Requirement

An organization wants to host a FTP server on the internet. The FTP server is used for handling documents which only the network administrator should have access to. The organization would like to know the options which exist for hosting the FTP server on the internet.

Solution

Option 1

The network admin can setup a FTP server on Windows or Linux. The services required for setting up the FTP server is available on the specific vendor website. Once setup, a public IP address can be purchased from the ISP. The FTP server can be configured with the public IP address and setup on the internet. The network admin can add a local username and password for authentication with the FTP server. Since the FTP server is hosted on the internet, it is recommended that the server is setup behind a firewall. Static NAT for the public ip address of the FTP server should be setup on the router such that, when the admin requests FTP access, the router/firewall should forward the request to the intranet IP address of the FTP server.

Option 2

Since the above option requires additional material like firewall, public ip address etc, the admin can also use a FTP hosting service provider. This eliminates the need for firewalls, ip addresses etc, since this is all provided by the service provider. This would be a better option if the data which is available on the FTP servers can setup on a third party server. Additional overheads like manageability is reduced in option 2. Incase of any issues, most of the hosting service providers have a good support team. The service provider would bill the customer on a monthly or annual basis.