How to Evaluate your Secure File Transfer Process

Most companies have a standard file transfer protocol (FTP) for transferring files between systems. But, when companies plan to send files that need to be secure throughout the transfer process, separate protocols need to be put into place. This is often referred to as a secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) or process.

So, how can you determine if your SFTP is working for your company? These easy-to-implement evaluation recommendations will help get you started:

Architecture and Implementation

When initially implementing a new SFTP, you will want to evaluate existing applications being used within your company to determine if all components will fit well with each other.

Once you’ve implemented a process, you will want to make sure you’re evaluating the architecture of your system as a whole each time a new application is added to the system or whenever a current application is updated. This evaluation process will ensure your system will continue to smoothly operate well into the future.

Security Assessments

Conducting regular security assessments of your system will help determine if documents are being secured correctly. This assessment should look into the overall system architecture, the team roles and permissions, and company secure file policies. It should also look at how documents are being accessed and if they’re only being delivered to the intended recipients.

Administration Best Practices

One major aspect of system administration is system configuration. Much like regular security assessments should take place, administrators should regularly check-in on the system configuration to minimize the duplication of information and the procedures for user management. This will not only help keep the system organized, but allow administrators to easily determine if the system is secure.

Ease of Use

On a regular basis, your team will want to evaluate the ease of use of your SFTP and system to ensure it’s still working for your team. If you find that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to work within the system alongside your company’s processes and best practices, it may be time to look into a new system like a RightFax server system.

What other areas do you have included in your company’s SFTP evaluation? What advice do you have for other administrators when evaluating their processes? Comment below to join the conversation!