Customer Success Story:
Manhattan Associates replaces FTP to increase file transfer security and reduce administrative burden
Customer Size
1001-5000 employees
Country or Region
United States
Industry
Computer Software
Customer Profile
Manhattan Associates makes commerce-ready supply chains that bring all points of commerce together so you are ready to sell and ready to execute.
Business Situation
Needed to replace its aging FTP servers and transition away from physical shipments of its software builds and updates.
Solution
Manhattan Associates is using Thru on-premises and in the cloud to exchange large files and to transfer software to customers.
Benefits
- Increased the speed of software deliveries to customers
- Increased security posture for company and customer data
- Enabled direct integration with Salesforce
- Lowered IT costs and decreased help desk requests
- 100% global availability and delivery
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“We were not only able to solve our own internal file exchange problems, but we were also able to address file management challenges with our customers.”
Kevin McDearis
Chief Information Officer
Manhattan Associates
With over 1,200 customers worldwide, Manhattan Associates delivers best-in-class supply chain management solutions. Its solutions enable companies to strategically execute management tasks and develop competitive market advantage.
Challenge
With a global partner base approaching 1,000, Manhattan Associates’ aging FTP infrastructure was not able to keep up with its file transfer demands. Data centers were not completely available and occasional power outages caused content delivery to be delayed to customers. Additionally, the FTP system did not comply with auditing and reporting requirements.
“We clearly needed to replace it so that we could meet our security, delivery and ease-of-use requirements.”
Kevin McDearis
Chief Information Officer
Manhattan Associates
Objectives
When Manhattan Associates realized its FTP system was not providing the security and timely delivery required in today’s digital workplace, the search began for a file exchange solution to meet the requirements:
- Increase file exchange security for both internal staff and external customers.
- Enhance uptime, disaster recovery and security posture.
- Have reliable, timely delivery of software and patches.
- Meet compliance, auditing and reporting requirements.
Solution
Manhattan Associates chose Thru to securely exchange files among internal users and supply chain providers. Thru met its file transfer requirements such as secure global availability, integration capacities and an easy-to-use interface.
- Thru Electronic Software Delivery – Many of the files transferred from Manhattan Associates are software modifications and solutions to customers. Thru’s electronic software delivery solution allows vendors to rapidly send software updates of any size to any part of the globe.
- Partner File Exchange Portal – Manhattan replaced FTP with Thru in a hybrid architecture: Manhattan enjoys wire speeds with its on-premises implementation while syncing with cloud implementation that is accessible to partners. Self-serving account requests automate onboarding of partners, greatly reducing administration time and simplifying file exchange for everyone.
- Revenue Recognition in CRM – Software distribution requires proof of delivery for revenue recognition. Thru’s reporting and tracking provide an audit of all transactions. After a software download, a record is created in Salesforce using the Thru for Salesforce integration.
- Auditing and Reporting – An FTP system did not meet Manhattan Associates’ auditing and reporting requirements. Thru enables users to do auditing and reporting checks on their own, without service desk requests. Users can set an expiration date for files, receive notifications on file downloads and include an optional password requirement. Administrators are given the ability to filter files to know who and when any file is accessed.
- Thru Dropbox™ – If someone without a Thru account wants to send a file to Manhattan Associates, they use a Thru Dropbox™ to securely deliver files or folders of any size. All incoming files are scanned for viruses to ensure each file is safe.
- Custom Enhancements: Thru Is a Business Partner – When Manhattan was in need of custom integration for various applications, Thru was able to tailor to the requirements, delivering custom requests for enhancements, changes and modifications on a schedule. These changes were able to minimize administration time and greatly facilitate movement of data between Manhattan Associates and its partners.
Results
“Our executive team couldn’t be happier with some of our new processes… Our CFO is happy, the CEO is happy, and our customers are happy. It’s a great experience.”
Kevin McDearis
Chief Information Officer
Manhattan Associates
The services provided by Thru has given Manhattan Associates several benefits:
- 100% global availability and delivery – “Anytime, anywhere” lets Manhattan Associates send its software updates 24/7.
- Cut IT costs and decreased help desk requests – Thru enables self-service on tasks such as account creation and auditing and reporting capabilities.
- All software is instantly delivered – Experiencing savings on hardcopy costs, shipping costs and delivery time.
- Satisfies customer compliance and certification requirements – Thru uses Azure data centers to meet certifications and compliance