Uncontrolled Use of File Transfer Protocol Threatens Security of Mission-critical Data; New Customer-sponsored Report from Sterling Commerce Illustrates the Inherent Risks in the Unmanaged Use of File Transfer Protocol

Business Wire, Dec 15, 2005

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A new report released by Sterling Commerce, the multi-enterprise collaboration company, reveals the risks posed by the use of unmanaged file transfer protocol (FTP) to facilitate file transfer operations for mission-critical data. The report, sponsored by two large banks, shows the hidden costs of implementing the free and widely-used FTP application in security, compliance, and the ability to work against strict service level agreements (SLAs).

The ability to move data securely across enterprise networks and between partners, suppliers and customers is becoming increasingly important. With this evolution, the need to gain greater control over that data is rising. According to the report, organizations that use unmanaged FTP lack control over their file transfer processes. They are therefore at risk because they are unable to ensure the security of data they are transferring, cannot establish audit trails to prove compliance with regulations, and do not have the capability to monitor and manage their workloads to ensure they meet SLAs. The unseen costs of these risks include:

--Increased interruptions and reworks needed because of a lack of management for controlling critical file transfer operations or balancing critical transfers with lower-priority work.

--Exposure within the security policies of an organization due to ID and password limitations and lack of standard enforcement procedures for meeting Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption standards.

--Additional costs resulting from retransmissions, delayed restarts and duplicate transmissions due to a lack of automated operations capabilities in FTP.

"There is a role for managed FTP for data transfer operations in many businesses. But, to calculate the true cost of FTP, companies must consider the unseen costs," said Scott Pulsipher, vice president of product management at Sterling Commerce. "Sterling Commerce has worked for more than two decades to help tens of thousands of customers develop best practices for managed file transfer. With this report, we're sharing those best practices as well as highlighting an important industry issue."

The report, "Three Significant Risks of FTP Use and How to Overcome Them: Management, Security and Automation," is available free to viewers of an on-demand Web event by Sterling Commerce. The Web event provides insight into the managed file transfer techniques used by industry-leading companies to increase security and compliance and best practices that will enable companies to move files securely end-to-end, regardless of system, platform or protocol. To register for the Web event and receive the report, go to http://stercommmft.b2bbestpractices.com/p_reg_b.asp?utm_source=p_pr

About Sterling Commerce

The year 2005 marks 30 years of Sterling Commerce leadership and expertise in extending processes beyond the edge of the enterprise to enable visible business with suppliers, customers, partners and employees. A subsidiary of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), the company is one of the world's largest providers of multi-enterprise collaboration solutions. With more than 29,000 customers worldwide, Sterling Commerce builds collaborative, multi-enterprise communities for customers in the retail, consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, financial services, healthcare and telecommunications industries. For detailed, up-to-date information about Sterling Commerce and its solutions, visit www.sterlingcommerce.com.