How To Avoid File Sharing Inefficiencies With File Transfer Automation

What comes to mind when you think about efficiency?

A car that runs on only an ounce of gas? Or maybe a well-oiled team that hits all its goals with only half the effort?

Whatever your idea of efficiency, we're willing to bet our five bucks that it doesn't envision a file transfer environment—not even vaguely. In an IT ecosystem marred by hacking occurrences and where sensitive, high-volume, compliance-regulated files are always on the move, efficiency in file transfer means so much more. It means automation. It means keeping data moving reliably, seamlessly, and securely .

Now that you know a bit about efficiency in file transfer, we're going to chart the path less traveled and talk about the exact opposite—inefficiency. On top, we'll tell you how you can remedy file sharing inefficiencies with automation.

Goodbye Legacy Systems, Welcome Automation

Ooh, the good ol' days of flash drives! You'd stick a USB device into a recipient computer and all your files would get transferred without anyone prying — not even your colleague's snoopy dog. How times have changed….

Today's file transfer environment is highly complex. It's flooded with business demands; unrelenting, fast-paced, endless demands that you can’t wrap your head around. Not to mention each piece of in-transit data varies from the other in format, type, and requirements. It's a mind-boggling scenario, really. Heaven knows how much we needed file transfer automation software.

Looking for more information? Watch the Automate & Integrate Your Managed File Transfer webinar on-demand.

Thanks to intelligent automation, we can finally lay a flower on the grave of file transfer inefficiencies. These include:

• Long downtimes - Your file transfers keep going on and off. On and off. And this sucks the oomph out of you (and your IT team).
• Scripting Delays - Manually scripting data workflows really does waste time.
• Compliance Pitfalls - What do you expect when critical client data moves in the shape of paper files and USB drives? Of course, you're going to get on the wrong side of industry-specific compliance regulations like HIPAA and GDPR!
• Visibility and Governance Issues - Lose sight of the ebb and flow of data in your organization even for even a second, and you can almost certainly expect a malicious attack the next morning.
• Security Loopholes - Security and automation go hand in hand . They're the best of friends. In other words, you'll lose out on the security perks of automation if you insist on transferring files using your legacy or homegrown system.
• Loss of Hard-Earned Money - While money loss isn't an inefficiency in itself, it is due to the chain reaction of the aforementioned inefficiencies. One transfer hiccup quickly leads to another and before you know it, you're spending tons of money just to fix things and keep your clients (and partners) happy.

Mind you, these inefficiencies are just the tip of the iceberg for manual file transfers. But for the sake of this blog, we'll keep them at that.

Keep Inefficiencies At Bay With Automated File Transfer

We've rambled on enough about file transfer inefficiencies. How about we tell you what you can do about them?

Look no further than automation. With automation, you can get away from tedious, time-consuming manual scripting — or worse, manual transfers that are vulnerable to malicious attacks and human error.

Automation might sound like any other ho-hum concept out there, but in the modern world of file transfers, it's anything but. To get you more acquainted with this phenomenon, we've compiled the following benefits of automation:

1. Cut Transfer Costs If only you could get back the money you spent trying to patch up manual file sharing loopholes…
   File transfer automation tools like MOVEit Automation can keep your budget in check and your wallet sealed. More specifically, they are a more cost-effective way to work through lengthy file transfers or manage repetitive tasks.
2. Minimize Security Risks Through PGP Encryption
   Aah, PGP encryption. Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is one of many great options on the encryption block, and not just for its fancy name. It's particularly excellent for providing authentication and cryptographic privacy for data at rest. Think about all those business-critical emails, texts, and files that have just reached their destination. You need them secured, right?
   
   Couple up PGP or other encryptions with DMZ Proxy Gateway and granular access control capabilities, and you have the sturdiest security wall around. All your files will be delivered to their destination, 100% guaranteed. No prying eyes, no security concerns.
3. Ditch Email or Content Collaboration in Favor of Secure End-User Collaboration
   Here's a statistic that's sure to make your goosebumps rise:
   At least 30,000 U.S. organizations were hacked at the beginning of 2021 through holes in Microsoft's email software. We're not talking about some mickey-mouse tool here. We're talking about Microsoft, folks! Safe to say that even the best email collaboration tools out there aren't immune to malicious attacks.
   
   Fortunately, with automated file transfer you won't have to worry about content or email collaboration security vulnerability. Easy-to-use, drag-and-drop collaboration capability allows you to reap the full benefits of secure file and folder sharing. What a reprieve!
4. Programming Skills or Not, File Transfer Automation Has You Covered
   Not too long ago, IT and business administrators would manually configure workflows to suit their file transfer needs. They'd call home to excuse themselves from dinner, congregate in some dimly lit room, and chart about data flow modification problems. Then they'd pick out the best programmer amongst themselves to try and figure out a way around the rigid workflows. It was tough.
   
   Things have changed since, and for the better. Automated file transfer tools like MOVEit Automation are tailored to empower users to create multi-step, logic-based workflows. No programming skills are required. No need to put up with inflexible workflows. You get access to a single, all-powerful web interface that enables seamless modification and management. And with centralized management, you can achieve unobscured visibility and control of all your files—whether in transit or at rest.
5. Forget About Scripting — Intuitive Workflow Creation is the Name of the Game.
   One of the biggest perks of automated file transfer is its ability to accelerate workflow and task creation.
   There are no more excuses like, "My programming skills were just too blunt and I had to refine them before getting on with the scripting," or "Network architecture A was just too complex to work around." Instead, you and your IT team can automatically pull, process and push files to any platform over any imaginable network infrastructure.
6. Stay on Top of Compliance Requirements
   Internal governance regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI can sometimes feel like the bane of your company's existence. Your IT team just can't catch a breath—it's compliance this, compliance that every other minute. Not anymore.
   Automated file transfer solutions can help you put your compliance worries in the backseat through features such as:

• Cryptographic tamper-evident logging
• File integrity checking
• End-to-end transport encryption
• And encrypted administrative access

Your Search For the Best File Automation Transfer Software Ends Here

In the course of reading this blog, you might have already tiptoed to the internet in search of the premier file automation transfer tool. That's totally OK. We'd have done the same if we were in your shoes. After all, you've had to deal with so many file-sharing inefficiencies in the past and you just can't wait to put them behind you—once and for all. So yes, we understand.

But allow us to introduce to you MOVEit Automation , the finest file automation transfer software there is. Beyond accelerating the rollout of new services, MOVEit Automation works with any FTP system to provide next-level workflow automation without the need for scripting. Think we're exaggerating? Start a free trial today , or if you're already sold on giving our software a try, get a quote .