Why Managed File Transfer (MFT) Is Essential for Autonomous IT Operations

Technology teams are under more pressure than ever to deliver measurable business success. In practice, this means supporting hybrid computing and fostering robust security controls across the entire infrastructure estate, reducing disruptions and downtime and establishing a backbone for autonomous IT.

The risks of not being protected are real. In 2024, the UK Government Cyber Security Breaches Survey revealed that 50% of UK businesses had suffered a cyberattack or security breach in the previous 12 months.

With the constantly growing need to access and share data, safe and secure data transfer has become essential to enterprise operations. Against this background, managed file transfer (MFT) couldn’t be more important. Yet far from being purely an agent for moving files, MFT plays a key role in enhancing security, supporting compliance, reducing disruptions and paving the way for autonomous IT operations—ultimately helping to keep an organisation’s data more secure.

However, as CISOs wear many hats in their role, staying abreast of data transfer strategies can be a challenge. For those with homegrown, open-source and outdated file transfer methods, this can lead to costly implications and potential non-compliance.

The Biggest Challenges for Organisations to Store and Share Data Securely

When it comes to data exchanges, the primary challenges are data security and compliance. While many organisations are legally required to safeguard their data to comply with Payment Card Industry (PCI-DSS) and General Data Protection Act (GDPR) regulations, others grasp the need to mitigate the risks associated with data transfer activities and implement measures to enhance their security strategy for protecting sensitive data.

With ever-changing risks and regulatory factors, vendor management as it relates to managed file transfer solutions is vital for data exchange activities to meet the requirements of the organisation. More countries and states are mandating data security measures to help protect personal information. And the consequences of non-compliance are costly—both financially and reputationally.

Aggregating needs for encryption, user access controls and integrating compliance-driven logging and reporting requirements can seem like complex tasks. In addition, CISOs must navigate file transfer complexities across cloud environments and microservices—IT architectures that continue to evolve as they search for that “perfect balance” of flexibility, scalability, cost efficiency and data sovereignty. A mix of on-premises and cloud infrastructure systems and edge devices has become the norm.

Without the right defences, disruptions to business continuity are almost inevitable. Both minor errors and major outages can harm relationships with customers, partners and the public.

The Essential Role MFT Plays in the Move to Autonomous IT Operations

Today, progressive IT leaders are looking for solutions beyond basic task automation; they are seeking file transfer orchestration to handle more complex scenarios without human intervention.

As tech leaders faced an increasing complexity of data transfers and security and compliance requirements, the vendor marketplace responded to the needs of organisations by introducing automation and cloud offerings. By leveraging managed file transfer automation capabilities, such as workflow automation and automatic file transfers along with cloud deployment options, organisations can now extend their digital transformation initiatives to their file transfer activities. Managed file transfer is essential for protecting an organisation’s data in IT transformation.

Self-sufficient workflows are vital for enterprises aiming to achieve new levels of operational efficiency. Automating manual processes, including file transfers, has been a function of MFT solutions for years. However, by building advanced, logic-based workflows, MFT solutions can respond to real-time triggers, maintain timely delivery and notify teams about transfer status and outcomes, enabling enterprises to embrace increasingly autonomous IT operations.

The Benefits of MFT

By simplifying file transfer automation, CIOs can reduce operational overhead and improve IT efficiency. Benefits include reducing disruption and outages, harnessing hybrid computing, elevating security posture and supporting compliance.

To mitigate the risk of disruptions, more enterprises will invest in redundancy for mission-critical workflows. Automated failover, disaster recovery and high availability/web farm deployments are essential to reduce single points of failure, allowing for more resilient file transfer operations.

MFT serves as the connective tissue in an enterprise’s ecosystem of disparate systems. With the rising popularity of hybrid cloud strategies, it is critical for organisations to be able to transfer files to internal and external stakeholders, irrespective of the platform stakeholders are using and through various desktop, mobile and web applications.

Depending on the environments involved, files could traverse Windows endpoints, Linux-based servers or mainframes running in their data centres or private and public cloud endpoints in AWS, Azure or Google cloud environments. Each organisation is unique and this complexity must be considered for file transfer workflows across departments and businesses.

For global enterprises or businesses handling personal health information (PHI), personal financial and other sensitive information, the security of data before, during and after an exchange can be bolstered with the right file transfer solution. MFT’s strong authentication, encryption and access controls align with zero-trust security models and compliance standards.

As organisations continue to bolster their data governance frameworks, there is likely to be a significant rise in the importance of audit trails and reporting capabilities. This could lead to more rigorous limitations on data storage practices, ultimately phasing out non-archive systems for sensitive data management.

Key Considerations for Choosing an Effective MFT Solution

There are some key features of an MFT solution that enable CISOs to prioritise their optimisation of data security and workflow efficiency:

Security and compliance: To enhance security, tech pros should look for a solution that has 256-bit AES encryption, two-factor authentication and software that can help their business comply with regulations like PCI and GDPR. Automatic data retention policies, detailed audit trails and user access controls are also important for companies that need to maintain compliance.
Ease of use: The secure file transfer solution should be intuitive and easy to implement, with minimal training required for administrators and management. Simple to use drag-and-drop interfaces, pre-built connectors for existing systems and access to 24/7 support are also important.
Scalability: It’s important to choose a platform that can grow with the business. This means one that offers scalable storage options that can accommodate increasing transaction volumes. The ability to create separate accounts, user groups and permissions for various departments is also key for larger organisations.
Advanced features: For enhanced functionality, it’s best to look for features like audit trails, reporting dashboards, automation/scheduling tools and API integrations with other business software, such as CRM or ERP systems. Some solutions offer add-on modules for electronic data interchange (EDI), ad-hoc file sharing and business-to-business workflows.