Use APIs to accelerate your MFT’s ROI

Leveraging APIs alongside your Managed File Transfer (MFT) solution is a great way to boost the return on investment from your MFT, and scale its deployment more broadly across your organisation.

Here’s how to use APIs to add further automation, integration, scalability, and customisation to your MFT. 

APIs…?

APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) help software applications communicate with another. Enabling APIs with a robust MFT solution is a simple way to add new functionality to your data transfer software, and accelerate the productivity and efficiency gains it offers.

APIs will help you integrate your organisation’s data transfers with the many applications your organisation already use daily - CRM platforms, business intelligence tools, ERP systems and more. In doing so, you can synchronise data across your organisation and provide your team with more secure collaboration.

Flexible MFT solutions that support APIs also enable you to further customise and automate your file transfers for your unique business and operational needs.

Enhanced Security

Of particular value is the way APIs can boost an organisation’s cyber defences by integrating their MFT solution with other data-centric security systems. For example, Generic Systems Australia’s Advanced Threat Protection Bundle layers an organisation’s protective measures with the security features of Fortra’s GoAnywhere MFT to further secure sensitive data.

The added flexibility to evolve and scale as your needs change can be a game changer for IT teams seeking to maximise user experience and organisational ROI.

Better Workflows

Automated file transfer workflows can be “supercharged” using APIs. Here are seven specific API features and techniques organisations can leverage to maximise the value they derive from their managed file transfer solution.

In each of these examples, we’ll feature API integration with GoAnywhere, the independently-assessed class-leading MFT. GoAnywhere not only provides APIs, it can also consume third-party APIs, and act as middleman, or API gateway, between other applications.

1. RESTful API

An interface used by two computer systems to securely exchange information over the internet, REST (Representational State Transfer) can be used to manage users, groups, triggers, projects, and schedules. This simplifies new user onboarding and migrating systems and environments.

For example, you can use the REST API to create a new web user programmatically and eliminate the manual tasks often needed for on-boarding new trading partners. You can also start/stop file transfer jobs and query the status of active jobs.

2. REST Enable a Secure Form

Within the GoAnywhere dashboard you can select REST Enable Secure Forms to trigger more complex API calls on the backend of Advanced Workflows. Then, using standard REST calls you can invoke the secure form and its underlying project.

Rest Enabled Secure Forms can also act as a REST API gateway to computing resources normally not available to public internet users. The GoAnywhere server can be deployed on the secure network and the solution’s Secure Gateway can act as the link to the public internet in the DMZ.

An administrator can enable curated access to internal REST APIs that would normally be available only via VPN or by a dedicated network connection. Comprehensive audit logs and fine-grained user access controls can turn GoAnywhere MFT into a complete API gateway.

The Method createPayload (GET   https://localhost:6443/rest/forms/v1/ticket/payload ) will insert the payload. 

The Method uploadAttachments (POST  https://localhost:6443/rest/forms/v1/ticket/payload/:payloadId/file) will upload one attachment at a time.

The Method submitPayload (POST  https://localhost:6443/rest/forms/v1/ticket/payload/:payloadId/submit) will submit the payload.

The Method downloadAttachment (GET   https://localhost:6443/rest/forms/v1/ticket/payload/:payloadId/file/:fileId) will download one attachment at a time.

 3. GoAnywhere HTTPS

You can use GoAnywhere HTTPS project tasks to automate file transfers, create Secure Mail Packages, or programmatically place files in Secure Folders for uploading or downloading

For example, if you need to send a large, automatically generated report to a user, you can enable the GoAnywhere HTTPS Send Package task in GoAnywhere. Simply create a project to automatically pick a file (or files) and send a package as a link via Secure Mail.  You can protect that package with a password, track the number of downloads, or prevent further downloads after 24 hours. 

Another GoAnywhere HTTPS task is the ability to set up programmable uploads to GoDrive, a solution which provides Enterprise File Sync and Sharing (EFSS) services for employees and partners. 

4. Quick Uploads

Enabling Quick Uploads in HTTP Service enables you to turn GoAnywhere into a REST endpoint for file exchange.  Quick Uploads (which requires a POST Method with Authentication) allows the solution to upload files to GoAnywhere via REST, effectively turning your GoAnywhere Secure Folders feature into a REST-enabled file exchange gateway.

REST-enabled file exchange is very useful for other applications to have a place to store and exchange files. The end users don’t really know what is happening under the hood, but it allows application developers to provide lots of flexibility and build easy-to-use applications.

5. Project Run Mode

You can start a project in the background in the dashboard's triggers, schedules, and within the project designer’s Call Project task. For example, if you need to start a long-running job, you simply start a job in Batch mode, which will run in the background, and the system will be automatically notified when it is finished.

Need to copy a huge file set? Then run a Job that spawns multiple Batch Jobs. For example, every sub folder in your file set could be sent as separately spawned batch jobs. Running multiple jobs in the background in parallel will help optimise your computing resources, increase your throughput, and spread the workload to other nodes in your GoAnywhere cluster.

In addition to setting the run mode, you can also set the priority and the job queue. For example, some long-running CPU intensive jobs, such as archiving or backup, can be set to run on a lower priority status or on a lower priority queue so that your core MFT operations remain more responsive.

6. Consume Third-Party APIs

Consuming APIs is the process by which an application developer accesses the various APIs that are exposed by the API provider and then uses those APIs to develop one’s own software applications and products. 

Within GoAnywhere you can use HTTP/HTTP Post and GET Project tasks or Webservices REST tasks to call third-party APIs. For example, once a file is uploaded, you can create a trigger that will automatically import the file into third-party applications, such as a CRM or trouble ticketing system.

Additionally, GoAnywhere offers Cloud Connectors to the most popular applications in the industry. (If you cannot find a cloud connector for the application you need, use the Project Webservices or HTTP/HTTPS POST Project tasks to connect via REST to the application of your choice.)

7. Promote Features

Continuous Integration and Delivery CI/CD functions are important in every large IT Project. GoAnywhere delivers the ability to promote every user, project, schedule, trigger, secure form etc, from development to staging to production. You can use “Promote” REST API calls to automatically migrate your configurations from development to staging to production.

Working on a live production system presents additional challenges. Even the most diligent administrators can make mistakes and accidentally delete or rename configurations which take an entire system offline. Using GoAnywhere’s Promote features, either via GUI or as an API call, is required to maintain maximum system stability and reliability.

If you do not have a test system yet, consider deploying one to minimise the risk of human error.

API Options to Boost Automation

GoAnywhere offers many powerful API options that can seamlessly automate basic file transfer tasks for IT teams and users. You can mix and match the seven techniques above to create a next-generation automation framework that goes far beyond standard MFT functionality.  

Need Help? It’s Here - Locally!

If you’d like help using APIs to boost your MFT’s ROI and your team’s productivity, please feel welcome to get in touch with me.  I’m always happy to have an obligation-free discussion.

At Generic Systems Australia, we’re your local experts in Secure Managed File Transfer.