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IBM Sterling File Gateway vs JSCAPE by Redwood comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 15, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Sterling File Gateway
Ranking in Managed File Transfer (MFT)
1st
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
JSCAPE by Redwood
Ranking in Managed File Transfer (MFT)
5th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
22
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Managed File Transfer (MFT) category, the mindshare of IBM Sterling File Gateway is 10.3%, down from 11.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of JSCAPE by Redwood is 2.8%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Managed File Transfer (MFT)
 

Featured Reviews

Vinutha Gangadhara - PeerSpot reviewer
Ability to customize on top of the inbuilt processes, user-friendly and well-categorized
I’ve been part of this client for the last seven-plus years. It’s been close to 70 to 80 continuous improvements we have delivered. The priority ones which we always shortlist are the recurring incidents or recurring issues, which came in the initial phase of the year when we took this entire landscape under our maintenance. One such incident I can recollect is with respect to performance tuning. We committed to our users 99.99% and above as the availability metrics for Sterling Integrator. This has acted as a high-availability system, but we treat it as mission-critical. When it comes to the commitment we give to users, we have to ensure the system is kept most stable. So, the majority of the problem was in the communication channels. Whenever we enabled additional logging for the communication channel, the system used to have hiccups. So we worked with the vendor, stating that the visibility channel framework needs to be changed because the moment we enable more logging, it literally brings the system down, or the system doesn’t work as it should. They took our input and delivered a better framework in their next releases, which helped us after upgrading to have that stability intact. As the system grows, we ensure to have performance tuning triggered and optimize the business process wherever required. For example, by default, Sterling Integrator business process will have full logging enabled. We took care of those things. Not all business processes or workflows require full logging enabled. Only a few critical ones require every step logs. For the rest, we categorized and reduced the logging for those workflows. That actually helped us to increase the IO overall from ten milliseconds to six milliseconds. That was a good achievement. Apart from that, in terms of queues, how we maintain the queues, how we defined all file queues across the critical business process is one thing we felt was done better. The threads we assign for the priority queues and the business processes were configured to those priority queues, whatever is critical, so that it gets high priority to allow the threads to process. So that queue thread Sterling was taken under the performance tuning. Apart from that, I think some of the best practices which IBM recommends is what we usually run through every year. We just have the health check done through IBM, and we just ensure that all the best practice recommendations are added in the system.
Akshatha Ramesh - PeerSpot reviewer
Good automation, no complex coding, and high-level data encryption
When it comes to performance and scalability, JSCAPE is a highly reliable software, however, I would suggest a few improvements: 1. The documentation needs a revamp for a better understanding of the features of the tool. 2. Customer service can be offered on call or chat. 3. The initial setup is time-consuming; it could use a video tutorial. 4. UI can be improved in terms of look and feel. 5. Documentation should be provided for a majority of newly released features as these can be difficult for a layman to use without proper instructions.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"I have found almost all the features valuable."
"One feature that we appreciate or use for multiple customers is the routing channel."
"Scalability is fine."
"The solution's most valuable features include the partner management capability, which centralizes all configurations and connections."
"It also has good error-handling methods."
"IBM Sterling File Gateway is user-friendly, allowing us to easily monitor and track file data."
"The most valuable aspect is that it has good functionality."
"The biggest advantage of the tool is that it acts as a centralized solution for all the different protocols."
"It is easy to transfer large sets of files."
"One of the standout features of this particular tool is its automation capabilities."
"The user interface feels easy to use."
"Triggers are also something that is useful as they automate the use of boilerplate code."
"JSCAPE provides high-level data encryption, which can help us share confidential and time-sensitive data across our global partners without any hassle."
"We can send the data quickly and securely."
"It is a reliable and easy-to-operate platform for secure file transfers."
"Automating and managing the file transfer using JSCAPE has decreased the manual interventions necessary and increased the organization's efficiency and productivity."
 

Cons

"IBM Sterling File Gateway depends on a database, which can be a drawback compared to platforms where system resources are entirely controlled internally."
"The product could be improved by offering native API capabilities and making the solution more user-friendly for larger, multi-node implementations."
"The automation part is somewhat limited."
"The number of failed files number increases with high workflow so that needs improvement."
"We need REST APIs or other tools to create that listening producer."
"The solution's technical support is sometimes slow to understand the use cases, and the answers are not practical."
"The admin console needs some work."
"We have issues with the stability of this solution, like server-down issues."
"Enhancing the user interface would make it more accessible and appealing to the new users and it will definitely enhance the user experience."
"They could create an in-depth document so that any user with little to no background can implement this and use the software effectively."
"The initial setup is time-consuming; it could use a video tutorial."
"Setup is time-consuming."
"The GUI has to be enhanced."
"With constant software releases and updates, detailed notifications and documentation on the improvements along with the comparison of the past and present features would be helpful to understand and use it better."
"The FTP/S and ad-hoc techniques can further be automated."
"The product's pricing needs improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I do know that it's generally considered expensive, but it's also widely used across corporate organizations due to its robust protocol communication, secure file transfer capabilities, and integration features. Although there are other tools on the market, IBM Sterling File Gateway stands out for its unique options and cloud compatibility, which offers future benefits, particularly in avoiding data storage issues."
"There are two types of customer licenses, an annual preview license, and an ELA-based license. I have found the solution is priced well. However, they need to review the pricing model because if you look at any other competitors, such as GlobalSCAPE, they do pricing based on the components and what you select. With this solution you have a monolithic application which you need to buy, there is no component level price discount."
"It's reasonably priced at $800,000."
"The solution's pricing is reasonable."
"The software is expensive compared to other vendors."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
35%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Insurance Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Retailer
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Sterling File Gateway?
The cost-effectiveness of IBM Sterling File Gateway was a major factor in our decision to use it, in comparison to the higher costs associated with DataPower.
What needs improvement with IBM Sterling File Gateway?
The product itself wasn't very easy to comprehend. I required a lot of customization that didn’t meet my needs. I resolved more issues than IBM did. Sterling needs better testing for larger custome...
What is your primary use case for IBM Sterling File Gateway?
I utilized Sterling primarily for SFTP and Connect Direct. I have a complicated system involving ZOS mainframe, data power, and various complex rules as I was trying to replace everything with Ster...
What do you like most about JSCAPE?
The product's most valuable feature is the high availability clustering.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for JSCAPE?
I rate the product’s pricing a three out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.
What needs improvement with JSCAPE?
JSCAPE ensures data integrity. You know that the file has been transferred and on which date, as we provide timestamps. We handle cybersecurity ourselves with proprietary technologies for the netwo...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
BAE Systems, ABN AMRO, Boeing, Bank of America, Dassault Falcon Jet Corp, Bank of Montreal, General Dynamics, Bank of Taiwan, General Electric, Citibank Canada, Honeywell, CreditSuisse, L-3 Communications, Columbia University, Harvard Medical School, Kaplan Higher Education, Northwest Christian College, Kaiser Permanente, Share Builder, Procter & Gamble, TransUnion, Roche Diagnostics, BASF, 1-800-Contacts, Canon, AMPM, Daimler AG, Coach, Edwards Brothers, USB Financial Services
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Sterling File Gateway vs. JSCAPE by Redwood and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.