The Best Secure Managed File Sharing Services

What is Secure File Sharing?

File sharing is part of every business organisation whether information technology's over email, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), or even over the Web. The problem is, none of those methods are easily managed. How do y'all know who sent what and when, and who received it? How do you make certain sensitive files are deeply sent and that, one time the recipient is finished with them, that they tin can be retrieved? This is where secure managed file transfer (MFT) software comes in.

FTP has been around for years, and many companies are outset to look at popular cloud services such every bit Box and Dropbox. But those aren't good options if your business is subject to data security and privacy regulations. Sensitive data and proprietary information needs to be secured. The problem with many MFT providers is the lack of a try-before-you-buy pick. That or they require y'all spend a significant amount of time with business relationship managers earlier you tin even access a demo or evaluation version of the software. The good thing virtually the MFT software I reviewed is that the providers were responsive and made a trial version bachelor for evaluation fairly quickly upon request. In that location were some providers that got dorsum to me iii days after an initial request and then I didn't review those. If you don't hear dorsum from an account manager within 24 hours, I suggest moving on. There are plenty of excellent providers out at that place that you lot shouldn't have to wait. I was peculiarly pleased that Citrix offers a 30-day trial of its cloud service upfront.

The big question when looking at MFT is where you lot want to gear up it upwards. Practice you want a cloud-based service and then that you don't have to bargain with the maintenance headaches and expenses? MFT covers the spectrum, with on-premises software that yous manage and install yourself, cloud-based services, besides as options to create a hybrid, either with a virtual appliance yous install on your own private cloud, or past using Connectors to hook into the public cloud with local storage. The public cloud is highly appealing since yous won't have to worry nearly provisioning the hardware, but yous will typically be subject to user quotas on storage and bandwidth. Look at the different flavors carefully to effigy out which of these environments you are getting, and which tradeoff you lot are willing to make.

What kind of security features are you looking for? If y'all just want encrypted file transfer, and then you won't demand to worry nearly primal management, which is typically reserved for higher tier offerings. Or you lot may not use e-mail much to transfer files, in which case you lot should be looking for options which offer secure FTP or HTTPS methods. Perhaps your file transfers are primarily part of automatic scripts, in which case you want software capable of watching a specific location for when the file arrives, and so kicking off the transfer process and other related tasks automatically. Automation is another feature that tends to be arranged in the higher tiers, so again, bank check the fine print to brand certain the software version you are buying offers what you demand. This is really where the trial and evaluation software can get a little tricky since many providers offering a trial of the higher tiers merely. Inquire the providers for a complete list of exactly what you are getting.

FTP and MST

If you are steeped in the FTP earth, that doesn't hateful you lot can't use MFT. You tin can deploy MFT software to make FTP secure, such every bit configuring site restrictions to block connections from specific IP addresses, enforcing password rules, banning certain file types, or applying transfer limits on users. If you have multiple FTP sites, you lot can manage them all so that you know what is happening with each site. Or y'all can use the secure workspaces offered by the MFT software and permit users connect via the FTP protocol. There are a lot of options to await into.

If your organization is operating in a highly regulated industry, reporting and audits are a fact of life. Some of the MFT solutions tend to be skimpy on the logging attribute, just tracking things similar who uploaded which file and when. In that location are some software packages which offer a much more detailed audit trail, tracking information such every bit incorrect login attempts, when passwords were changed, when users were added to groups, and who accessed which folders. Reports are very useful to have on hand but accept that platforms which emphasize reporting volition naturally exist more than complex to employ.

It is really difficult to compare the MFT software I reviewed on the basis of price solitary because at that place are then many variables. For example, Citrix ShareFile Business costs $125 per user while Coviant Software Diplomat MFT Standard costs $2,995 per server license. (Yous tin can't tell by looking at the chart to a higher place if that'south monthly, apartment, etc., so be sure to click through to the private reviews for more specific pricing info.)

It's difficult to compare MFT software on price lone and that's because cloud-based providers will charge you on a per-user, per-month footing. This looks appealing if you are just getting started or accept only a small number of users who will be using the platform. Just, equally mentioned earlier, there may exist restrictions on file sizes and storage, peculiarly on the lower tiers. The on-premises packages charge you upfront for a one-time license fee, at which point y'all are prepare, but you will probable want to pay for a maintenance contract for upgrades and support. Brand certain that the maintenance contract lets you switch the software to a replacement server also. The last thing you want is to have the hardware fail and so be forced to pay for a new license. On the other paw, the toll for on-bounds software tends to balloon quickly because every add-on and module has a separate toll tag. Again, making sure what you desire, and figuring out which features are included and which ones you take to look at separately, is essential.

Practise the math and figure out if the on-premises software, despite the higher initial upfront costs, works out to exist cheaper for you later on the kickoff two years. Don't let the sticker shock alone steer you lot away from on-premises software. There are many things to proceed in listen when evaluating secure MFT software. Take a expect at the table for some of the ones we similar, and check out the reviews below.

Our Pick	Rating	Windows App	Online Editing	iOS App	Free Storage	File Versioning	File Size Limit	Emphasis	Android App
Globalscape EFT Cloud Services	Editors' Choice Excellent (four.5) Review
Dropbox	Excellent (4.0) Review				2GB		2GB	Simplicity, Ease of Use
Linoma Software GoAnywhere MFT Standard	First-class (four.0) Review
Accellion Kiteworks Business organisation	Good (iii.5) Review
Box (Personal)	Skilful (3.five) Review				10GB		5GB	Concern Use, Compatibility
Coviant Software Diplomat MFT Standard	Practiced (three.5) Review

About Fahmida Y. Rashid

Fahmida Y. Rashid

Fahmida Y. Rashid is a senior analyst for business organization at PCMag.com. She focuses on ways businesses can use technology to work efficiently and hands. She is paranoid about security and privacy, and considers security implications when evaluating business organisation technology. She has written for eWEEK, Nighttime Reading, and SecurityWeek covering security, core Internet infrastructure, and open source. Follow me on Twitter: zdfyrashid