There are many different business environments and requirements for file transfer solutions.  Some companies need to transfer minimal amounts of data, small files sent irregularly where online sites like filetransfer.com would suffice.  Others transfer significant volumes of data and take the time to research and invest in a managed file transfer solution that they can run in-house so that they have a greater degree of control, these solutions take the form of either file transfer software installed on a company’s hardware or a file transfer appliance - but which is best?

One solution does not fit every scenario.  I’d be foolish if I stated that a particular solution was best and to hell with the others.  So I’m going to provide you with some pointers as to why I personally think that a hardware based file transfer solution is best for managed file transfer and I’ve broken it down into sections:

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Hardware

When purchasing an appliance you can be sure that the hardware is tried and tested and runs the file transfer software.  Any upgrades to the managed file transfer solution will have been tested running on the appliance ensuring the minimum of disruption during the upgrade.

When purchasing a software solution there are many different hardware options that the software might be installed on.  It is next to impossible to test all the different hardware combinations that the managed file transfer software could be installed onto, meaning that there is a greater likelihood of speed issues, functionality not working and bugs being identified during your installation or upgrade.

Operating System

OS vendors are constantly improving their operating systems, whether it’s Windows, Apple or any of the flavours of Linux, which is as you’d expect really.  With many operating systems having automated updates available this can play havoc with software solutions that are as yet untested on the latest operating systems.  Software frequently has problems when new operating system updates are released creating more development overhead for the managed file transfer software vendors.

This problem is completely eradicated with hardware/appliance-based solutions where the vendor is able to control the installation/implementation of any updates.

Software

A key advantage of software based managed file transfer solutions are the speed to deploy and the obvious cost savings achieved by not needing to invest in hardware as part of the solution.

Support

Vendors generally tend to be able to offer a better level of support when they’ve supplied the hardware.  Firstly they’ll be able to access the core OS and know how to support the solution to a whole different level because of this.  In addition and this is a key consideration - the buck stops with them!  If you’ve supplied the hardware for a software based managed file transfer solution then there will always be a bit of a “them and us” scenario regarding support issues.

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Clearly being a vendor of a hardware based Managed File Transfer appliance I’m going to fall on the side of hardware being best.  Without my vendors hat on though I genuinely do believe that the benefits outweigh the downsides when it comes to choosing an appliance over a software solution.

There are probably a number of other considerations that I’ve not listed here so I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.  Go here for a definition of Managed File Transfer.

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