Sending large files to trading partners, vendors, or even within your own organization can pose security risks, delivery failures, and other problems. Exchanging those files with a user-friendly managed file transfer solution can help mitigate these issues, no matter the file size.
What’s the Problem with Sending Large Files?
File not delivered. That little error message bears big frustration levels for your users who are just trying to keep business flowing and get information to its intended destination. And with data the foundation of so much business, files can grow unwieldly and unsendable without the right solution at hand.
Whether your big files contain sensitive information, or are simply business-critical, your choice of file sharing method matters if you don’t want your employees to turn to free sharing sites, open-source FTP tools, homemade scripts, or other unsecure solutions to get those files out the virtual door.
Related Reading: Is Dropbox Secure?
Large File Transfer Problems You Might Face and How MFT Can Help
Large or small, turning to any of the solutions noted above for your files transfer needs can result in a number of frustrating and potentially damaging situations, including a costly data breach. Risks include:
- Non-delivery: Thankfully, secure, managed file transfer (MFT) can help mitigate these risks and help get those large files where they need to be. Fortra’s GoAnywhere MFT has no limit file sizes and features auto-resume and integrity checks to get those large files to their destination, assuring your file gets where it needs to be intact – even if your file runs into network connectivity issues along the way. With GoAnywhere, you’ll get notified when your file transfer is complete and more importantly, when it may have failed, before your intended recipient does.
- Inability to pair with other cybersecurity solutions: As a secure file transfer solution, GoAnywhere has the advantage of being able to pair with threat protection and data loss solutions from Fortra, which inspect content before it is ever transferred for threats and data leakage. Another strategic pairing is with digital rights management, for additional protection and control over data, by defining exactly who has access to your encrypted files, wherever they may travel.
- Unencrypted file risks: Whether in motion or at rest, files protected by a secure file transfer solution are automatically encrypted end-to-end. Plus, with GoAnywhere MFT, you can choose which encryption protocol you or your trading partners want to use – from Open PGP, SFTP, FTPS, AS2 or AS4, ZIP with AES, and more.
Related Reading: Why Automating Encryption and Decryption Makes Good Cybersecurity Sense
- Email vulnerabilities: All too often the size of an email attachment is what stops it from going through as intended. File transfer solutions with a secure email feature, however, do not restrict file sizes or types. GoAnywhere turns email attachments into encrypted packages which protect the data contained. Once received, recipients use a unique download link through a HTTPS connection to open it. You can further protect those large files by setting limits on the number of downloads, adding password protection, and expiration dates.
- Limited scaling or availability: Enterprises that rely upon “up time” need software solutions that have high availability to keep business moving, even if your system goes down, by rerouting the transfer of large files to your stable, or active system. GoAnywhere’s clustering functionality distributes your files across the network, reducing slow processing and helping ensure your file makes it through a busy network environment.
- Difficulty of use: Make a process too difficult or unwieldly and you might as well throw your technology investment out the window. Employees will often turn to free or unsecure file transfer solutions if the one offered is too complex to use. GoAnywhere has a dashboard-style interface that users are familiar with so transferring big files is easy and streamlined.
- Manual mistakes: Routine, repetitive tasks around file transfers are ripe for human error. Remove some of those risks by automating a file transfer workflow. With GoAnywhere you can create a multi-step project with unlimited numbers of tasks that can be performed with your files. Other automation can be put in place so your users can program when they’d like files to move between systems or trading partners, or to manage recurring or high-volume file transfers, and more. Any number of automation tasks can help make the processes more efficient and let your staff focus on higher level projects.
- Unsecure Collaboration: Beyond sending files outside your organization, swapping big data files with colleagues can also create speedbumps in communications. If your large files need revisions, commenting and tracking, GoDrive is an enterprise-level file sync and sharing tool that can help your employees work collaboratively and securely. Secure Folders helps your authorized employees gain access to needed files from wherever they may be working from.
- Non-compliance: If your industry is subject to compliance requirements, meeting those is critical to avoiding hefty fines or industry sanctions. Be sure your file transfer solution offers robust auditing and tracking, as many open-source transfer protocols do not.
On-demand Webinar: Meeting Compliance Requirements with GoAnywhere
Sending Big Files is Easier with Secure, Managed File Transfer
Don’t fear hitting “send” with those large file transfers any longer. Check out how easy GoAnywhere MFT can be to use for any of your business-critical, sensitives files, whether large, small, ad hoc, or scheduled batch files.
