Only recently we were asked to discuss portable applications live on BBC radio. When we mentioned FTP clients as a tool that you could take on the road and use to administer your remote website, a few people asked what an FTP client was about and why they’d even need to use FTP to access the Internet.

An FTP client can be useful for both uploading and downloading files. For instance, find an FTP server, download a large file (Linux distro or a service pack as ideal example) and, if the download fails, you can resume from the last position using an FTP client. With your web browser, you often have to start the download again from scratch.

If you have a homepage, server or simply want to backup files to a remote location, an FTP client is essential. You can often synchronise files between the local and remote site, so you can quickly make sure the files are updated on both sides.

WinSCP is an open-source FTP client that enables you to login to your remote server, website or other location and then synchronise your files. It also ships in a portable version, so store all your site and FTP passwords, then use WinSCP on the road to access your server, remote computer or other site, without leaving a trace on the host machine.