Failed file transfers are a natural occurrence. While a reliable managed file transfer solution can help curb these failures in the first place, it’s essential that business stakeholders have the ability to take action when failures do occur.
Before we discuss the optimal approach to monitoring file transfer, let’s consider this question: What causes file transfer failure?
Reasons for a file transfer failure
MFT gateways are designed to broker exchanges between a file producer and its consumer. When a file transfer failure occurs, it’s rarely a gateway that’s the issue. In 97% of cases, other factors are to blame.
Consider this example: a health insurance provider sets up a file transfer gateway that allows medical providers to submit their claims for processing.
A file transfer failure could be caused by a number of scenarios, for example:
- A medical provider never actually sent the file
- A medical provider sent a PGP encrypted file with the wrong key
- The FTP site is non-responsive
- Expired user credentials are preventing access to the FTP site
Getting to the bottom of why file transfers are failing
An MFT solution can log and track all of your file transfer activity. While this data can offer insights into a file transfer failure, it is still quite granular. Without being a managed file transfer expert, it’s hard to know where to find data about the failure and how to dissect what went wrong.
In the context of a file transfer failure, it’s important to remember these transfers are often part of a more extensive business process.
Going back to our insurance claims example, it’s common for insurers to respond to providers with payment status files after a claims file is received.
When looking at logged MFT activity, businesses need to be able to see where the failure occurred in the chain of events.
By creating more of a self-service MFT monitoring model, businesses get the best of both worlds:
- Stakeholders who care about file transfers can see what has caused a file transfer failure and potentially resolve the issue themselves.
- Meanwhile, core MFT teams get more time and resources back to focus on mission-critical priorities.
How Axway Sentinel supports self-service MFT monitoring
Axway Sentinel delivers end-to-end visibility for file transfers. It helps make this data more consumable for non-MFT experts.
As a powerful companion that sits side-by-side with data planes, Axway Sentinel collects event data and funnels it into a data repository. Businesses can then build custom dashboards and reports based on the collected data.
At the same time, teams can also create alerts for any type of event, from a file transfer failure to a successful file transfer.
What’s also beneficial about Axway Sentinel is that it can be integrated with any monitoring tools a business already has in its infrastructure. This allows for even more of that ideal, full-picture view of MFT operations.
Textron, a multi-industry company with a global network of aerospace, defense and intelligence, industrial, and financial businesses, uses Axway Sentinel alongside Axway Managed Cloud Services for MFT.
“With Sentinel, it’s easier than ever for us to monitor our compliance with stringent information security requirements,” says Matt Miller, IT Business Analyst at Textron. “For example, we have a Sentinel report to track certificates that are nearing expiry, which helps us ensure we’re always following the latest security standards.”
Examples of using Axway Sentinel to monitor file transfers
In a recent webinar, we had the chance to dive into how Axway Sentinel empowers business stakeholders to stay on top of file transfer issues while better planning for the future.
Here’s a glimpse into these critical use cases:
#1: Proactive notifications
When a file transfer fails, business stakeholders can receive an email that not only notifies them of the issue but also gives context as to the reason for the file transfer failure.
Armed with this information, file consumers can quickly work with file producers to get to the root of the file transfer failure and find a resolution.
Let’s illustrate this with the example of a failed claims file transfer between a medical provider and an insurance provider.
In this case, the failure occurred because the uploaded claims file wasn’t properly PGP encrypted.
#2: Self-service dashboards
Different file transfer activities can relate to various lines of business. Through role-based access, Axway Sentinel allows stakeholders to only see the activity pertaining to their area of work.
Alongside dashboards that share basic details about file transfer failures and file transfer successes, businesses can use filters for a more holistic business view.
Through common IDs, stakeholders can correlate multiple file transfers that took place within seconds of each other.
Let’s say there was an attempt to deliver a file to two endpoints. They can easily see that one was delivered successfully, and one was not due to an inability to contact the remote host.
Drawing these correlations avoids multiple searches and allows for faster resolutions.
#3: Utilization and trends
How many file transfer issues is your business experiencing daily?
Reports in Axway Sentinel empower stakeholders with this information and other details about MFT platform utilization.
This includes insights into how much traffic is HTTP-based versus SSTP-based, whether any exposed protocols are not being used, and what the busy periods are.
Consider a graph that showcases file transfer volumes over the past 30 days. If you’re running in the MFT cloud, these insights can be beneficial as use directly impacts costs.