aspera

Aspera refers primarily to Aspera, Inc., an American software company known for developing high-speed data transfer technology based on the Fast, Adaptive, and Secure Protocol (FASP). Founded in 2004 by Michelle Munson and Serban Simu, the company aimed to streamline the transfer of large data sets over wide-area networks, such as across continents or between data centers. FASP uses UDP-based transport, optimized congestion control, and strong encryption to maximize throughput while maintaining reliability, integrity, and security.

Aspera's products are used in media and entertainment, life sciences, and other sectors that require rapid delivery of large files. Notable offerings include a file transfer platform, web-based file exchange, and workflow orchestration, enabling automated, auditable transfers and integration with enterprise storage. The company positions its technology as an alternative to traditional FTP or HTTP-based transfers, designed to overcome the limitations of TCP-based transfers on high-latency networks.

In 2014, IBM announced the acquisition of Aspera for approximately $420 million, integrating its technology into IBM's data and analytics portfolio. Since then, Aspera's products have continued to be marketed as part of IBM's software offerings, under the IBM Aspera brand, while the underlying protocol remains the basis for speed and reliability in large data transfers within IBM's ecosystem.

In addition to the company, the term aspera appears in Latin as an adjective meaning rough or harsh, used in scientific names as a species epithet, though this usage is not tied to a single organism or discipline.