I have been working in managed file transfer for nearly two decades. And, in all that time, I have been told that MFT is a mature technology; that it will be replaced by ‘X’; that it only exists because customers cannot stomach the risk of moving away from it.
Those naysayers weren’t and aren’t necessarily wrong. The fundamental underpinning of MFT is rooted in protocols which go back to the early 70s, and the preceding fifty years are littered with the bodies of former technologies which were important in their time.
Yet, MFT continues to power much of the economy, our transportation networks, our manufacturing plants, and more. It endures, not because of the inability to move away from it, but because the file as a medium for data remains, forcing MFT to adapt to each wave of modernity.
The rise of hybrid integration
Today, that wave of modernity is hybrid integration, an umbrella term for iPaaS, EAI (Enterprise Application Integration), ESB (Enterprise Service Bus), and others, which describe tools which can move data/files/messages from anything to anything regardless of format. Often, cloud-based workflow orchestration tools with extensive connector marketplaces connecting everything from Salesforce to SAP to Microsoft SQL Server databases, and AI functionality to boot.
At Axway, we have our very own hybrid integration platform in Axway Amplify Fusion, which is being used by our customers to connect endpoints which may have required multiple solutions, or a middleware for translation, to achieve in the past.
Hybrid integration is being led by a marketplace that wants to harmonise and simplify the world of integration, away from the siloes of the past. So, does that make hybrid integration a threat to MFT?
It’s not that simple.
MFT and hybrid integration working together
Yes, hybrid integration can move, map, and deliver files. In some cases, but not all, it can even receive files on traditional MFT protocols such as FTP and SFTP. But “replace” is a tough word in the world of integration. It is synonymous with disruption, risk, and pain.
When you look across the spectrum of hybrid integration vendors, the messaging is the one that moves to a new world, but without a plan for the old. It’s strange when, in some cases, large businesses still operate mainframes today. The idea of adopting a new model overnight is simply not realistic.
What is interesting is how MFT is beginning to offer connectivity into hybrid integration platforms and acts as a bridge between worlds.
A great example of this is Amplify Fusion having a SecureTransport connector, to support integration between the two. For many customers who operate an MFT gateway like SecureTransport and potentially receive and send to thousands of trading partners a day, the idea of connecting SecureTransport to a hybrid integration platform to extend its integration capabilities, without disruption, is far more palatable than replacement.
That is without mentioning the pedigree of security and file transformation capabilities which continue to exist in MFT and may not be available such depth in hybrid integration.
Consider both directions:
- Trading partner delivers files to the Organization’s MFT gateway solution as they have done for many years. Those files need to be entered into the Organization’s SAP system for order management. Previously, this was being handled by a batch script which was converting the content of the file into API calls. Now the file can be immediately handed off to a hybrid integration platform, transformed, and delivered to SAP.
- Invoices are produced by an accounting package but are not auto-exported upon creation. A hybrid integration solution can collect the invoices via API, transform them into an XML file or other common format, and deliver them to the MFT gateway for collection by the trading partner.
In both our scenarios, the data either arrives or must be delivered in a file format. It is this fundamental need, paired with the established practice of using an MFT solution which drives the evolution of MFT into the hybrid integration world.
See also: Discover enterprise orchestration at scale with Amplify Fusion
Unified hybrid integration
The consistent message we hear from our customers and industry analysts is that integration is complex, and that solutions which understand the need to simplify complexities without replacement which will capture the attention of the marketplace.
Hybrid integration is cool. The message of connecting anything regardless of format is one which the marketplace has been crying out for, for years – but it doesn’t replace what already exists. The jump from a combustion engine car to an electric required the hybrid vehicle first.
In the future, we might see the absorption of MFT, EDI, and API technologies in hybrid integration as micro-services. But today and in the short- and medium-term future, it is about bridging the gap.
You see, MFT has had to evolve once again, because the fundamental requirement remains. If a file is in play, it is the MFT that leads the way.
See also: Seven key ingredients for the best MFT solution
Frequently Asked Questions
What is hybrid integration?
Hybrid integration is the latest evolution of the integration solutions market, which attempts to take a unified approach to integrating everything with anything. Primarily focused on data, rather than file formats, hybrid integration is outcome-based, meaning its approach is to build huge libraries of no-code connectors for commercially available software.
How can hybrid integration and MFT work together?
Hybrid integration solutions typically have some file handling capabilities at a shallow depth. However, for deeper integration into file-based workflows, there may still be a requirement for MFT. For Axway, we can pair Amplify Fusion and SecureTransport. For Boomi, you can pair with their MFT solution Thru.
Will hybrid integration replace MFT?
Maybe in the longer term or with enough change in the customers’ file-based workflows, but not in the short to medium term. The issue is one of capability depth and interruption of a solution which has become the backbone of many an organization’s operation.
Some hybrid integration solutions naively advocate wholesale moves from MFT and other solutions to hybrid, inviting disruption and risk. Axway supports the connectivity of these two worlds so that they can co-exist and complement each other.
How do SecureTransport and Amplify Fusion work together?
Like most hybrid integration solutions, Amplify Fusion has a marketplace of connectors, including one for SecureTransport. This brings SecureTransport into Fusion workflows, supporting file delivery and collection between the two.
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