In this age of internet, smart phones, faster computers and networks, data sharing is exploding at a rate unfathomable even a few years ago. Cloud computing, real time processing and supply chain automation are creating increased demand for data sharing among businesses. The more data gets moved around the public internet, the more it is susceptible to theft, forgery, and other illegal uses. Today more than ever businesses need to protect sensitive data from security risks. Businesses are using diverse mechanisms for moving data around. Additionally, the sheer size of the data being moved around creates Big Data challenges. To solve these problems, businesses need Managed File Transfer (MFT).

Is your organization realizing the need for MFT? Consider the following:

You are an IT manager/director responsible for a number of application systems at your organization. You manage an adhoc file transfer (FTP) solution your business uses for exchanging files with trading partners. You have recently been asked to enhance the file transfer solution capabilities to meet one or more business objectives. In addition to the medium term needs, you are also looking at the long term road map of your file transfer solution. The near term and future business objectives require a solution with a higher level of security, file transfer automation, support for modern protocols, visibility of file transfers, reporting and metrics, and scalability.

The strategic question you want to answer is whether to build versus buy. You conduct a study to figure out total cost of ownership, time to market, and organizational capabilities for building a solution in-house.The study clearly shows that developing a modern file transfer platform, routinely enhancing it, and maintaining it on an ongoing basis is cost prohibitive. The study also indicates that it will take years to support required features and your company does not have the expertise to build the solution in-house. So the decision is made to acquire a commercial MFT solution and customize it to meet your business needs instead of developing an in-house solution.

By choosing a commercial MFT solution, your company can quickly get access to these necessary features. MFT vendors' investment in their software means timely security updates, access to new features, technology updates, and incremental functional and performance fixes. These benefits allow organizations to focus on growing their business and to lean on commercial software vendors to solve complex technical challenges related to managed file transfer.

What should you look for in an off-the-shelf MFT solution? Modern managed file transfer solutions are differentiated based on following features:

-  Protocol support (AS2/AS3, FTP/S, HTTP/S, OFTP2, SOAP, SFTP)
-  Ability to encrypt/decrypt and securely transfer files
-  File transfer automation that allows for both real time and batch processing
-  Configurable alerting and notification for failed and successful file transfers
-  Ease of integration with existing applications
-  Reporting and file transfer statistics
-  Scalable and highly available solution

 

The first thing you do is order the Gartner Magic Quadrant report for Managed File Transfer. Gartner magic quadrant report for MFT can be used to get a sense for the best-of-class MFT solutions. IBM as an MFT software provider catches your attention because IBM is both a leader and a visionary and you have existing IBM relationships. Or maybe you used a more conventional approach of calling a former colleague who uses a commercial MFT solution. Gartner or friends or former colleagues point you to IBM's Suite of MFT products.

 

File Gateway	Connect Direct	Control Center	Secure Proxy
Best of class secure file transfer platform featuring modern MFT capabilities	Point-to-point reliable file transfer protocol with optional SSL security	Centralized monitoring and management of file transfers across disparate IBM file transfer	Provides separation between external connections and internal IBM MFT applications

 

After carefully reviewing capabilities of various IBM MFT solutions, you pick Sterling File Gateway. Now what? Choosing GenuCom to solve your manage file transfer needs gives you access to the best-of-class IBM MFT solution through our IBM partnership. It also gives you access to architects and engineers with deep industry experience who have engineered and implemented IBM Sterling File Gateway since its inception. We provide consulting services across a variety of IBM Sterling products.

GenuCom can assist you with all phases of an MFT implementation. Our professionals can help you with architecture and design, installation and configuration, implementation build out, partner on-boarding, and support. We’ll ensure your implementation is smooth and successful, your system is tuned and staged for future growth, and that you are utilizing the MFT features to the fullest.