management 

A digital asset management (DAM) platform like Canto picks up the baton straight from SFTP. Once the secure transfer lands in your organisation, Canto is the intelligent content hub to manage, approve and distribute that content.

For example, apply this to the sports industry, and the result is that gameday content can be shared across all channels before fans even leave the venue. First, a match-side photographer shares their images through SFTP directly into your Canto library. Then, Canto automatically applies the right metadata, tagging, and digital rights management – putting approved images in the hands of your social media team within minutes, while partners receive a one-off link to these images through their ‘Portal’ controlled by you.

Combining the two trusted powerhouses of SFTP and DAM is one of the best ways to speed-up your image-sharing process when it matters, while also keeping you compliant and secure. Of course, the best way to understand the power of a DAM solution is to try it yourself…

Canto is a leading DAM platform built for high-volume, high-velocity content. Find out more and book a demo at canto.com