What is the MFT Protocol?

• MFT Protocol Definition

  MFT Protocol Definition

  Managed File Transfer (MFT) protocol is the most efficient and secure way of data exchange used to automate electronic data transfer over the internet securely and reliably. The data movement can be external or internal and of various types, such as sensitive, compliance-protected, or high-volume data.
• Is MFT more secure than SFTP?

  Is MFT more secure than SFTP?

  Both SFTP and MFT solutions work to protect data in transit, authenticate trading partner connections using passwords and pins, and satisfy strict requirements for data security laws such as Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act HIPAA, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). To better understand the difference, it’s important to dive deeper into the benefits they offer.

  What’s MFT transfer protocol?

  MFT transfer protocol includes various aspects of file transfer processes such as workflows, auditing, security, and administration using outperforming protocols, including file FTP, HTTP, secure FTP  (SFTP), and other methods. Many organizations rely on the MFT transfer protocol to support business needs like exchanging business-critical data with clients. MFT transfer protects data at rest, encrypts files with industry standards like OpenPGP (Pretty Good Privacy) and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), automates batch transfers, enables users to collaborate and communicate with other teams, and tracks file transfer activity for compliance and reporting purposes. MFT transfer helps businesses simplify their file transfer processes by centralizing the process instead of using legacy scripts and multiple MFT tools.

  Benefits of MFT Transfer

  Data exchange is one of the significant benefits of using the MFT transfer protocol. Companies rely heavily on the exchange of electronic data every day. Due to the frequent movement of unstructured data, reports, contracts, project-related data, and customer-employee information internally and externally, organizations become more prone to data loss and manipulation. Organizations should use MFT servers to move data efficiently and securely. Several benefits make an MFT server the first choice of organizations looking for secure file transfer, including:

  • Data growth: Transferring huge volumes of data can be difficult. As a company grows, the number of shared files and business-critical data also increases. With this growing number of users, files, and devices, the time to move and exchange information over global distances becomes longer. MFT offers automated governance for the movement of files inside and outside the business, advanced capabilities, and multiple platform support, accelerating big data movements around the globe.
  • Data security: Protecting data is of utmost importance for every organization. High-profile breaches and failed transfers can impact an organization's overall bottom line. MFT file transfer offers a preemptive security strategy for secure file transfers inside and outside the organization. And it helps automate processes, track file transfer activities, and provide secure connections, preventing cyberthreats.
  • Regulatory compliance: Encrypting your file transfers is crucial for compliance with existing and emerging privacy laws. Industry-specific compliance requirements such as Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), PCI DSS, and HIPAA have stringent data security standards. A well-configured MFT server transmits, monitors, and stores sensitive data and empowers organizations to meet security regulatory compliance and mandates.
  • Visibility: Controlling every aspect of your file transfers is critical to maintaining accuracy. Therefore, organizations need to anticipate risk factors and mitigate damages. MFT security offers operational visibility over file movements from one centralized location, helping to proactively resolve issues, improve compliance with SLA commitments, and more.

  What’s SFTP transfer protocol?

  Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) is a protocol for transferring files over Secure Shell (SSH). Secure Shell provides a secure pathway to SFTP providing organizations with a high level of protection during file transfers. Similarly, for authentication, it offers an SSH key or a secure ID and password or a combination of both to provide high security around file transfer processes and user access.

  MFT vs. SFTP

  MFT provides security, encryption, and additional features for compliance to help prevent data leakage and snooping during file transfer. On the other hand, SFTP uses Secure Shell (SSH) as its supporting protocol. SFTP can be used if your organization needs to exchange files with remote sites securely. At the same time, MFT offers much more such as compliance, high-security of files, auditing, reporting, automation, and more.
• What’s the difference between FTP and MFT?

  What’s the difference between FTP and MFT?

  FTP faces several challenges, such as lack of visibility in case of an issue during file transfer, data security gaps, time-consuming manual recovery, and costly recovery of lost files. MFT, on the other hand, is an evolution of the well-known FTP. As organizations' file transfer requirements increase, FTP alone isn't enough for IT teams to provide the desired level of file transfer control, administration, and automation. MFT offers more than basic requirements—it supports ad hoc file transfer with FTP or HTTP, internal and external file transfer, and ad hoc data transfer with mandatory compliance requirements.
• When should you use MFT?

  When should you use MFT?

  Organizations looking to streamline all aspects of file transfers and needing to exchange a vast number of files internally and externally should choose MFT. It’s a reliable and secure protocol supporting several secure FTP protocols such as SFTP, FTPS, HTTPS, and Applicability Statement 2 (AS2). With MFT software, you can automate file sharing, upload and download large files quickly, and more. An MFT solution offers scalability, enhances security, and helps ensure compliance. It centralizes all necessary files in one place to ensure quick file transfer from anywhere, anytime. And it can also monitor FTP server and domain logs online, integrate easily with the existing Active Directory, execute automated actions, etc.