| FTP has gained many more uses since it was first | | | | Email is something else that can be used with FTP in |
| developed over three and a half decades ago, before | | | | a number of ways. Using one of the many available |
| TCP/IP was created. In the beginning it was only | | | | programming languages such as Pearl or Python, email |
| used for basic commands and was the primary | | | | attachments can be uploaded to the server |
| method devices used to communicate with each | | | | immediately when the server receives a new email. |
| other. NCP (Network Control Protocol), which was a | | | | This is something that would be setup on the mail |
| very basic form of TCP was for controlling network | | | | server and not the user's machine. Another thing that |
| traffic. Remember, there was no Internet as we | | | | is very popular is web based email, where the users |
| know it in those days. The only similar thing was | | | | email account is entirely online. The advantage to this |
| ARPAnet, which was miniscule and only used by a | | | | is that it can be accessed from anywhere at |
| small number of developers. As FTP evolved, it was | | | | anytime, and doesn't require the user to perform any |
| given more commands and consequently became far | | | | complicated setup processes they might normally |
| more useful, and became the main thing to use for | | | | have to do. |
| uploading and doing work on web sites. Other | | | | Another role FTP can play in email is as an internal |
| evolutionary steps included becoming more secure | | | | communications platform for businesses of any size. |
| and mixing FTP with other protocols like SSL and | | | | Such application would be bespoke to the client and |
| SSH, which gave birth to SFTP. SFTP is a much more | | | | store all the account information in a database like |
| secure method of transferring files between | | | | MySQL. This is not exactly email but more of an |
| machines, but is often hard to configure because of | | | | online message board system where users would log |
| firewalls etc. | | | | in, and have all their information, including new |
| As time went on developers came up with more and | | | | messages etc presented to them straight away. This |
| more inventive ways to use FTP and it soon became | | | | system can be made even more secure by storing all |
| the backbone for many new concepts such as cloud | | | | attachments and data in encrypted archives, which |
| storage and online collaboration. Naturally, such high | | | | eliminates the need for any kind of secure FTP. This |
| profile concepts needed to be secure and that's why | | | | makes the whole thing easy to setup and use, |
| secure FTP is now gaining popularity and exposure. | | | | without having to configure any firewall settings etc. |