What is our primary use case?
We have lots of data coming in from or going to financial institutions like banks, including payments and different types of transactions. Any client can connect to GlobalSCAPE to retrieve their files and data. We also go to their servers and pick data. We have a lot of clients, vendors, and partners that share data for different applications. Most of the data goes through SFTP, which is a protected protocol.
Our main production server is on-prem. The version of Globalscape that we are testing right now, version 8, is on the cloud in Azure.
How has it helped my organization?
Our SFTP team uses this as the main platform to do file transfers. As a result, Globalscape helps with operations, maintenance, security, and advanced tasks that we accomplish through the platform.
We have also been able to move a lot of jobs from batch and PowerShell scripts, as well as C++ and some other programming languages. It has helped, to some degree, to remove dependency on other methods. The impact has been positive because things are more centralized and better organized.
The automation of file transfers has increased our efficiency and effectiveness a lot, as they would with any other MFT system. It enables you to automate any processes that you might otherwise have to do manually. That reduces workload. Otherwise, you would have to do things through scripts or manually. There are still some things being done manually by different business teams, but a lot of it has been automated. We also need fewer programming resources now.
We have about 300 jobs and I would estimate that Globalscape saves 40 hours per week, in total.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the automation engine because it allows you to script or program and it has lots of different features and options. It's something like an IDE for programmers, where they can add variables, arrays, loops, et cetera. It has much more functionality than the advanced rules component, which only has limited options. You can use automated scripts, such as those built with PowerShell, in GlobalSCAPE, as well as scripts that you build in Globalscape.
It's also very important that it is designed specifically for Windows because our servers are Windows and everything that we do is in Windows. Of course, we have a few Linux servers and even an SFTP server, but it's very important to be in the Windows space.
In addition, we use it to automate the submission of regulatory documentation and that is another very important functionality for us.
What needs improvement?
The solution’s centralized platform for the management of file transfer operations is good, although improvements could be made to it.
Another area for improvement is the ARM (Auditing and Reporting Module) database, in terms of accuracy and the data being logged.
And when it comes to functionality, there could be more descriptive instructions for various functions or actions.
Finally, I would like to see more advanced features for the alerting.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Globalscape Managed File Transfer for almost three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is medium. There could be some improvements.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's scalable.
We have hundreds of internal staff members who rely on Globalscape to make those files available to them for their processes. We also have hundreds of external clients, vendors, and partners. It is definitely used extensively.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used PowerShell scripts and batch scripts. We still have them, but we didn't have an MFT.
How was the initial setup?
I was part of the deployment on the dev side for the cloud, but not for the main production instance. The part I was involved with was medium, between simple and complex. It took a few weeks.
The maintenance load is average. I take care of it. We have another engineer on the SFTP team but I am the one who mainly maintains and operates the SFTP environment.
What about the implementation team?
For the deployment I was involved in we did it in-house, but we did ask some questions regarding the gateway server and the ARM database. We consulted with Globalscape support on a couple of questions we needed help with.
Our experience with them was good.
What was our ROI?
We do see a return on investment every single year. These are very critical processes. If a single file is missing, it could cause damage of $70,000, $80,000, or even $100,000. It's very important to have a robust system and that we can do advanced functions.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The on-prem licensing is very good. It's a perpetual license and I would advise others to purchase that license. That way, you don't have to pay yearly.
There are modules that you have to purchase, such as the ARM database module, and the security module, depending on what you need. Those modules increase the perpetual license's cost. There is also support which comes at an additional cost. If you purchase the perpetual license, that means you own that version, and if you want support or if you want to be able to update it, then you have to buy the premium support package, and there are a couple of tiers.
What other advice do I have?
The way we secure sensitive data in Globalscape MFT is through Active Directory's RBAC, its role-based access control. But in part, we do it through Globalscape too, because we have supervisory accounts where internal people can access the data through SFTP accounts that go through Globalscape.
Overall, it is a good solution. Just make sure that it matches your auditing requirements.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
