MFT Agents for remote file transfer automation
A few years ago, HelpSystems added Agent capabilities to their GoAnywhere Managed File Transfer solution. This extra functionality greatly enhanced an already extensive suite of security and automation features by including encryption at rest and in transit, batch and ad-hoc file transfer, peer-to-peer file collaboration, and more.
by Ekron Dries
What exactly are MFT Agents and how are other companies using this functionality within their IT environment?
MFT Agents are lightweight applications that allow administrators to remotely initiate and control file transfers and file processing from a central GoAnywhere server. This unique approach provides visibility of all file transfers within the organisation. Agents can be installed virtually anywhere, such as branch offices, servers and desktops, cloud environments, business partners, or other remote locations. The biggest advantage of using Agents is that you only must open a single port in your firewall as all communications are via a secure encrypted tunnel.
The use cases for MFT Agents are endless and greatly simplify the implementation and control of any remote file transfer process.
Let me share some sample use-cases we have seen at BlueFinch recently:
Dutch Water company with production locations
Being responsible for high quality drinking water to 2.5 million clients, is a complex and critical task. This Dutch Water Company has 140 production locations that collect, clean, store and distribute water to consumers and companies that rely on high quality drinking water.
For services purposes, an MFT Agent is installed on each production location collecting data about incidents, equipment wear, and other related log files. The central MFT server pulls that data from each location and imports it into the central BI solution for analyses and reporting. This replaced local scripts and point solutions that caused errors and an unreliable process.
Insurance company with multiple network domains
An insurance company with multiple network segments needed to transfer files and run jobs in areas with different security restrictions and is now using Agents to protect and restrict the flow of data by implementing multiple GA-Agents. Each Agent acts as a secure proxy with rights to execute jobs within a single network segment whilst being restricted to send and receive data from the MFT server/gateway.
R&D locations at pharmaceutical company
This global pharmaceutical company operates several R&D locations globally. As the data created on those R&D locations is highly critical to the company, a process needed to be implemented to collect all data (containing a lot of large files) daily for back-up purposes. The MFT Agents will be implemented on each R&D location to collect the data from research equipment and workstations and then securely transfers this information to the central MFT server. After collecting and compressing the files, the MFT server sends it to the central backup application.
Restaurant with franchise locations
A restaurant chain needed to communicate information with hundreds of regional locations. You can think about new proprietary recipes, pricing updates and other sensitive data. With the MFT Agents the restaurant chain automated previous manual and inefficient tasks. The MFT Agents are grouped in certain regions and allows automation of all data distribution.
Could MFT Agents be a solution for your organisation? Schedule a demo or contact a product specialist at BlueFinch: sales@bluefinch.com
