Managed File Transfer As SaaS Vs. On-Prem

Keeping files and data secure when more users are working remotely is, of course, a concern. That's why a SaaS managed file transfer solution is critical.

The work-from-home mandates most businesses have been forced to comply with as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have underscored the value of provisioning IT services from the cloud. In addition to making it easier for employees to do their jobs from their home offices, the cloud also helps IT teams by streamlining the management of the IT infrastructure and tech support for end-users.

One of the critical tools in taking on this challenge is a Managed File Transfer solution. With MFT, IT can consolidate all file transfer activity. This makes it possible to increase security controls over core business processes that employees use to exchange files with each other as well as with customers and partners. 

The Benefits of SaaS Managed File Transfer (MFT)

The leading MFT solutions provide security, centralized access controls, automation, file encryption, and tamper-evident logging. This helps IT teams ensure their company’s file transfer activities comply with internal governance and SLA requirements as well as external regulatory requirements such as PCI, HIPAA, CCPA, and GDPR.

Some IT teams prefer to manage MFT on-premises for the added control an on-premises solution can offer. But when the IT team is forced to work from home, they usually discover the on-premises solution does not scale quite so easily and is a bit tricky to manage. 

But by tapping into a Software as a Service (SaaS) MFT solution, you can be up and running in usually less than 30 minutes. SaaS solutions provide the same capabilities as on-premises versions, and the consumption can be scaled up and down based on the file transfer needs of your business. This optimizes the cost of the service and reduces IT overhead in relation to how often you use it. 

Sync Your Decision with Your Cloud Strategy

The decision to utilize MFT in SaaS mode rather than on-premises should also be made within the context of your overall approach to IT. If most of your IT infrastructure is running on-premises, it may make sense to run MFT on-premises as well. 

But if you have moved a good portion of that infrastructure to the cloud or are in the process of doing so, migrating MFT to a SaaS provider makes perfect sense. The benefits of moving to the cloud and using SaaS partners are well documented:

Reduced Need for IT Resources

On-premises IT requires personnel resources for design and deployment and upfront capital resources for hardware and software. The lifecycle of hardware is typically 2-3 years, meaning you will have to repeat those processes again and again. With SaaS providers, you won’t need to worry about any of this. They take care of all design and deployment services and regularly apply hardware and software upgrades. Your large capital expenses turn into a planned monthly operational cost.  

Less Worry

When on-premises systems crash, your IT team has to drop what it’s doing and focus all of its attention on recovering application services and access to data. The chance of a crash is always there, so IT can never fully relax. This takes away from their ability to plan and deploy strategic IT initiatives. And even when systems are running properly, on-going hardware maintenance and software patching are a hassle. SaaS providers make these worries go away with high levels of fault tolerance that enable down systems to automatically failover to backup systems, so business operations are not interrupted. Regular maintenance and patches are also automated. 

Elevated security

Cybercriminals are always evolving their attacks; it’s almost impossible for an internal IT team to keep up with all the new activity, particularly where they can only view what’s happening on their network infrastructure. SaaS providers have access to all the latest security tools and intelligence, and they employ industry experts—who can apply security posture best practices cultivated by broad experiences across multiple industries. Regardless of how or small your business is, a SaaS provider will give your company enterprise-level Security and data protection.  

Increased Mobility

With an on-premises server, mobility options are limited unless you deploy complex virtual private networks. Additional security and maintenance are also required for employees to work remotely and still have access to your onsite software. SaaS providers can easily accommodate your remote staff working with no additional costs or setup.

Another key benefit of using a SaaS solution is scalability. When your company grows, your application will need to as well. With on-premises infrastructure, growth is complicated. Scalability requires new equipment and additional setup. But with a SaaS provider, scalability is easy and requires no extra gear or software licensing. You simply order the additional resources you need and only pay for what you use.

A Free and Easy Way to Test SaaS MFT

Perhaps the best reason of all to give a SaaS MFT solution serious consideration is how easy it is to take a test drive. You can try out  MOVEit Transfer with a fully functional free trial that delivers the security, reliability, and compliance benefits of MFT with a best-in-class deployment maintained by Progress MFT and security experts. We will show you how you can eliminate the time spent managing software and security updates and how to integrate the solution with your in-house applications and provisioning services.