Operational Intelligence for MFT

Is your MFT ready for love?

| Axway |
digital transformation

UPDATED 11/13/18

Before you write me off as crazy, let me explain! I’m not suggesting Managed File Transfer (MFT) is something anyone should consider as a Valentine’s gift.

MFT ready

I’m suggesting MFT is part of the machine that makes Valentine’s Day better for everyone.

Here’s the thing: while Valentine’s Day has a long history, what’s fascinating to me is the increase in retail sales.

Valentine’s Day drives consumer purchases. It’s not Christmas, and it happens at a time when most retailers have slowed down, yet according to RetailTouchpoints.com, online sales soared in 2014, up 8 percent per year over year. Just look at what happened:

  • Department stores: up 38 percent
  • Gifts: up 20 percent
  • Apparel: up 17 percent
  • Health and beauty: up 15 percent

Average sales increased slightly, up to $133.91 on candy, cards, gifts, dinner, and more, from $130.97 last year. But what I found more interesting is this note: “Consumers 18 and older were expected to spend a total of $17.3 billion.”

It isn’t Christmas-level sales, but it is a significant boost in a slow part of the year. It’s a spike in sales volume that can boost profits and headaches.

A spike in retail transactions means more:

  • Shipping manifests
  • Packing invoices
  • Logistics
  • Digital layouts for advertising

And this kind of spike affects all parts of an organization and impacts the business processes that rely on file transfers. (Many organizations don’t scale based on spikes because they’re hard to predict, and past volume isn’t a very good indication of future activity.)
So when I ask if your MFT is ready for love, I’m asking if your MFT infrastructure can withstand a spike in load. If it can’t, will that result in lost business?

Don’t laugh! It happens. But with the right clustering solutions, you won’t have to worry.

Check out this brief on clustering to learn how to survive this annual peak.

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