Most FTP clients support connections over Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connections but few are designed specifically for them.

Secure FTP, however, is designed to provide maximum security when accessing SSL FTP connections. Secure FTP is a Java-based app that supports 256-bit AES encrypted secure connections. It can be run via either an easy-to-use Graphical User Interface (GUI) or for advanced users, a Command-Line Interface (CLI). The great thing is that it's absolutely free to use for non commercial use although commercial licenses can be granted free to try for 30 days.

The GUI interface of Secure FTP will be familiar to anyone that has used an FTP client before. Simply open a new connection, give it a name, enter the username and password plus of course, the host FTP address. You can choose to connect anonymously if you want, but note that many SSL connections won't allow this anyway. The only problem you may experience with Secure FTP is connecting to certain servers. The program forum indicates that those trying to connect to IIS servers have suffered particular problems and so it will be configuration that poses the main problems, if any.

Secure FTP is an ideal solution for those who need maximum security when accessing SSL FTP connections.