FTP access to websites can be given to clients but in general we dont give this as standard as there is a real danger in accidentally changing / deleting your website code if you access your files on the remote server and do not understand the relationship between the files. If you require FTP access to your files we can grant this access (subject to our other website fees). We sometimes need access to your files via FTP if you are transferring a domain to us and recently were shocked to not be granted to these files (or the original file) by a company that were hosting a client’s website. Their reply to our request demonstrate the fact that you should be sure your website design company grants yourself ‘ownership’ to your full website once you pay for it. The result of the following conversations were that the website transfer wasn’t transferred until the new website was redesigned.
[Delicious to Previous Website Design Company] Probably been informed by your client that they want the website transferred, they asked me today if I have received the files from the site. If you can send them to us either via ftp / email or post on cd / dvd / memory card that would be fine.
[Previous Website Design Company] I have discussed this transfer with my head office and they have strict policy about not allowing external FTP access to their sites so unfortunately that is not an option. As for the website most of the content was written in flash (as requested by the client) so I have zipped up the source files and any images used for you to rebuild and put on your sites. You will obviously need to re-code any source flash files as there will be path/folder references in their pointing to XML files that will differ on your servers. Hopefully everything is here and this will allow you to rebuild the customers site as requested by them. Any other HTML / TEXT content is available through the source code within the browser.
[Delicious to Previous Website Design Company] Any news from yesterday’s convo, basically the full website code is needed to work on a new server and then once we have that we need to do the site transfer, initiated by yourself by updating the IPS code.
[Previous Website Design Company] I have been discussing this with my head office, unfortunately they are unable to give you anything on top of what I have already provided you. Our CMS system is an in house developed system and as a Franchise organisation they are not willing to open this up (for reasons unknown to me), and the hidden content of the website design to any 3rd party. I do not understand the exact technical reasons behind this so I can’t tell you anymore than that. I am afraid you will have to contact them directly if you wish to discuss this further. They have clearly stated that any website built using their system will not run on any other hosted system.
I appreciate this wasn’t what you and your clients wanted to hear, but this is out of my control unfortunately. They are a global company with thousands of websites and franchisees and are not prepared to leave their systems open to risk or to be compromised in any way. All I can do is help my end by providing all of the original source code / images / files that was initially put together to build the website as per the website client’s requirements.
Hopefully you have everything needed to build the same site on your servers however I understand that this will take a little time, and will no doubt need to be charged back to the client in some way.
