When you send someone a file using FTP, how do you know (and later prove) that it was successfully sent?
Consider the Complexities
It might be possible to save a screenshot as long as the process was simple and you can see all the commands on a single screen. But what if your commands start getting complex? And if you start sending quite a few files every day, how do you organize all these screenshots so that you can easily retrieve proof two weeks from now. What about two years from now? Believe us, pulling weeks or years of screenshots together is no picnic.
Why should you care what files you sent two-and-a-half years ago anyway? To begin with, it's the law for most of us anyway. Most businesses are required by law to maintain an audit trail of any files that hold personally identifiable information in the data. Still, we shouldn't do it just because it is the law, we should do it because it's a good business practice to protect and track the movement of all business information.
How to Audit Your File Transfers
The screen capture option is probably the worst-case scenario in maintaining an audit trail of all your FTP transactions. However, it still makes sense to look into better tools to manage your FTP processing that make it easier and safer to prove the files have been sent or received from the correct locations.
Related Reading: The Problems with FTP (And How to Solve Them)
In most windows-based FTP tools, whether free or purchased, there are options to maintain a log of all your transactions. Here's an example from GoAnywhere MFT, our managed file transfer solution. The job log shows the status of your file transfers and allows you to drill down further into each job to find out even more.
Other FTP software solutions have similar settings. Logging your transactions provides the audit trail you need to prove that you have done your part in sending or retrieving the files.
MFT solutions, in addition to providing necessary file transfer security, provide an even better audit trail by logging exactly who sent or received the files.
Bottom line: Your audit logs should be easy to find and understand, just in case you are audited two years from now.
Finding a Better File Transfer Solution, Made Easy
We know it can be time-consuming to find a new solution for your file transfer automation, security, and auditing needs.
That's why we've put together the ultimate buyer's guide to MFT solutions, so you know exactly which features to look for, specific industry needs to consider, and how to compare solutions for the best fit.
