8 reasons to upgrade from SFTP to MFT

Many companies have relied on the SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) as their primary method for transferring files. While SFTP offers security improvements over the older File Transfer Protocol (FTP), it’s no longer able to serve modern businesses that need secure, automated, available, compliant and integrated ways to transfer data.

The way forward for many IT leaders has been to shift to managed file transfer (MFT) methods. Along with being able to apply to various use cases out of the box, MFT solutions offer greater efficiency via automation and more visibility and control.

Is it time for your organization to replace its SFTP practices with MFT? Review the indicators below to make your decision.

1. You need simple automation to streamline file transfers.

If, like most modern businesses, yours is applying automation to improve efficiency in as many aspects of your operations as possible, consider that file transfers are no exception. Using MFT, it’s within reach to achieve near-instant file sharing and data processing with manual intervention.

Where SFTP falls short: Traditional SFTP systems require manual scripting for automation, which often creates a tangled web of scripts that are hard to manage and troubleshoot. Scaling these processes across multiple workflows quickly becomes unmanageable.

The advantage of MFT: The best MFT solutions come with built-in low-code tools that allow your users to easily automate file transfers. Drag-and-drop functionality and intuitive interfaces enable even junior IT staff to develop and update automated workflows.

2. You want seamless integration with your core business systems.

File transfers rarely operate in isolation. Most of the time, they’re involved in processes that touch ERPs, CRMs, cloud storage platforms and a variety of other tools. To minimize the risk of interruption and make files accessible to the teams and departments that need them, use a reliable transfer protocol.

Where SFTP falls short: Integrating SFTP with other systems usually requires additional scripts and manual configurations that complicate workflows. SFTP lacks the native integration capabilities that your business likely needs.

The advantage of MFT: MFT solutions with robust APIs and connectors can integrate with cloud-based and on-premises systems. This allows you to weave file transfers into your broader workflow with little to no custom setup.

3. You must accommodate multiple transfer protocols for diverse partners.

Regardless of how you choose to manage file transfers, your business partners may not make the same choice. Some might use an industry-specific protocol like AS2, while others continue to use FTP. Accommodating your partners’ different file transfer protocols is a requirement for today’s diverse standards of data exchange.

Where SFTP falls short: An SFTP-only solution can’t support other widely-used protocols such as HTTPS. Implementing multiple standalone servers to support each protocol will leave you with a fragmented systems that’s costly and hard to manage.

The advantage of MFT: MFT platforms are designed to handle multiple protocols. Whether it’s SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, AFTP or any other, MFT can manage them all from a single platform to streamline your communication with external parties. 

4. You want optimized performance to handle increasing data volumes.

As your business grows, so do your file transfer needs. Performance issues can emerge quickly if your file transfer solution can’t handle large volumes of data efficiently and securely. High data volumes and complex workflows demand a solution that scales effortlessly.

Where SFTP falls short: Scaling SFTP can lead to performance issues and bottlenecks, especially when you’re handling concurrent transfers across global locations. SFTP servers are not built to dynamically scale in response to changing demands.

The advantage of MFT: MFT solutions are designed for high-performance environments. With dynamic scaling and built-in performance optimization features, MFT can handle large volumes of data without slowing down — even in times of peak demand.

5. You need comprehensive security for data at every stage.

Protecting data during every stage of a transfer is critical, especially with sensitive information. This means before and after they move through your systems. Your file transfers should be secure in transit and at rest to avoid data breaches at critical points.

Where SFTP falls short: While SFTP secures data during transfer, it offers no built-in protection for data at rest. If you rely on SFTP, you must manually integrate encryption solutions to secure stored data, which complicates your security infrastructure.

The advantage of MFT: MFT solutions come with comprehensive security features, including both in-transit and at-rest encryption. End-to-end security protects your sensitive data at every stage, reducing the risk of exposure and streamlining compliance with security policies.

6. You can’t risk downtime disrupting business-critical processes.

Even minor downtime can cripple your business operations, especially when file transfers support mission-critical processes. Maintaining system uptime and minimizing disruption is essential.

Where SFTP falls short: SFTP does not inherently support high availability or disaster recovery, and leaving your IT team to cobble together complex solutions involving redundant servers and third-party tools is prone to failure.

The advantage of MFT: MFT solutions are designed with high availability in mind, offering built-in redundancy, clustering and load-balancing capabilities. These features make it easy to achieve fault tolerance, so your critical file transfers continue without disruption, and you meet SLAs.

7. You want complete visibility and control over file transfers.

Moving files from one place to another is only a small part of responsible file management practices. To maintain control over data flows and ensure compliance with governance policies, you need full visibility into all your file transfer activities.

Where SFTP falls short: While SFTP offers basic logging, it doesn’t provide the detailed monitoring or audit trails that many organizations need. Analyzing logs to detect issues or ensure compliance can be a tedious and manual process.

The advantage of MFT: MFT solutions come with comprehensive monitoring and reporting features — real-time insights into file transfer performance, security and user activity. This granular level of control helps you detect anomalies and resolve issues faster.

8. You need built-in compliance with evolving regulations.

As regional and industry-specific regulations like GDPR, HIPAA and PCI DSS continue to evolve, you must ensure your file transfer solutions are compliant with stringent security and privacy mandates. Without a solution that has built-in compliance features, you may risk facing major penalties.

Where SFTP falls short: While secure, SFTP does not meet all the requirements of modern data regulations. For instance, it lacks native support for data-at-rest encryption, a key mandate for many compliance frameworks.

The advantage of MFT: MFT solutions provide a comprehensive suite of compliance features, including encryption, access controls, audit trails and authentication mechanisms. With these at your disposal, you can meet regulatory standards without needing additional third-party solutions.

9. You’re ready to leverage cloud and hybrid environments for scalability.

Incorporating cloud services can help businesses scale operations, improve flexibility and reduce costs. File transfers should be able to take full advantage of cloud environments.

Where SFTP falls short: SFTP was built for on-premises environments and lacks the cloud integration capabilities modern businesses require. Plus, hybrid cloud models are out of reach with traditional SFTP systems.

The advantage of MFT: You can choose to deploy modern MFT platforms in the cloud or as part of a hybrid model to maintain flexibility as you scale. Thus, you can enjoy the benefits of cloud infrastructure while maintaining secure, reliable file transfers.

Learn more about how SFTP compares to MFT.

Boost your MFT with workload automation

If you resonate with any or all of the above reasons, it’s time to vet MFT solutions. However, file transfers aren’t the only processes that must be automated for your operations to run as efficiently as possible. MFT works even better when it’s seamlessly integrated with an easy-to-use workload automation solution.

Together, ActiveBatch by Redwood and JSCAPE by Redwood can transform your end-to-end workflows and build in secure, automated MFT practices.

Book a demo to learn how ActiveBatch and JSCAPE can strengthen your IT infrastructure and file transfer processes.