7 Warning Signs Your Healthcare Organization Has Outgrown FTP

Is your healthcare organization still relying on FTP for file transfers? Discover why this legacy approach puts patient data at risk and how to recognize when it’s time to upgrade your file transfer infrastructure.

Your hospital’s IT infrastructure is bleeding out, and FTP might be the culprit. While you’re busy juggling EHR integrations, provider communications and an ever-growing mountain of patient data, that unsecured old FTP server is quietly becoming a liability that could land you in regulatory intensive care.

When Your File Transfers Need Life Support

Your compliance officer just dropped the latest audit report on your desk. Right there, highlighted in anxiety-inducing yellow, is a growing list of “high-risk findings” about your file transfer infrastructure. As you scroll through terms like “unencrypted PHI transmission” and “insufficient access controls,” you realize your FTP server—the one that’s been shuffling patient records between systems since the 1990s—might finally be ready for retirement.

Between the radiology department’s massive imaging files, the constant stream of insurance claims and your new cloud-based EHR system’s insatiable appetite for data, your legacy file transfer system is showing its age. And in healthcare IT, aging infrastructure isn’t like fine wine—it’s more like expired medication.

The Seven Critical Symptoms

Healthcare organizations face unique challenges when it comes to file transfers. Here’s why your FTP solution might be terminal:

1. Security Codes Are More Like Guidelines

Your FTP server was never meant to handle protected health information (PHI) in a world where a single breach can cost millions.

Modern healthcare requires:

• End-to-end encryption for all PHI transfers
• Multi-factor authentication for system access
• Detailed access controls based on user roles
• Secure key management and rotation
• Intrusion detection and regular vulnerability scans

2. Compliance Is a Game of Chase

Healthcare compliance isn’t optional, and FTP makes it nearly impossible to meet modern requirements:

3. Integration Requires Digital Contortionism

Your healthcare ecosystem is complex:

• Multiple EHR/EMR systems
• Various imaging and lab systems
• Insurance provider portals
• External healthcare provider networks
• Mobile health applications
• Legacy systems that still need to be integrated with

If your file transfer solution adds to this complexity instead of acting as uniform connective tissue between legacy and modern technologies, it’s time to upgrade.

4. Audit Trails Are More Like Audit Breadcrumbs

When your compliance officer asks for a detailed report of all PHI transfers from the past quarter, but your FTP logs are patchy at best. Modern healthcare operations require:

• Centralized visibility and management
• Detailed access and modification logs
• Real-time transfer status monitoring
• Comprehensive error tracking

5. Patient Care Is Impacted by Errors

In healthcare, file transfer failures aren’t just inconvenient—they can impact patient care. Your current FTP error handling probably looks something like this:

try:
  transfer_patient_files()
except Exception as e:
  print("Transfer failed!")
  # TODO: Figure out what went wrong
  # TODO: Notify someone?
  # TODO: Update compliance log?
  pass  # Hope no patient care was impacted or delayed

6. Scalability Isn’t Keeping Up with Your Data Growth

Healthcare data is exploding:

• High-resolution imaging files
• Continuous patient monitoring data
• Genomic sequencing results
• Telemedicine session recordings
• Electronic health records

Your FTP server was never meant to support the high level of care your patients require.

7. Your Security Team Has Chronic Headaches

When your security team has anxiety when thinking about your file transfer infrastructure, it’s time for an upgrade. Modern healthcare security requirements demand:

• HIPAA/HITECH certified solutions
• Proactive threat detection and regular vulnerability scans
• Integration with antivirus systems
• Advanced encryption key management
• Security policies based on zero-trust models

The Prescription for Modern File Transfer

It’s time to upgrade to a Managed File Transfer (MFT) solution like Progress MOVEit that’s designed for healthcare’s unique challenges. Modern MFT solutions provide:

• Healthcare-grade security with end-to-end encryption
• Auditor-certified compliance for HIPAA, HITECH and more
• Simple integration with EHR/EMR systems
• Comprehensive audit trails and monitoring
• Automated alerting
• Scalability for growing healthcare data needs

Take Action Now

Don’t wait for a security incident or failed audit to modernize your file transfer infrastructure. Your organization needs a solution that’s as reliable as your medical staff and as precise as your surgical instruments.

Ready to cure your file transfer headaches? Explore how Progress MOVEit can transform your healthcare data transfers from a liability into a strategic asset. Your patients’ data security—and your peace of mind—depend on it.

Sign up for a demo or try it now.