How MFT Solves Email Attachment Problems

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As data and security demands grow, we increasingly require more from our file transfers than standard email attachments can give us. Businesses need a smarter, more reliable way to send files, stay secure, and meet the needs of their clients, compliance mandates, and industry regulations. Managed File Transfer (MFT) future-proofs an organization’s ability to send files at the speed of business and break free of the limiting constraints of email attachments.

Email Attachment Problems

The majority of email systems cap your attachment limit at 25 MB. Depending on how you cut it, that’s five or six music files or as little as one high-resolution image. We’ve all squeezed quarterly reports into multiple ZIP files or sent a string of “Replies” with just a few more files each. However, aside from being annoying, these large attachments can also be problematic:

1. Can’t send large files | Sending Folders typically requires zipping, and password protecting a ZIP file may be difficult for casual users. When users try to get around those obstacles, all too often, an error message is returned: File exceeds the limit. Consequently, sending large batches of files can be painfully slow, when possible at all.
2. Insecure and non-compliant | Once sent, attachments can be forwarded to unintended users, carrying malware and malicious payloads with them. If the message originates internally, the protocol to keep sensitive data safe (or how to determine what sensitive data is) is often not widely disseminated or used. Encrypting attachments, one effective mechanism, can be tricky for casual users and implemented inconsistently, undermining its reliability as a wholesale solution.
3. Performance issues | Too many attachments can clog your inbox archive and slow backup processes. Additionally, certain file types (DLL, JAR, SO) can be blocked by the email system, turning “performance issues” into process problems. While limited server resources are being devoted to painstakingly unpacking ZIP folders, other companies are sparing the servers and decreasing operational lag by opting for a dedicated MFT solution instead.

If the point of sending attachments was to quickly (and safely) send critical business information, then the above problems impede the point. On top of that, there’s always the possibility that your employees can send an email to the wrong person, or mistakenly send sensitive information outside of the network, putting you in compliance hot water. While email attachments are a good basic resource, they are cumbersome and don’t provide the speed, agility, or protection companies need when sending the files that underpin their business, at the speed of business.

Managed File Transfer as a Solution

Here’s how Managed File Transfer from Fortra’s GoAnywhere MFT can help.

1. No file size limits | GoAnywhere MFT has no file size limits - anything sends. Fortra’s accelerated file transfer solution, FileCatalyst speeds files along, leveraging patented UDP file transfer technology to allow even the largest files to be sent without incident from anywhere in the world. GoAnywhere’s MFT agent also helps ensure those large batch files get to their destination with auto-resume and integrity checks to ensure all of your message gets there in one piece, even with network connectivity issues. And if it fails, you’ll know before your recipient does.
2. Secure, encrypted file sends | While encryption might be an option with standard email attachments, encryption comes built-in to GoAnywhere. Any files sent are automatically encrypted end-to-end using one of a range of encryption protocols, including Open PGP, SFTP, FTPS, AS2 or AS4, and ZIP with AES. GoAnywhere also enables password protection for the attached downloads in case they are sent to the wrong recipient. Additionally, Secure Folders provides a place where your team can collaborate (without sending constant emails) and do so safely.
3. Business enabler | Not only will you not experience the lag and performance inhibitors that come from trying to squeeze large files into limited attachments, but GoAnywhere MFT load balances transfers to help deliver the most amount of critical “uptime.” Its “clustering” functionality distributes files across your network, so they get there in the fastest time and with the least amount of disruption, either to your network or to your transfer.
4. Email attachments certainly serve a business purpose; it is up to organizations to determine what that purpose is for them. When that purpose extends beyond the capabilities of basic file attachment methods, a Managed File Transfer solution can bridge those security gaps and keep businesses moving ahead safely, smoothly, and at scale.