Why Your Business Should Choose a Managed File Transfer Solution

Consider these 10 reasons your business might benefit from a managed file transfer solution for data and file sharing.

Here’s an unpleasant truth—your data transfers and file-sharing processes are probably costing you way more than you realize in terms of time, money and risk. Businesses keep investing in manual and ad hoc data transfers which just don’t cut it, as organizations are more prone to cyber threats than ever before.

If you’re ready to stop throwing money and resources down the drain, and work smarter instead of harder, you may want to consider a managed file transfer (MFT) solution to save you from future headaches.

Why Should You Choose a Managed File Transfer Solution?

Here are 10 points that explain why your business may need an MFT solution:

1. Help Secure Your Data Transfers

A managed file transfer service encrypts your files to help prevent prying eyes from getting unauthorized access. This way, from the moment you click send, until the authorized recipient downloads your files, they are equipped with additional layers of protection.

With bank-level security and automatic encryption, a managed file transfer solution gives you peace of mind that important documents in transit, such as client records and financial statements, are better protected.

2. Automate and Schedule File Transfers

One of the biggest benefits of a managed file transfer solution is the ability to support more secure file transfers through automation. You can use automation software to set up automated workflows to move files on a schedule, triggered by events or in batches. Your team can reduce their intervention while facilitating timely and accurate file transfers.

For example, you may want to automatically transfer:

• Daily sales reports from your ecommerce platform to your accounting system
• Product images from your product information management system to your ecommerce store when a new product is released
• Customer data from your CRM to your email marketing platform on the first of each month

Automating and scheduling your file transfers provides efficiency and accuracy, while helping to maintain compliance. Your IT team will appreciate the reduced workload and your business will benefit from more seamless data flows and insights.

3. Track and Audit File Transfers

When it comes to compliance and security, tracking and auditing file transfers is crucial. A managed file transfer solution like Progress MOVEit automatically logs all file transfer activity to help with completing audit trails.

• See who uploaded or downloaded files, along with when they did it and from where. This helps keep sensitive data from being improperly accessed or shared.
• Monitor file transfer performance and more easily spot potential issues (failed transfers, unauthorized connections, etc.) before they become major problems.
• Improve compliance with regulations like HIPAA, GDPR and PCI DSS by producing detailed reports on all file transfer activity upon request.
• Investigate file transfer security incidents and data breaches. Audit logs help provide the information needed to see exactly what happened and take appropriate action.
• Improve workflows by analyzing audit logs to find ways to streamline processes and fix inefficiencies in how files are accessed and shared.

In today’s digital world where data is constantly moving, audit trails are essential for information governance, risk management and regulatory compliance. A managed file transfer solution delivers the advanced tracking and reporting capabilities your business needs.

4. Integrate with Existing Systems

Your managed file transfer solution should integrate seamlessly with your existing IT infrastructure and business applications. MOVEit can:

• Integrate with directory services like Active Directory for greater user authentication and access control.
• Connect to database and ERP systems to automatically kick off file transfers.
• Provide a rich set of APIs and web services to better embed file transfer functionality into your own applications and web portals.
• Offer support for connection to Azure Blobs, AWS S3 compatible endpoints and more to facilitate file sharing and collaboration.

By integrating with the systems and software you already use, MOVEit helps make secure file transfer a natural extension of your daily workflows rather than an isolated standalone process. Your users can continue working in familiar environments while you maintain visibility and control over file transfers from a centralized management console. Integration is key for maximizing the value of your investment in a managed file transfer solution.

5. Better Comply with Data Regulations

As data regulations become more complex, managed file transfer solutions help you keep your business compliant. Solutions provide audit trails, access controls and encryption to better protect sensitive data. They also give insight into who is accessing what information and when.

Staying on the right side of regulations like GDPR and HIPAA is crucial. Fines for non-compliance can be steep. A managed file transfer solution gives you peace of mind that you have more control over your data and processes. Your customers and partners will appreciate knowing their information is handled properly too.

6. Accelerate Large File Transfers

When you have huge files that need to be sent to clients or partners, a managed file transfer solution can speed up the process. Rather than uploading files to a cloud storage service and sharing links or trying to email enormous attachments, a managed file transfer solution provides a dedicated environment optimized for quicker transfers of big files.

With features like multithreading, which breaks up large files into smaller chunks to transfer them simultaneously, and bandwidth throttling, which allocates more bandwidth to large file transfers, you can send files at more efficient speeds. Some solutions can transfer files up more efficiently than traditional methods. For time-sensitive projects where huge files need to be shared quickly, the accelerated transfer speeds of a managed file transfer solution are invaluable.

7. Collaborate and Share Files Externally

As a business, you likely work with external partners, vendors, contractors and customers outside your organization. A managed file transfer solution helps you more securely share files of any size with anyone, anywhere:

• Send files up to multiple terabytes in size. No more struggling with email attachment limitations.
• Set up file-sharing portals or dropboxes for greater collaboration. Your external partners can access files anytime with an internet connection.
• Maintain better control and visibility over file transfers. Know who accessed what files and when.
• Support data security with encryption, authentication and permissions. Share files with less worry.
• Leverage automation for repeat file transfers on a schedule. Your valuable resources can shift their focus to more important tasks.

8. Centralize Your File Transfer Activities

With a managed file transfer solution like MOVEit, you can consolidate your file transfer operations into a more secure platform. This allows you to gain visibility and maintain better control over file transfers across your organization.

Rather than having various departments use their own separate tools and processes, a centralized MFT solution provides a single point of management. This makes it easier to apply security policies, monitor file transfer activity, optimize transfers and check compliance with regulations.

A centralized MFT solution also gives you an enterprise-wide view of file transfers, so you know exactly what information is being exchanged and have support protecting your sensitive data. This visibility and control is essential for governance, risk management and compliance.

Using a single platform for all file transfers also helps reduce complexity and overhead. Your IT team only has to manage one solution, and users can be trained on just one system. This improves efficiency and lowers costs compared to maintaining multiple tools.

For fast-growing companies exchanging large volumes of data, centralizing file transfer activities is a must. A managed file transfer solution like MOVEit helps provide a more secure, scalable platform to support your file transfer needs as your business expands.

9. Get Detailed Reporting and Analytics

To effectively manage your file transfers, you need visibility into what’s actually happening. A managed file transfer solution provides robust reporting and analytics tools that give you insights into your file transfer operations.

With custom reports, you can track metrics like:

• Number of files transferred
• File transfer volume
• Bandwidth usage
• Transfer speeds
• Error and failure rates

Dashboards provide an at-a-glance view of your most important KPIs. And with data visualization tools like charts and graphs, you can spot trends to help optimize your file transfers.

Detailed logging captures a record of multiple file transfer activities. These reports assist with auditing, compliance and troubleshooting issues. And in the event of errors or failures, logs help provide the details needed to diagnose and fix problems.

Robust reporting and analytics are key features for managing a successful file transfer operation. A managed file transfer solution puts the data and insights at your fingertips so you have the visibility you need.

10. Scale Your File Transfer Infrastructure

As your business grows, so will your file transfer needs. A managed file transfer solution allows you to more easily scale your infrastructure to match your increasing demands. No longer will you be locked into a system that can’t keep up with your file transfer volumes or needs. A managed file transfer solution helps you to expand your storage, add new file transfer protocols, increase security, monitor more file transfers and scale to transfer files of whatever size your business requires.

Providing an expandable platform so you won’t outgrow its capabilities, a managed file transfer solution is built to scale with your business and can adapt to your changing needs so you can focus on growth rather than infrastructure limitations. As you take on more clients, enter new markets or launch new products, your managed file transfer solution will provide the scalable foundation to support your business.

Conclusion: MOVEit Equips Your Team with a More Secure Managed File Transfer Solution

MOVEit is a more secure and centralized solution for all your managed file transfers. With MOVEit, you’ll have an auditable environment to exchange critical files both within your organization and with your external partners.

Some of the ways MOVEit facilitates managed file transfer across your organization include:

• More secure file sharing. MOVEit uses encryption and authentication to protect your data both in transit and at rest.
• Simplified compliance. MOVEit’s centralized solution helps demonstrate compliance with regulations like HIPAA, GDPR and PCI DSS.
• Increased productivity. Automate file transfers and free up your IT teams to focus on more strategic work.
• Improved visibility. Get detailed reporting and alerts on all file transfer activity so you know exactly what’s happening in your environment.
• Facilitate quick transfers. MOVEit’s architecture assists in the successful delivery of your critical files and data, even over unreliable network connections.
• Scalable and flexible. MOVEit scales to handle huge volumes of data and complex workflows. It also integrates with your existing systems and software.
• 24/7 support. Progress MOVEit’s support teams are available around the clock to help keep your file transfers running smoothly and address any issues quickly.

In summary, MOVEit helps deliver the security, reliability and functionality you need for your file sharing activities. With MOVEit supporting your managed file transfers, you’ll help maintain compliance and increase control and productivity.

Try MOVEit today—free for 30 days.