FTP is Free But can you Really Afford It?

Published by Sterling Commerce on Oct 05, 2005

Large networks are inherently unreliable due to their expanse and complexity. With extended use, the probability of failure increases in proportion to the amount of information that is transmitted. The distributed nature of the Internet, however, tends to hide the overall impact and cost of failures. The decentralized management, security, and performance of the data movement operation generally masks the costs associated with interruptions, rework and security failures. Yet these hidden costs can be exposed dramatically when network failures result in missed processing windows or service levels. Unmanaged use of FTP represents an intolerable risk to the value of the network infrastructure. For those who understand the importance of on-time, predictable and secure data movement, this paper is a must read.