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Business Intelligence Developer at Food distribution company
Real User
Provides a layer of transparency across the business, allowing teams to see what others are working on
Pros and Cons
  • "When we were doing the demo, we took one project from the old system and got it running in GoAnywhere in less than 30 minutes. That says a lot. I've written queries and understand code, so I'm not a novice. Still, I think that's pretty impressive for a software product to be able to deliver a functional use case in half an hour."
  • "API functionality wasn't part of our initial unit testing because it wasn't necessary then. However, shortly after implementing GoAnywhere, two different vendors approached us to do API transactions. We checked to see if GoAnywhere could do this and found that it was supposed to have that capability, but it broke down."

What is our primary use case?

We selected GoAnywhere to replace an on-prem custom-built C# ASP.net solution that we had inherited as a part of an acquisition of another company. We didn't want to maintain that solution in-house, so we searched for third-party providers that might offer some MFT solutions with EDI as a bonus. GoAnywhere checked all of our boxes. It was an easy choice in terms of costs, features, and support. 

Right now, I have three teams working with it: analytics developers, data engineers, and software developers. We're a pretty small house. There are four people in software development. The analytics team is supposed to have six, but we're currently at four. We should have two data engineers, but we now have one.

We have not yet implemented their FTP server. We own it but haven't installed it yet. We purchased the FTP portion of the software about six months ago because we were looking to replace our internal FTP solution. It was a project that we put on the back burner. After seeing the MFT product and how it performed, we felt pretty confident that we could migrate to their FTP platform as well. We were pleased with their support and performance on MFT, so it made sense for us to consolidate FTP into GoAnywhere.

How has it helped my organization?

One of the ways it has improved how we function is centralization, but that was somewhat of an unintended consequence. The initial purchase was intended to replace a specific application, but at least three other teams are currently using the application to move data internally within our network or to external providers. 

It has provided a layer of transparency across the business, particularly for our IT staff, allowing teams to see what others are working on. Even though I may not have worked on a package that interfaces with our buying software, I can see the packets out there. I can see who built the packet and what's in it. If they're not there and something goes wrong, we can troubleshoot across teams. It also creates opportunities for cross-training and cross-team support. 

I can't say that GoAnywhere's workflow features have eliminated any manual processes because the solution it replaced was already automated, so there weren't necessarily manual processes there. However, it has also allowed us to onboard other projects because the automation method is easy. 

It's hard to quantify the direct impact GoAnywhere has had on our operations because so much of it is behind the scenes. Our end-users just know that the data is flowing, so that reliability is something they won't notice. I also wouldn't say that it eliminated workloads per se because we merely moved from one system to another. But if we were starting with no automated solution in place, it would significantly reduce the workload. Of course, it would depend on the workload you're attempting to replace. From a monitoring and design perspective, it could potentially cut your workload in half. GoAnywhere hasn't helped us shift staff members to other tasks because we're a pretty lean shop, to begin with. Our plates are full regardless.

What is most valuable?

The user interface is highly intuitive, which has streamlined migration from our old solution. I say that with the caveat that we're a pretty technical house, so we have a reasonably strong skill set. When we were doing the demo, we took one project from the old system and got it running in GoAnywhere in less than 30 minutes. That says a lot. I've written queries and understand code, so I'm not a novice. I still think that's pretty impressive for a software product to be able to deliver a functional use case in half an hour.

GoAnywhere's workflow features eliminate the need for custom programs and scripts for file transfers, which was pretty critical, given the software we were replacing. While it was an internally built application, a custom script was written for each interface that had to be maintained long-term. So to convert those to a system that could build, maintain, and scale those functions out of the box was pretty critical for us.

What needs improvement?

There have been a few things that GoAnywhere couldn't handle. We discovered one recently that was beyond the scope of our original requirements. API functionality wasn't part of our initial unit testing because it wasn't necessary then. However, shortly after implementing GoAnywhere, two different vendors approached us to do API transactions. We checked to see if GoAnywhere could do this and found that it was supposed to have that capability, but it broke down. It completed the transaction, but it didn't correctly parse the JSON. Specifically, heavily nested JSON files break down when it attempts to parse the data.

There's a workaround. You have to reorganize the JSON file, and then GoAnywhere can read it. We went in a different direction since we didn't want to be hacking our solution. Their JSON readers aren't fully developed. When we implemented it, their EDI was in its infancy. We've been very successful with the EDI implementation, but there are a few pieces in their EDI implementation that are a little bit clunky. 

We had a meeting with them a couple of weeks ago because they're looking to advance that side of the product and wanted our input on what we would change in the EDI section. We gave it to them. It's an area they are looking to develop. I would recommend they continue to build in that space.

Buyer's Guide
Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
832,990 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

We purchased GoAnywhere about a year and a half ago, but we've only been actively using it for the last nine months. After buying it, we put off implementation because we were in the middle of a massive integration. We had about 67 different applications undergoing migration, so GoAnywhere just had to wait its turn.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

So far, GoAnywhere has been highly stable. We've had minimal downtime, and the downtime we've had has been due to other system upgrades. For example, we upgraded our internal FTP server but neglected to open the firewall ports after the upgrade back to the GoAnywhere server. That's more of a systems issue rather than a problem with GoAnywhere. I can confidently say GoAnywhere has been up 99.9 percent of the time since we first installed it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

GoAnywhere allows us to continue expanding our data integrations because we already had a pretty robust integration across the board before we implemented it, and it continues to scale well. When a new vendor comes on board with new specs or a new type of connection, 99 percent of the time we can say that GoAnywhere can do that, and we start building out the implementation and the automation process.

We continue to grow, and we haven't seen any performance issues yet. We had a few problems with logs, but that was resolved in 20 minutes with a call to support about where we store our logs and how we make them more efficient. At this point, we probably have roughly 200 jobs running daily. Some of them monitor files, a folder, or an FTP site every five minutes 24 hours, seven days a week without any significant performance degrades.

How are customer service and support?

The individuals who provide support are very knowledgeable about their product, and we don't go through multiple layers of support. We get answers fairly quickly, and it escalates to the right person quickly as well if needed. I would rate HelpSytems support nine out of 10.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The setup was very straightforward. Of course, we paid for training, but it's an intuitive application. The time-to-value was closer to a month. It took us about a month before we had value-producing projects running. 

Regarding maintenance, we maintain it in a hybrid sense. Because we're such a small shop, I and someone from the software development team have admin access to the servers, and so does our systems administration team. It's more like cross-training. The solution requires minimal maintenance. It is a solidly performing application, so we don't see a lot of issues or downtime.

The updates all go smoothly. When there's an update, we're relatively confident that we can apply this. We've gone through enough release cycles that we know a new release won't break stuff. We'll roll it out, and our software's back up 30 minutes later.

What was our ROI?

A lot of our data streams are revenue-related. We're sending invoices to customers so that they can automate payments. Often, that's contractually based but roughly 30 percent of our customer-facing business involves data integrations. Without GoAnywhere, we would potentially lose business if we couldn't meet the contractual obligations of data transfers.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked at four different products about a year and a half ago, and GoAnywhere came out on top. One of the solutions we looked at was Microsoft SSRS. We are a Microsoft shop, so that's one we looked at, and we checked out Azure Logic Apps. We also got estimates from a third-party software development company to develop a custom solution.

To make the final decision, we looked at a few factors. The cost was a big one for us. We weren't willing to spend a ton of money replacing this particular product. But the other one was what we call "feature completeness." Specifically, we needed to do managed file transfers with our vendor partners. We wanted to custom-build our queries using SQL and DB2, connect to various sources to generate files, and then transfer those files via FTP, SFTP, or any number of different connection mechanisms.

We also had some EDI that was a part of a different software implementation but super expensive. That ended up being a bonus of GoAnywhere. They had recently started implementing some EDI functionality at a much lower cost.

What other advice do I have?

In its class, I'd give GoAnywhere MFT a nine out of 10. It does what it does exceedingly well. If you're implementing GoAnywhere, I recommend taking advantage of their support and training. It's excellent. Even if you already have a solid technical background, you'll have some "aha" moments just learning how they built the application. From my perspective, the cost of training is minuscule compared to the return. It gives you a good understanding of how the software works as well as how to build and troubleshoot workflows.

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.
PeerSpot user
Software Analyst II at City of Modesto
Real User
The workflow features eliminates the need for custom programs and scripts for file transfer
Pros and Cons
  • "It enabled us to allocate staff toward other work. All the time that we would have wasted worrying about this stuff and correcting problems is put into other parts of our job. That's one of the best things about it, is that we don't waste time on these projects. We just don't have to worry about them because it lets us know if there's a problem."
  • "There's not a lot of improvement I can think of. Maybe in the tools section, they have an SQL Wizard and a URL Wizard, which are really good. I think that the SQL Wizard might need some improvement. I don't know how to improve it, but it's just a little slow here and there."

What is our primary use case?

Here at the police department, we do a lot of file moving between systems. We have a citation system and we need that data moved over to an RMS (Reports Management System). Those systems don't communicate with each other. So we use it to pick up those files, move them over to that system, and then consume those files and data. We do a lot of that stuff. We also do exports to SFTP sites and automatic emails with warnings of server maintenance.

We do mostly automatic reports but also some manual reports. These can be daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly.  We use GoAnywhere to complete manual processes- like things that we don't need to do very often. We'll go in and just click a button and it runs a bunch of things that we normally would have to do manually. It speeds up the process quite a bit. The great thing about it is that we have a central station to manage basically all of our tasks. Instead of running task schedulers on every server, we can just go here and know exactly what's running where. It's much easier to manage.

How has it helped my organization?

It enabled us to allocate staff toward other work. All the time that we would have wasted working on this stuff and correcting problems is put into other parts of our job. That's one of the best things about it, is that we don't waste time on these projects. We just don't have to worry about them because we set up the project to let us know if there's a problem.

It actually helps with customer service because we don't have to wait and find out from a customer when something goes wrong. We know right away and we can fix it before they even know what happened.

GoAnywhere also enabled us to acquire or disseminate more data and documents. It saves at least ten hours per month because we can more easily figure out any issues happening by reviewing the logs. 

What is most valuable?

The fact that we can easily move files and email the pertinent people about it to tell details about those files is valuable to us. They can see what happened during that process and also catch errors. If there's an error, it'll let us know and we can go in and fix it instead of waiting two days and finding out that something didn't happen.

The intuitiveness of the GoAnywhere user interface is really good. It takes a little time to learn just like anything, but once you learn how to use it, it's very simple.

I've never seen anything like the comprehensiveness of GoAnywhere's workflow features.

The workflow features eliminate the need for custom programs and scripts for file transfer. That's the main thing I use it for. 

It's very important because the custom programs get too complicated and they're kept in random areas, so this is like a central area that you can manage complex programs. But they're easier to create also, so I think just managing those systems and being able to do something that you might not be able to do outside of the system is great.

I have been able to eliminate at least 20 to 30 custom programs and scripts by centralizing everything in GoAnywhere.

GoAnywhere's workflow features have helped us to eliminate manual processes. It's made operations more efficient and more managed.

The automation of file transfers helped to reduce the workload in my current company. All of our transfers are automatic and we're notified about them. It eliminates a lot of wasted time because I'll know if something went wrong. Sometimes the SFTP sites are down and I'll know right away and then we can try it again or have an automatic process to know that something went wrong and it'll try it again later, so I'd have to sit around and waste time trying to re-transfer or not knowing that something, maybe something didn't work. It saves us around three hours a week.

What needs improvement?

There's not a lot of improvement I can think of. Maybe in the tools section, there is a SQL Wizard which works really well. I think that the SQL Wizard could use some improvement- it's little slow when moving from page to page. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using GoAnywhere between two different areas of CMSO for about five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is really good. The service stopped few years ago but we were able to get it up and running quickly- we upgraded the version and haven't had it shutdown since. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is really good. It can go across almost any platform that I know of. It can be installed in different systems, which many programs will not work on IBMs and on Windows systems. So it can be moved and work between systems.

In terms of users, there are hundreds that are influenced by the solution including records, clerks, record supervisors, police officers, all of our IT people- as well as different organizations, such as the DOJ and court systems.

Two of us on the IT team are 100% responsible for the maintenance. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We've used things built into the systems like in Windows Task Scheduler and things like that. The workflow is similar, but you just can't do as much. Or if you try to do as much, it gets really complicated. At that point, when it gets that complicated, things break, not everybody can follow it. If you make a complex Task Scheduler with PowerShell Scripts, someone coming in off the street is not going to be able to figure it out very easily.

What was our ROI?

Our ROI is definitely positive. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I think the pricing is fair. 

It's not too expensive. You pay for extras and you pay separately for separate products. We're not any other GoAnywhere products, so we don't have to pay for it. It's not too expensive for us.

The cost of GoAnywhere compared with the value it brings to our data transfer operations is more than fair. 

What other advice do I have?

I believe GoAnywhere connects to almost any type of server.  I move many things through SFTP and I think it pretty much connects to any kind of system you're looking for. It'll connect to cloud systems as well.

My advice would be to look and see what it can do and then look at how it could improve your processes. I think you'll notice that you'll end up saving money by purchasing the product and saving a headache here and there.

I would rate GoAnywhere a ten out of ten. 

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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
832,990 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Consultant at Bridgeway Communication System, Inc.
Reseller
Top 20
Improved productivity through automation from the source to the destination
Pros and Cons
  • "The best feature of GoAnywhere is that transfers are straightforward if there are no other requirements from the source and destination. It doesn't require much maintenance."
  • "The reporting could be more customizable."

What is our primary use case?

We use GoAnywhere to filter files for our clients and set up SOP connections. Our clients are primarily large corporations, and we have around 10 specialists working with GoAnywhere. 

How has it helped my organization?

GoAnywhere has improved productivity through automation from the source to the destination. It has improved build time because the files are transferred to them immediately.

We use the agents for other branches of our client. It's crucial that the agents enable us to extend MFT automation to remote systems because the agent is like a mini-GoAnywhere. The solution has saved time connecting securely with third parties that we need to collaborate with, especially our clients. We're dealing with SaaS, so it helped us secure our files and the cloud files being tested. 

What is most valuable?

The best feature of GoAnywhere is that transfers are straightforward if there are no other requirements from the source and destination. It doesn't require much maintenance.

What needs improvement?

The reporting could be more customizable. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Fortra's GoAnywhere for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate GoAnywhere 10 out of 10 for stability. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

GoAnywhere can scale up to the enterprise level. 

How are customer service and support?

I rate Fortra support nine out of 10. I'm very satisfied with the customer support. They can accommodate us when we need their help. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We had another product before we switched to Fortra. Their customer support couldn't answer our technician's questions fast enough, whereas Fortra gave us the answer we needed in a timely manner. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Fortra GoAnywhere 10 out of 10. I would recommend GoAnywhere, depending on a company's needs. It's appropriate for enterprises who want to securely transfer files from service to service. 

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. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
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reviewer2114118 - PeerSpot reviewer
Application Development Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees
Real User
A user-friendly and accessible solution that provides centralized management
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to learn and user-friendly, which makes it accessible even to those without programming backgrounds and extensive scripting training. Newcomers can quickly get to grips with the platform, and as it's a more object-oriented application, it's easier to use and program."
  • "The solution's built-in functions could be better; I want to see easier file transfers and management."

What is our primary use case?

We use GoAnywhere for the basic Secure File Transfer Protocols (SFTPs). We transfer between various operating systems, and most of our servers are Unix, such as Linux and AIX.

Regarding security, we don't store data on the GoAnywhere servers, and access is limited. Our information security is essential as we're a public safety agency.

How has it helped my organization?

We've been using the solution for all these years, and that's a testament to how useful we find it as an organization. We previously used a lot of scripting for FTP and SFTP, but GoAnywhere MFT provides a centralized managed platform that reduces our manual workload. 

What is most valuable?

The product enables live transfer between servers, and it does what we need it to. 

GoAnywhere being a centralized platform fits our needs very well; it gets the job done and improves our file transfer operations.

The solution is easy to learn and user-friendly, which makes it accessible even to those without programming backgrounds and extensive scripting training. Newcomers can quickly get to grips with the platform, and as it's a more object-oriented application, it's easier to use and program.

What needs improvement?

The solution's built-in functions could be better; I want to see easier file transfers and management. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using the solution for around ten years. 

How are customer service and support?

The tech support is pretty good, and the team members are knowledgeable for the most part; I rate them eight out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is considered easy. We are looking to upgrade to the newest version and have one staff member responsible for implementing that. However, the installation guide provides little information, and the installation notes are relatively limited.

What was our ROI?

Previously, we did file transfers manually, so we didn't need to pay anything. However, GoAnywhere is a strong product, so it's a good investment.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The product's pricing is reasonable. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Technical Engineer
Real User
Top 20
Our data exchange security is now faster, easier to use, and more convenient than before
Pros and Cons
  • "GoDrive eliminates the need to use the exchange server for file sharing."
  • "Fortra needs to offer more use cases for GoAnywhere MFT during training."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT solution to achieve file standardization through automated workflows. In this process, when a file is sent, it's first routed to an ICAP server. Think of a file transfer as simply moving a file from one location to another. However, in this case, instead of transferring the file directly, we connect it to the ICAP server first. This intermediary step allows the file to be scanned and sanitized before it's delivered to its final destination.

We implemented Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT to securely transfer and share files, as well as automate file transfers and processes.

How has it helped my organization?

GoAnywhere has significantly improved our data exchange security. It's now faster, easier to use, and more convenient than before. It has improved automation, visibility, and security.

GoAnywhere offers good visibility through its file transfer logs. This allows me to track changes within my organization, including who made them, what changes were made, and when they occurred.

GoAnywhere's automation feature has streamlined our workflows by eliminating the need for extensive coding, programming, or scripting knowledge. Its user-friendly interface allows us to create workflows simply by dragging and dropping components. Additionally, GoAnywhere offers a library of pre-defined workflows readily available for use. These pre-built workflows can be easily integrated into our workspace with a single click. While some workflows may require minor adjustments, such as specifying a CTPS certificate, link, or IP address, GoAnywhere significantly reduces the need for manual configuration.

GoAnywhere integrates with our existing IT infrastructure and systems. It also offers a feature that allows for integration with Outlook. This integration enables us to send files securely via email through a link. However, using the standard email attachment method does not provide any file protection. The Outlook plugin streamlines this process. Once installed, it provides an option within our Outlook interface to connect and send files directly from our mailbox. This eliminates the need to access the GoAnywhere platform separately, generate a link, and then send it – saving us valuable time and steps.

The training and portal videos familiarized me with the benefits of GoAnywhere. I believe someone new to the platform could grasp most of these benefits within a week or two, though not all of them in such a short timeframe.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature, GoDrive, requires an additional license. It functions similarly to Dropbox, providing a central location where all users can easily upload files. Once uploaded, the files are continuously monitored, encrypted, and inaccessible to unauthorized users. Additionally, GoDrive offers image-sharing capabilities. For instance, if we want to send a file to someone via email, we can enter their email address. Instead of sending the file through the exchange server, GoDrive generates a link. This link, when sent to the recipient, allows them to access the file with a single click. The link can be set to expire after a specific number of downloads or uploads, and we can even add a password for further security. In essence, GoDrive eliminates the need to use the exchange server for file sharing.

What needs improvement?

Fortra needs to offer more use cases for GoAnywhere MFT during training.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT for 2 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

GoAnywhere MFT is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

GoAnywhere MFT is scalable. They have a 99 percent retention rate.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good. Their development team releases new versions 4 times a year.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

I deployed GoAnywhere myself and found it to be easy to install. It's the simplest product I've installed so far. The process takes less than 15 minutes. All you need is the installation file. You download it, and there are almost no prerequisites for running the software.

GoAnywhere uses a web-based console for management. You'll get an HTTPS link with an IP address to access it. You can then log in to your web console to manage GoAnywhere. Even deploying it on multiple machines is straightforward; there's an agent that simplifies the process.

What was our ROI?

GoAnywhere MFT delivers a positive return on investment, as evidenced by our extensive customer base.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT 8 out of 10.

GoAnywhere allows us to encrypt our data using either TGP or AES encryption.

Depending on the use case, one or two people are required to maintain GoAnywhere.

We offer GoAnywhere to a wide range of clients, from small IT shops to large banks with thousands of employees.

I recommend reading about all the additional features, such as GoDrive. You should also be aware that GoAnywhere is highly scalable.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Joshua Rule - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Integration Consultant at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
The solution can be used as an SFTP server for file transfer, but its scalability could be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT supports the PeSIT protocol."
  • "The solution's support for the Unix platform and AS2 should be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT as an SFTP server for file transfer.

What is most valuable?

Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT supports the PeSIT protocol. The solution's Windows LDAP integration is excellent.

What needs improvement?

The solution's support for the Unix platform and AS2 should be improved. The solution's scalability needs to be improved as it has very limited scalability.

The solution could include some multi-factor authentication (MFA), one-time password, or secondary authentication.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT for six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT a six out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT a four out of ten for scalability.

How are customer service and support?

I never interacted with the solution's technical support, but their website was pretty robust with knowledge articles.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The solution’s initial setup was simple.

What about the implementation team?

One engineer and a system admin resource were involved in the solution's deployment.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT is an inexpensive solution.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Before choosing Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT, we evaluated MOVEit. Compared to MOVEit, Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT had a more robust user interface, and the support was more apparent on their website, making it easier to get to.

What other advice do I have?

The solution has quarterly maintenance releases.

Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT is best used in a Windows environment with low utilization. It wouldn't be something I would use in a high-utilization environment.

Overall, I rate Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Director, HIM at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Fantastic support, good value for money, and helpful for quickly and easily sharing information
Pros and Cons
  • "All of it is valuable, but the most valuable would be the ability to release medical records without having a limitation for size and not having to deal with the fax machine."
  • "One of the things that I wish is to not necessarily have to set up a username and password for people with whom we don't frequently share files. For instance, if I want to share files with a patient who is not somebody with whom we share files all the time, I would like them to somehow verify who they are and be able to push the file to them. I shouldn’t have to set them up as a user with a password. It should be almost like Dropbox."

What is our primary use case?

We use it to release medical records to other healthcare facilities, attorneys, and insurance companies.

How has it helped my organization?

We can share information faster and easier and in a less restrictive manner in terms of sizing.

It has helped to eliminate manual processes. We don't have to mail and fax records, and we don't have to burn them on a CD anymore. We can just drop a record in a folder.

It helps in centralizing the exchange of data between systems, employees, customers, and trading partners, which is extremely important. The easier it is to do, the better it is for us. Previously, we were having issues with faxing, and now, we don't have fax issues. It is a lot faster for the people to whom we're sending records. It is almost instantaneous, whereas with faxing, it has to go out through the fax, and then their fax machine has to pick it up, and then, on somebody's end, it may not work.

What is most valuable?

All of it is valuable, but the most valuable would be the ability to release medical records without having a limitation for size and not having to deal with the fax machine.

Its user interface is extremely easy. If you can drag and drop, then you're good.

What needs improvement?

I'm on the admin side of it, and one of the complaints is that it times out too quickly for the people who are using the internet-based part of it. It could be that there is a way to do it, but I just don't know how. 

One of the things that I wish is to not necessarily have to set up a username and password for people with whom we don't frequently share files. For instance, if I want to share files with a patient who is not somebody with whom we share files all the time, I would like them to somehow verify who they are and be able to push the file to them. I shouldn’t have to set them up as a user with a password. It should be almost like Dropbox.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for about two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is great. I haven't had any issues with it. I've had issues with my IT department, but nothing on the GoAnywhere's side.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I use it for a very specific thing. So, it definitely meets my needs.

How are customer service and support?

They're fantastic. Anytime I've called to ask anything, they've always been extremely helpful. They spent time with me, walked me through things, and explained things to me. They've always been great. I've not had any issues. So, I would rate them a ten out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We didn't have any other solution previously. It was just fax and paper or burn a CD.

How was the initial setup?

I was involved in its setup, and my part of it was simple. IT was also involved. There are portions of GoAnywhere that we're not using but IT can use. 

We were having issues with faxing to external people where our faxes wouldn't go through. So, in terms of the implementation strategy, they were the first ones with whom I checked whether they would be interested in doing this. It has just kind of grown from there. People request things from us all the time. If I'm on the phone, I ask them, "Hey, we have this. Is this something that you're interested in?" Sometimes, they say no, but most of the time, it is a yes. So, it has worked out really well.

I started using it in my department, and now, I've got a few other departments that are also using GoAnywhere for the same thing. For example, the business office will use it when people or attorneys request itemized statements or itemized billing if that requester has GoAnywhere.

What about the implementation team?

I did have training courses. They did help me set up exactly what I needed it to be set up for, and that part was really simple.

In terms of maintenance, I'm the one who sets everybody up, and I'm the one who goes through it. Our IT has one person, but he is hardly in it. He usually accesses it when I have an issue. I do have four other staff members who drop things in, but they don't build users. They don't resend passwords or do anything like that.

What was our ROI?

I would like to say that we have seen an ROI because I don't have to burn CDs and mail them all the time, but I can't give a dollar figure for that.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost is fine. It is probably the best software that I've had for the money that we spend for it. I am not aware of any costs in addition to the standard licensing fees. I don't pay for it. IT pays for it.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Our IT did look at other options. I know they looked at Dropbox, but I don't know what else they looked at.

What other advice do I have?

GoAnywhere hasn't helped to eliminate single-function tools or unsecured file transfer methods because we work in medical records, and we don't send things in a non-secure fashion. I personally don't think that the mail is very secure. If we take the fact that we don't burn CDs anymore and we don't have to put them in the mail, then it has helped because now, it is from us to them, and there is no wait time. 

It hasn't enabled us to allocate staff toward other work, and it also hasn't enabled us to acquire or disseminate more data or more documents. It has only helped us to work more efficiently.

I would rate it a ten out of ten. I tell people all the time that they need to get this. I was looking for something like this, and finally, I got it. I'm super happy about it. I don't want to have to go back to the way I was doing it before.

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.
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reviewer2586390 - PeerSpot reviewer
SAP Basis Administrator at a energy/utilities company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
Seamless connectivity, good usability, and knowledgeable support
Pros and Cons
  • "The usability is valuable because I am self-taught and have not had any formal training in the product. The help feature is quite handy."
  • "The biggest weakness I have seen in the product is scheduling. It is very limited in that aspect. It needs more flexibility and more ways to schedule."

What is our primary use case?

 I primarily use it for FTP purposes, sending files in and out within the corporation and through third-party vendors, both inbound and outbound.

How has it helped my organization?

It has been pretty seamless and straightforward for connectivity between my company and a third party. It is one of the easier aspects of using the product.

I could see its benefits after some time. That is because it was self-taught. I learned the functionality, the usability, and all the features as I went along by reading the help functions. There are probably still a lot of features that I have not yet used or know about.

What is most valuable?

The usability is valuable because I am self-taught and have not had any formal training in the product. The help feature is quite handy.

What needs improvement?

The biggest weakness I have seen in the product is scheduling. It is very limited in that aspect. It needs more flexibility and more ways to schedule. It is very strict with no customization options. The monitors are limited in how you can set them up.

Handling errors is challenging as errors are hard to understand. The help guide does not cover error messages well. It is Java-based, so it is hard to understand Java error messages.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it for about four or five years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not experienced any lagging or crashing. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have not used it to a high level of scalability. What we are running currently is what was installed by a previous manager, and it has been used for about six to seven years without issues.

How are customer service and support?

They are very responsive and very knowledgeable. I would rate them a nine out of ten. Sometimes, they are hard to reach by phone. I get placed on hold for a long time, and I usually hang up and call later in the day or the following day. That is the only down thing I can think about in terms of support. They are hard to get hold of sometimes.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used FileZilla, which is freeware. We have also used WinSCP.

FileZilla is just a simple point-to-point file transfer, whereas GoAnywhere has way more features.

How was the initial setup?

I did not install it in our environment. Another person who is not with the company anymore installed it. I came into play after it was fully installed and configured.

My initial onboarding was difficult for me because it required some level of programming which I am not savvy with. Initially, I reached out to tech support due to the cryptic errors that I was getting.

I do not use it on a daily basis or a full-time basis. It took about a year to be comfortable with it. I am still learning as I go along. There are still times when I wonder how to do something. I am still learning it, but it took me a good decent year to get acclimated to it.

In terms of maintenance, there is patching that comes out almost every month. It is pretty easy to download and apply the patch. It is pretty quick and painless.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate GoAnywhere MFT an eight out of ten. I have not had any formal training on it. I would love that opportunity. Until then, it is self-learning.

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.
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Updated: February 2025
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Managed File Transfer (MFT)
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.