Why “Free” File Transfers Are Costing You

With more than 400 million terabytes being created and transferred every day, the ability to transfer files quickly, dependably and securely is a core business process. Surprisingly, some businesses entrust this to free file transfer software.

However, “free” software sometimes isn’t…

A study by Aberdeen Group identified hidden costs that businesses incur using “free” file transfer mechanisms. In fact, 80% of files sent through e-mail attachments or “free” file transfer services ended up costing organisations money in the long run.

Here’s how.

Productivity

Increasing file sizes mean it’s taking longer and longer to move data around. For example, as businesses and government become more reliant on the high-resolution cameras in our smartphones, image files are growing significantly in size. High-definition video files are currently the standard, but are already being supplanted by 4K videos. These are typically hundreds of gigabytes in size.

Moving high-res movies around finds employees spending more time than ever before simply waiting for file transfers to complete.

When your team is waiting for a file to transfer, there’s a significant hit to their productivity. Every hour it takes them to send a file is an hour where both they - and perhaps, their collaborator - are without the data they need to work effectively.

Multiply the number of hours by the salaries of both employees and the “free” file transfer is no longer free.

IT Support

Trying to send a file - only to have the transfer crash midway – is not just frustrating, it’s a further waste of time.

When file transfers fail, employees typically seek support from their IT department. That incurs a further labour cost in resolving the problem.

Aberdeen’s study estimated that resolving each stalled file transfer required a cumulative 11 hours of team time.

Security

Even when files successfully transfer, significant cybersecurity risks arise when sensitive files are sent via free services.

In Aberdeen’s study, free service transfers were twice as likely to result in security breaches compared to those conducted with professional Managed File Transfer software. Major security issues took an average of 16 business hours to resolve and cost companies millions of dollars.

Tool Search

When files are too big to send as email attachments, employees turn to “free” transfer tools. However, the time spent finding such tools could have been better spent on their core responsibilities.

The Better Solution

GoAnywhere MFT is not only a better way to move data around your business and its supply chain… it’s also more cost-effective. Aberdeen’s study found that businesses which invested the relatively small sum needed for a professional Managed File Transfer solution had a median return of almost 500 times their investment.

When it comes to Managed File Transfer solutions, there’s one acknowledged industry leader. GoAnywhere MFT automates and encrypts data between an organisation’s employees and with its trading partners, protecting from vulnerabilities while vastly improving file transfer speed and quality.

Here to Help

If you’d like to discuss how GoAnywhere MFT could improve your organisation’s productivity and bottom line, please get in touch with our team of local MFT experts.

We’re always happy to have an obligation-free discussion about how quickly and affordably we can transition you to the efficiency, security and cost-effectiveness of a Managed File Transfer solution.