Share your experience using CA XCOM Data Transport

I use GoAnywhere MFT for file management, as well as for converting file extensions from one type to another.

GoAnywhere agents have helped me extend MFT automations to remote systems; for example, using schedulers, I can schedule jobs weekly, monthly, or hourly, and even halt jobs on specific holidays with cron jobs.

GoAnywhere MFT has saved us approximately 30% of the time in securely connecting with third parties, as it previously took about 50 minutes to transfer files manually, but now it takes about 35 minutes.

The best features of GoAnywhere MFT include a very seamless approach to transfer files from one location to another, providing authentication, and authorization using PGP, along with many protocols such as HTTPS, SFTP, and FTP for secure file transfers. 

I use the GoFast feature to accelerate data transmission. GoFast has generally affected my operations by helping in encryption and compression, allowing data packets to be encrypted using AES 128 or 256, and supporting optional ZLIB compression to reduce bandwidth usage while facilitating workflow integration and automation for projects and data transfers using UDP instead of just TCP, which is significant for fast delivery.

The solution is quite effective, primarily because most of the comments and commands we utilize are based on Linux commands. Additionally, there is the shell script part. We have the ability to drag and drop various elements, which generates an HTML output for us.

In GoAnywhere MFT, there are areas with room for improvement. Some areas of improvement include simpler deployment in certain environments and better documentation. It's important to note that it is proprietary software with limited community documentation.

There are some security vulnerabilities to address, such as patch delays. Additionally, there is an issue with the installation of certificates. This process is proprietary, which means that installing the certificates takes a significant amount of time, including for error logging and troubleshooting. Some reviews indicate that file transfers may fail, and the error logs or diagnostics provided are insufficient. To mitigate this, we employ a redundancy strategy using duplicate use cases. For instance, when transferring files from one location to another, we utilize both a temporary location and an archive location. This redundancy can slow down the process. The reason for this approach is that sometimes, during the transfer of multiple files, some files may get lost. Therefore, we copy files from the temporary location to the archive before completing the transfer. This means that if we attempt to transfer, say, a hundred files and only twenty are successfully transferred, we have no clear way of identifying which twenty have moved successfully since the log feature does not provide this information clearly. These are areas where GoAnywhere MFT can be improved.

I have been using GoAnywhere MFT for four years, which is a managed file transfer protocol.

I would rate the stability of GoAnywhere MFT at eight out of ten, as it is a good stable product.

GoAnywhere MFT is scalable, as I have transferred large volumes of files, ranging from a few to millions in various environments.

Initially, we bought it for development purposes, and then we used it across different environments. Mainly, the users consist of myself and another developer, so there are around 10 to 15 users in total.

I would rate the technical support that GoAnywhere provides as a seven out of ten because being proprietary software means there is limited community support online, forcing reliance on the GoAnywhere community page for problem-solving.

Neutral

I have deployed it as a standalone application, not primarily in the cloud. It was used with Java, and we had to make some changes using Fuse for deployment. So, we are not using a cloud solution; instead, it is deployed as a standalone application.

Maintenance is required. I'm not entirely sure about the details, as there is another team responsible for maintaining it.

The licensing is complex, and there are various modules and add-on features available. It really depends on what you want in terms of features and specific functionalities. The model is subscription-based, so it varies according to the type of subscription you choose.

It is cost-efficient. One of the most important aspects is that it's not solely based on TCP; it also focuses on UDP. The advantage of UDP is that it allows for faster file transfers, but consistency is not as critical in this case. However, most of the time, users prioritize consistency, which is a key consideration.

It was a direct purchase.

I haven't encountered any use cases where there were problems with GoAnywhere MFT, so I am content with the services provided.

I would recommend GoAnywhere MFT to other users if they have the budget, as it is a proprietary solution; it's essential if secured file transfer is required.

Overall, I would rate GoAnywhere MFT an eight out of ten for its ease of understanding and functionality.

I use Control-M extensively on a daily basis.

The best features I prefer about Control-M include self-service and SLA management.

In Control-M, the user interface has room for improvement. The user interface can be more friendly and should be more similar to a Control-M/EM client interface. Control-M SaaS is very expensive.

I have been using Control-M for 15 years.

When comparing Control-M with other vendors, BMC is very stable according to the Gartner report, and it has more than 30 years of product lifetime, making it a very good product.

I would rate the scalability of Control-M as excellent, giving it a 10.

I would rate the technical support a 10.

Positive

For on-premises, the task pricing is somewhat expensive, but for SaaS, it is very expensive.

Approximately 10 users use Control-M. My relationship with BMC is more strategic and collaborative, as it is more about buying and selling. I am satisfied with BMC as a strategic partner. I would recommend Control-M for other users because for a company, Control-M is an infrastructure, and every company should have one workload automation product. Control-M is the best choice. My clients are enterprise users. I would rate Control-M overall a 10.