Email is the most common way that users transfer files to other users. That makes sense, doesn’t it? Email is fast and easy. We rely on it to communicate with employers, colleagues, vendors, family and friends. It makes sense that we default to sending a file through email. However, with fast and easy, we often sacrifice security and reliability.

Consider the story of John. John works in a professional services organization and has promised to deliver a large proposal to an important client by end of day. John typically relies on email to send his files, so he simply drafts an email and attaches the proposal and hits send. John leaves for the day, but when he arrives at work the next morning he is met with an angry email from the client. He didn’t receive the proposal because the file exceeded the size limits set by his IT Department. John loses the account and now faces an awkward conversation with his manager.

This scenario is far too common. We rely on email so heavily, but email was never intended to be used as a file transfer system. With email there is no guarantee that your attachments will reach the intended recipient. Additionally, sending large files can be a pain for the receiver who ends up with a jammed inbox. This puts added pressure on the IT department who is tasked with finding a solution. It can be a vicious cycle.

Fortunately, John’s story doesn’t have to be yours. By streamlining your user-driven file transfers, you can spare yourself John’s pain and gain peace of mind. You will know that your file is secure and you’ll be alerted if it doesn’t transfer properly.
Attachmate has several solutions that address managed file transfer challenges. Next month we’ll introduce two of them. Until then, here are some handy tools for evaluating managed file transfer solutions.

Do you have your own “John story?” Feel free to share it in the comments section below!

User-driven file transfers and you is a post from: Data In Motion - a Managed File Transfer blog

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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.”

Security and Compliance Risks with FTP is a post from: Data In Motion - a Managed File Transfer blog

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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.

File Transfer Governance? What’s that? is a post from: Data In Motion - a Managed File Transfer blog

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In the modern world where we live, constant advancement, refinement and people’s needs regularly demand infrastructure overhauls to a road, building or city, where what was reliable and efficient before, has quickly become unreliable and vulnerable to failure. 

Data is the new water, secure file transfer is the new “pipe”

Even the most common and simple conceptual requirement to deliver water to and around a city requires detailed planning and foresight so that there is no interruption of service. In our world, data is the new water, and secure file transfer is a key component of any organization’s data infrastructure.

The tricky part is when deciding to make changes that any alterations made don’t cause problems further down the line.  So to use the analogy above, upgrading the water delivery pipe to the city may reveal bigger problems to a growing city infrastructure that can’t deliver the volume or may provide technical challenges of connecting new technology to old.

As we all know, change is inevitable, but it’s how we perform change that is important for success.

Old “pipes” are risky

As transaction numbers increase, databases become bigger, more intelligence is captured and regulations drive for the need to trace data. Weaknesses are exposed in the once simple system of transferring bulk information.  Therefore the evolved practices of using basic FTP, freeware, having the business units use whatever software they want or supporting many versions of the same software, are out-dated, unreliable, inefficient and insecure.

So a change of thinking needs to occur and one of the benefits of having customers who are the who’s who of the world’s business and government organisations, means we get to see what the big players are doing.

The fact is, worldwide, some of the biggest organisations are standardising their day to day, point to point, secure file transfer needs on a single high quality product…especially on their Microsoft Windows servers.

Specifically in the APAC region where I work, two major regional banks have mandated and completed the overhaul and replacement of all outdated, freeware and basic FTP products based on the following mandate.

All data files transferred internally or in and out of the DMZ, must be transferred using SSH.

Why?  Because a quality SSH product uses a standard protocol for secure file transfer that protects data in motion, adheres to compliance requirements, offers the best encryption and authentication options available and connect well to different SSH technologies and MFT environments.  This strategy as a whole has been found to reduce cost and an organisation’s risk.

Finally, a real solution for Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows Servers do not come standard with any secure file transfer components. This is a major concern for organisations with highly sensitive data, so one of our banks deploys SSH on every Windows Server requiring file transfer (around 40%) while the other bank, deploys SSH on every Windows Server as standard.

For Unix, since the OS often bundles a free SSH product, some organisations will standardise on this where as others prefer to deploy a fully supported product by a known vendor that will respond to service requests and requests for changes, and provide regular security updates.

For example, it is for the reasons described above that customers standardise on Attachmate’s Reflection for Secure IT (RSIT) for their SSH/SFTP File Transfer needs on Windows and/or UNIX platforms.

For the business thinkers, our customer research has found providing a single high quality product means support costs are low, a simple to manage product means maintenance costs are low, a highly secure product means the risk team are happy and deployment is simple.

“Plumbing” advice

My suggestion to the reader is to investigate how many flavors of file transfer are being used on each operating system in your organisation, are they meeting quality and security standards, and if you are paying for a bulldoser to move the data when a shovel will do just fine.

Infrastructure will always change, security will always increase and efficiencies are mandated.  It’s worth taking a look at one of the most basic functions in an organisation and that is secure file transfer, to make sure you are not left exposed and your quality of service is maintained.

Upgrading your pipes – SSH for a secure file transfer infrastructure is a post from: Data In Motion - a Managed File Transfer blog

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Is your washing machine giving you signs that it's ready to be replaced? How about your processes for transferring files?

Before you decide it’s time for a new home appliance, there are usually signs that indicate it’s time to bring in the new and recycle the old. Your washer and dryer aren’t what they used to be. From funny noises, to clothes left stained and damp, the signs are hard to ignore. The same is true for developing a file transfer strategy. There are many indicators that illustrate the need for a new approach. We have highlighted three examples that showcase this need.  

1. The most classic symptom that indicates the need for a file transfer strategy is when you have a problem sending a large email attachment. If you are sending a large file to someone at another organization, you want to ensure that the document was received. But what if the attachment is too large for an email system? Even if the important file clears your email, it may not make it through the intended recipient’s email system and there is no way to know if the file was stalled. You need a reliable file transfer method that allows you to easily send even large files to other users.
2. Another indication that it is time for a file transfer strategy is when there is no standard for file transfers in the organization. If everyone is sending files in a different way, it is confusing and makes it difficult to integrate solutions.  A single transfer strategy could streamline the process across your organization, especially if you select a solution that is scalable and flexible to your growing business needs. Also, by investing in a single file transfer solution, you’ll help cut costs by dealing with fewer vendors and reducing the number of file transfer servers you use to move files into and out of the organization. 
3. Finally, if you are using non-secured file transfer protocols, your data is at risk. The information you are transferring could be compromised and there is no way to ensure compliance with corporate policy. This could have devastating consequences on an organization and illustrates the need for one, flexible file transfer strategy that can be used across an organization and ensures files are received and information is protected.

If you notice the need for a file transfer strategy across your organization, we would be happy to discuss the benefits of FileXpress. Please contact us here.

What led you to explore a file transfer strategy?

How You Know it is Time for a File Transfer Strategy is a post from: Data In Motion - a Managed File Transfer blog

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Despite stricter compliance guidelines and an increased awareness of security breaches, a Formtek blog post showcases the prevalence of FTP and the need for a more secure solution.

In its post called, “Document Security: Managed File Transfers Enhance Standard FTP,” FormTek highlights survey data showcasing  that  more than 77 percent of companies still use FTP to transfer files.

The numbers reveal that a great deal of data in the enterprise is flowing in large batch files with no encryption. Formtek says that of those companies that don’t currently use FTP, 40 percent reveal they’d like to set up an FTP site to allow data exchange. The problem is, FTP has been around for 40 years and offers no reliable way to securely transfer files.

FTP does not include any type of encryption for transmitting data. The survey reveals that when given a choice between standard FTP versus secure techniques like SFTP, FTPS and HTTPS, only 20 percent said they would choose FTP.  The Formtek post highlights Managed File Transfer (MFT) as technology that addresses FTP security concerns, noting, “MFT solutions include security components to the process of the data transfer, making it more secure.” In addition, MFT offers increased reliability.

Formtek also notes that the survey found the top three challenges to companies that are using file exchange technologies are:

• 49 percent – security
• 30 percent – file size
• 24 percent – file management

These findings are similar to an Attachmate survey that found 53 percent of respondents consider security their greatest challenge when working with file transfers.  This again points to the need for a cost-effective alternative to FTP to securely manage file transfers that can address these top concerns to effectively transfer files of any size, securely and reliably.

To read this full article, visit the FormTek blog.

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We spend a lot of time in the Data in Motion blog talking about file transfer.  In the context of business, an electronic file can be thought of as a package of data, and a file transfer is that data package in motion between people or systems.  So almost by definition file transfer is data in motion.

Now Attachmate offers a family of file transfer solutions, branded FileXpress, and today Attachmate announced the availability of FileXpress 7.0, our latest release.

As always, this FileXpress 7.0 release is designed to support the core goals of the FileXpress product family, which include helping organizations do the following:

• Exchange files securely
• Transfer files of any size
• Enable file transfer automation
• Simplify file transfer administration
• Improve visibility into file movement activity for support and auditing

These core goals for FileXpress help organizations solve some very important business problems, including:

• How do we exchange sensitive information with our business partners and customers in a manner that is compliant with the data security regulations that govern our industry and the industries of those partners and customers?
• How can we help our resource-constrained IT operations staff work smarter, not harder, when it comes to administering external file transfers and troubleshooting problems with file transfers that happen anywhere within the enterprise?
• How can we help the business run more efficiently and smoothly by automating file transfers that support key business processes, even when the files may be very large or across disparate platforms?

How does the FileXpress 7.0 release support these goals and help solve these business problems?  Well, to quote from the press release:

FileXpress 7.0 helps information security, IT operations and IT architecture teams effectively manage file transfers within organizations by:

• Making Internet File Transfer Secure – FileXpress 7.0 includes critical secure file transfer capabilities including support for a broad range of secure file transfer protocols, detailed file transfer auditing and an architecture that eliminates the need to store sensitive information outside of the corporate firewall in the DMZ.
• Reducing the Burden of an Overtaxed IT Operations Team – FileXpress 7.0 helps manage and troubleshoot both internal and external file transfers through centralized logging with improved search capabilities, new server status alerts that notify when outages occur and more detailed SNMP messages for faster error determination and issue resolution.
• Easily Integrating into Existing IT Infrastructure – FileXpress 7.0 integrates more easily with existing user registry architectures through new capabilities that support the use of a local user account database for external contacts while simultaneously leveraging an existing LDAP user registry for internal users.

If you would like to learn more about FileXpress, you can go to the FileXpress product family web page.

FileXpress 7.0 is out the door is a post from: Data In Motion - a Managed File Transfer blog

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