< News Why “Free” File Transfers Are Costing You 8 Apr 2026 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. Previous Next

< News MFT as your Middleware! 4 Nov 2025 Modern enterprises are constantly navigating the flow of information between intricate internal systems and external cloud services. Regardless of whether that flow is inside or outside of the corporate firewall, the need for secure and efficient data transfer remains paramount. Traditional solutions like Extract Transfer Load (ETL) systems help process and store data within a central warehouse, while Enterprise Service Buses (ESBs) serve as hubs that manage and monitor data and service flows across various applications. Yet, despite their strengths, these tools fall short when it comes to security—especially when third-party interactions are involved. This gap between integration and security has left organisations searching for a more unified approach. More than MFT Enter GoAnywhere MFT , a solution which redefines what managed file transfer can be. Unlike conventional MFT platforms, GoAnywhere functions as a lightweight ETL, a capable ESB, and a robust MFT tool—all rolled into one. What truly distinguishes GoAnywhere is its unwavering focus on security, making it one of the few platforms that can meet the growing demand for secure and seamless data exchanges both within and beyond enterprise boundaries. GoAnywhere offers the same automation and integration capabilities found in ETL, ESB, and Enterprise Application Integration solutions. It enables organisations to connect internal systems with cloud-based resources and external partners, including banks, credit card providers, financial data services, foreign exchange markets, and retirement or pension systems. When needed, GoAnywhere can also act as middleware, integrating with existing ETL setups while managing system connections, securing communications, and streamlining integration processes. Even for enterprises already equipped with ETL tools, GoAnywhere enhances data transfer security by introducing multiple layers of protection. Its architecture includes a multi-tier setup featuring the GoAnywhere Gateway, which operates as a reverse proxy in the DMZ to shield data from internet threats. Additionally, organisations can deploy a Secure ICAP Gateway—a deep content inspection engine that blocks malicious content from infiltrating through third-party interfaces. Security is further reinforced through integration with Fortra Threat Brain, a comprehensive threat intelligence database that proactively identifies and blocks suspicious IP addresses before they can breach the network. On-Prem, Off-Prem... Anywhere Another standout feature of GoAnywhere is its ability to bridge the divide between on-premises systems and cloud-based applications. Unlike typical SaaS middleware platforms, which often struggle to accommodate legacy systems, segmented networks, and hybrid environments, GoAnywhere centralises and secures file transfers across all these domains. It’s not limited to one environment, making it a truly versatile solution for enterprises with complex infrastructures. For organisations aiming to enhance operational efficiency, GoAnywhere offers a high-performance middleware platform that supports secure and high speed data transfers. It interfaces with a wide array of systems, applications, and cloud services, protects files from malware, enforces zero trust principles regardless of file destination, and ensures data remains outside the DMZ. Recognised globally as a leading MFT solution, GoAnywhere is celebrated for its security, adaptability, and ability to operate wherever and however enterprises need it. It’s increasingly becoming the connective tissue between disparate systems and workflows. Local Help On Hand At Generic Systems Australia , we bring years of experience helping IT teams across Australia and New Zealand optimise their file transfers and safeguard their data using GoAnywhere MFT. From assessing legacy systems to offering zero-cost Proof of Concepts and seamless Migration Services, we ensure businesses can transition to more secure practices without disruption. If you’re interested in exploring how GoAnywhere can benefit your organisation, feel free to reach out for an obligation-free conversation. At Generic Systems Australia, we’re proud to be Australia’s and New Zealand’s experts in Managed File Transfer. Previous Next

Our SFT Threat Protection Bundle can automatically catch and kill email threats before they enter or leave your organisation. This brief video shows how. Review the video below: RESOURCES HOME

< News "The Case of the Camouflaged CSV" 3 Sept 2025 It was a typical rainy Wednesday in the Cloud. I was nursing a lukewarm S3 bucket of coffee that was almost as bitter as my ex-wife. And that’s when she sauntered into my inbox—legs for days and resolution to match. Said she’d lost something precious: a young .CSV file named “Quarterly_P&L_FINAL_FINAL_v7.docx”. She’d been told I was the kind of dupe who could go find it. And I knew right then this case was going to be messier than an Agile Standup on a Friday afternoon. “Please,” she purred, her pixel-perfect lips trembling. “She vanished right after I hit ‘Send.’ Now she’s nowhere. Not in my Sent Mail. Not in OneDrive. Not in Dropbox. Not even in the Recycle Bin. Just… gone.” I leaned back in the battered Aeron I’d accepted from the last dame who hadn’t had the means to pay me, and reassured her I’d seen this kind of thing way too many times before. “Could be the work of Miss Configuration,” I mused. “Or worse… hackers.” “Please,” she begged, making like the waterworks were about to flow. “You’ve got to F1 me.” I sighed wearily… I’m always a sucker for a dame in distress. But she was right - I was her only chance of being reunited with her beloved .CSV. So I zipped up my trench coat, flipped my firewall to DND, and hit the dirty streets of cyberspace. First stop: the Dark Web. Sin City City plans don’t show where the Dark Web district begins. Nor is there any bullet-ridden road sign to let you know when you’ve crossed from the mean streets to the even meaner streets. But I knew I was there when I saw the familiar shady characters loitering — pop-up hustlers, cookie pushers, and a guy selling expired SSL certificates within the folds of a battered trench coat. I asked around for leads. “Try The Cache,” said a greasy bookmark with a twitchy scroll wheel. “Files go there to be forgotten.” Cold Cache I didn’t need directions. The Cache was a hidden side bar accessible only through a back door. I gave the bored muscle the password I’d bought from a PII broker and pushed into the shadowy crowd of malware and malcontents. The bartender—a grizzled old exe named Clippy—eyeballed me with suspicion before recognising me. “Well, well… if it ain’t GoAnywhere Gumshoe,” he said, polishing some code with a Dirty Markup tea towel. “Chasing another ghost in the machine?” “Not this time, Clippy,” I said. “This time she’s a file. A CSV. Corporate. Probably jacked full of lies and pivot tables.” Clippy winced. “You don’t want that kind of trouble. Last guy in here who asked about spreadsheets is still in a recursive loop.” I slipped Clippy a few kilobytes and he pointed me towards a shadowy booth. In it sat a rogue AI named DataDaemon, sniffing packets as he pored over a Docker container. “Yeah, she was here,” DataDaemon confirmed. “That file you’re looking for. But she wasn’t flying solo. She was hanging off the arm of… him.” “Who…?” “The PDF.” The Unusual Suspect I cursed under my bandwidth. The PDF—slick, immutable, and always up to something. But I had something up my sleeve that the PDF wouldn’t have counted on. It was for a case just like this one that I’d always maintained The Logs. And now The Logs were going to lead me through the brooding labyrinthine of the metadata metropolis, straight to The PDF and his hostage CSV. In no time, I tracked The PDF to a sleazy compression joint called The Zipper Club. He was lounging in a NAS, smug as a first gen backup, not suspecting a RAID. “Searching for your cute little CSV?” he sneered. “Well she ain’t going back. She craved permanence. And I gave her structure. Fonts that don’t shift. Headers that don’t cry.” I lunged at him, but he was fast—encrypted and password protected. I barely clocked his checksum before he was out the door and into the swirling Cloud again. A Ctrl-Breakthrough Back at my office, I stared at the blinking cursor. The trail seemed to have gone cold. It had been a busy day, and my RAM felt fried. But I had a reputation to maintain. I’d never failed a client before… and I sure as hell wasn’t going to fail this one, either. Running through The Logs one more time, I saw it… a timestamp: 3:14 a.m. That was bang in the middle of the witching hour for network traffic — prime time for somnambulant systems to engage in mundane crosstalk and perform glacial backups. I picked up the CSV’s trail again in a neglected SharePoint graveyard. And then there she was, buried six layers deep in folders labelled “Misc”, “Old Stuff” and “DO NOT DELETE”. I exhumed her gently. She was intact, but changed. Her margins were off. Her fonts had gone rogue. Someone had run a mail merge on her. I brought her back to Miss JPEG, and this time, there was no holding back the flood of pixelated tears. “You found her,” she said. “But she’s… different.” “Aren’t we all,” I said, pointing my chin in the direction of the window, where a new day was shooting the first golden rays of hope through the night’s dark Cloud. I gestured towards CSV’s Version History. “She’s still there,” I said. “Just sleeping. Until you restore her.” Epilogue I leaned back in my Aeron and tipped my fedora over my eyes. I knew today would bring another client, another case, another missing file. But for now, the system was stable. And I was still the best damn gumshoe on the cyberspace beat. Fade to black. Cue saxophone MIDI. If you’d like a GoAnywhere Gumshoe protecting your files, please don’t hesitate to contact me . At Generic Systems Australia , we’re your local experts in Managed File Transfer technology. Previous Next

< News Black 'Fileday' 29 Nov 2023 Australian shoppers were tipped to spend $6.36B across the Black Friday weekend, according to the Australian Retailers Association.The surge in sales has in turn created a tsunami of data transfers, as businesses share orders, files and information with their supply chains.For some businesses, it will be a stressful period. But others - those who entrust their file transfers to GoAnywhere MFT - will surf the data tsunami with ease, as GoAnywhere conveys all their valuable files reliably and securely.(And of course, our local technical team at Generic Systems Australia will always be on hand to share our unparalleled MFT expertise with our customers.) Previous Next

< News Compulsory Disclosure of Ransomware Payments Looms 6 Aug 2024 Australian organisations will soon be forced to disclose their ransomware payments to cyberthieves. The measure is included in a landmark new Cyber Security Act to be brought before parliament’s next sitting. It comes in response to research which shows Australian businesses have been paying untold amounts of ransom to hackers in what is now a mounting wave of ransomware hacks. Ransom payments flourishing The government is reportedly concerned that the practice of quietly paying off cybercriminals has flourished in secrecy. While the government originally planned to place an outright ban on ransom payments, it’s now focused on mapping the scale of the problem. "People are paying criminals money and it is happening in the darkness (and) we need to bring this out into the light," said former minister for cybersecurity Clare O'Neil. "Government cannot win this war alone. We need a whole-of-nation effort here." Every six minutes In its 2022/23 Annual Cyber Threat Report, the Australian Cyber Security Centre confirmed it was notified of a new cyber incident every six minutes on average. Ransomware attacks have increased roughly five-fold since 2020. As worrying as those numbers might seem, they are still only a glimpse of the real problem. "It is believed that in the Five Eyes countries alone - Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States - literally billions of dollars in ransoms is being paid, and criminal gangs are reinvesting that money … to attack us again," O'Neil said. Business groups concerned Cyber security experts say the proposed changes strike the right balance. However, business groups say they are concerned the new disclosure rules could sink some small operators. To help tempt reluctant businesses into transparency, the government is proposing that disclosures will not be subjected to "the glare of regulators". A "Limited Use Provision" will prevent the Australian Signals Directorate and the Australian Cyber Security Centre from sharing the information more widely, except in narrow circumstances. Said O’Neil: "This is a no-fault scheme. We're not blaming businesses … they're victims of a crime." Under the existing proposal, regulators such as the Privacy Commissioner would still be allowed to investigate and prosecute companies that "leave the front door unlocked", but only using their existing powers. "It doesn't absolve business of any of their legal responsibilities or liabilities," O'Neil said. "We expect Australian businesses to take care of their customers … but sometimes things do go wrong." Not just the private sector The problem of ransomware attacks is not limited to the private sector. The Australian Signals Directorate said almost one-third of cybersecurity incidents reported in the 2022-2023 financial year came from the public service. Consecutive audits of the government sector have found it has a "low-maturity level" when it comes to cybersecurity, despite holding the largest store of sensitive data about Australian citizens. As it stands, about 1,000 Australian entities providing "critical infrastructure" such as energy, healthcare and banking services are obliged to report ransom payments. Attacks escalating The new mandatory reporting measures are recognition that there is no end in sight to ransomware attacks. Johanna Weaver, director of the Tech Policy Design Centre at ANU, said "No matter how good our cybersecurity protections are … (attacks) will continue to happen." She applauded the push to establish an ongoing "Cyber Incident Review Board", similar to what exists in the aviation industry, to learn from other major breaches, such as the attack on MediSecure. Avoiding Ransom Payments To be truly secure, an organisation’s data must be protected not only when it’s stored, but also while it’s enroute to and from storage. Managed File Transfer (MFT) solutions such as the class-leading GoAnywhere MFT encrypt data at rest and in transit, complying with the highest data security standards (including the US’s and Europe’s HIPAA, HITECH, PCI DSS, SOX, and GDPR). MFT manages inbound and outbound file transfers across an organisation, using industry-standard file transfer protocols such as SFTP, FTPS, and AS2 to send files securely, and encryption standards such as Open PGP and AES to protect data in transit and at rest. Local Expertise on Hand Generic Systems Australia are your local experts in Managed File Transfer solutions. We’ve assisted hundreds of organisations across the Asia-Pacific region to secure their data and keep cybercriminals at bay. If you’d like to discuss improving your cybersecurity, please feel welcome to contact me , Bradley Copson. I’m always happy to have an obligation-free discussion, explain how simply we can transition you from outdated software and approaches, and offer you a zero-cost Proof of Concept. Attribution: sections of this article were substantially sourced from an item originally published by ABC News Australia. Previous Next

< News How Load Balancing optimises your file transfers 30 Apr 2024 Network bottlenecks that cause business downtime are the bete noir of corporate IT teams. Businesswire found that 82% of companies experienced at least one downtime incident during the past three years… costing small businesses $660 per minute, and larger organisations $14,000 per minute. Load balancing is a key technique for keeping network traffic flowing. What is Load Balancing? Load balancing is key to “clustering”, where multiple systems work together as a single unit to help ensure high-availability, scalability, and reliability. It’s a technique which enables organisations to distribute workloads and network traffic across multiple servers or network interfaces in a computer cluster. Effective load balancing means that network traffic is always directed to servers which are “available”, should a particular server become overwhelmed or fail. Balancing workloads optimises the performance of systems and applications –– for example, a managed file transfer (MFT) solution for exchanging data –– preventing bottlenecks and other efficiency-sapping impacts. Why Load Balance for File Transfers? Delays in sending files can have significant negative ripple effects throughout an organisation. Incoming orders may not be received, or shipping may be delayed, leading to dissatisfied customers. Delayed financial transactions with trading partners may weaken an organisation’s supply chain. Load balancing helps organisations continue to operate ‘business as usual’ even when a system fails or is inundated with a heavy network workload. Other benefits of load balancing include: Scalability: Load balancers can help organisations adapt to growing and changing conditions and workloads without suffering adverse events. New servers can be seamlessly added to the cluster when more scalability is needed. Performance Optimisation : Traffic is routed to the server most capable of handling a given request based on location or server health. Redundancy: Organisations safeguard themselves, should one server become overloaded or fail, with load balancing enabling processing work to continue without interruption. Using Middleware and Active-Active Framework for Load Balancing A robust managed file transfer solution, such as Fortra’s GoAnywhere MFT, delivers critical load balancing and scaling when installed in a cluster. The solution’s load balancer, GoAnywhere Gateway, serves as both a reverse proxy and load balancer. When paired with Gateway as a load balancer, each inbound file server connection can be distributed to available systems in the environment. MFT workflows performed in a clustering environment gain increased performance and throughput. If a system within a cluster fails, GoAnywhere Gateway automatically routes all new trading partner connections to the remaining systems in the cluster. For mission critical environments and processes, this is an “active-active” framework providing high availability. Enhanced Security GoAnywhere Gateway also provides an extra security layer when exchanging data. The Gateway keeps file sharing services such as FTPS, HTTPS, SFTP servers and any documents secure in the private or internal network. No additional inbound ports need to be opened, which helps organisations meet compliance requirements such as those for PCI DSS, SOX, HIPAA, GLBA, as well as certain privacy laws. This round robin algorithm essentially works like this: For each new FTP, FTPS, or SFTP connection from a trading partner, the Gateway distributes that session sequentially to the next FTP/FTPS/SFTP server within the cluster. HTTP/S, however, is a stateless protocol. It uses the round robin algorithm but will persist each connection for a time to maintain session integrity. HTTP/S sessions typically are only served by one HTTP/S server at a time. If you’d like to discuss how your organisation can reduce downtime through MFT load balancing, please feel welcome to contact our Business Manager, Bradley Copson (mail to: bradley@gensys.com.au ). He’s always happy to have an obligation-free discussion, explain how simply we can transition you from outdated software and approaches, and offer you a zero-cost Proof of Concept. Generic Systems Australia Your Local Experts in Secure Managed File Transfer Previous Next

< News How MFT Monitors and Protects Your Organisation’s Vulnerable Edge Devices 11 Mar 2025 The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has urged Australian organisations to ensure they employ effective logging and monitoring to detect potential threats on network edge devices. Edge Devices Edge devices are critical network components positioned at the periphery of an organisation’s internal network (i.e. "the edge"). They’re the critical interface between the organisation and the internet, performing essential functions such as managing data traffic, enforcing security policies and enabling seamless communication across network boundaries. The most common edge devices across enterprise networks include enterprise routers, firewalls and VPN concentrators. Every organisation with a connection to the internet has at least one edge device. Edge Vulnerability Because edge devices they can access other assets on the organisation’s network, they’re an appealing target for cyber criminals. Failing to secure them is like leaving a door open from the internet to internal networks. Once inside, hackers can access sensitive data and disrupt business operations. As they perform their important task in the background, it can be easy to overlook the security vulnerabilities that edge devices present. And the more edge devices an organisation uses, the greater the potential “threat surface”, and the greater challenge for IT staff to keep them secure. Compromised edge devices can lead to data loss, intellectual property loss, financial loss, business disruption, reputational damage and legal liabilities. Maintaining The Edge The ASD says that, to protect their edge devices, organisations should focus on: • capturing high-quality logs • centralising logging in real time, and • securing event log storage. Automated Logs, Auditing and Reporting Managed File Transfer (MFT) technology has a key role to play in monitoring data transfers, both within an organisation and to the outside world. Leading MFT solutions such as GoAnywhere MFT automatically compile comprehensive audit reports of file transfer activity. All file transfer activity is securely stored and easily searched. Reports and alerts can be automatically emailed to cyber security staff, who can instantly check files are only being sent where they should go, and by people appropriately authorised to send and receive them. Further, any organisations required to report on file transfer activity can use GoAnywhere’s logs to comply with their industry’s cyber regulations. Heeding the ASD’s Advice At Generic Systems Australia, we have decades of experience helping Australian and New Zealand organisations take advantage of the security and efficiency that MFT provides. And our Migration Service makes the transition even easier for busy businesses who’d rather spend their time focusing on their customers than their IT systems. If you’d like a no-cost, no-obligation discussion about how we could help you simply and affordably adopt an advanced MFT solution, please feel welcome to get in touch . Previous Next

SECURE YOUR CLOUD DATA Whether you are already moving select pieces of your business to the cloud, just starting the cloud conversation, or are considering establishing a hybrid environment, you're in good company. Organisations move to the cloud in some fashion for its flexibility, scalability, and faster deployment. However, there is still hesitancy in adapting cloud technology due to security concerns as well as compliance requirements, and a lack of visibility and control. A 2023 Cloud Security Report, which surveyed the challenges and priorities of more than 750 cybersecurity professionals, found that 39% of respondents already have more than half of their workloads in the cloud, and 58% planned to get to that level in the next 12–18 months. However, Cloud security continues to be a significant concern, with 95% of surveyed organisations concerned about their security posture in public cloud environments. In this article, we explore how a robust Managed File Transfer (MFT) solution can help protect your data transfers, in transit and at rest, without compromising the convenience or cost-effectiveness of moving your business to a cloud-based environment. Cloud File Transfers Most organisations oversee dozens (if not hundreds or thousands) of in-house file transfers a day. Whether it’s sending files to employees, transferring reports to trading partners, receiving data from third-party vendors, or collecting sensitive information from customers, it’s all part of the exchange of information that is regularly processed. Where do cloud-based file transfers fit in? Cloud infrastructure can give companies a lot of leeway. Some data can be managed in the cloud, or all of it can be — the choice is entirely up to you. Moving data to the cloud can be as simple as transferring files and folders to whatever storage platform you use with your provider. And with strong encryption and security policies in place, you can control who has access to that business-critical, sensitive data in the cloud. Data that’s been entrusted to the cloud is kept in physical servers and data centres managed by cloud computing services. Almost all file movement between a business, its employees, its trading partners, and its remote locations can happen through the cloud. Sensitive information can move quickly and efficiently between the business and wherever it’s stored (even on servers around the world), which gives organisations the ability to operate smoothly and access their data from anywhere. Because everything is stored off-site, local outages and user errors are minimised, bettering the chances that important, scheduled transfers will complete successfully. The Current State of Cloud D ata Security For cloud computing platforms like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, security of customer data is one of their highest priorities. They have a variety of resources in place to protect their clients’ privacy, but despite their best attempts, these measures don’t always stop data loss, compromised information, or unexpected cloud server outages. Cloud security is a two-way street. Researching each cloud provider’s cybersecurity methods and selecting the best one for your organisation is imperative — a positive step toward ensuring your data’s integrity. But it’s not the only step. IT teams are just as responsible for the security of their sensitive business data as the cloud platforms that hold it. Whether your organisation is thinking of deploying to the cloud or already has, you'll need to perform due diligence regarding your processes and policies. Start by asking questions like these: What are our top security considerations? How will our IT team processes change? What vulnerabilities have been introduced or addressed from moving to the cloud? Do we have points of failure that should be planned for? Are cloud file transfers properly encrypted to minimise risk of data breaches? Protecting Your File Transfers Many of these questions are subjective, of course. Each IT team is likely to answer them in different ways, based on your company policies and processes. But to achieve the best possible cloud security, don’t overlook the current state of your file transfers. Encryption is often the last line of defence between a malicious user or human error and sensitive information. If, however, data is properly secured with strong encryption protocols during transfers as well as when idle and sitting on a server, a cloud breach is far less likely to result in data exposure. For those who must comply with regulations like HIPAA, GDPR, GLBA, PCI DSS, and SOX, following encryption requirements in the cloud comes with extra benefits — as long as the keys for encrypted data are safe, breached information can’t be read, preventing hackers from selling or otherwise exploiting your or your customers sensitive data. File Transfers and the Cloud When moving your data between your network and the cloud, it’s considered best practice to always encrypt your files and protect your communication using secure network protocols like SFTP, FTPS, or SCP. Your files, databases, and even entire folders should be encrypted at rest, too, whether or not the cloud platform you’ve chosen already secures it. A common dated (and not recommended) approach to file transfers uses custom scripts created by internal programmers. The scripts often include commands for encryption, which may or may not be simple to modify, depending on your team's given skillset. While this file transfer process "can" work for a while, as it addresses basic company needs initially, as the number of file transfers rise, so does the difficulty of maintaining a homegrown solution. And that’s not including other possible roadblocks, like an inability to handle logging capabilities or alerts when a file transfer fails. Managed file transfer solutions provide organisations with helpful, robust features that enable them to grow with their data exchange requirements –– especially beneficial when moving to a cloud environment. GoAnywhere Managed File Transfer GoAnywhere MFT eliminates the need for homegrown scripts and multiple programs by streamlining the file transfer process. It can be installed in a cloud-based environment (single or multi) or on-premises via a variety of platforms, giving you full control of your deployment. Transfers can be scheduled and automated with custom workflows (projects), and data can be sent securely between systems, employees, customers, and trading partners. Meanwhile, administrators are given a single point of control with extensive security settings, audit trails, and reports, greatly reducing the possibility of user errors and oversights. GoAnywhere also provides high return on investment by reducing the time spent on manual labour, improving the quality of file transfers, making security more cost-effective, and helping organisations meet a variety of requirements including PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, and FISMA. MFT Security and Encryption All file transfers are protected with popular encryption protocols, including SFTP, FTPS, FTP, SCP, AS2, HTTPS, Open PGP, and ZIP with AES. In the GoAnywhere MFT solution. A built-in key manager allows administrators to create, import, export, and manage Open PGP keys, SSH keys, and SSL certificates. And for those who must comply with FIPS 140-2, validated encryption ciphers can be enabled for SSL and SSH protocols. GoAnywhere offers connections to a variety of servers and guarantees file delivery by using connection retries and file auto-resume. Admins can monitor transfer success, review account activity, and authenticate user access from anywhere via GoAnywhere’s browser-based interface. Beyond basic encryption practices and features, GoAnywhere also addresses several business requirements for the cloud. GoAnywhere and Amazon EC2 For organisations that use AWS as their cloud provider, GoAnywhere MFT easily integrates with Amazon Elastic Cloud Computing (EC2). You can find, and quickly install, GoAnywhere MFT on Amazon's AWS Marketplace. You can use GoAnywhere’s secure FTP technology to protect sensitive file transfers with strong encryption technology and modern authentication methods. This creates encrypted tunnels between client and server systems and provides confidentiality and integrity to critical transmissions. Secure FTP also protects any user credentials that flow over the connection. Do you need to address high volumes of file transfers in your organisation? With GoAnywhere’s clustering technology, file transfers and other processes can be distributed across multiple Amazon EC2 instances for load balancing. And when an instance is taken offline, file transfers and jobs will be automatically routed to other installations in the cluster. GoAnywhere and Microsoft Azure For organisations that use Microsoft as their cloud provider, GoAnywhere integrates with Azure to provide IT teams with secure file transfers between all active parties. Installing and running GoAnywhere MFT on Azure is an effortless process, as everything you need is included, reducing the need for additional third-party solutions. You can install GoAnywhere on your choice of Azure-supported Windows or Linux operating systems, then set up your trading partner accounts and file transfer processes. GoAnywhere’s intuitive design and modular features allow you to be up and running on Azure quickly. If you want to scale GoAnywhere on Azure, file transfers and other processes can be distributed across multiple Azure VM instances for load balancing. Connections to a variety of databases including Microsoft SQL Server through GoAnywhere, and user accounts can be authenticated against Microsoft Active Directory to simplify user management for your file collaboration needs. Conclusion Organisations worldwide have already, or soon will be turning their focus to the cloud. Yes, security will continue to be an issue in all configurations of technology on-premises, in the cloud, or in hybrid situations. And moving to the cloud isn't without risk. To help prevent data loss, IT teams must do due diligence and take steps to protect their data — starting with their cloud file transfer process and solutions. Implementing a managed file transfer solution like GoAnywhere MFT enables businesses to control how their data is protected, in transit and at rest. Through strong encryption protocols, file monitoring, and integration with Amazon EC2 and Microsoft Azure, IT teams can rest assured that organisational and customer data is safe in a variety of environments without running outdated, unsecure expensive, time-consuming scripts and programs. Is it time to enhance the security of YOUR cloud data? If you’d like to discuss how GoAnywhere MFT can enhance the security of your organisation’s cloud data, please feel welcome to reach out to our Business Manager, Bradley Copson. He’s always happy to have an obligation-free discussion, explain how quickly and easily we can transition your organisation to the class-leading MFT solution, and offer you a zero-cost Proof of Concept. At Generic Systems Australia, we’re your local experts in secure Managed File Transfer. RESOURCES HOME

< News Five Indications Your Organisation Could Benefit from an MFT 20 May 2025 Data is the lifeblood of a modern business. Your ability to safely store and move data is fundamental to your daily operations. Your efficiency in moving and using data determines the overall speed at which your business operates. So it’s worth taking a few moments to consider how to potentially improve the way your team currently stores, protects and moves your valuable organisational data. Are they still relying on outdated file transfer protocols like FTP? Are they trusting your data to a hodge-podge of risky ad-hoc cloud dropbox-style services? Are they relying on years-old hand-coded file transfer scripts? There’s a better – safer, more robust, faster, more efficient, fully automated – way: Managed File Transfer (MFT). Here are five key indicators that your business may be ready to benefit from an MFT solution. Using Outdated Ways to Send Data? A surprising number of organisations still rely on outdated protocols and clunky scripts to move precious data around. However, these legacy methods increase the risk of human error, take time away from more critical tasks, and are difficult to maintain. An MFT is easy to use, easy to audit, requires little maintenance, and removes manual tasks from your stretched IT team’s To Do list. Increasingly Targeted by Cybercriminals? Your IT team can tell you how many cybercrime incursions they’re seeing daily. The number may shock you! With hackers escalating their efforts to extort your business and customers, it’s more essential than ever to secure your data and maintain a ‘circle of trust’ with your supply chain partners. An MFT solution, such as GoAnywhere MFT, employs the latest encryption algorithms to reduce the risk of data breaches during transit. Features like Access Controls, and Multi-factor Authentication, safeguard sensitive information from unauthorised access. New Government Regulations? In response to the impacts of escalating cybercrime on businesses and citizens, governments are imposing ever greater requirements on businesses to ensure they protect consumers’ personal data. From health data (hospital records, test results), to banking data (debit and credit card numbers, bank account details), to identity data (home address, government id), businesses that fail to take responsible measures to protect sensitive data face growing sanctions. Worse, a breach may not only cost your organisation time and money to remediate, it may also ruin your reputation. An MFT solution helps ensure your file transfers comply with regulatory requirements. Features such as auditing, reporting, role-based access, secure protocols, centralised security controls, encryption, and key management protect employee and consumer data from security mishaps. Cloud Dependencies? Many organisations have moved business processes to the cloud, and regularly exchange files with trading partners there. But transfers to and from the cloud – especially those over public telecommunications networks – require extra protection. From streamlining and automating cloud file transfers to platforms like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, to integrating with popular web and cloud services like SharePoint and Google Drive, using an MFT makes working with partners in the cloud smooth, reliable and safe. Evolving Network Conditions? Research shows that a single hour of system downtime can easily cost a medium-sized business a six-figure sum. As organisations and trading partners become increasingly integrated, it’s critical that file transfers are performed without delay or disruption. Whereas a document containing a batch of important transactions may once have been delivered over several hours, today’s fast pace of business requires it to take mere seconds. An enterprise-calibre file transfer solution should have a high availability plan in place. The right solution will provide active-passive and active-active (i.e. clustering) methods for organisations who need to keep their processes running no matter the situation at hand. Clustering provides the best high availability by running multiple servers simultaneously. Therefore, if one goes down, file transfers and workflows will continue to run on other servers so communication with your trading partners won’t be interrupted. The Leading MFT If any of these indicators ring true for you, it may be time to consider upgrading to an MFT solution. The acknowledged leading MFT, GoAnywhere, is an all-in-one solution, automating and encrypting file transfers from a centralised dashboard. GoAnywhere saves businesses time, money, and reputation. Local Expert Help At Generic Systems Australia we have decades of experience installing and customising MFT solutions to suit the needs of Australian and New Zealand businesses. If you’d like to explore how MFT can boost your organisation’s security and efficiency, please feel welcome to get in touch . I’m always ready to have a broad-ranging, no-obligation discussion. If you’d like, I can even organise a quick proof-of-concept to demonstrate how MFT can be easily tailored to your organisation’s specific needs. At Generic Systems Australia, we’re your local experts in Managed File Transfer. Previous Next