ROI for Secure File Transfer

Whether you’re a small retailer needing to attach multiple large files to an email or a large enterprise sending hundreds of business-critical files and data bases to third parties, you need a secure way to exchange this information. Without a robust and secure file transfer solution at work, you run the risk of malicious interception, theft, employee error, unreliability, and files being interrupted in transit.

With free file transfer solutions and a host of other software in the marketplace, how do you know if your file transfer solution will deliver on its ROI? First, forget about those free solutions.

Proving ROI of a preventative solution can be a bit tricky, especially if you have yet to suffer a costly data breach. However, the average cost of a breach rose 2.6% to $4.35 million year over year, according to IBM’s annual data report on 550 organizations across 17 countries and in 17 different industries. This staggering figure should be enough to make your case to explore your file transfer options. Afterall, the data your organization is entrusted with has great value and needs to be kept secure to avoid hefty industry regulation sanctions, the cost of remediation and the lack of trust resulting in a public relations nightmare. A secure file transfer solution can reap an immediate ROI for peace of mind.

Free File Transfer Solutions: Low Cost Delivers Higher Risks

File transfer solutions or file sharing apps that still rely on FTP come with several risks when it comes to securing your data, including:

1. Data is not encrypted with native FTP.
2. Often with outdated FTP scripts and batch files, all that’s needed to access a file is a username and password, which leaves files vulnerable to hacking as they are out in the open.
3. FTP alone does not meet compliance regulations.
4. An FTP connection can potentially stray, leaving your transferred data exposed to third parties or at an unintended destination.
5. Auditing and reporting – a key element of industry compliance requirements is not available with conventional FTP. Conventional FTP does not natively maintain a record of file transfers.

No matter how tempting “free” is, there is a better option – managed file transfer (MFT). With a robust MFT solution in place your organization can reliably transfer your business-critical data between systems and people. In addition, MFT can help streamline the file transfer process, reduce the risk of human error, help your organization meet compliance requirements, and be deployed on-premises, via the cloud, and as a service.

Managed File Transfer Boosts ROI

Once you’ve determined free file transfer poses too much risk, it's time to evaluate robust data exchange options, such as Globalscape EFT, which features the following:

• File transfer automation to reduce user errors.
• Integrated file encryption technologies (e.g., Open PGP and AES).
• Audit logs for all file transfer and admin activity to help meet compliance mandates.
• Extensive security controls for stringent in-house policies and compliance requirements.
• Create automated workflows without scripting.
• Send large files quickly over high-latency networks.
• High-availability deployment options ensure uptime for your mission critical systems.
• Deployment flexibility for on-premises, in the cloud, or as SaaS, based on your business requirements.
• Easy set-up that has you up and running in hours instead of days.
• User-friendly interface and administration.

Related Reading: Three Mistakes IT Makes that Could Cost Your Organization Millions