A Managed File Transfer solution to move large volumes of unstructured data, differs from a plain File Transfer tool, like the world-famous FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client/server combination. It does this by offering technical capabilities that earned it the prefix “Managed.” These capabilities include:
- Guaranteed delivery that leverages ‘retry’ and ‘resume’ options to ensure the successful delivery of files and recovery from failed transfers.
- File integrity to certify that the file was not altered accidentally or voluntarily (think “man-in-the-middle”) during its transit.
- Non-repudiation or the ability to prove that a file was sent by one party to another by using digital signatures for each participant.
- Automation of file transfer-related activities and business processes, both pre- and post-transfer, and on success or error.
- End-to-end reporting on file transfers. Notification of successful file transfers (acknowledgment) all the way to the sending business applications.
- Global visibility and auditability on administrative (configuration) and runtime (transfer) operations.
- End-to-end security for data-in-transit and at-rest, with support for PKI.
All these criteria are characteristics of a Managed File Transfer solution and represented the boxes that vendors had to check during a Request for Proposal (RFP) processes back in the early days. Over time, the technologies and industry requirements (especially around compliance and risk management) have evolved, putting more pressure on the MFT vendors to come up with new points of differentiation. Here are six of those benefits to keep in mind when adopting a digitalized Managed File Transfer solution.