Picture this scenario: Your organization has a signed contractual obligation to provide a set of services  to a business partner.  As a part of those services, you must deliver a file to your business partner no later than  4 a.m. on Monday morning. The file is produced by a batch process that is generated over the weekend and then copied to your partner using a file transfer script. Monday morning arrives and you receive an angry phone call that the file never made it to your business partner, and now they are threatening to apply the penalties section of your service level agreement.

Nobody wants that phone call. Unfortunately, that situation is possible when using file transfer protocol (FTP).

Organizations using FTP are often drawn in by the allure of an easy, familiar and inexpensive solution. But there are FTP risks.  As we prepare to close down another year and ring in 2013, it is a good time to evaluate the past year and look for organizational improvements.

We’ve identified the top four FTP risks of 2012 below:

• Reliability. FTP has been seen to have challenges with large files.  Additionally, there is no provision in FTP for determining that an error has occurred in transmission, and alerting an operator that something needs to be done.   A more risk-averse approach to mission-critical file transfers is to use a Managed File Transfer (MFT) solution, which can trigger an alert if a problem arises and even retry the file transfer automatically.
• Security. FTP has no encryption. This means that the data in the transferred files is put at risk and open to network sniffing.  Beyond that, your login credentials (username and password) are also visible to a network sniffer. Imagine the risk you incur if administrative level access to your FTP server becomes available to malicious operator. By contrast, MFT solutions encrypt files as they are sent and keep login information protected.
• Automation. FTP users run the risk of compromising login information when trying to automate the file transfer process. Automating file transfers with FTP is script-based. The system administrator has to write a script that talks to the FTP server, specifies what files to send, and where they should go on the server; however for simplicity, systems administrators will frequently write an FTP username and password into a script. This creates a notable FTP risk. People sharing scripts are also sharing user credentials.  This leaves an organization vulnerable. MFT solutions significantly reduce the need for scripts and offer built-in capabilities for automation. For example, the initiation of the file transfer, the confirmation of the file transfer, the alerting if there are problems with the file transfer, are all done without scripting.
• Auditing and Logging. Another FTP risk comes through in auditing and logging. The challenge with FTP is that it does not provide the level of auditing that organizations need to document compliance with data security regulations. It also does not allow administrators to easily identify when a problem has occurred and help resolve that problem. MFT will help you confirm that a transfer went through and log the details necessary to identify the problem when it doesn’t. This will help you avoid situations like the one described above.

Investing in a more robust solution in the new year could save you and your organization time, money and headaches by avoiding these FTP risks.

What other FTP risks have you identified?

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No matter the size of an organization, files are constantly in motion between  employees,  servers, and applications; both internally and in exchanges with business partners and customers. File transfer is part of the day-to-day operations on which an organization depends. Because file transfer is so pervasive and vital, organizations that investigate managed file transfer solutions often look to recognize value in three key areas:

• Cost control – Unification of technology and process that minimizes the recurring costs of developing, provisioning, securing, troubleshooting and reporting on file transfers.
• Governance and Data Security – Applying security policy and auditing to internal and external file exchanges between users, between systems, and between applications.
• Application Integration – Both the reliable movement of bulk data between applications and the facility by which secure and supportable file transfer is consumed within applications by application developers.

One or more of these managed file transfer topics may resonate with you, causing you to want to learn more.  That is why Realtime Publishers and technology author Dan Sullivan recently developed three articles that can help educate IT professionals on these key value drivers for managed file transfer. The Essentials Series titled, “Controlling Costs, Improving Compliance, and Streamlining Integration with Managed File Transfer,” is an excellent resource for those evaluating managed file transfer solutions for their operation.

The three articles, each focused on a specific value driver, are available on the Attachmate website at no cost:

• Article 1: File Transfers Cost You More Than You Realize—What to Do About It
• Article 2: Managing File Transfer and Improving Compliance
• Article 3: Improving Application Integration with Managed File Transfer

Realtime Publishers’ synopsis of this Essentials Series nicely sets up these articles.

Data is constantly moving through organizations to business partners and into the cloud. Businesses depend on file transfer methods for day-to-day operations as well as for longer-term planning and analysis. Although file transfers might sound like simple operations, they are not. Network connections fail, data packets are dropped, disks become full, and, perhaps worst of all, ad hoc scripts might not provide adequate error handling and reporting to help you troubleshoot such problems. This Essentials Series outlines the business drivers for using managed file transfer solutions and shows how to improve compliance and application integration while controlling costs.

You can access this Essentials Series here.  

If reading these articles leads you to want to learn more about managed file transfer, then check out the newly-revised Shortcut Guide eBook or any of the other educational resources available at Attachmate’s website.

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We’re often forced to choose between expediency and repeatability.  When a business department contacts IT at 4:30pm on Friday afternoon and wants to find a way to provide a large file to a new contractor, “right now” probably seems more important than “right.”  As a result, IT may be forced to come up with a way to make the file available that ranks great on responsiveness to business needs, but low on security, repeatability and scalability should another or multiple similar requests come in.

At some point, you may decide that the frequency and urgency of these one-off business file transfer requests has hit the threshold necessary to stop reinventing the wheel again and again, and to bring together the right combination of technology, process, and people to create a more permanent, efficient and repeatable solution.

When you reach that point, you may wish to factor in the following considerations: 

6 key considerations when planning a business file transfer solution

1. File Transfer Direction and Initiation

Are you sending files with your partner/customer and receiving files from them?  Who will initiate the file transfers: your partner/customer, your organization, both? 

Put another way, which boxes in this grid should get a checkmark?

 Other considerations within this category are:

• Do you have existing business requirements that require you to be able to connect to other business partner’s servers to either deposit or retrieve a file?
• Do you need a way to manage both processes and have a single audit trail to track all transactions?

2. File Origin and Target Locations

What is the original or ultimate destination of the data you need to exchange with your business partners?  Often the actual moving of the data from the source server into the business file transfer system is considered outside the scope of the solution, as is the final movement of the file into its ultimate target system.  It’s important to realize that a file transfer from sender to final location does not have to be considered a collection of isolated individual steps.  That kind of design causes complexity and creates difficult to follow audit trails.  It is also important to understand how your solution ties in with backend systems and what operating systems need to be supported on the backend.

3. Post Transfer File Processing

What processing is required on the data once received? The moving of the file is only one part of the business file transfer need.  Often, the data that is received needs to be processed in order to complete the necessary business transaction.  This requires the system to be able to automatically kick off business processes once the data is moved to the appropriate system.  What are your organization’s needs in this area?

4. File Transfer Automation

Consider the level of automation that is needed? Will your staff still need to babysit critical file transfers, or can you take that manual effort out of the loop?  Many file transfer technologies support simply a command line interface, requiring users to write complex scripts.  Others offer advanced levels of automation, including event driven transfers whereupon the modification or creation of a file in a given location on the system can automatically trigger the movement of that file to a predetermined location.  Each project is different, so it is important that you understand your project needs and the required levels of automation.

 5. File Transfer Protocols

There are a wide variety of protocols available for use in Internet-based B2B communications.  What protocols work best for your business?  The most common of the protocols used are FTP, FTPS (FTP/SSL), SFTP (SSH/FTP), HTTPS (HTTP/SSL), HTTP and AS2.

6. File Sizes

You need to evaluate what size files you are likely to transfer, both today and in the future.  Many applications have limitations as to file size and often those limits will change depending on the protocol in use.  When considering file transfer technology, be sure to determine what, if any, file size limitations exist for each of the protocols you plan to use.

Technology,  process, and people 

These considerations all inform the technology, process, and people components of solving your business file transfer repeatability and scalability challenges.  Managed File Transfer tools, such as Attachmate’s FileXpress, address the technology components of your solution, while enabling a more efficient process that is practical for the people involved.  As a result, Managed File Transfer will help you achieve “right and right now” business file transfer.

Business file transfer…do it right now, or do it right? is a post from: Data In Motion - a Managed File Transfer blog

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It is no surprise that transferring enterprise data continues to be a hot topic that impacts organizations large and small. Everyone transfers files, but not everyone transfers files securely, effectively and efficiently. This can lead to painful headaches for IT staff and end users.

Aberdeen analyst Derek Brink wrote in his report “Secure/Managed File Transfer: Why You Should be Looking More Closely Right Now” (published in August 2011), that enterprise data is undergoing exponential expansion in terms of volume, proliferation of formats, and the speed at which it flows in and out of the organization. Additionally, Forrester analyst Ken Vollmer discussed the rapid growth of the managed file transfer market, illuminating the shortfalls of traditional technologies in his report “Market Overview: Managed File Transfer Solutions ” (published in July 2011).

This large growth is why companies are experiencing headaches when transferring files. Most organizations are not properly equipped to scale at such a rapid pace. Mismanaging file transfers can also create security and audit issues, require additional manpower spent troubleshooting and provisioning file transfers, result in non-delivery of key business materials, and create dissatisfaction among customers and business partners—not to mention, increasing costs. These are pains most organizations want to avoid.

Recently, I summarized these pains in a contributed article, “Top File Transfer Headaches and How to Find Relief,” that published in the March issue of Data Center Journal. Read the full article here.

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We’ve previously written about the shortcomings of file transfer protocol (FTP) and how organizations using FTP are putting themselves at risk for security and compliance issues. Though FTP is convenient and inexpensive, it can carry devastating consequences.

Despite the warnings, 51 percent of organizations use FTP sites to send and exchange large files.

I recently spoke with Ericka Chickowski for a Dark Reading article, “FTP Ubiquitous and Dangerously Noncompliant,” to comment on security and audit issues with FTP, and shared it is not uncommon for our team to receive requests  from IT managers for a solution to lock down an FTP environment very quickly in response to failed audits. Chickowski writes about how organizations are now subject to audits when using FTP because of some high profile examples where companies have exposed sensitive data.

Chickowski used an example from Yale University where by failing to lock down a database server stored on an FTP server that was found by Google’s search spiders, 43,000 people’s data was left exposed. Acer, a hardware and electronics company, had a similar situation where a hacker accessed information stored on a company FTP, exposing 40,000 customer’s information.

Failed audits, security breaches and unreliability are just a few of the reasons why organizations are realizing the need for a managed file transfer solution (MFT). In the article, Chickowski points to a Forrester report written by Ken Vollmer that suggests the managed file transfer industry is reaping the benefits, “the managed file transfer (MFT) industry measured up to $1.4 billion. As more organizations face the compliance realities of sticking with the old FTP model, that number looks to grow in the coming years.”

For the complete article, read, “FTP Ubiquitous And Dangerously Noncompliant.”

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In the last post we looked at key use cases for server-to-server file transfer, where existing solutions tend to fall down, and the evolving requirements that support IT’s need to both maintain a reliable data infrastructure and respond quickly to new business initiatives.

In this post, we’ll look briefly at the modern technology in managed file transfer solutions that drive the ability to meet those evolving requirements.

Underlying the MFT solutions that support reliable and automated point-to-point transfers between servers are a core set of capabilities that are missing in older file transfer technologies.  These are:

• Success Notification: The ability to know definitively that a file has successfully completed a transfer, and when.
• Failure alerts with details: If a problem occurs that interrupts the transfer, when it happens, and what the root cause is likely to be.
• Declarative Automation:  A configuration-driven method (versus complex scripting) for defining and executing file transfers and the associated steps of initiating a transfer, error recovery, and post-processing of the files after they’re transferred.
• Post-processing Actions: The ability to identify commands, scripts, and batches that need to be run from the context of the target system (or the source) following a successful transfer.
• Event-driven initiation: The ability to monitor directories and initiate pre-processing activities and file transfers on the basis of a file showing up in those directories.

Some of these capabilities are often achieved by enhanced (and yes, proprietary) protocols that perform extra steps at the beginning and end of a file transfer.  These allow the transfer endpoints to negotiate the elements of the transfer up front (valid security credentials, target storage definition requirements, post-processing actions that will be run at the end of the transfer, etc.) and perform a handshake at the end of the transfer (Sender, “I sent XXXX bytes.” – Receiver, “Great because I received XXXX bytes.”  or Receiver, “Uh-oh, I only received XXXW bytes, better try again.”).

These capabilities are the building blocks then that are combined to drive real value in to mission-critical server-to-server file transfer scenarios.  Advanced MFT solutions (like Attachmate FileXpress) hit the key areas:

Reliability:

• Native platform support – Windows, UNIX, Linux , IBM i, IBM z/OS
• Error alerting – Send an email or an SNMP trap as soon as a problem occurs
• Error details – Information on the source and location of the error and whether it’s recoverable or not (i.e. insufficient disk space – recoverable, failed user authentication – unrecoverable)
• Automatic retries – Have the MFT software automatically reattempt a recoverable failed transfer after a prescribed waiting period.
• Recoverable work queues – Don’t lose file transfers in a system crash. After system recovery, automatically rebuild the list of file transfers that are queued up to execute.

 Simplified Automation:

• Initiation – The MFT software will start the file transfer process as soon as a user, or script, or application drops a file into a monitored directory
• After the Transfer – The MFT software on the end points will kick off the next step of the process after the transfer is finished.  No scripting or kludgy flag file techniques needed to determine that the transfer is finished.
• Reusability – Configuration-driven file transfer definitions that can be used as templates for future file transfers.

Putting it all together, with MFT solutions server-to-server file transfers become more dependable and automation becomes simpler and quicker to implement.  As such, MFT is helping IT organizations maintain a reliable data infrastructure and respond quickly to new business initiatives.

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Routine, scheduled and automated file transfers between servers occur in a wide range of use cases in just about every organization. In this post, we will begin a two part series and look at those use cases and the top five factors compelling enhanced server-to-server file transfer.

In the next blog post we will look at the technology requirements to improve server-to server file transfer.

The use cases for automated server-to-server file transfers include: 

• The movement of bulk/batch data from one application to another
• The deployment of web application updates from a staging system to production systems
• The transfer of end-of-day financial and/or inventory data from branch locations into systems hosted in the corporate data center

There are of course many additional uses in any organization.  These are simply some of the more common and generic examples.

5 Factors Impacting Server-to-Server File Transfer

Critical business functions are dependent on these file transfers working consistently, so a reliable and reusable framework for the movement of data between servers within an organization supports the key IT objectives of maintaining a reliable data infrastructure and responding quickly to new business initiatives. 

When server-to-server file transfers fail to support these objectives, it’s typically due to one or more of the 5 following factors: 

• Size/Volume Growth – File sizes and file transfer volumes have grown too a level that’s challenging for existing systems to handle reliably and efficiently.
• Too many solutions – There are a variety of disparate file transfer technologies implemented across the organization’s server-to-server file transfer use cases; there are too many different ways to do the same thing.
• Lack of file transfer governance– Aggregated auditing and reporting needs to be established for all sensitive or regulated data moving within the organization.  See this blog post on file transfer governance.
• High manual effort – Certain file transfers are too critical to leave unmonitored.  Existing technologies can’t provide the reliability and visibility to the critical transfers, requiring IT staff to babysit key transfers.
• Expensive Automation/Integration – The lack of ROI from the effort to automate critical server-to-server file transfers because existing technologies fail to do enough of the work needed for reliability, error recovery and post-transfer activity.  This means that you’re required to code this logic into your scripts and applications, increasing their complexity and making sustainability of those scripts/applications more challenging. 

3 Requirements for Enhanced Server-to-Server File Transfers

Managed File Transfer systems that are optimized for server-to-server file transfer use cases (not all are) support the following requirements that overcome these challenges. 

• Reliably accommodate large files and scale to large volumes.
• Provide a powerful and easy-to-consume interface for file transfer and administrative functions to system administrators and application developers.
• Deliver the visibility necessary to quickly resolve outages, audit the movement of sensitive files and generate reports that document compliance in your handling of regulated data. 

Supporting these requirements is essential in successful and secure server-to-server file transfers that maximize the value of automating routine but vital data transfer.

The next blog post delves into the technical capabilities of advanced MFT solutions that support the above requirements.

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“File Transfer Governance” isn’t a term you hear very often.  But it relates to the kinds of rules you deal with in everyday life.

Rules are guiding principles for everything. There are rules to govern the way you conduct yourself at your job, at the gym, as you participate in hobbies and as a citizen. As you go about life, you ask yourself questions to determine if you’re complying with the rules.

The same is true in business. In respect to transferring files, it is critical that organizations are in compliance with the standards – or rules – of their company and any industry requirements. File transfer governance is about monitoring compliance with the policies your organization establishes that enforce those standards. Of course those policies and standards need to be in place first.  Is there a policy establishing the use of a standard for a secure file transfer protocol? Has that secure file transfer protocol standard first been established?

File Transfer Governance Questions to Ask Yourself

We thought it would be helpful to provide you with some quick questions to ask yourself to see where file transfer governance is relevant to your organization and if a managed file transfer (MFT) solution could be an option to help.

1. Is there a corporate policy around encrypting sensitive data during transfer? Do you have procedures in place to ensure compliance with this policy?
• MFT solutions support the secure file transfer protocols that encrypt files in transit. Additionally, they can bridge between insecure and secure protocols making a phased transition possible. MFT solutions often serve as a concentration point for external file transfers, providing file transfer governance by ensuring that no transfer is allowed to occur over an insecure protocol.
2. Is your organization and its employees using multiple solutions for file transfers?
• If yes, then it’s likely each solution has its own approach to configuring security and file transfer governance capabilities, and your team has to learn each one. Consider streamlining your organization’s file transfers with one MFT solution. This can help reduce cost, simplify file transfer governance, and keep the process consistent.
3. Do you leverage “home-grown” applications built on FTP to transfer files?
• This is not uncommon. If yes, look at the potential costs and problems associated with these solutions. Homegrown solutions are typically quite tactical and lack the file transfer governance capabilities built into commercial solutions. Using the insecure FTP protocol, your information could be at risk. This can open the company up to regulatory fines, damage to its image and an increase in business costs when trying to frantically remedy these vulnerabilities as part of a “fire drill” project.
4. What regulatory requirements apply to your business as it relates to protecting data and breach notification? Any international regulations? Does your current solution support compliance with these requirements?
• If your current solution does not support your security policies, then it will be hard-pressed to facilitate compliance with regulatory requirements faced by your organization. Take auditing for instance.  Keeping a record of the secure movement of sensitive files and being able to report in aggregate on file transfer activity over a period of time is a key security control prescribed by file transfer governance and delivered in MFT solutions.

Simplify File Transfer Governance

By leveraging a robust file transfer solution, such as FileXpress, you simplify file transfer governance through such things as consistency, secure protocols and centralized auditing. To help you search for an MFT solution, check out our previous blog post on research tools.

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Failure is not a term sought after by most. People do not start a project with the intention to fail, but rather to succeed. The same is true for the key file transfers that keep your business moving. Nobody wants to be set up for failure; however, with the wrong tools in place, failure is quite possible.

We’ve come up with the top three classic file transfer “fails” to show what you could be risking.

1. My customer knew the file transfer failed before I did. In interactions and transactions with clients, there is an expectation that promised files will be delivered in a timely manner.  When a customer notices that a file did not make it before the delivering organization does, it can create tension and questions about reliability. Additionally, with FTP (the basis for many home-grown file transfer solutions) there is no alert that a file did not reach its intended destination. So while FTP may be quick and easy to implement, it doesn’t protect you from the potential embarrassment and doesn’t provide a failsafe system that alerts you of an error.
2. My email attachment is too big. The number one file transfer fail that we hear time and time again is an  email attachment that has been blocked from being sent or received because it is too large. This is the way that the majority of people send documents to other people; inside and outside of their organization. Not only is the file transmission not secure, but there is no way to know that the file made it through your email and into your intended target’s inbox. Email attachments also take up inbox space.  “Your inbox is full” messages are so annoying.
3. My IT staff is spending too much time involved manually managing file transfers. When there are multiple file transfer solutions within an organization, it requires a great deal of maintenance. Custom scripts for each solution are hard to maintain and hard to support. This is increasingly difficult as an organization grows in size and the demand increases. Provisioning tasks are often manual, requiring a great deal of time and effort. Wasting resources is a big fail, when resources could be allocated to more pressing tasks.

The good news is these classic fails don’t have to happen to you! Your organization can avoid failure and be prepared for success by implementing a managed file transfer solution, like those offered by Attachmate. Read our previous blog post on tools for evaluating your solution.

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We talk a lot about the benefits of an MFT solution on the “Data in Motion” blog. But once you’ve identified the need for MFT, how do you go about selecting the best one? We thought it might be helpful to provide you with some research tools to utilize when evaluating your options and selecting the right MFT solution that meets your business needs.

Analyst firms that research managed file transfer include Aberdeen, Forrester, Gartner and IDC.  We have included reports published surrounding MFT that can help in your search. We’ve also provided links to helpful blogs and white papers that aid in your search.

 Third Party Research

• Gartner — What MFT Is, and How It Applies to You
• Attachmate is currently offering access to this report on our website at no charge
• Gartner– Use These Evaluation Criteria to Establish Your MFT Requirements
• Gartner — How to Distinguish and Choose Between MFT Solutions
• Forrester –Market Overview: Managed File Transfer Solutions

 Blogs

• Filetransferconsulting.com
• Managedfiletransfer.com

White Papers

• Streamlining Information Workflows with Managed File Transfers
• Controlling the Cost of File Transfers
• Securing Internet File Transfers
• Attachmate’s MFT eBook on eliminating insecure and unreliable file transfer

Discussion

• LinkedIn Managed File Transfer Group

Video

• Making File Transfer a Strategic IT Asset

Once you’ve had an opportunity to evaluate the options that are available, we are happy to discuss our FileXpress solution and how it can help you drive more security, visibility and governance in the way you move data inside and outside your organization. Contact us here.

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