P2P right for businesses?

Don't write off BitTorrent as a technology for kids to swap pirated movies - the peer-to-peer file-sharing technology could help your business move video and data files, according to analyst house Gartner.

Gartner said many companies are developing peer-to-peer architectures, and while the focus at the moment is on the use of such technologies to distribute pirate versions of copyrighted material, awareness of the potential for legitimate uses will rise.

A research note by Gartner analysts Stephen Prentice and Mike McGuire said: "BitTorrent could be one of the most disruptive technologies in the next few years."

Earlier this month it was revealed that Microsoft is working on its own file-sharing application, code-named Avalanche.

The project is the company's own take on peer-to-peer file-sharing technology but includes strong security to stop it from becoming a method for illegally sharing copyrighted content.

"Avalanche is only a research project but Microsoft's activity will focus mainstream attention back on the technology," said the analysts.

Gartner expects BitTorrent-style technology to play a big role in the delivery of video on demand and large data files.

It predicts that as demand and file sizes increase, conventional file-sharing architectures will struggle to cope. By contrast, the research said "BitTorrent technology could support highly resilient distribution of software (as for Red Hat's Fedora project), updates, media files, data sets and other applications where file sizes normally require the use of physical media".

Gartner said BitTorrent shouldn't be dismissed as a transient technology - instead companies should consider whether they can use the technology to distribute information inside the business or to your customers and partners.

Companies should consider file-sharing technology as a way to alleviate pressure on the corporate network and to make it more resilient, the analysts said.