The market for managed file transfer solutions is constantly changing. It is important for vendors and consumers to be savvy about these driving forces to anticipate their organization’s needs. Forrester recently came out with a report, “Market Overview: Managed File Transfer Solutions,” in which Analyst Ken Vollmer interviewed 20 MFT vendors, including Attachmate, to gather industry information and perspective.
Vollmer found the market is growing rapidly. One of the largest drivers of the growth is the increased awareness about the limitations of file transfer protocol – or FTP. Both internal and external auditors are demanding “better security and improved governance over information that leaves the enterprise.” Vollmer says that MFT solutions provide an effective option for addressing this need. Vollmer’s report suggests most MFT vendors are targeting three specific sectors, which have seen an increased need for MFT solutions. The financial, healthcare and government sectors are all seeing an increased need for a solution that addresses increased security to maintain privacy and critical information.
Forrester believes MFT revenue grew about 15 percent year-over-year in 2010 and expects this growth rate will continue for the next three years as more and more organizations realize the value of MFT solutions and update their infrastructures.
The report concludes that the trend of traditional FTP being replaced with more robust MFT solutions will continue and that those FTP solutions will “no longer be adequate for meeting file transfer needs.” I’ve written about some of the limitations with FTP in previous posts.
For more information, including interesting survey data, you can check out the full Forrester report, “Market Overview: Managed File Transfer Solutions.”
