It’s safe to say that the last few years have significantly increased the demand for Secure File Transfer (SFT) solutions such as GoAnywhere MFT. When the pandemic made vast numbers of the working population work from home almost overnight, there was a sudden spike in the requirement for robust and effective SFT.
People needed to share documents and other files when working from home, and they needed to do so securely and without interruption to their working day. While the pandemic has subsided, many organizations have maintained a hybrid working model and as technology grows, so too does the need for powerful solutions to meet new standards.
This means that SFT remains one of the most in-demand technologies for enterprises and SMBs. What exactly is SFT, and how can it positively impact your organization?
What is Secure File Transfer?
In simple terms, SFT refers to the secure sharing of data inside and outside an organization. It is used primarily to protect confidential, sensitive, proprietary, and personal data, both in transit and at rest.
It's a technology that has been growing in usage for years now. Thanks to the increasingly digital landscape, there is more collaboration in business than there has ever been. People work on projects with external consultants and colleagues on the other side of the world and need to share documents and data constantly. Professionals in financial services, education, government, and healthcare all have a need to transfer confidential and private information securely across the globe.
But file-sharing outside an organization can leave it vulnerable to data loss and ransomware, with cybercriminals always quick to capitalize on any potential weaknesses.
Why has SFT Become so Important?
There are several solutions when it comes to addressing SFT. However, many of these are highly restrictive and slow down the rapid communication that is so important in modern business - waiting for an important file to arrive is hugely frustrating and can lead to missed deadlines and opportunities.
SFT solutions like GoAnywhere MFT navigate this by delivering files quickly and securely, using enterprise-grade encryption and authentication. This is imperative given the growing importance and value of data in business. SFT provides peace of mind that files can be shared securely, protecting sensitive data.
Data breaches are one of the biggest headaches for any organization. Not only can they lead to the corruption of a database, but confidential data can be leaked or stolen. This has enormous repercussions. These include financial costs, which Ponemon Institute and IBM have suggested average $4.24 million for each data breach, the damage to an organization's long-term reputation and brand, and the internal fallout resulting from a breach.
SFT and Compliance
Then there’s compliance to consider. There is more data protection legislation in the world than ever. This includes location-based regulation such as GDPR in the EU or CCPA in California, as well as a good deal of industry-based legislation such as HIPAA and HITECH in health and PCI DSS in finance.
All this legislation has slightly different requirements, but most demand the use of encrypted connections to share files. The ideal SFT will meet compliance requirements and crucially make it easy for compliance teams to demonstrate secure data transfer methods and provide audit logs to an auditor. GoAnywhere MFT can help your organization meet compliance requirements, offering advanced auditing and reporting features.
Given the financial penalties associated with a data breach – a serious GDPR breach fine will lead to a fine of up to €20 million or 4% of a firm’s worldwide annual revenue – can any organization afford to be without SFT to protect against data breaches and remain compliant?
Request a GoAnywhere Demo
Of the many SFT options available, we believe that GoAnywhere is the market's most flexible, secure, and collaborative solution.It’s a solution used by thousands of organizations in different industries worldwide. To find out if it’s right for you, request a demo and see if GoAnywhere MFT is the best fit for your organization.