What is Managed File Transfer (MFT)?

A managed file transfer solution allows businesses to send and receive files to partners, vendors and customers securely and reliably. Being managed, these files transfers are not just secure but also provide guaranteed delivery and complete visibility into transactions – from sender to destination.

Why does file transfer matter?

Data and the transfer of data in and between organizations have always been at the core of processes of almost every company out there. While this method of sharing information has remained unchanged and might be considered slightly old-fashioned, it still supports the mission-critical operations of millions of companies across the globe. What have really changed throughout the years, are the volumes and types of transferred data. If two decades ago companies would operate with primarily text documents, today they consume and transfer many different types of documents, PDFs, multimedia, graphics, EDIs and more. To support this change and keep up with file protocols and security requirements, companies had to start looking for file transfer solution beyond what FTP had to offer. Managed file transfer solutions were created as means for more secure and governed file transfers that meet today’s market needs.

Cyber security is another big reason for companies to shift away from FTP, The more data companies transfer, the more risk they’re exposed to. Recently the FBI’s cyber division reported a 400% increase of reported cyberattacks from previous years – more than 4,000 per day. This required the market to change its standards and modern managed file solutions now often support SSH Keys for SFTP, SSL/TLS Certs for HTTPS/FTPS as well as encryption to add up another solid layer of security to exchanged data.

The ability to “manage” managed file transfers is not to be underestimated, either. Traditional FTP has high rate of file transfer failures that could result in unmet SLAs, supply chain disruption, damaged reputation and even financial loses. Managed file transfers are “managed” end-to-end to guarantee the successful delivery of files and to add up visibility into the process. By managing file transfers, organizations can automate, scheduled and configure transfers to invoke services & APIs as post-processing actions. This reduces time for manual work, so no deadlines are missed.

Once in place, a managed file transfer platform allows businesses to:

  • Have complete visibility over files sent and received so that there isn’t any question whether a file got lost in a spam folder or exceeded a size quota
  • Send files using advanced encryption and data privacy techniques
  • Automate processes when a file is sent or received; for example, to notify particular people or integrate to existing applications using APIs
  • Be able to monitor and alert on critical SLAs
  • Have robust and reliable deliveries of files and data that scale to meet your needs
  • Send files up to 25 times faster using file acceleration

The result is being able to send and receive large, complicated, or sensitive files in a way that is as easy, fast and secure.

Managed File Transfer with Software AG

Software AG’s Managed File Transfer solutions come as part of industry-renowned webMethods platform. The on-prem webMethods ActiveTransfer and its cloud-based extension - webMethods.io MFT, offer tight B2B integration in a platform that also comes with powerful hybrid integration, API management and microservices capabilities.

webMethods ActiveTransfer and webMethods.io MFT are designed to meet all the requirements for a managed file transfer solution in platforms that provides security, speed and governance. These managed file transfer solutions enable you to exchange files of any size and type up to 25 times faster than other solutions. webMethods for managed file transfer comes with broad support for protocols and bring new levels of security to file transfers such as protocol-level encryption, two-factor authentication and virus scanning support. 

webMethods.io MFT brings almost all capabilities of the on-prem webMethods ActiveTransfer in the cloud, with added ease of use for onboarding, friendly UI accessible from any browser and flexible pricing. 

Both of our managed file transfer solution make great candidates for companies who’re looking to modernize and perform file transfers in a secure, reliable and scalable manner that meets today market’s needs.

Comprehensive MFT capabilities

With this Managed File Transfer technology, you can:

  • Send files securely using secure protocols like HTTPS, FTPS, SFTP and SCP, and use SSL certificates and SSH keys for encryption and authentication
  • Guarantee on-time delivery of files, meeting SLAs and avoiding penalties associated with missing or delayed transfers
  • Receive real-time alerts notifying you of issues in file transfers as they occur
  • Accelerate transfer of large files by increasing performance up to 25 times and working around network latency
  • Control the speed of transfer and allocate network bandwidth to partners
  • Schedule automated transfer of files, or designate file transfers to be triggered by specific events
  • Simplify auditing and reporting by using a central Managed File Transfer console to control and manage inbound and outbound file transfers, resolve issues quickly, and monitor and report on usage for tracking and cross-charging
  • Enable both business and IT users to send files with confidence in an web-based UI that is easy to use 

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