So, Your Secure File Transfer Software is Retiring. Now What?

The secure file transfer field is a competitive space. Some vendors, like Proofpoint, are opting to get out of the secure file transfer game in favor of other pursuits. If the software you’ve relied on for years is approaching the end of its life like Proofpoint's Secure Share, here are some tips for dealing with the transition.

Sunset Software: A Blessing in Disguise

You’ve recently learned that the secure file transfer software you have been using for years is being “sunset.” In other words, the software is being retired or has reached end of life (EOL). Vendors will usually let clients know in advanced that a product is nearing its end of life. However, after this fair warning, it’s up to you to create a transition plan. 

If you’ve been with a secure file transfer product for any length of time, it has become an integral part of your organization’s workflows. Making a change may seem like a daunting task. Right now you have some options:

1. Continue to use the soon-to-be-obsolete software despite that fact that there will be no more security updates and no more support. This is a cheap, but very ill-advised option. The lack of security updates will soon render your software, and your entire security environment, vulnerable to malicious actors or unintended data breaches caused by neglect.  
2. Keep the software going with custom scripts written by in-house IT. This option might create useful workarounds, but the developments will be difficult to support, maintain, audit or monitor. In other words, this option is impractical and not scalable. It also introduces a number of security vulnerabilities. 
3. Give up on secure file transfer and take a chance on a “free” tool. More than likely, this option is not worth the risk. These days most organizations cannot run insecure software as they are subject to regional and/or global compliance mandates and privacy regulations, including PCI DSS, HIPAA, or GDPR. Additionally, if you have employees, you have personally identifiable information and maybe protected health information running through your systems, which are subject to multiple security and compliance regulations as well.
4. Identify a secure file transfer solution replacement that fits your functionality, budget, and timeline needs. This will cost you money and some set up time, but done right, you will be far better off after the transition than you ever were with the old system. 

While a retiring software is an inconvenience, it can also be an opportunity to significantly improve your secure data transfer processes, modernize your IT infrastructure, reduce overhead, and increase security and efficiency. Your business can come out on top in this scenario. All you have to do is find a powerful, user-friendly managed file transfer solution that meets your unique business needs. 

Globalscape’s award-winning managed file transfer platform, Enhanced File Transfer (EFT), combines a robust feature set with easy-to-use interface. Additionally, EFT is simple to install and configure, making your transition to a new system as smooth as possible. 

Why Choose EFT?

Superior Functionality in a User-Friendly Package -- EFT provides enterprise-level security for collaboration with business partners, customers, and employees, while automating the integration of back-end systems. Built-in regulatory compliance, governance, and visibility controls help keep your data safe, while outstanding performance and scalability help boost operational efficiency and maintain business continuity. Administration is easy, yet granular enough for complete control of your file transfer system. Person-to-person or system-to-system transfers are easy. Employees, partners, and customers use the tools they already have to share files: web browsers, Microsoft Outlook, SharePoint, Amazon S3 Buckets, Azure blobs, and Windows File Explorer. Therefore, there are no new tools to learn. Workflows automate your system-to-system transfers, making them easy to manage and monitor. And, our top-shelf customer support team is available to help with installing, configuring, or learning EFT.

Fast, Painless Migration From Your Old System(s) -- EFT provides simple, easy-to-follow wizards to guide you through installation and configuration. This is available for your on-premises infrastructure, or you can migrate some or all of your transfer and application integration infrastructure to our cloud offering, EFT Arcus. Additionally, Globalscape’s Professional Services team offers migration and configuration assistance services, if needed.  

Bottom line, EFT can plug many of the gaping holes in your security policy and protect your important data, integrate legacy workflows and authentication systems, and provide oversight of your entire network, watching (or blocking) what’s coming into and going out of the network 24/7.
 
 

With EFT secure managed file transfer platform you can:
•    Secure storage, access, and sharing of confidential information using industry-standard secure protocols, including FIPS-compliant cryptography
•    Help ensure compliance with government and industry regulations using built-in site security settings
•    Manage, secure, and control file transfer and application integration processes in a single enterprise platform 
•    Delegate role-based administrators—user admins can only manage users, not the server, sites, or workflows
•    Monitor file movement and user activities on your network in automated reports and in real-time
•    Create a secure proxy; Globalscape DMZ Gateway resides at the edge of the network, brokering data between EFT residing behind your corporate firewall and your clients in the outside world
•    Wipe data to thoroughly delete it 
•    Prevent malware from entering the network and prevent sensitive data from leaving the network with malware and IDP tools
•    Encrypt data while stored and in transit 
•    Allow or deny specific IP address connections
•    Merge or replace legacy file transfer systems 
•    Automate workflows and integrate systems 
•    Use existing authentication measures, AD, LDAP, ODBC, RSA SecurID®, RADIUS, CAC, and SAML

For more information visit our EFT page.