This year was a record-breaking year for cybercrime around the world as companies both large and small experienced the agony of cyber attacks by hackers. Some of the most notable attacks include that on Target and Home Depot, in which thousands of private credit and debit card numbers were stolen, giving hackers access to numerous customer financial accounts. With hackers becoming more clever than ever before and the risk of cybercrime on the rise, companies of every size and from every industry need to more concerned with protecting sensitive company and customer information. This is particularly important when it comes to file transfer services, such as FTP.

What is FTP?

FTP, or File Transfer Protocol, is an Internet protocol that allows a user to transfer files from one server to another over a network. This allows a person to transfer web files to their computer or to upload or download files to or from a server. This software has been used by many companies to allow for the easy transfer of files throughout their company network. It also allows employees to gain access to the company network from a remote location, allowing them to work from home or while on a business trip. While FTP is the traditional method of transferring large files between servers, it is not a secure method and provides no protection from the threat of a security breach.

What is Managed File Transfer?

Managed file transfer is a secure file transfer service that provides a way of transferring files in a safe and secure manner. Like FTP managed file transfer can be used to share company files either at work or from a remote location. However, it is different because it comes with security safeguards to provide a high level of protection from attacks from both the outside and inside. Aside from securing file transfers through encryption, managed file transfer software allows a company to monitor file transfers and keep track of who is accessing and sharing files at what time. Many companies that traditionally used FTP are switching over to a MFT service for extra security precautions.

In light of the increase in cybercrime over the past year, protecting private customer and company information is more important than ever before. Managed file transfer allows a company to share data in a secure manner and ensures files are only accessed and shared by authorized personnel. As data protection becomes a greater concern, managed file transfer offers a solution.