File transfers are a critical component of today’s business operations, from sending and receiving large volumes of client files to sending sensitive data to offices around the globe. File transfers need to be secure, reliable and efficient but are becoming more complicated as organizations grow their digital footprint. Research by IDC found that the average enterprise expects their data to increase 42% over the next two years.
Digital complexity is increasing in most organizations, making file transfers more complicated and difficult to secure. Research by the data security firm Varonis found that the average company shares files across more than 800 online domains.
Managing this complexity with manual file transfers isn’t feasible. IT teams don’t have the time or the resources to hand configure each file transfer. Using multiple managed file transfer (MFT) tools can help, but ultimately leads to more complexity.
So more companies are looking for ways to meet their MFT needs without adding more tools to their tech stack to manage. The solution? Implement a single platform that allows your team to automate and manage file transfers from a single point of control, regardless of the technologies or protocols used by the customer, vendor or partner.
A universal MFT tool simplifies and reduces the complexity of your file transfer protocol (FTP) servers by enabling you to manage all of your managed file transfers from a single server. That means handling any protocol and sending and receiving files between any endpoints.
Using REST APIs, users can integrate their managed file transfer software with any enterprise tool, making it possible to consolidate file transfer tools and scripts, and to simplify your organization’s managed file transfers.
A Unified MFT Environment For Cloud Compliance
A unified MFT solution is a platform-independent tool that can be installed on any operating system (Windows, Linux, Solaris, MacOS X, and more). Users can deploy to any on-premises, cloud-based or hybrid environment and integrate with cloud storage systems such as Amazon S3, Azure and Google, so your team can easily share files across any cloud solution.
Security & Compliance
The right MFT solution can handle multiple protocols from a single server, minimizing your attack surface and risk of ransomware attacks. Users can create secure connections without opening ports and can use separate paths for sensitive data covered by PCI, HIPAA and other regulations, without exposing data to the internet.
Proxy servers should be engineered to support all of your compliance needs, with support for all major protocols and government-grade encryption standards including TLS, AES and PGP.
Your MFT solution should also provide authentication, detailed logging and reporting. Users can be authenticated against pre-existing protocols with single sign-on (SSO) and can be given role-based permissions to prevent unauthorized access. You can also stream audit trails to a secure syslog in order to gain visibility into all user and administrative activity, with comprehensive reporting for current and historical file transfer activity.
Share Files With Unlimited Trading Partners
Additionally, the right MFT tool makes it easy to send and receive files using specialized features such as ad hoc file sharing, Drop Zones and EDI. Look for solutions that don’t charge per trading partner so you can minimize AS2 costs and manage all your trading partners from a single location.
Ready To See How We Make Managed File Transfers Easy?
Schedule a demo to watch our experts run jobs that match your use cases in ActiveMFT. Get your questions answered and learn how easy it is to automate and manage all of your file transfers in ActiveMFT.
