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Managed File transfer (MFT) Administrator at a non-profit with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Centralizes file transfer management, saves us time, good reporting, and helps secure our data
Pros and Cons
  • "The SFTP and encryption functionality works well, and SFTP is the bulk of what we use."
  • "The security and vendor management features are helpful in terms of providing access to data."
  • "The support desk has room for improvement. I keep opening tickets and they keep telling me that they're closed, but they're not resolved."

What is our primary use case?

We are in the healthcare industry and we use GoAnywhere for file transfers in our finance, HR, clinical and logistical processes

How has it helped my organization?

GoAnywhere has helped improve our organization through the centralization of file transfer management, as well as standards enforcement. The error reporting and file auditing capabilities make troubleshooting problems and issues a fairly straightforward process.

GoAnywhere is the perfect tool to help centralize the exchange of data between systems, employees, customers, and trading partners. This is of critical importance to us because in previous implementations, where we've had trouble connecting with our partners and vendors and such, from a troubleshooting perspective it could take a day to solve an issue, but using the GoAnywhere tools & capabilities, we can address  most issues in minutes, instead of hours.

The user interface is intuitive, although someone who's not familiar with coding may have a little bit more of a challenge with it. I have a background in programming and infrastructure, and I found that it was logical & well designed. 

The comprehensiveness of GoAnywhere's workflow features is fantastic. 

The workflow features almost completely eliminate the need for custom programs and scripts for file transfers. I would estimate that we have cut out custom scripts by about 95%. For the remaining 5%, we use the OS integration feature to allow us to interface with a given system and run OS native commands/scripts/operations from within GoAnywhere.

The elimination of custom scripts for every transfer was an important and valuable step for the organization from an operations, maintenance & support perspective.  We can build out a Managed File Transfer process in GoAnywhere with none of the hassles and headaches associated with scripts in an hour vs. custom scripting processes that would take significantly longer to develop and deploy.  we are doing the same work that existed prior to implementing GoAnywhere, but now the processes are faster, simpler, more supportable and secure.  With GoAnywhere, we are able to service our customers much faster and in a much more dependable, consistent and reliable manner.

The automation of file transfers has helped to reduce our workload for file transfers, freeing us up to focus more on the business requirements. For example, in the past, my customers would come to me with, "Hey. I can't find my files, they haven't been downloaded today."  With GoAnywhere we are able to give them a notification via email processes we build into our GoAnywhere jobs, allowing them to see the status of their respective file transfers.

Within the specific context of an organization-wide project, we managed to accomplish MFT request turnaround in a few days where previously, it may day weeks with our previous toolset.

What is most valuable?

I find the entire solution to be useful for what I do.


Specifically, the encryption & certificate functions, the ability to reuse a defined resource (SFTP server/Network share, e.g.) across multiple transfers and the granularity of the audit logs functionality is a solid tool for troubleshooting.

What needs improvement?

The support desk has room for improvement. I keep opening tickets and they keep telling me that they're closed, but they're not resolved.

Customer service is an area in need of improvement.

Buyer's Guide
Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
814,763 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using HelpSystems GoAnywhere MFT since the spring of 2018.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Since we implemented GoAnywhere in the spring of 2018, there has been one bug that has caused us any issues. It was readily addressed by contacting the help desk.

Overall, stability has been rock solid.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I transfer tens of thousands of files per week and scalability is not a problem. I honestly think I would have difficulty scaling GoAnywhere to a point where a point where I would be concerned.

The users we have are GoAnywhere admins and they build managed file transfers. There aren't any functionalities that our customer community has access to.

At this point, more than 70% of our Managed File Transfer processes are utilizing GoAnywhere. The goal, although it may never be fully attained, is to get the rest of those outliers doing file transfers through the secure and dependable enterprise-grade system that is GoAnywhere.

How are customer service and support?

In 2018, 2019, I would have rated the support a ten out of ten. As previously expressed, I would now give them a four.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

Prior to GoAnywhere, we used native operating system shell scripts and, worse, daily human processes.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. Their installation methodologies and their architectural configuration are pretty much laid out for you in their marketing documentation. From an implementation perspective, everything is there for you.

The installation took a couple of hours but from that point, it took probably two weeks before it was in functional production.   The strength of GoAnywhere is in the vary rich toolset.  Unfortunately, that also means that there can be a learning curve as one starts to implement it into Production.

What about the implementation team?

I was the implementer of this product and I didn't require the help of a third party. Any issues or concerns I had during the implementation phase were readily addressed by the vendors (then) support staff.  At the time, they were very good at answering quickly and responding to the implementation issues that I encountered.  At the present time, I would suspect that the support is not to the level it was when we implemented GoAnywhere in 2018.

For the first three years, our GoANywhere implementation was really a one-man band in terms of managing the system, including implementing functionality.  As we have grown i to the systm a second administrator has beendrafted into the MFT Team.  

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

For what we pay to GoAnywhere every year, we are getting a fantastic deal. From a dollar perspective, it provides very good value.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We reviewed three other products prior to implementing GoAnywhere. One that I recall is MOVEit, which was an Ipswitch product at the time.

The user interface that MOVEit had was abysmal. In contrast, the user interface that GoAnywhere has is intuitive and although it obviously depends on each individual user, overall, it's great. The ability to employ the functions and build out what needs to be built out is not a difficult process. It can be complex in some instances, but it's not difficult.

What other advice do I have?

We are not running the latest version; however, it is only because we are too busy with other things at the moment.

For me, this solution is fantastic. I'm able to solve a lot of problems for my organization by using the whole collection of features in GoAnywhere.

I would rate this solution a nine 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.
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SAP Basis Administrator at a energy/utilities company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
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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Buyer's Guide
Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
814,763 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IT & Security Manager at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 20
Provides a centralized and secure way for our file transfer needs
Pros and Cons
  • "It streamlines the files. Anyone can go pick up the file that we give access to. It is great."
  • "For us, it is perfect. It is a good solution that we are using, and we are going to continue to do so. However, it should be advertised more as a solution. I did not see it out there beforehand."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it for all our file-transferring needs. We mostly use it for confidential files and larger files. We want to securely send the files that are on the confidential side. We feel it is very secure for sending a file over.

How has it helped my organization?

By implementing this solution, we wanted to have a centralized place for all our file-transferring needs because previously, there were too many ways. It was done by email. It was done through FTP. Everyone was trying to find their own solution. This way, we could centralize it and make sure that everyone is using the same tool.

We use it with Office 365. We have a single sign-on, and we have implemented it with every deployment of a laptop.

It works seamlessly. There are no issues. It has been excellent. It is so easy. It is very user-friendly. There are never any issues. There is a lot of flexibility with it, and we are staying compliant, so it is very important.

It streamlines everything and keeps things centralized. There is also automated scheduling.

For us, cybersecurity is very important, and GoAnywhere MFT keeps us very secure. That is a very good benefit. We have a centralized place for file transfers. People do not think of other options, such as using Dropbox or sending files by email or FTP.

GoAnywhere has saved us time in connecting securely with the third parties we need to collaborate securely with. It is hard to say how much time it has saved, but we do not need to discuss how we are going to send a file securely. We used to waste a lot of time previously.

What is most valuable?

It streamlines the files. Anyone can go pick up the file that we give access to. It is great.

What needs improvement?

For what we are using it for, it is doing the job, so I would not be able to say how to improve it. For us, it is perfect. It is a good solution that we are using, and we are going to continue to do so. However, it should be advertised more as a solution. I did not see it out there beforehand.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using GoAnywhere MFT for the past six months. They gave us a free trial, and we liked it, so we made the purchase.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable. We have not had any issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. 

We have 25 users using this solution. It is one company. We are just 25 people. It is a small company.

How are customer service and support?

We did not require any support. It is very simple. We are only using the file transfer, so it is very simple.

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

We were not using anything before. That is why it is such a great solution for us.

How was the initial setup?

We have the cloud solution, The cloud provider is AWS.

I was involved in its deployment, and there were no problems. In terms of the implementation strategy, we just had a team meeting about it. I informed everyone and then implemented the credentials.

It does not require any maintenance.

What about the implementation team?

I did not need any external help.

What was our ROI?

The best benefit is time and security.

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

I find it to be very fair. It is very good.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did not evaluate other options. I trust Fortra, and I use them for other solutions. That is why I went to them with a scenario, and they got back to us about using this system.

What other advice do I have?

I would highly recommend this solution. I am a big believer that you get what you pay for.

We do not use GoAnywhere's Secure Forms. We are using this solution for simple file transfers. We are not getting too complex with it. We also do not make use of the GoAnywhere agents or the GoFast feature.

I would definitely rate Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

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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Works at a educational organization with 11-50 employees
Real User
Effortless setup with excellent support ensures seamless file transfers
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to use, easy to set up, and the support is good."
  • "I would like to be able to do MFA and reset the password via email."

What is our primary use case?

The use cases would be to transfer files and send files of large sizes.

How has it helped my organization?

We have not yet collaborated with third parties. We might see benefits in the future when we have SharePoint.

What is most valuable?

Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT is easy to use, easy to set up, and the support is good.

What needs improvement?

I am not able to go in and say 'forgot password.' I need to access the admin portal to change the password from there. I would like to be able to do MFA and reset the password via email.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used GoAnywhere for less than a year. April will mark one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We hardly have any issues with lagging, crashing, or downtime.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. We utilize it minimally, and it seems easy to scale up.

How are customer service and support?

Their customer service is good, with decent support. They get back to us within a day with answers. Their documentation is also very helpful.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We used standard MFT, FileZilla, and just FTP protocol within Windows Server. We switched as we were concerned about security and wanted ease of use and setup.

How was the initial setup?

The initial deployment was easy. It took us just a couple of days to fully set up.

What about the implementation team?

We used Fortra's implementation team since it came with the package. We had to purchase eight hours of implementation time. From our end, mainly one person was involved in the deployment.

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

The pricing is too expensive for what we need. If we could cut it by 50%, that would be great.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked at other solutions, however, it was time-consuming, and since Fortra's offers very good products, we did not pursue other options further.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend the solution for secure transfer and easy setup. Despite the pricing, it is a reliable product.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
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Consultant at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Gives us trouble-free SFTP and HTTPS transfers and high availability
Pros and Cons
  • "If it's dealing with SFTP or any kind of secure transfer, we don't hear about it. It's good. Everything works."
  • "When we restart the agent on each server, it tries to go out to the internet and it takes about a 13-minute timeout before it can move forward. Why is there a 13-minute timeout value when trying to go to the internet? ...If they could limit that timeout or give us a way to modify it so we could have a faster timeout, that would help us at least knock out a half-hour's worth of outage."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for SFTP and HTTPS.

How has it helped my organization?

We went from a single client to a clustered environment and that's nice for maintenance work. The thing that has improved is the high-availability.

What is most valuable?

We basically use the SFTP and HTTPS for transferring files. If it's dealing with SFTP or any kind of secure transfer, we don't hear about it. It's good. Everything works.

Also, for importing information and exporting it, it's not too bad.

What needs improvement?

We have it implemented on-prem only. That's one of the issues we have. When we restart the agent on each server, it tries to go out to the internet and it takes about a 13-minute timeout before it can move forward. Why is there a 13-minute timeout value when trying to go to the internet? Shouldn't it be a minute or so? We weren't sure why it was taking that long, and then we noticed that it took almost exactly 13 minutes, every single time. We looked into it and we found out that it could be a timeout value. They checked with their developers and they said, "Yeah, it looks like it is a timeout value." We have worked with a support engineer and they definitely know about it, but so far there is no fix.

If they could limit that timeout or give us a way to modify it so we could have a faster timeout, that would help us at least knock out a half-hour's worth of outage.

In addition, when you log in through the GUI, it always fails the first time and says that your time expired, and it makes you log in twice. Supposedly it's a bug. If they could fix that, that would be awesome.

Also, in some areas it could be more user-friendly, when it comes to adding certificates and or keys for access.

For how long have I used the solution?

The organization I'm working for has been using HelpSystems GoAnywhere MFT for at least a couple of years,  but we just implemented our new cluster environment in February or March, about seven or eight months ago.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

So far, the stability has been good. 

The only thing I have noticed is that if you take it down hard, sometimes the startup can get corrupted. So you have to make sure you shut down that application. We had an issue where it lost the NFS mounts for a couple hours. When we tried to bring it back up, it wouldn't recognize where it was at and we had to call support. But most of the time, you don't want to take anything down hard.

Other than that, it seems to be pretty stable.

How are customer service and support?

The support is really good, but the ticket system is not that good.

When you open the ticket, that's the only time you can see what is in the ticket. Support engineers can see it, but if you're a customer and you want to update your ticket or look at the ticket that you created, you can't access it. I think they know about that, but I don't know if they've done anything about it lately. It's one thing I can't stand. If you go to other vendors and you open a ticket, you can actually go into the ticket and update it. You can't do that with GoAnywhere's ticketing system.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend GoAnywhere, depending on how much it costs. I'm not involved with the cost side of things. For the most part, you can access it from the internet into the web servers, or you can have it only localized. So I would recommend it.

We have three or four admin people who can help maintain it, but that's only in case one of the people isn't available.

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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Senior Application Analyst at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Eliminates manual job execution and frees up our staff from having to write code
Pros and Cons
  • "We also use the Secure Folders module and the Web Client a lot. For example, we set up external vendors to come in and review files or folders in a Secure Folder. That way they can go in and review whatever information or data they need to do."
  • "The support could be enhanced a little bit... If the first echelon of support could say, 'Okay, you are trying to create a variable,' and could tell you what you have to do, that would be good."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for SFTP and for hosted software that connects to it through the cloud. We also use the AS2 piece, although that is still in test mode. We move about 10,000 files a day.

We're a hospital and we use it for payroll, the pharmacy, and the cafeteria. And on the admin side, it extracts reports from a third-party location. We also have trading partners and we pass on public and private keys.

GoAnywhere connects to our Azure server. We also have some in-house servers that it connects to. We move files to the Isilon, which is a repository where we store a lot of files.

How has it helped my organization?

When we started out, we were a tier-three location. Now we are a tier-one. We started out with no more than about 150 or 200 jobs, and now we have over 1,000 jobs.

GoAnywhere's workflow features have helped us to eliminate manual processes. We had people manually running a job, but now that we have automated it, they don't have to do it anymore. They also don't have to waste time trying to write a program and testing it to see if it's going to work. They send us their requirements and we can code them and provide them with what they need. That gives them more flexibility. They can go on to do other tasks. And if they have to add something or change a filename, they don't have to go through the whole process. They just send in a request to us and that makes it easier for them.

For example, they can send us a request saying, "We need you to create a Secure Folder so that we can communicate and move files with a third party." We set that up and they just drop the files in there and they don't have to worry about whether the file they're trying to send is too large. It allows us to send PDFs. GoAnywhere has helped us to be more diverse than we were before.

It has also helped to eliminate unsecured file transfer methods. We used to use a lot of FTP stuff, and that was not too secure, but we brought in the SFTP and the PTP abilities. Some companies still insist that we use FTP, but we try not to use it. By using secured methods, we know the files are going out in a secure way. We know they're going to go through the firewall.

What is most valuable?

What we find valuable is that we are able to connect with vendors through SFTP. They are able to send us resource pieces and, when we connect to their side, we are able to transmit files. We can also manipulate the files and rename them.

Another valuable feature is the ability to use calls to run multiple jobs at one time, including recursive calls that go folder by folder and check each one before sending a file. 

We use the FTPS abilities a little and we also use the PTP features. 

In addition, as a company that works in the healthcare field, the main hospital-related software we use is Epic Systems. We deal with ambulatory care through GoAnywhere as well. The Epic side of it is on the cloud and, with GoAnywhere, we're like a "middleman" and we move files between it and other places where they need to be.

We also use the Secure Folders module and the Web Client a lot. For example, we set up external vendors to come in and review files or folders in a Secure Folder. That way they can go in and review whatever information or data they need to do. It helps us to keep in contact with vendors. It's helpful because we don't have to let them into our entire system. We can just give them access to that one folder. They can't add anything and they can't delete anything. We just set up the permissions the way the owner on our side wants them.

The intuitiveness is good. And anytime you need to reference something, you can punch it in on the web and it breaks it down for you, step-by-step. And if that doesn't help, they have a chat line so that you can communicate with them and they point you back in the right direction. And beyond that, they will bring support online and support helps you to resolve the issue.

What needs improvement?

Some of the description boxes can't be expanded. They're too narrow. You have to slide stuff over to see them.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using HelpSystems GoAnywhere MFT for about four years.

How are customer service and support?

The support could be enhanced a little bit. I know they are pushing numbers, but when they ask you to tell them what your issue is about, and you tell them, they say, "Hold. Let's get you to support." If they knew even a little bit about it, what it is trying to do, that would take some of the pressure off the support side. If the first echelon of support could say, "Okay, you are trying to create a variable," and could tell you what you have to do, that would be good. Then, if you needed more help, you could go to the tutorial piece.

But if we need any help, they work on the issue and try to get things resolved. They reach out to you to make sure you have all the tools that you need to work with.

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

Before, everybody was doing their own programming, using SFTP server scripts for multiple servers. Everything was totally different. You may have had your way of doing it. I may have had my way of doing it, but there were no standards. Somebody wrote things in C#, somebody else in C+, and others in Python. They might end up with the same results, but when you had to troubleshoot somebody's work, you just couldn't understand the way it flows.

At one point our company had IBM Sterling Managed File Transfer but we got rid of that. We had bought a full package from IBM, but we weren't using all the components. We were just using one or two pieces of it. But we are using as much as we can of GoAnywhere and when they add more new components that just makes it that much more valuable.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was relatively straightforward, but no solution is entirely straightforward. You always have to reach out to support for assistance, if you have never used the product or something similar to it. While it's pretty straightforward, there are times when you have to ask questions.

The whole process took about a day, although I wasn't here when they implemented it. As for me, I hadn't done any programming in 30-plus years, but it brought me back into it. They don't use that same language anymore; there's no more COBOL. It's a different world.

What was our ROI?

Over the time we have had it, and given the things we have been able to do with it, it has paid for itself. Using all the features it has saves the company money. We went from a small number of jobs to over 1,000 jobs. If it weren't a good product, we would never have been able to add to it like that. We would have tried to find another solution.

Our IT department and its director like it because we are able to manipulate things and produce what the third party or the vendor or the customer needs. We have gotten our money's worth.

What other advice do I have?

They have an open-door policy. You can call them and they are willing to set up an appointment, come in, and show you what they have to offer and how it would be of benefit. It would be well worth your time to listen to what they have to say.

It's a good system, one of the best I've seen so far, and I've been out there on the internet, looking at different systems. They don't mind working with you and they don't mind giving you the software to test for 30 days. Once you get an understanding of it and you get the outcome, what you're looking for, it's good.

We can use almost any type of program with GoAnywhere, and it allows you to manipulate many things. We can use the C# side of it, and we use SQL and MySQL as well.

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
Senior Tech Analyst at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
Real User
Enables easy and secure file transfers but should have more training resources
Pros and Cons
  • "Scheduling is valuable. You can schedule a transfer for any time you want. It can be hourly, daily, monthly, or yearly. You can transfer the file on AWS, Azure, or SharePoint."
  • "For training, there should be some sites or resources on YouTube or Udemy. They do not have that currently."

What is our primary use case?

GoAnywhere MFT tool is used to transfer files from one end user to another. 

Traditionally, you would transfer a file as an attachment to an email. However, that does not always work very well, especially if you want to continuously transfer files. For example, sometimes you need to transfer files every hour. In such cases, traditional ways of file transfers do not work very well. This is where GoAnywhere MFT is helpful. You can just place a file at a location and it automatically gathers the file and transfers it to the destination or wherever you want to transfer it. 

How has it helped my organization?

It provides the easiest and safest way to transfer files. There is security and multiple advantages to using an MFT tool like GoAnywhere MFT.

It enables you to easily transfer files and not bother about sending them manually through emails. You can automate it. You do not want to log in and attach files in an email. You can just place them at a specified location, and they are picked up by the GoAnywhere MFT server. If you want to transfer a file to an external vendor, you can either use the vendor's location or your own location to put the file. If the external vendor provides you with a location, you can use that. Otherwise, you can create a folder and provide access to the external vendor. There are two options. It is very easy and secure.

What is most valuable?

Scheduling is valuable. You can schedule a transfer for any time you want. It can be hourly, daily, monthly, or yearly. You can transfer the file on AWS, Azure, or SharePoint. These are the main advantages.

It is easy to use. You just need to create a template and then the sequence is already provided to you. You just have to input the details that you got from the requester. You do not need to put any code, but if you have to do PGP key and encryption, it is a little bit complicated because all users are not aware of all the cases. You have to tell them what exactly you need in a particular case and what you are going to provide them. You need to interact with them.

What needs improvement?

They should have some training courses. Usually, everything is available on YouTube today, but I have not found any videos for this solution. For training, there should be some sites or resources on YouTube or Udemy. They do not have that currently.

Feature-wise, I do not have any areas for improvement. Whenever we work for a company, they have certain restrictions, and we cannot use all the features of any MFT tool. In my previous company, we had a few restrictions, and the feature usage was limited, which made it hard to say if it lacked any features or not. I have not found any issues with most of the features I worked with. I could do whatever was required using GoAnywhere MFT.

For how long have I used the solution?

I used this solution for four years and seven months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

GoAnywhere MFT is very good in terms of stability. You would not find many issues related to stability. If there are any issues, they are rare or once or twice a year.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We can easily scale up and scale down. If they want to use GoAnywhere MFT, most companies get it for a year. People usually do not scale down. They usually scale up because it has many services.

I believe it was being used at multiple locations because we had four servers. If any one of them went down, we had other servers.

How are customer service and support?

I never contacted them. We had an on-site team for that, but I have attended calls with them. They are very prompt. They will schedule a meeting and help you out until the issue is resolved.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

In the market, there are multiple MFT tools, but I only have experience working with GoAnywhere MFT. When I joined the company, GoAnywhere MFT was already there. I was trained on that and started working with it.

How was the initial setup?

In my previous company, it was on the cloud. I was not involved in its deployment. It was already being used in my previous company. 

If you want to deploy it, you need to contact GoAnywhere. You can raise the ticket and ask them to provide that particular service. They will charge you and provide the service. 

I am not sure, but it seems that it does not require any maintenance. We just have to restart it, and we get all the updates and patching activities done.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate GoAnywhere MFT a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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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.
PeerSpot user
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Updated: November 2024
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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.