BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - August 6, 2009) - For many people the term
file transfer calls to mind the venerable industry
standard file transfer protocol (FTP), used since 1971 to exchange and
manipulate files over IP-based computer networks. A newly released report
titled "
File Transfer is Not What it Used to Be: It's
Secure, Reliable and Well-Managed," published by
Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
(
NYSE:
HHS), explains why the time has come for file transfer to come out
of the basement and be recognized for what it is: a mission-critical,
enterprise-class application.
Among the participants in the current study, Aberdeen's research showed
that in the last 12 months the average number of data loss or data exposure
incidents associated with file transfer was more than 11 for the
worst-performing organizations, compared to less than 1 for the
organizations achieving top results. With the total financial impact for
each data loss or data exposure incident estimated at $640,000, the
advantage of achieving top performance in secure file transfer translates
to more than $6 million per year in costs avoided.
"Managing the surprising degree of complexity that can be involved in the
simple notion of transferring files from point A to point B cannot be the
best allocation of any organization's limited IT resources, or end-user
time and effort," said Derek E. Brink, vice president and research fellow
for IT Security, Aberdeen Group. "Aberdeen's research has shown that
persisting in the digital do-it-yourself approach to file transfer is not
secure, not convenient, not compliant, and definitely not 'free.'"
Today's file transfer solutions have quietly transformed themselves from a
hodge-podge of low-level network protocols to full-featured,
enterprise-class solutions that enable secure, reliable and well-managed
webs of critical connections for person-to-person collaboration and
process-to-process integration. As a prime example of the modern "plumbing"
that enables collaboration and integrates business processes, secure /
managed file transfer solutions have specifically been designed to liberate
overburdened administrators and end-users from the cost and complexity of
managing file transfers in the typical heterogeneous IT computing
infrastructure. Secure, managed file transfer also addresses many of the
security and cost shortcomings of physical "copy and carry" delivery
mechanisms and legacy "digital do-it-yourself" file transfer approaches.
A complimentary copy of the "
File Transfer is Not What it Used to Be" report is
made available in part by the support of the following research
underwriters: Axway (a subsidiary of Sopra Group, SA) and Ipswitch. To
obtain a complimentary copy of the full report, please visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=6012.
To view complimentary 30-minute webcasts highlighting findings from this
and other Aberdeen IT Security research, visit
http://www.brighttalk.com/channels/1209/view.
For additional access to complimentary
Information Technology Research, visit
research.aberdeen.com.
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers
demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the
past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action: driving
market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering
meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the
global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that
drive decisions.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in
context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's
analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of
Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement -
Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role
Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit
Aberdeen or call (617) 854-5200, or to
learn more about
Harte-Hanks,
call (800) 456-9748.
© 2009 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617) 854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Derek E. Brink
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
(617) 854-5254
Derek.Brink@aberdeen.com