Ultimate Buyer’s Guide:

Managed File Transfer

Do you need to evaluate vendors and solutions in the managed file transfer (MFT) marketplace? The Ultimate Buyer’s Guide compiles the essential MFT functionality and capabilities to consider into one resource:

Download the buyer’s guide today:


What MFT Features Are Critical to Your Business?

You would never walk into a store without an idea of what you want. The same applies to conversations with MFT vendors—you want to be able to clearly identify your needs and requirements before you start these conversations.

What features and functionality are required (Critical) versus “nice to have” (Medium) versus not really a factor (Low) in your decision making process? Refer to this checklist to get started:

Feature Critical Medium Low

Encryption (in transit and at rest)

Encryption is crucial to protect against cybersecurity attacks, especially if you deal with protected health information (PHI) or personally identifiable information (PII). MFT vendors should include encryption details on their websites—if you cannot find it easily, add the question on your request for proposal (RFP).

     

Antivirus Scanning

Like encryption, antivirus scanning is not optional. Without antivirus scanning, your files could be vulnerable to viruses, worms and other cybersecurity attacks.

     

Auditing of Activity

If an MFT solution does not offer more visibility than your current one, it is not worth your time. MFT solutions should have an audit stream that details all activity, including file delivery and user actions.
The average IT team spends 38% of their time “keeping the lights on,” according to Dynatrace. By prioritizing clear monitoring, you can save them hours per month.

     

Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) uses two or more factors to verify the user’s identity. The first factor is your username and password; the second could be something you own (your phone or a physical key) or something you have (fingerprint).
According to the 2020 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, over 80% of hacking breaches use lost or stolen passwords. By using MFA, you can block 99.9% of account hacks according to Microsoft.

     

Single Sign On (SSO)

Single sign on (SSO) allows users to access many programs and applications with one set of credentials. If your organization uses SSO, ask your IT team which type of authorization you use—this could be SAML2.0, OAuth2.0 or OpenID Connect.

     

Integration Platform Connectors

Integration platforms (iPaaS) are powerful, but somewhat limited in their MFT capabilities. An out-of-the-box MFT connector for an iPaaS can guarantee delivery, store files until delivery and add unlimited file and package size.

     

Support for Protocols and Applications

Ask your IT team what file protocols are used to deliver files (SFTP, FTPS, HTTPS, etc.) and what applications need to integrate with your MFT solution.

     

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