Putting IT In Perspective: Managed File Transfer

Managed file transfer is one of those workhorse solutions that organizations may not think very much about, although in fact it is the foundation for strategic business objectives such as collaboration between individuals, and integration between processes.

At one time, many organizations viewed file transfer as a purely tactical problem, with an emphasis on technical details such as file types, transfer protocols and encryption algorithms. Today, many advanced capabilities should be considered as table stakes for enterprise-class MFT solutions – including support for:

• Multiple modes, file types, and file transfer protocols


• Convenient, reliable, and secure delivery mechanisms


• Centralized policies, management, and administration


• Integration with multiple enterprise platforms, mobile devices, applications, and other existing IT infrastructure

Today, the operational context for moving files has gotten considerably more complex. The rapid adoption of transformational technologies such as mobility, virtualization and cloud computing, social collaboration, big data, and analytics is driving hyper-growth in several important operational dimensions, including:

• The number of users needing to transfer, synch, or share files


• The number of devices from which files need to be transferred and accessed


• The volume and size of files


• The distances that files need to be transferred


• The multiple modes of moving files that need to be supported (including person-to-person, process-to-process, file synch and file share)


• The number of applications that are integrating, transforming and delivering content in context


• The flexibility of delivery mechanisms

Going forward, it’s reasonable to predict that speed and governance will differentiate the next wave of leading MFT solutions, for example:

• The time it takes for onboarding – including both new users, and new connections


• The time it takes to integrate file movements with applications and processes – with minimal need for manual intervention


• The time it takes to transfer files – not only in terms of time, but also in terms of predictability


• Visibility of file movements – not only into what happened, but also into what’s happening right now, what can we keep from happening, and what can we prevent from happening again


• Security and compliance of files and file movements, based on policies

For a more detailed discussion, see my report called Flash Forward: Putting Managed File Transfer in Perspective.

Putting IT In Perspective: Managed File Transfer