The present disclosure provides methods and systems for improving a data transfer rate from an intelligent electronic device (IED) to external PC clients, via a network interface. In one embodiment, an FTP based approach is disclosed which allows for significant optimization of download speeds providing as much a 100 times the download speed capability. In accordance with one aspect of present disclosure, an improved data rate is achieved by utilizing a high-speed transfer protocol, such as the FTP protocol in conjunction with a novel file system incorporated into the IED.