Evaluating Managed File Transfer Solutions - Wipro

Evaluating Managed File Transfer Solutions Right evaluation is essential to make the right choice of a Managed File Transfer solution

Manish Dhama www.wipro.com

B2B Integration Practice, Wipro Technologies

Table of Contents 03

Evaluating Managed File Transfer solutions

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Challenges

04

How it is done

05

Leaps ahead of traditional methods

05

The way ahead

A seamlessly connected enterprise is best positioned to take advantage of rapidly changing business environments. Hence, it is essential that the integration technologies and products of an enterprise stay updated and in good shape. Managed FileTransfer (MFT) systems help enterprises integrate seamlessly with their business partners and employees, ensuring a secure and reliable platform.

Evaluating Managed File Transfer solutions For decades, enterprises have been using legacy file transfer applications

? Limited reporting capabilities for monitoring and auditing file

transfers ? Large number of custom-built codes for file handling increases

maintenance efforts and complexities

either due to lack of options or heavy investments involved in the process.

Enterprises periodically initiate certain programs which require selection

However, they have been posing several challenges:

of third-party software packages. The selection of a right MFT product is a similar process. In order to achieve its goals, an organization makes

? Homegrown applications are difficult to manage

use of certain frameworks that align the features of the software

? Time to market goes up due to the longer onboarding process for

new partners thereby impacting business cycles

package with its goals. There are times when organizations fail to identify the right set of software packages, resulting in unforeseen costs and

? Low visibility of file movement due to lack of track and trace

capabilities in the platform

business impacts. The typical process flow for a software product/package selection is depicted in Figure 1.

1 2

Determine goals

Identify potential products

3

Figure 1: Evaluation Process Flow

Product evaluation and recommendation through gap analysis and evaluation of task appropriateness

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Challenges

Identification of relevant quality attributes of the product: Every organization will have priorities that determine the preference of

There are two key challenges associated with MFT product evaluation

attributes in a product over others. These attributes, that help evaluate

and implementation.

and compare the technology products, are identified first. A list is then

Change resistance: It is not enough to take into consideration only

The macro level criteria are identified, called Level-1, and each Level-1

the MFT product and its technical features. Attention needs to be given

criterion is then further divided into several detailed criteria, as Level-2.

to the personnel who would be working with it as end consumers.

Each of the Level-2 criteria is allotted a score based on the significance of

The MFT product might demand a workforce reshuffle or skill upgrade.

the attributes. These scores are then aggregated to form the

Efficiently managing the resistance to these changes is the key to

corresponding Level-1 scores.

prepared using a hierarchical attribute building approach (refer Table 1).

seamlessly managing this challenge. Table 1 depicts how a sample Level-1 criterion (Governance) is built up Data access: Whenever an MFT product evaluation is undertaken, it is necessary to understand the systems and platforms which will be replaced in the organization. This process requires that evaluators be given access to data (sometimes critical) of all associated entities of the

from the Level-2 criteria.

Level - 1

Level - 2

Governance

Account & Partner Management

organization such as the business partners and existing vendors. Getting

Policy Management

access to such information is yet another challenge and the data needs to

Monitoring and Management

be handled carefully.

Notifications and Alerts Audit and Reporting (Standard and Customized Reports)

How it is done

Registration and Activation

As the first step in the evaluation process, data collection is initiated through a series of discussions with the key stakeholders. The exercise

Change Management

results in understanding their legacy MFT landscape, key MFT

Table 1: Attributes

requirements, challenges faced such as lack of automation capabilities, stability, scalability, performance, and visibility. Customer onboarding and

Measurement of attributes: This step involves defining the weight

operational processes being followed also need to be taken care of.

for each criterion based on its importance. Every Level-2 criterion for

Typically, the evaluation process would involve the following key items: ? Identification of relevant quality attributes of the product

each of the products under evaluation is then scored based on this and the quality index (product score against the criterion - as seen in Table 2). This step helps in understanding the ratings for each of the product

? Measurement of attributes

features as against the client’s requirements. It ensures that the scoring is

? Aggregation of the measures

done based on the parameters that are most important for the

? Comparative analysis of findings and recommendation

enterprise.

When evaluating Managed File Transfer solutions, it is recommended that companies examine not just features but key areas of functionality like architecture, quality of service governance, visibility and security.

04

Aggregation of the measures: The scores for each of the products

able to make a choice after due consideration of its existing business

are aggregated and compared.

requirements. The approach provides a complete and relative view of the

Comparative analysis of findings and recommendation: The recommendation is then provided to the client, based on the score

products being evaluated. Information on products is gathered through numerous channels – product vendors, market analysts and subject matter experts.

obtained for each of the product’s attributes. Thus, as seen in Table 2, some of the features of two different products are

Choice of the right product will benefit the organizations with synergies,

assessed and scored based on the attributes. By comparing scores and by

both operational and financial.

giving importance to the relevant attributes, the client can get a customized evaluation process.

The way ahead

Leaps ahead of traditional methods

With rising number of file transfer and file management options, it is necessary that the product evaluation process is carried out impartially. The cost implications, in case of a wrong choice of product, will be huge

A proper product evaluation ensures that the enterprise’s investment

and long lasting.

goes in the right direction. The choice of an MFT platform is a strategic one rather than a tactical one, and hence no compromises should be

For an accurate product evaluation, it is necessary to choose a vendorneutral partner who will assist in formulating a customized evaluation

allowed.

process and give suggestions based on the evaluated business scenario The method explained in this paper ensures that every organization is

and requirements.

FEATURE

EVALUATION PARAMETERS

Time to market

Rapid onboarding and implementation time Centralized administration with console / dashboard Account and partner management policy management Monitoring and management Notification and alerts Audit and reporting (standard and customized reports) Registration and activation Change management File status and visibility Self service Secure exchange Parameter security Authentication and encryption Mail boxing Multiple encryption standards LDAP Integration Denial of service System to human Human to human Unscheduled partner data sharing once - no onboarding required

Governance

Customer visibility Provisioning

Security

Ad hoc file transfer capability

PRODUCT 1 INDEX

PRODUCT 2 INDEX

0.03

0.03

0.14

0.14

0.11

0.11

0.04

0.08

0.14 0.07

0.14 0.14

0.14

0.14

0.14

0.14

0.00

0.07

0.04

0.04

Table 2: Score-based Evaluation

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About the Author Manish Dhama is currently handling Presales for Managed File Transfer and B2B Integration Practice in Wipro Technologies. His responsibilities involve solution definition, prospect identification, need-realization and proposal management based on the identified needs. He has around 16 years of IT experience with core strengths in design, development and implementation of projects in integration and service-oriented architecture technologies. He can be reached at [email protected]

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