Cloud Managed File Transfer Solutions: Google Cloud Platform, FileStore & Data TransferÂ
Cloud computing is a fantastic thing. The other day I was on my laptop computer when the battery decided it didn’t want to hold a charge anymore. It’s going to take a couple days for the new battery to arrive, so I saved all my files–automatically replicating them to the cloud–and powered the device down. Then I dusted off the laptop I keep in reserve and, after booting up, everything I’d been working on was waiting for me to resume. It was super convenient.
Expand that utility to a large enterprise and you can see why the cloud now supports a nearly $1 trillion total global market across applications, services, and infrastructure.
You Can, But Should You?
There’s almost nothing you can do in traditional computing that you can’t also do in the cloud. And, yes, that includes a function near and dear to our hearts here at Coviant Software: file transfers. But, as the old saying goes, just because you can do a thing, doesn’t mean you should do that thing. Or, at least, you should know what you’re getting yourself into.
Often, there are risks involved with cloud managed file transfers (MFT) that are easy to overlook when considering the convenience of such services. MFT is a mature technology that is trusted to keep data safe when moving it from point-to-point, but there is a lot involved and a lot at risk, especially when corners are cut, or processes are left out. File sharing in the cloud is easy and low risk because the information involved is typically not sensitive or regulated. Cloud MFT implies that the information being transferred is private, sensitive, and regulated. You can’t afford to treat it like you are sending photos of Junior’s recital to grandma.
Sometimes there are just some things that a company cannot realistically move to the cloud.  Legacy or proprietary systems that have been running in the data center for years, and migration to the cloud is prohibitively expensive.  Or even impossible – you cannot move your mainframe workloads to Azure, for example.  It is increasingly common to see what we consider to be a pragmatic approach — the “hybrid cloud” strategy, where some services remain within the company data center, while others move to the cloud where they can realize the cost savings, reliability, and scalability of those services.
Simple Managed File Transfer Isn’t Simple when you Do-it-Yourself
Secure MFT software uses process automation and encryption to enable the secure and reliable transmission of data between organizations, systems, and people. A solid MFT product, like Diplomat MFT, is designed to meet needs beyond merely sending and receiving files, but of keeping data secure in compliance with the many data privacy and information security regulations that exist today. With built-in PGP automation, documentation to support auditing, incident notification, file integrity assurance, and an SFTP server to securely negotiate transfers, Diplomat MFT is a great way to minimize business and security risks when highly sensitive files are involved.
When organizations use cloud-native tools for file sharing using platforms like Google, AWS File Transfer Family, and Azure Blob, those essential MFT functions are typically either overlooked, or require a lot of attention to detail for the customizations required to replicate the features already designed into an MFT platform. And once you start adding all the features and functionality needed, you not only increase the risk of making a potentially costly mistake, but you may find that the cost-saving bootstrapped solution your IT guy said he could build ends up costing a lot more than you bargained for. And, given the recent news that Google Cloud is boosting its rates, those costs could increase even more.
Sometimes building something in-house makes a lot of sense. But then there are times when the thing you want to build already exists, and it’s cheaper and easier to buy it. Plus, you’re getting the expert support of the organization that made the product and stands behind it. That’s the case here. Diplomat MFT not only does all the things you need it to do to transfer files simply, safely, and reliably, but it easily integrates with all the cloud service and infrastructure providers. That includes not only Google Cloud, but AWS File Transfer Family, Azure Blob, Oracle Cloud, Citrix ShareFile, Box, and DropBox (as well as all major file transfer protocols:  FTP, FTPS, SFTP, HTTP, HTTPS, NFS, SMB, and local file systems). And we do it at a price that represents the best value in the industry.
Not only is Diplomat MFT a fraction of the cost of other managed file transfer solutions, but the cost makes especially good sense for organizations that need to move lots of files every day since we do not charge by usage. With Diplomat MFT there are no surprises (or angry calls from accounting) at the end of the month; just secure, reliable performance. With cloud MFT, you are taking a big risk.
Know What You’re Getting Into
If you want to roll your own cloud MFT solution, go right ahead. It may even make sense for your organization. But know that do-it-yourself doesn’t easily scale, isn’t easy to use, is difficult to maintain, and comes with a high degree of risk, especially if you’re transferring sensitive or regulated info. When something goes wrong—a file doesn’t get sent on time, is sent but not received, is transferred to the wrong destination, or is sent in the clear instead of encrypted—the conversations that follow will not be comfortable.  And the resources responsible for the home-grown solution are human, so there will always be human error, employee turnover, PTO, and so on to deal with (and Murphy’s Law tells us the employee will be sick or on vacation on the very day that the big file transfer disaster happens).
Instead of the hassle, consider Diplomat MFT instead of cloud MFT and get an award-winning, enterprise-grade, secure managed file transfer platform at a fraction of the cost of the competition and of DIY. And if you want to try it for free to see for yourself, go ahead and download a no-risk trial, or schedule a free demonstration.  We’re confident that once you see how easy Diplomat MFT is, you’ll become one of the thousands of customers who trust Coviant Software to securely and reliably transfer millions of files every day.
