Looking to Replace RepliWeb Managed File Transfer?

Attunity RepliWeb provided Managed File Transfer capabilities to securely transfer data with end to end encryption. Essentially,  RepliWeb was able to deliver data and files from an authenticated sender to authenticated receivers. It had a variety of transfer protocols, encryption algorithms and CLI/API integration. Some appealing functionality of the software was it’s scalability (able to handle large loads), speed (up to ten times faster than FTP), virus scanning, enforced security policies along with auditing and monitoring of file transfers. From an end user perspective other features included DMZ front end, Web UI and desktop client, Sharepoint Connector for internal and external file sharing and content filtering.

Attunity was acquired by Qlik in May of 2019 to help organizations overcome the complex challenges of quickly transforming data into business value. Qlik made the decision to retire RepliWeb based upon alignment to the strategy of the wider Qlik portfolio. In addition to RepliWeb, Qlik decided to retire the following products; Attunity Connect, Repliweb R1, Repliweb MFT, Repliweb Fastcopy, Repliweb RDM and Visibility.

According to Qlik and as announced by their Community Manager Jamie Gregory, they confirmed the following:

“We will continue to support these products until the retirement date – January 31, 2022. You can continue to renew your support agreements, through the retirement date. However, renewal support agreements will not go beyond January 31, 2022, even if this is shorter than your normal support renewal period. Existing support agreements that expire after the retirement date will be honored; these agreements are not eligible for renewal.  Support for any additionally purchased licenses will not extend past January 31, 2022.”

We appreciate when we become accustomed to a particular software solution it can be a frustrating and sometimes a daunting task to have to change to a new system. However, there are many risks associated with unsupported software. It’s important to adhere to the old adage that the internet rests for no one. Software requires continual updating and enhancing. This could be due to many reasons. For example, ensuring the software system is secure and protected against malicious hacking, cyber attacks and threats. Compatibility, integrations and data compliance are also important factors. Finally, the demands of businesses grow and change as time goes on and technology develops. Running outdated software, which no longer has support in place, can pose risks to your business. A severe data breach can cost a business thousands of dollars as well as damage to their brand and reputation. We advise that organizations ensure that any outdated or unsupported software systems are captured on a business IT roadmap. Being pro-active can save a lot of time, money and stress in the future.

The below glossary of terms may come in handy when discussing your alternative software solution with a potential provider (like ourselves). It’s important to ensure your RepliWeb replacement is fit-for-purpose and has the features and functionality that your business requires to successfully transfer data and files securely.

A-RMFT – Attunity Repliweb Management File Transfer – This is installed on the internal and external servers and will allow users to transfer files securely.

Account – There are several types of user accounts (internal, external, ad hoc, A-RMFT and Active Directory). Users who are enrolled in A-RMFT will have a A-RMFT account.

Ad hoc users – Recipients who are not A-RMFT users need to be invited to enroll to A-RMFT and can download the packages sent to them by an A-RMFT user. Ad Hoc user accounts are created “on-the-fly: when authorized users or hosts send packages to an email address that does not belong to an existing ARMFT user. Both users and administrators benefit from Ad Hoc functionality. Administrators are no longer burdened with the task of creating new accounts every time such a need arises; authorized users are given the freedom to send packages to anyone with a valid email address.

Address Book – This contains the names of all the A-RMFT users or distribution lists to which you are permitted to send packages. The address Book is divided into three tabs: Users, Distribution Lists and Hosts. In each of these tabs, the procedure for selecting and searching for recipients is identical. The right side of the tab lists the recipients that you are permitted to send packages to while the left side of the table enables you to search for recipients.

Advanced Tab – Here is where you can set preferences for the current transfer. Any preferences that you set will override the equivalent default preferences. Available preferences are Security Preferences, Package Notifications, Priority and Expiration Preferences, and Compression and Verification Preferences.

Audit Tab – In the package Audit tab (displayed when you click the package subject) provides the information about the status of sent packages including: Which recipients opened the package and/or downloaded the package files Whether the package was successfully delivered to hosts Which files were downloaded by each recipient (and when) The package audit trail on A-RMFT Server.

Disabled (users/accounts) – Not active and may be expired, i.e. not usable.

DMZ – Demilitarized Zone – Area on Corporate network that contains servers which interface securely with internal servers and external user/customers. DMZ Front End A-RMFT Server validates the user’s identify and optionally applies administrator-defined policies to the package. These may include checking the files for viruses, content validation, and so on.

Enabled (users/accounts) – Active and usable.

Enhanced – Your A-RMFT Web Client operating mode should be configured as “LITE” (see below) or “Enhanced”. If your operating mode is “Enhanced”, java components should already be installed on your computer. This provides enhanced functionality, enabling you to pause and resume transfers, easily manage the download of multiple files, recover transfers, encrypt/decrypt files and access shared folders. This will also allow you to send files greater than 2 GIG. Despite the benefits that A-RMFT’s active components provide, you may not need the functionality that they provide. If this is the case, you can change your operating mode to “Lite”.

Expired (users/accounts/package) – The date after which the package will no longer be available for download.

External server – Server in the DMZ that non company users would login to as A-RMFT users.

External user – Non-company users or customers. FTP – File Transfer Protocol – RFMT replaces

FTP which is a non-secure way to transfer files

Hosts – Hosts are computers either within or outside an organization that your A-RMFT administrator has enabled you to send files to or receive files from.

Internal server – Server on Company Network that Company users login to as A-RMFT users.

Internal users – Company / employee users or users on Company network

Inviting Users – If permitted by your A-RMFT administrator, you can send packages to recipients who are not A-RMFT users. These recipients, known as Ad Hoc users, will receive an email, sent on your behalf, inviting them to enroll to A-RMFT and download the package using A-RMFT Web Client.

Package – Files are sent in packages. When sending files, A-RMFT Web Client creates a special folder known as a package that contains your files as well as various information required to process the package such as the names of the package recipients, when the package expires, and so on. After you send a package, it is uploaded to A-RMFT Server where it undergoes sorting and processing before being downloaded by the recipients and/or delivered to hosts.

Sending a Package – Packages can contain files or a message or a combination of both. To send a package you must, as a minimum requirement, specify a recipient. You can also choose additional transfer and security options as described in Advanced Tab.

Armed with the knowledge of what you need to get done, take a look at solutions for automating your file transfer workflows. We, of course, recommend Diplomat Managed File Transfer as the best value replacement for Repliweb. There are other vendors to look at — you can look for “managed file transfer” vendors to get an idea of what is out there. Be sure to look at review sites, as well, such as Software Reviews (be sure to look at both the Enterprise and Mid-market segments on Software Reviews, because Diplomat MFT is classified as mid-market even though our solution works for companies of all sizes).

Pricing is not everything, but it is always a big thing.  When comparing different vendors as candidates for replacing Repliweb, be sure to get a quote from the vendor.  Make sure the quote includes all options and modules to cover the file transfer workflow needs of your organization. Ask how much it costs up front, and what the renewal price is every year.  And be sure to factor in the cost of configuring and managing the software — the more complex an MFT solution is, the more time and attention it will take to operate and maintain that solution.  Finally, be sure to ask the vendor what the cost of migration from Repliweb will be (consulting, training, infrastructure changes, etc), and if they offer a “trade-in” discount to ease the financial burden of the transition.  In case you are interested, Diplomat MFT offers transparent pricing on our website.  Our solution is at least 50% cheaper than other MFT solutions.

When you have chosen a vendor, be sure to implement it along side your existing solution rather than try a “big bang” migration all at once.  Choose a few key file transfer workflows and migrate them to the new solution, ensuring they work according to the business needs.  This initial phase of migration is a good time to check failure conditions (network connection errors, disk errors, bad passwords, and so on) so that you can confirm that your new solution meets your needs for notifications and troubleshooting.   Once you have confirmed that your selected vendor can handle the migrated workflows, it is time to move everything off of Repliweb and onto your chosen solution (Diplomat MFT, perhaps?).  Continue to keep a diligent eye on things for a while, until you are satisfied that the migration was a success.