Evaluating a Hosted or SaaS MFT Solution  

If you’re exploring Managed File Transfer (MFT) solutions to move on from legacy programs, or even if you already have MFT in place and are curious if a hosted, or SaaS MFT solution is in your future, here’s how to get started with evaluating a leading provider — GoAnywhere MFT’s MFTaaS deployment option.

Whether your business is entirely cloud-based or you’re in the process of making the migration from on-premises solutions to the cloud, here’s how to easily start evaluating an MFTaaS option.

First Steps to Evaluate a SaaS MFT Solution

If you are not already a GoAnywhere customer, your first step is to create an account on the GoAnywhere Customer Portal. Once registered, alert your sales representative so they can expedite the account approval. If you’re already a GoAnywhere customer start by logging in to the customer portal.

Then take the following steps:

• Once you’re logged in, Select Cloud Environments from the menu bar, then
  select Create GoAnywhere Cloud Environment.

• As all GoAnywhere MFTaaS environments are hosted within AWS, select your AWS Region.
• Then, choose the Time Zone you want the environment to run in. Available Time Zones depend on the AWS Region you select, or you can set the system to run on UTC Time.
• Next, select an Environment Name. GoAnywhere defaults to Evaluation, but you can set a more meaningful name if you wish.
• You’ll then select a Domain Name. This determines the default DNS (Domain Name System) for the Admin Console URL, as well as the Web Client URL. NOTE: Once the environment has been spun up, you can also add your company’s wild card certificates to the HTTPS and Admin servers, to set up your own branded URL.

Existing customers should ask their sales representative for more specific information on how to complete this step. 

Creating an Administrator Account in GoAnywhere MFTaaS

When setting up an initial GoAnywhere Administrator Account, be sure you store the Username and Password in a safe place, as you’ll need it to access the MFTaaS environment.

You can expand the Advanced Configuration tab if you need to change any of the Listener Ports, or you can use the defaults.

You can review, download, and print the MFTaaS Software License and Services Agreement.

When you are ready, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click Create.

Typically, in less than an hour, you’ll receive a Getting Started with GoAnywhere email stating that your 30-day trial has been activated.

The email notes that the cloud environment is not publicly accessible and requires an IP filter to be added and includes a link to the Admin Console. But there is one step to take first:

• Log back in to the Customer Portal and go to the Cloud Environments screen again. There, you’ll see an icon for the Evaluation Environment, with the Environment Name you specified. Select Manage from the menu in the upper right corner of the icon.
• This screen, titled Manage Cloud Environment, is where you’ll manage the cloud environment.

• Under General Attributes, you’ll see the settings you specified: Environment Name, Region, and Time Zone. The type for Evaluation Environments will always be Tier 1 and Status will generally be Environment Updated.

 Networking Attributes for GoAnywhere MFTaaS

The Admin Client URL is how you’ll connect to the Admin Console and where you’ll configure and set up your environment, and also where you’ll begin your test or evaluation of MFTaaS. But don’t click on the link just yet. There’s one more step needed. But first, let’s finish looking at this section.

Additional Admin Account Highlights

• The Web Client URL is the default https URL for the web client. If you enable the HTTPS Listener and if you set up web user accounts, this is the URL they can use to upload and download files via Secure Folders, collaborate on files through the GoDrive, send Secure Mail messages, or access Secure Forms. You can also set your own custom URL.
• The File Transfer IP Address is the IP address for incoming connectivity into the GoAnywhere MFTaaS environment. More specifically, it’s the IP address for connecting to the GoAnywhere Gateway, the forward and reverse proxy server included with the MFTaaS environment and through which all incoming connectivity, including Admin Users, Web Users, and Agents is routed.
• The MFT Instance 1 IP Address is the external IP address that GoAnywhere presents for outgoing connectivity. This is the IP address your trading partners may need to allowlist for you to connect to their networks, or that you may need to allowlist for GoAnywhere to connect to your local SMTP server to send email alerts.

You’ll also see a series of tabs. For now, we’ll focus on two:

• The Allowed Admin IPs tab is why you couldn’t click on the link in the Getting Started email or the Admin Client URL link under the Network Attributes and connect to the Admin Console.

For security best practices, Fortra MFT does not allow open access to the Admin Console. Instead, you need to specify the CIDR range for each Admin User you wish to have access to the Admin Console. You’ll have to add at least one IP Address CIDR range here to reach the Admin Console. Click Add IP Address after each entry you wish to add and scroll down and click Submit when done.

The update should take less than 15 minutes, and then you can begin your evaluation.

• The Manage tab is where you go if you need to do any of the following:
• Download Support Logs, which you may need to do if you need to open a Support Ticket.
• Restart Service: Some changes, particularly to the Admin Server, require the GoAnywhere service to be restarted before they take effect.
• Disable MFT IP Filters, which will be addressed in a future blog post
• Reset Admin Password: Should you need to reset an Admin User password

Evaluating a SaaS MFT Solution Doesn’t Have to be Complicated.

With GoAnywhere MFTaaS, you can experience the same robust automation, security, and control of on-premises MFT, without the infrastructure overhead. Whether you’re exploring cloud migration or looking to modernize legacy file transfer systems, MFTaaS provides a fast, flexible way to see how managed file transfers perform in a secure, fully hosted environment.