Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct Reviews

Vendor: IBM

4.0 out of 5

10 reviews
70% willing to recommend

522 followers

What is Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct?

IBM's Sterling Connect:Direct is a software product that offers security-hardened, point-to-point file transfers to reduce reliance on insecure File Transfer Protocol (FTP) transmissions. It is designed for high-volume file distribution within and between businesses. The solution guarantees more reliable file movement, from batch integration and movement of large images or catalogs to synchronization with distant sites. Sterling Connect:Direct also enables hybrid cloud deployment through certified containers, allowing for simple and consistent deployment lifecycle management.

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Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is the #8 ranked solution in top Managed File Transfer (MFT) solutions. PeerSpot users give Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct an average rating of 8.0 out of 10. Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is most commonly compared to Control-M: Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct vs Control-M. Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 74% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 43% of all views.

Buyer's Guide

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct

March 2025

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Featured Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct reviews

Sumit Mundik

Application Development Senior Analyst at Accenture

The initial setup of the solution is not straightforward because it's not GUI-based. If you are installing the solution on a UNIX server, you should have a basic understanding of UNIX. You should know how to go from one directory to another, what the config files are, how to edit those files, and how to get the backup of those files. You need a little technical knowledge for it. The developers working on the solution are very costly for the organization. Also, the complexity of having this kind of setup is very difficult. This solution is only used by giant financial companies like BNY Mellon, Barclays, and JPMorgan Chase. They cannot replace the solution because they have several files transferred internally using it. It is very difficult and cost-consuming for them to change, migrate, or upgrade their system. That's the reason they are not able to do it very easily.

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Ankit Rahangdale

Infrastructure Tech Lead at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

The setup depends on the requirement. In the current environment or current project, we have it as a middleware. We have other tools for displaying the output of a file, and there is an application that is taking it to the display servers so that it can display the data. That is one implementation in the current project. There are also multiple implementations for their finance-related file transmission because that requires security. All the financial data is automatically transferred by the Connect:Direct whenever the application team puts a file into one of the directories. We provide the directory where they need to put the file. We have the automation job that picks up the file and delivers it to the user or the application that needs to utilize that file. Its setup is straightforward. The concept is straightforward. All the related information is also available on the internet. If any of the newbies want to check or get some info on Connect:Direct, they can go to the IBM site, and they will get all the details regarding the implementation, configuration, and any issues they are facing. They can just check with the error message, and they will be able to get some details about it. It is a pretty straightforward tool. In open systems servers, the setup and configuration take 10 minutes or less than that. It also supports silent installation, which hardly takes two minutes. It can be deployed anywhere. It supports on-premises and cloud deployments. IBM recently provided a patch for cloud HPE servers. There were a few vulnerabilities that caused data leaks, and they have fixed that in their recent updates.

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Caio Nascimento

Senior Consultant at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees

The package that IBM delivers does not come with many premade tools or templates. This means we have to create a lot of things by ourselves, which requires more work. We have a team of four to five people just to develop map-based programs. Additionally, the initial setup could be simpler and better.

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Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct mindshare

As of April 2025, the mindshare of Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct in the Managed File Transfer (MFT) category stands at 8.3%, down from 8.4% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

PeerResearch reports based on Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct reviews

Type	Title	Date
Category	Managed File Transfer (MFT)	Apr 24, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Apr 24, 2025	Download
Comparison	Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct vs IBM Sterling File Gateway	Apr 24, 2025	Download
Comparison	Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct vs GoAnywhere MFT	Apr 24, 2025	Download
Comparison	Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct vs MOVEit	Apr 24, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Control-M	4.4	4.5%	98%	121 interviews Add to research
MOVEit	4.1	8.9%	93%	14 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct offers valuable features like Checkpoint Restart, FASP technology, and Security Plus for encrypted file transfers. It supports EBICS protocol, customization, and various installation types. Users highlight its stability, scalability, data integrity, and fast transfer speed. It excels in automation, encryption flexibility, and reliable delivery. The capability to recover from communication issues ensures data integrity, widely used in banking for secure operations.

"Connect Direct offers Check Point functionality to ensure data integrity during transfers."
"Connect Direct offers Check Point functionality to ensure data integrity during transfers."
"The most valuable feature of Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is its flexibility with encryption."

Room for Improvement

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct requires a more intuitive user interface and additional protocol adapters. It needs integrated reverse proxy support for DMZ, better monitoring tools, and simplified installation. Licensing and resource costs are high and the lack of pre-made templates demands more development effort. The NEO file transfer protocol could be enhanced and there are challenges with file agents regarding file names. Updates for TLS and Log4j issues are needed.

"I do not have any notes for improvement."
"The initial setup could be simpler and better."
"The resources required for this tool are costly and not easily available in the market."

Pricing

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct pricing and licensing is generally viewed as expensive, especially for robust hardware configurations, with costs based on hardware size, yearly licensing, and the number of concurrent sessions required. Companies may attempt to negotiate pricing but find it challenging. Licensing offers flexibility with container-based solutions for cloud deployment, yet remains costly compared to other vendors such as Primero and Software AG, which may present more competitive options for smaller businesses or specific use cases.

"The solution's licensing cost is too high."
"The price and licensing of Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is expensive."
"Annual licensing fee."

Popular Use Cases

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is primarily used for secure file transfers across various industries such as finance, logistics, and manufacturing. It supports node-to-node transmissions on Linux, Unix, and mainframe systems. Businesses deploy it on-premise or in hybrid models for EDI exchanges and onboarding processes. It accommodates multiple protocols like SFPP and FTPS, enabling data movement between applications, and assists in maintaining critical data integrity for sectors like banking.

Service and Support

Users find Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct customer service challenging, with technical support often sending links to similar issues instead of addressing the specific problem. Early lack of technical expertise improved over time, though issues persist in new developments like Kafka integration. While responses can be efficient, complex issues may take longer. Support includes a ticketing system and local portals. Customers find IBM’s service generally supportive and helpful, especially in providing solutions within 24 hours or longer for intricate cases.

Deployment

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct's initial setup varies in complexity. While some setups are simple and quick, others require in-depth technical expertise, especially when involving UNIX servers or complex security implementations. Experienced users find it straightforward, completing deployments within minutes. However, troubleshooting can be extensive, with multiple failure points. Deployment was often vendor-handled for organizations like BNY Mellon, Barclays, and JPMorgan Chase due to integration complexities and financial file transmission requirements.

Scalability

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is described as highly scalable, facilitating easy expansion for various companies. It serves high volume transfers, providing horizontal and vertical scalability, especially with containerization tools like Kubernetes. Despite some complexity, scalability is supported effectively, accommodating business growth. Many entities utilize it extensively, without needing additional support due to its robustness and efficient resource management, adjusting infrastructure mainly in response to increased file storage demands. Scalability issues are not commonly reported.

Stability

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is highly stable and reliable. Users report no bugs, glitches, crashes, or freezes. It operates smoothly both vertically and horizontally and does not exhibit maintenance issues. Its dependable performance is trusted by numerous companies for secure and accelerated file transmission. Banking chains particularly value its simplicity and 100% delivery assurance. No stability problems have been encountered by users, reinforcing its reputation as a robust tool.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

43%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Insurance Company

Government

Media Company

Retailer

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

Non Profit

Healthcare Company

Educational Organization

Hospitality Company

Recruiting/Hr Firm

Real Estate/Law Firm

Wholesaler/Distributor

Legal Firm

Outsourcing Company

University

Performing Arts

Energy/Utilities Company

Logistics Company

Consumer Goods Company

Compare Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct with alternative products

Learn more about Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct Features

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

Performance capabilities such as extraordinary scalability and low latency.

Automated, dependable file transmission that permits unattended, round-the-clock operations.

Designed to run on a variety of operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, UNIX, Linux, IBM z/OS, OpenVMS, i5/OS, and HP NonStop.

Advanced security features with cutting-edge encryption to meet regulatory and industry standards.

IBM certified containers for Sterling Connect:Direct are enterprise-grade, secure product editions that are scalable, secure, easy to install, and manage update and rollback processes. They also have integrated common software services for consistent deployment lifecycle management.
Boosts transfer speed for large files over high-speed networks by up to four times the previous speed while reducing latency.
Gives existing FTP transfers the ability to retry, checkpoint, and compress existing transfers.
Supports a variety of network protocols, including TCP/IP, Systems Network Architecture (SNA), and an optional high-speed add-on based on Aspera FASP technology.

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

High performance: Takes care of your most demanding workloads, including multi-gigabyte files to large volumes of small files.

Reliable file delivery: To help ensure predictable, assured file delivery, it offers automated scheduling, checkpoint restart, and automatic recovery.

Secure transmission of files: Maintains the confidentiality of customer information and supports regulatory compliance measures.

Speed up patching and installation: By deploying your solution with a certified container that contains all necessary components, you can drastically cut installation and patch time from hours to minutes.

Reviews from Real Users

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its robust file processing and its security for file transfers. PeerSpot users take note of the advantages of these features in their reviews:

Michele I., Business Unit Manager at Innovery, writes of the solution, “The file processing is done very well. By default, there are a lot of configurations that can be customized. Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is one of the stronger MFT solutions in the market, it is available in each type of installation, and offers SaaS, PaaS, YaaS, on-premise.”

Camilo M., Pre-sales Engineer at Dell EMC, mentions, “It's a great tool because it offers secure file transfers and it has a fast and efficient protocol for very large files.”