GoAnywhere MFT Reviews

We use Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT solution to achieve file standardization through automated workflows. In this process, when a file is sent, it's first routed to an ICAP server. Think of a file transfer as simply moving a file from one location to another. However, in this case, instead of transferring the file directly, we connect it to the ICAP server first. This intermediary step allows the file to be scanned and sanitized before it's delivered to its final destination.

We implemented Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT to securely transfer and share files, as well as automate file transfers and processes.

GoAnywhere has significantly improved our data exchange security. It's now faster, easier to use, and more convenient than before. It has improved automation, visibility, and security.

GoAnywhere offers good visibility through its file transfer logs. This allows me to track changes within my organization, including who made them, what changes were made, and when they occurred.

GoAnywhere's automation feature has streamlined our workflows by eliminating the need for extensive coding, programming, or scripting knowledge. Its user-friendly interface allows us to create workflows simply by dragging and dropping components. Additionally, GoAnywhere offers a library of pre-defined workflows readily available for use. These pre-built workflows can be easily integrated into our workspace with a single click. While some workflows may require minor adjustments, such as specifying a CTPS certificate, link, or IP address, GoAnywhere significantly reduces the need for manual configuration.

GoAnywhere integrates with our existing IT infrastructure and systems. It also offers a feature that allows for integration with Outlook. This integration enables us to send files securely via email through a link. However, using the standard email attachment method does not provide any file protection. The Outlook plugin streamlines this process. Once installed, it provides an option within our Outlook interface to connect and send files directly from our mailbox. This eliminates the need to access the GoAnywhere platform separately, generate a link, and then send it – saving us valuable time and steps.

The training and portal videos familiarized me with the benefits of GoAnywhere. I believe someone new to the platform could grasp most of these benefits within a week or two, though not all of them in such a short timeframe.

The most valuable feature, GoDrive, requires an additional license. It functions similarly to Dropbox, providing a central location where all users can easily upload files. Once uploaded, the files are continuously monitored, encrypted, and inaccessible to unauthorized users. Additionally, GoDrive offers image-sharing capabilities. For instance, if we want to send a file to someone via email, we can enter their email address. Instead of sending the file through the exchange server, GoDrive generates a link. This link, when sent to the recipient, allows them to access the file with a single click. The link can be set to expire after a specific number of downloads or uploads, and we can even add a password for further security. In essence, GoDrive eliminates the need to use the exchange server for file sharing.

Fortra needs to offer more use cases for GoAnywhere MFT during training.

I have been using Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT for 2 months.

GoAnywhere MFT is stable.

GoAnywhere MFT is scalable. They have a 99 percent retention rate.

The technical support is good. Their development team releases new versions 4 times a year.

I deployed GoAnywhere myself and found it to be easy to install. It's the simplest product I've installed so far. The process takes less than 15 minutes. All you need is the installation file. You download it, and there are almost no prerequisites for running the software.

GoAnywhere uses a web-based console for management. You'll get an HTTPS link with an IP address to access it. You can then log in to your web console to manage GoAnywhere. Even deploying it on multiple machines is straightforward; there's an agent that simplifies the process.

GoAnywhere MFT delivers a positive return on investment, as evidenced by our extensive customer base.

I would rate Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT 8 out of 10.

GoAnywhere allows us to encrypt our data using either TGP or AES encryption.

Depending on the use case, one or two people are required to maintain GoAnywhere.

We offer GoAnywhere to a wide range of clients, from small IT shops to large banks with thousands of employees.

I recommend reading about all the additional features, such as GoDrive. You should also be aware that GoAnywhere is highly scalable.

Batch jobs are defined in GoAnywhere, which interacts with multiple agencies across public safety applications. The files are transferred securely from an IBM  middleware environment like WebSphere Application Server to GoAnywhere. From there, they go to the vendors or the file consumers.

We are not dependent on any operating system. We've always worked with all flavors of OS, including AUX, Linux, and Windows. The product is multi-platform and we tend to use enterprise Linux OS, like Red Hat and OpenShift. 

GoAnywhere makes functions easier because we don't need to do all the scripting for managed file transfers. We can do transfers from a user-friendly UI. The solution also centralizes data exchanges, helping to facilitate file transfers between our critical systems. The workflow features enabled us to eliminate manual processes and unsecured file-transfer methods.

GoAnywhere helps the organization do jobs more efficiently. It saves time that the team can spend elsewhere. We can allocate resources to other activities or priority tasks. It also allows us to process much more data and documents.

The product can automate submissions of regulatory documentation, which is crucial for our end-users. We are responsible for setting up the infrastructure that other state agencies use. It's critical for us to transfer a variety of documents across the board.

Automated scripts running through GoAnywhere are essential because we work in public safety, which involves 24/7 transfers. Automation improved our efficiency many times over. 

It's difficult for me to quantify how much time we saved by automating scripts because this process has occurred over more than a decade. I'm certain that it saves lots of time, but I can't precisely say how much. 

GoAnywhere doesn't completely replace our other solutions. We can eliminate some custom scripts, but other agencies use different FTP solutions, such as IBM Sterling. 

It's easy to define the jobs in GoAnywhere's user interface. It's one of the easiest to use. It's comparable to other enterprise FTP products like IBM Sterling, but we find this a little more straightforward. The workflow is nicely defined, making the processes more accessible for beginners. It's critical that GoAnywhere enables us to limit access to sensitive data inside our network so that only verified users can access it.

We don't need to write custom programs or have any specialized programming knowledge. The ability to use GoAnywhere without custom scripts saves developers lots of time. We eliminated around 100 custom scripts.

The security could be upgraded to address novel cyberattacks. I'm not sure whether the product's security is being updated periodically. 

I took over the team responsible for GoAnywhere in the last two or three years. My team lead has managed the solution for the last 12 to 15 years. 

I rate GoAnywhere's support a nine out of ten. They're excellent. 

Positive

I rate GoAnywhere MFT a ten out of ten.

We use it to release medical records to other healthcare facilities, attorneys, and insurance companies.

We can share information faster and easier and in a less restrictive manner in terms of sizing.

It has helped to eliminate manual processes. We don't have to mail and fax records, and we don't have to burn them on a CD anymore. We can just drop a record in a folder.

It helps in centralizing the exchange of data between systems, employees, customers, and trading partners, which is extremely important. The easier it is to do, the better it is for us. Previously, we were having issues with faxing, and now, we don't have fax issues. It is a lot faster for the people to whom we're sending records. It is almost instantaneous, whereas with faxing, it has to go out through the fax, and then their fax machine has to pick it up, and then, on somebody's end, it may not work.

All of it is valuable, but the most valuable would be the ability to release medical records without having a limitation for size and not having to deal with the fax machine.

Its user interface is extremely easy. If you can drag and drop, then you're good.

I'm on the admin side of it, and one of the complaints is that it times out too quickly for the people who are using the internet-based part of it. It could be that there is a way to do it, but I just don't know how. 

One of the things that I wish is to not necessarily have to set up a username and password for people with whom we don't frequently share files. For instance, if I want to share files with a patient who is not somebody with whom we share files all the time, I would like them to somehow verify who they are and be able to push the file to them. I shouldn’t have to set them up as a user with a password. It should be almost like Dropbox.

I have been using this solution for about two years.

It is great. I haven't had any issues with it. I've had issues with my IT department, but nothing on the GoAnywhere's side.

I use it for a very specific thing. So, it definitely meets my needs.

They're fantastic. Anytime I've called to ask anything, they've always been extremely helpful. They spent time with me, walked me through things, and explained things to me. They've always been great. I've not had any issues. So, I would rate them a ten out of ten.

Positive

We didn't have any other solution previously. It was just fax and paper or burn a CD.

I was involved in its setup, and my part of it was simple. IT was also involved. There are portions of GoAnywhere that we're not using but IT can use. 

We were having issues with faxing to external people where our faxes wouldn't go through. So, in terms of the implementation strategy, they were the first ones with whom I checked whether they would be interested in doing this. It has just kind of grown from there. People request things from us all the time. If I'm on the phone, I ask them, "Hey, we have this. Is this something that you're interested in?" Sometimes, they say no, but most of the time, it is a yes. So, it has worked out really well.

I started using it in my department, and now, I've got a few other departments that are also using GoAnywhere for the same thing. For example, the business office will use it when people or attorneys request itemized statements or itemized billing if that requester has GoAnywhere.

I did have training courses. They did help me set up exactly what I needed it to be set up for, and that part was really simple.

In terms of maintenance, I'm the one who sets everybody up, and I'm the one who goes through it. Our IT has one person, but he is hardly in it. He usually accesses it when I have an issue. I do have four other staff members who drop things in, but they don't build users. They don't resend passwords or do anything like that.

I would like to say that we have seen an ROI because I don't have to burn CDs and mail them all the time, but I can't give a dollar figure for that.

The cost is fine. It is probably the best software that I've had for the money that we spend for it. I am not aware of any costs in addition to the standard licensing fees. I don't pay for it. IT pays for it.

Our IT did look at other options. I know they looked at Dropbox, but I don't know what else they looked at.

GoAnywhere hasn't helped to eliminate single-function tools or unsecured file transfer methods because we work in medical records, and we don't send things in a non-secure fashion. I personally don't think that the mail is very secure. If we take the fact that we don't burn CDs anymore and we don't have to put them in the mail, then it has helped because now, it is from us to them, and there is no wait time. 

It hasn't enabled us to allocate staff toward other work, and it also hasn't enabled us to acquire or disseminate more data or more documents. It has only helped us to work more efficiently.

I would rate it a ten out of ten. I tell people all the time that they need to get this. I was looking for something like this, and finally, I got it. I'm super happy about it. I don't want to have to go back to the way I was doing it before.

We acquired GoAnywhere MFT to help us with our connection to Oracle. We then had a request from our company to put data onto Azure. It was perfect timing. We started creating the connection and the configuration for Azure using GoAnywhere, and we are now exporting close to 2 million transactions per day into Azure. Any activity happening in our core application is being forwarded to the Azure platform, into a data lake.

We have another project in the pipe to connect Hyphen Solutions BuildPro, which is another cloud service, one that helps us in our field of business, which is construction. We are exploring transferring data to BuildPro using GoAnywhere, and that is going to be XML, mostly.

We deployed connectivity with our Oracle CRM to download data, but that was a temporary solution because now we're doing it in real time. After that, we went after another project, which was to put data into Salesforce, which is our new CRM. GoAnywhere helped us incredibly because it was pretty simple, using Cloud Connectors, to define the Salesforce server and to put the data into objects without any major development on our side.

The previous transmission we had with Salesforce was scheduled to run every two hours. That was the most we could get. Right now it is taking seconds to get there. Not only are we saving time, but the data is immediately useful to the business. Previously, in some cases, it was delaying a purchase of a house by our customers. For example, sometimes a customer wants to put in a particular flooring or a particular kitchen. If those options were not available, they couldn't complete the purchase. But now, with GoAnywhere, they have the information right there. They can complete it right away.

GoAnywhere helps us to distribute data. We are on the iSeries platform, using JDEdwards and  Db2. But because our business is now distributed into cloud applications, such as Salesforce and Azure and Google, we help ops to export the data into those platforms.

The Cloud Connectors are amazing and have saved us a lot of time because we don't have to do any programming. It just puts the data there. We haven't been able to 100 percent eliminate custom programs or scripts, but it has helped save a lot of lines of code. That is immensely important, not only because of the coding issue, but also because of security. If you need authentication or key information, it's better to have it encrypted in GoAnywhere, than having this information in the source program, because anybody can see the source and see the authentication information. GoAnywhere handles that more securely.

The other day we needed to export data into SharePoint. We had not done that before, so we needed some examples. We went to the internet but we couldn't find much information. So we contacted HelpSystems and they gave us a link. We then called our SharePoint administrator and he gave us the information we needed and we can now put data into SharePoint.

Previously, that SharePoint process was manual, one where the user had to run some services every two hours. Now that we have automated it, he doesn't have to do it anymore. It has saved a lot of time.

GoAnywhere has also helped us to allocate staff to other work. By using GoAnywhere, we don't need people or a programmer involved in managing security or server configuration anymore. We set them up in GoAnywhere. I'm the one doing the administration for the tool and I just defined the resource so the developer doesn't need to ask questions like, 
"How do I connect? What is the password and the user ID?" As soon as I give the guidelines, that this is the resource, we just create a Project and that's all.

Transactions transfer in close to real time. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time because of the volume that we have, but the transactions transfer in seconds to the external platform.

When it comes to workflows we use the Projects and the scheduler. We don't have Monitors or many Triggers at the moment. The Projects are the bread and butter of this application; they are the way you put data into the different platforms. Projects are very straightforward and we can create them pretty fast. We define the resource, which could be SharePoint or Azure or Google or any of those API servers. We then create Projects. We put those into production and after that we see the data flowing. The way we did it for Azure, for instance, which is our biggest one, was that every time a user press Enter on the screen, meaning the user is creating a community or home site, that information is captured through a Trigger. Once we get the information into our program, we call the Project workflow in GoAnywhere and it is the middleware that puts the data into the target server, in this case, Azure. It takes microseconds to complete.

I have been using HelpSystems GoAnywhere MFT for about four years.

If you define the tool correctly and you give it the appropriate memory and priorities, it works perfectly.

We are a little concerned because the maximum number of open connections allowed is 200, and we are pretty much maxed out. I don't know if they will expand that in the future.

We are extensively using GoAnywhere and we're planning to keep it. To give you an idea, sometimes we have 2.7 million transactions per day, exported from our JDE core to other platforms. And I'm constantly looking for problems to which GoAnywhere can be a solution.

Because of the volume of transactions we have per day, I sometimes get a little concerned that we may run into a scenario where the tool will fall behind our needs. The server where GoAnywhere is installed is a powerful machine, it is the latest iSeries. But it's still 2.7 million transactions or packages to deliver, and that is a lot. Maybe if they expanded the number of open connections allowed, we would be better off.

I'm afraid that when we get the new integration with BuildPro, we may fall behind. We may not be delivering the data as fast as we are now. One of the files we produce, the purchase order, is very dynamic. It's close to 600,000 transactions per day. If the business requires us to send some other table that is as dynamic as that one, we may fall behind. As it is now, the purchase order is sometimes delivered hours after its completion. We don't mind because we don't have a separate application waiting for its data in real time, like we have for Salesforce and SharePoint. But in the future, if the business requires something as big as that, we may not be able to deliver it in GoAnywhere.

The support from them has been amazing. They're always on top of things. We call whenever we need something, and if it's urgent we go through the manager and they immediately reply to us. We have had conference calls with their developers, the most knowledgeable ones, and they are always top-notch. We have no complaints about that.

We do wish they had more centralized documentation, because sometimes it's difficult to obtain it, but eventually we get it. We contact our sales manager and that person helps us to obtain the information from the technical people. 

The same type of thing is happening now for Box. We run some processes that create PDF reports and those reports are going to specific users in Box. We are working on that now. We're waiting for information from GoAnywhere on that. 

We were using another solution, from our iSeries platform, to connect with external applications such as Oracle CRM. We started having problems with that because of the Java version and we didn't have any help whatsoever or any support because it was a freebie we downloaded from the internet.

I knew GoAnywhere from my previous company and I recommended it to my supervisor. I told him it would help us with the connection to Oracle. So we acquired the tool and explored it.

The initial setup was a little complex, not because the tool was complex, but because we didn't have experience doing it.

The user interface of GoAnywhere is pretty straightforward. We took the 12-hour training course but still, sometimes we need to obtain more information. We go to their website and try to get samples. Their communication is outstanding. Whenever we request some examples, "How do we do this?" they reply immediately to us.

There is some maintenance from time to time when there are upgrades, as well as whenever we have an encryption key that needs to be applied. Also, every other week we shut down the application to release memory and to start fresh.

The other day we had to upgrade GoAnywhere and the problem we had was that we had moved our location from Miami to Las Vegas. It was tough because when we started testing GoAnywhere we defined certain settings. We tuned the application. When we moved and we had to reinstall GoAnywhere, we forgot that we were using 12 gigabits of memory. We forgot to do the Java 64-bit. We forgot the priorities of the jobs that were defined. We needed to do the job queue tuning and the class. There were a lot of details that we had forgotten. So we had problem after problem. Hopefully, we will not be moving again anytime soon.

For the Las Vegas move, it took us a couple of hours to install the application. That part was easy. Because we had the resources and the workflows defined in the old server, we just downloaded those via XML and uploaded them to the new server. It was pretty straightforward, except for the things that we forgot. But the installation of the application took two hours, maximum.

We have definitely seen a good return on investment from going with GoAnywhere. We have even found it inexpensive, to be honest. 

To have a solution like this for the price we're paying makes it cheap. Considering the time that it has saved us, and considering the development that we don't need to do, such as connectors and handling servers, the price is really affordable.

I vouched for GoAnywhere because I had used it where I was working before. We did some research and we got some documentation, as well as information people had written about MFT solutions, and GoAnywhere was at the top. The business side of our company is satisfied that we're doing what needs to be done.

This is the best solution you can get. Do some research, and if you're totally unbiased, you're going to find that GoAnywhere is definitely what you need.

They've been creating Cloud Connectors, according to industry developments. Whenever there's a new cloud service, they create a Cloud Connector. We're using three of them: Box, SharePoint, and Salesforce. 

We are trying to replace Robo-FTP, but the information that we're transferring there is critical, it is treasury data for banking, and the business has not yet decided to use GoAnywhere for that. But that was the original plan. We did have some SSH servers to land the data using FTP and that is no longer required because we can put the data directly into Salesforce.

With the tool itself, so far so good. Everything that we needed to do has been done with GoAnywhere. We haven't found anything where we have had to say, "Oh, that's not possible with GoAnywhere." We're good with the product.

Our business is, as far as corporate computing goes, is IBM i-centric. Because of that, some of the main use cases for the GoAnywhere product are for uploading data into the IBM i, from our finance department and other departments, and downloading data from the IBM i to a user or to our FTP server to be sent to a business partner. And when it comes to downloading data for users, it's typically in the form of Excel reports.

At this point, we are only accessing resources within our organization. We don't reach outside of our organization, even though the solution enables interaction with many things, such as Amazon and Google. The exceptions to that are one or two processes that do reach out to a business partner by way of SFTP.

One of the things GoAnywhere can do for us that our previous product could not is error handling. If something doesn't work properly, we can be alerted to that fact and act on it more quickly, versus the old product.

The workflow features eliminate the need for custom programs and scripts for file transfers. They simplify activities surrounding the movement of data. There is a concept within IBM i of normal tables and an aspect referred to as the integrated file system or IFS. Our older processes would typically create data in a table and run special commands that might make it troublesome to copy that data from the table to the IFS. From there, the old product would grab it from the IFS and send it to some other server. Now, we can eliminate that step of having to bother with the IFS, since GoAnywhere can reach directly into our tables. It's one more aspect of this product that helps simplify these sorts of tasks. When users say, "I'm building spreadsheets that I would like to be uploaded on a regular basis into the IBM i," we are able to accommodate that request within a matter of hours rather than the days it would take to create programs to do that. That is very useful. It has eliminated several dozens of scripts for us.

And when it comes to file uploads into the IBM i, this is only a guess, but it has saved us on the order of five hours per week.

We're able to craft solutions to little challenges faster, and that makes us more productive. One of the GoAnywhere projects that I was just helping a person with yesterday was updating an old program that produces a report for a user. I helped her create an SQL view and then make use of that view with GoAnywhere, which now emails a simple spreadsheet to the user. She was able to accomplish that in a fraction of the time it would have taken to modify the original program.

Additionally, the workflow features have helped to eliminate manual processes. One example is an upload process that is being done regularly by the payroll department. It typically involved a little more manual activity on the part of our payroll user to get us the data. Whereas now, with GoAnywhere, we are able to create something using what GoAnywhere calls a Secure Form. It enables us to present a very quick, very rudimentary webpage to the user where they do a few clicks and the file is provided to us. That is in contrast to their having to take the file from their desktop, find the network share that they're supposed to copy it to, followed by calling us to say they've copied it over there. It makes it easier for users to do things on their own, once we've created that ability for them.

One of the most valuable features is the ability to reach into our database tables on the IBM i, and other platforms, and extract data. That is most useful for us.

It's also easy to use. I was training somebody yesterday on some of the finer points of GoAnywhere, and she found it very easy to interact with and understand. We like the interface.

The workflow features are very comprehensive, from our point of view. GoAnywhere uses the term "project" for a job that we create within it. The projects can be run from our IBM i CL [command language] programs. They can be scheduled within the GoAnywhere Scheduler to run once an hour or whenever we need them to run. A process can also be triggered by a file showing up. It is robust in terms of how the GoAnywhere projects can be invoked.

It doesn't need much improvement, other than tiny idiosyncrasies. I've run into one or two things for which I've put in change requests to the software developers at GoAnywhere, but they are very minor things, the types of things that don't come up much. We've created in the neighborhood of 80 to 90 projects in GoAnywhere and, out of all of those, there have only been a couple where we've run into something and that made us say, "I wish they could improve this little thing here."

For example, when it comes to interacting with files, there is a function referred to as write CSV, to write a general text file. In this scenario of creating a simple text file, I ran into a situation where, if the product saw a quote or a double-quote in the data, it started wrapping all the text fields in double-quotes. The request I put in asks them to provide a feature that leaves my data alone and does not interpret anything. If I don't want double quotes, please don't put them in. It should have the option, on certain write CSV operations, of not inferring anything.

We have been using HelpSystems GoAnywhere MFT for about a year.

It seems pretty stable. Like other Windows platform solutions, every once in a while the Windows platform needs to be rebooted, but otherwise it has been very stable.

Scalability has been a non-issue for us. It seems like we could double or triple the number of projects we've got, which might happen over the next five or 10 years. We do not expect any issues with the scalability.

We don't have any plans, per se, to increase our usage of GoAnywhere, but something that we haven't talked about is another product we have that is going to have some competition from GoAnywhere. This other product, which I believe is owned by HelpSystems as well, is a reporting tool called Sequel Viewpoint. I've used it in a similar fashion to the way we use GoAnywhere: A user needs a report and I create an SQL view, go into Sequel Viewpoint, make use of that view and output a PDF or Excel document, and email it to the user. Doing the same thing in GoAnywhere is easier.

It's not so much that there are any specific plans for increased usage, but those types of tasks just come up from time to time. When a user in our finance, buyers, or our supply chain and planning department needs some data from our system, we have a solution for them very quickly using GoAnywhere to produce a simple Excel report.

The technical support has been fine. It has been useful each time we've reached out to them, unless we find a little bug, like the one I mentioned where the product had decided on its own to put double quotes around all of the text fields. Short of little idiosyncrasies like that, they've been able to solve problems for us.

We migrated off of a very rudimentary product that was little more than a file moving product. It was "garage software," meaning it was made by a very small organization. It was called Second Copy. It could move or copy a file from one server to another within the same file system, but it was very basic. There was no error handling, no ability to deal with FTP and IBM i, HTTP,  databases, Amazon, and Azure. All those capabilities were nonexistent in Second Copy. GoAnywhere is like a Ferrari versus a Volkswagen Beetle. Our old product was a single-function tool, and GoAnywhere helped us to eliminate it.

The initial setup was fairly straightforward except for one feature, which was an integration to the IBM i. As luck would have it, we've never actually ended up using that feature. It's what is called setting up an agent on the IBM i, and that took a bit of work with one of their tech support people. That allows for a little tighter integration with the IBM i when the product has been installed off of the IBM i. In our case, we installed the product on a Windows Server, as opposed to the IBM i itself. We figured that if we make use of the agent, it might give us a little better integration. Now, eight or nine months later, we've never made use of that IBM i agent. What made adding that agent complex was due to the nuance. The instructions were not clear enough and I was not able to do it by following instructions in the manual.

Not counting that agent, we had GoAnywhere up and running on the same day that we started installing it. The agent was just an add-on, and that dragged on for a few more days with interaction back and forth with their tech support.

We were replacing an existing product. Our implementation strategy was a matter of setting up GoAnywhere and doing a couple of pilot projects to see how easy it was and how it worked. We then started the process of converting 70 or 80 tasks out of the old product, slowly but surely, into the new product. That was doled out to half a dozen developers who looked at the existing tasks and implemented something similar, and/or better, in GoAnywhere.

Our user community for GoAnywhere is relatively small at the moment. We are a medium-size retail business. Our corporate headcount would be somewhere between 400 and 500 people, and the total headcount within the company is 1,100 to 1,200 people, including stores and warehouses. Out of all of them, there are just a handful of departments that we interact with a lot. Our finance and our planning/supply chain departments are two of our major users among our user community of about a dozen users.

As for maintenance of GoAnywhere, our IT department has three groups: web development, back office development, and technical support. This product can be used by, and of value to, all three IT groups. It is almost exclusively used by just the back office department, which I'm part of. Our focus is the IBM i, versus our customer-facing web pages which are handled by our web development folks. In our back office group, we've got about 20 developers and any one of them can do a project in GoAnywhere. We don't have anybody dedicated to maintaining the product. As a task comes up, somebody gets assigned to do it and takes care of it.

We didn't use a third-party. It was a straightforward install for the most part.

The cost of GoAnywhere versus the value it brings to our data transfer operations is reasonable. When I compare it to what we were using, that product called Second Copy, and how robust it is and how productive we can be with it, the cost is commensurate. The cost is relatively expensive but, back to the car analogy, that's to be expected with a Ferrari.

They provided a variety of options for pricing. "If you want just this basic feature, here's the price. Or you can have this add-on and that add-on." That variety of add-ons is useful because we are not using it to its fullest capabilities. Some of those other capabilities are licensed extra options.

One of the extra add-ons that came to our attention that we ended up purchasing, and that has provided value and will continue to provide value, is the Secure Forms. We use them to very quickly provide a web page interface for a user to make file transfers easier for them. It's also very useful when there's a report that they need but we need some input from them to produce it, like the date range of the data they want to see, or the particular stores they want a report for. Secure Forms are an extra cost and we went for that extra cost months after buying the initial product. We started with not much in the way of extras, and then added onto the product.

We use GoAnywhere for the basic Secure File Transfer Protocols (SFTPs). We transfer between various operating systems, and most of our servers are Unix, such as Linux and AIX.

Regarding security, we don't store data on the GoAnywhere servers, and access is limited. Our information security is essential as we're a public safety agency.

We've been using the solution for all these years, and that's a testament to how useful we find it as an organization. We previously used a lot of scripting for FTP and SFTP, but GoAnywhere MFT provides a centralized managed platform that reduces our manual workload. 

The product enables live transfer between servers, and it does what we need it to. 

GoAnywhere being a centralized platform fits our needs very well; it gets the job done and improves our file transfer operations.

The solution is easy to learn and user-friendly, which makes it accessible even to those without programming backgrounds and extensive scripting training. Newcomers can quickly get to grips with the platform, and as it's a more object-oriented application, it's easier to use and program.

The solution's built-in functions could be better; I want to see easier file transfers and management. 

We've been using the solution for around ten years. 

The tech support is pretty good, and the team members are knowledgeable for the most part; I rate them eight out of ten.

Positive

The initial setup is considered easy. We are looking to upgrade to the newest version and have one staff member responsible for implementing that. However, the installation guide provides little information, and the installation notes are relatively limited.

Previously, we did file transfers manually, so we didn't need to pay anything. However, GoAnywhere is a strong product, so it's a good investment.

The product's pricing is reasonable. 

I rate the solution eight out of ten.

We selected GoAnywhere to replace an on-prem custom-built C# ASP.net solution that we had inherited as a part of an acquisition of another company. We didn't want to maintain that solution in-house, so we searched for third-party providers that might offer some MFT solutions with EDI as a bonus. GoAnywhere checked all of our boxes. It was an easy choice in terms of costs, features, and support. 

Right now, I have three teams working with it: analytics developers, data engineers, and software developers. We're a pretty small house. There are four people in software development. The analytics team is supposed to have six, but we're currently at four. We should have two data engineers, but we now have one.

We have not yet implemented their FTP server. We own it but haven't installed it yet. We purchased the FTP portion of the software about six months ago because we were looking to replace our internal FTP solution. It was a project that we put on the back burner. After seeing the MFT product and how it performed, we felt pretty confident that we could migrate to their FTP platform as well. We were pleased with their support and performance on MFT, so it made sense for us to consolidate FTP into GoAnywhere.

One of the ways it has improved how we function is centralization, but that was somewhat of an unintended consequence. The initial purchase was intended to replace a specific application, but at least three other teams are currently using the application to move data internally within our network or to external providers. 

It has provided a layer of transparency across the business, particularly for our IT staff, allowing teams to see what others are working on. Even though I may not have worked on a package that interfaces with our buying software, I can see the packets out there. I can see who built the packet and what's in it. If they're not there and something goes wrong, we can troubleshoot across teams. It also creates opportunities for cross-training and cross-team support. 

I can't say that GoAnywhere's workflow features have eliminated any manual processes because the solution it replaced was already automated, so there weren't necessarily manual processes there. However, it has also allowed us to onboard other projects because the automation method is easy. 

It's hard to quantify the direct impact GoAnywhere has had on our operations because so much of it is behind the scenes. Our end-users just know that the data is flowing, so that reliability is something they won't notice. I also wouldn't say that it eliminated workloads per se because we merely moved from one system to another. But if we were starting with no automated solution in place, it would significantly reduce the workload. Of course, it would depend on the workload you're attempting to replace. From a monitoring and design perspective, it could potentially cut your workload in half. GoAnywhere hasn't helped us shift staff members to other tasks because we're a pretty lean shop, to begin with. Our plates are full regardless.

The user interface is highly intuitive, which has streamlined migration from our old solution. I say that with the caveat that we're a pretty technical house, so we have a reasonably strong skill set. When we were doing the demo, we took one project from the old system and got it running in GoAnywhere in less than 30 minutes. That says a lot. I've written queries and understand code, so I'm not a novice. I still think that's pretty impressive for a software product to be able to deliver a functional use case in half an hour.

GoAnywhere's workflow features eliminate the need for custom programs and scripts for file transfers, which was pretty critical, given the software we were replacing. While it was an internally built application, a custom script was written for each interface that had to be maintained long-term. So to convert those to a system that could build, maintain, and scale those functions out of the box was pretty critical for us.

There have been a few things that GoAnywhere couldn't handle. We discovered one recently that was beyond the scope of our original requirements. API functionality wasn't part of our initial unit testing because it wasn't necessary then. However, shortly after implementing GoAnywhere, two different vendors approached us to do API transactions. We checked to see if GoAnywhere could do this and found that it was supposed to have that capability, but it broke down. It completed the transaction, but it didn't correctly parse the JSON. Specifically, heavily nested JSON files break down when it attempts to parse the data.

There's a workaround. You have to reorganize the JSON file, and then GoAnywhere can read it. We went in a different direction since we didn't want to be hacking our solution. Their JSON readers aren't fully developed. When we implemented it, their EDI was in its infancy. We've been very successful with the EDI implementation, but there are a few pieces in their EDI implementation that are a little bit clunky. 

We had a meeting with them a couple of weeks ago because they're looking to advance that side of the product and wanted our input on what we would change in the EDI section. We gave it to them. It's an area they are looking to develop. I would recommend they continue to build in that space.

We purchased GoAnywhere about a year and a half ago, but we've only been actively using it for the last nine months. After buying it, we put off implementation because we were in the middle of a massive integration. We had about 67 different applications undergoing migration, so GoAnywhere just had to wait its turn.

So far, GoAnywhere has been highly stable. We've had minimal downtime, and the downtime we've had has been due to other system upgrades. For example, we upgraded our internal FTP server but neglected to open the firewall ports after the upgrade back to the GoAnywhere server. That's more of a systems issue rather than a problem with GoAnywhere. I can confidently say GoAnywhere has been up 99.9 percent of the time since we first installed it.

GoAnywhere allows us to continue expanding our data integrations because we already had a pretty robust integration across the board before we implemented it, and it continues to scale well. When a new vendor comes on board with new specs or a new type of connection, 99 percent of the time we can say that GoAnywhere can do that, and we start building out the implementation and the automation process.

We continue to grow, and we haven't seen any performance issues yet. We had a few problems with logs, but that was resolved in 20 minutes with a call to support about where we store our logs and how we make them more efficient. At this point, we probably have roughly 200 jobs running daily. Some of them monitor files, a folder, or an FTP site every five minutes 24 hours, seven days a week without any significant performance degrades.

The individuals who provide support are very knowledgeable about their product, and we don't go through multiple layers of support. We get answers fairly quickly, and it escalates to the right person quickly as well if needed. I would rate HelpSytems support nine out of 10.

Positive

The setup was very straightforward. Of course, we paid for training, but it's an intuitive application. The time-to-value was closer to a month. It took us about a month before we had value-producing projects running. 

Regarding maintenance, we maintain it in a hybrid sense. Because we're such a small shop, I and someone from the software development team have admin access to the servers, and so does our systems administration team. It's more like cross-training. The solution requires minimal maintenance. It is a solidly performing application, so we don't see a lot of issues or downtime.

The updates all go smoothly. When there's an update, we're relatively confident that we can apply this. We've gone through enough release cycles that we know a new release won't break stuff. We'll roll it out, and our software's back up 30 minutes later.

A lot of our data streams are revenue-related. We're sending invoices to customers so that they can automate payments. Often, that's contractually based but roughly 30 percent of our customer-facing business involves data integrations. Without GoAnywhere, we would potentially lose business if we couldn't meet the contractual obligations of data transfers.

We looked at four different products about a year and a half ago, and GoAnywhere came out on top. One of the solutions we looked at was Microsoft SSRS. We are a Microsoft shop, so that's one we looked at, and we checked out Azure Logic Apps. We also got estimates from a third-party software development company to develop a custom solution.

To make the final decision, we looked at a few factors. The cost was a big one for us. We weren't willing to spend a ton of money replacing this particular product. But the other one was what we call "feature completeness." Specifically, we needed to do managed file transfers with our vendor partners. We wanted to custom-build our queries using SQL and DB2, connect to various sources to generate files, and then transfer those files via FTP, SFTP, or any number of different connection mechanisms.

We also had some EDI that was a part of a different software implementation but super expensive. That ended up being a bonus of GoAnywhere. They had recently started implementing some EDI functionality at a much lower cost.

In its class, I'd give GoAnywhere MFT a nine out of 10. It does what it does exceedingly well. If you're implementing GoAnywhere, I recommend taking advantage of their support and training. It's excellent. Even if you already have a solid technical background, you'll have some "aha" moments just learning how they built the application. From my perspective, the cost of training is minuscule compared to the return. It gives you a good understanding of how the software works as well as how to build and troubleshoot workflows.

We use it for SFTP and for hosted software that connects to it through the cloud. We also use the AS2 piece, although that is still in test mode. We move about 10,000 files a day.

We're a hospital and we use it for payroll, the pharmacy, and the cafeteria. And on the admin side, it extracts reports from a third-party location. We also have trading partners and we pass on public and private keys.

GoAnywhere connects to our Azure server. We also have some in-house servers that it connects to. We move files to the Isilon, which is a repository where we store a lot of files.

When we started out, we were a tier-three location. Now we are a tier-one. We started out with no more than about 150 or 200 jobs, and now we have over 1,000 jobs.

GoAnywhere's workflow features have helped us to eliminate manual processes. We had people manually running a job, but now that we have automated it, they don't have to do it anymore. They also don't have to waste time trying to write a program and testing it to see if it's going to work. They send us their requirements and we can code them and provide them with what they need. That gives them more flexibility. They can go on to do other tasks. And if they have to add something or change a filename, they don't have to go through the whole process. They just send in a request to us and that makes it easier for them.

For example, they can send us a request saying, "We need you to create a Secure Folder so that we can communicate and move files with a third party." We set that up and they just drop the files in there and they don't have to worry about whether the file they're trying to send is too large. It allows us to send PDFs. GoAnywhere has helped us to be more diverse than we were before.

It has also helped to eliminate unsecured file transfer methods. We used to use a lot of FTP stuff, and that was not too secure, but we brought in the SFTP and the PTP abilities. Some companies still insist that we use FTP, but we try not to use it. By using secured methods, we know the files are going out in a secure way. We know they're going to go through the firewall.

What we find valuable is that we are able to connect with vendors through SFTP. They are able to send us resource pieces and, when we connect to their side, we are able to transmit files. We can also manipulate the files and rename them.

Another valuable feature is the ability to use calls to run multiple jobs at one time, including recursive calls that go folder by folder and check each one before sending a file. 

We use the FTPS abilities a little and we also use the PTP features. 

In addition, as a company that works in the healthcare field, the main hospital-related software we use is Epic Systems. We deal with ambulatory care through GoAnywhere as well. The Epic side of it is on the cloud and, with GoAnywhere, we're like a "middleman" and we move files between it and other places where they need to be.

We also use the Secure Folders module and the Web Client a lot. For example, we set up external vendors to come in and review files or folders in a Secure Folder. That way they can go in and review whatever information or data they need to do. It helps us to keep in contact with vendors. It's helpful because we don't have to let them into our entire system. We can just give them access to that one folder. They can't add anything and they can't delete anything. We just set up the permissions the way the owner on our side wants them.

The intuitiveness is good. And anytime you need to reference something, you can punch it in on the web and it breaks it down for you, step-by-step. And if that doesn't help, they have a chat line so that you can communicate with them and they point you back in the right direction. And beyond that, they will bring support online and support helps you to resolve the issue.

Some of the description boxes can't be expanded. They're too narrow. You have to slide stuff over to see them.

I have been using HelpSystems GoAnywhere MFT for about four years.

The support could be enhanced a little bit. I know they are pushing numbers, but when they ask you to tell them what your issue is about, and you tell them, they say, "Hold. Let's get you to support." If they knew even a little bit about it, what it is trying to do, that would take some of the pressure off the support side. If the first echelon of support could say, "Okay, you are trying to create a variable," and could tell you what you have to do, that would be good. Then, if you needed more help, you could go to the tutorial piece.

But if we need any help, they work on the issue and try to get things resolved. They reach out to you to make sure you have all the tools that you need to work with.

Before, everybody was doing their own programming, using SFTP server scripts for multiple servers. Everything was totally different. You may have had your way of doing it. I may have had my way of doing it, but there were no standards. Somebody wrote things in C#, somebody else in C+, and others in Python. They might end up with the same results, but when you had to troubleshoot somebody's work, you just couldn't understand the way it flows.

At one point our company had IBM Sterling Managed File Transfer but we got rid of that. We had bought a full package from IBM, but we weren't using all the components. We were just using one or two pieces of it. But we are using as much as we can of GoAnywhere and when they add more new components that just makes it that much more valuable.

The initial setup was relatively straightforward, but no solution is entirely straightforward. You always have to reach out to support for assistance, if you have never used the product or something similar to it. While it's pretty straightforward, there are times when you have to ask questions.

The whole process took about a day, although I wasn't here when they implemented it. As for me, I hadn't done any programming in 30-plus years, but it brought me back into it. They don't use that same language anymore; there's no more COBOL. It's a different world.

Over the time we have had it, and given the things we have been able to do with it, it has paid for itself. Using all the features it has saves the company money. We went from a small number of jobs to over 1,000 jobs. If it weren't a good product, we would never have been able to add to it like that. We would have tried to find another solution.

Our IT department and its director like it because we are able to manipulate things and produce what the third party or the vendor or the customer needs. We have gotten our money's worth.

They have an open-door policy. You can call them and they are willing to set up an appointment, come in, and show you what they have to offer and how it would be of benefit. It would be well worth your time to listen to what they have to say.

It's a good system, one of the best I've seen so far, and I've been out there on the internet, looking at different systems. They don't mind working with you and they don't mind giving you the software to test for 30 days. Once you get an understanding of it and you get the outcome, what you're looking for, it's good.

We can use almost any type of program with GoAnywhere, and it allows you to manipulate many things. We can use the C# side of it, and we use SQL and MySQL as well.