Many organisations that we work with in the field of secure file transfer often ask how they can clearly see what files are moving through the systems that they manage. This includes files that are being uploaded or downloaded through their system, as well as the various workflows that they have moving files around internally and externally. Generally speaking, Managed File Transfer (MFT) software frequently separates the client and server sides of the environment, rather than giving an end-to-end overview. This results in administrators having to correlate transactions between what can sometimes be two or more disparate monitoring systems. Frequently, built-in file transfer dashboards show a fractured view of the journey of a file through an environment which when viewed independently, doesn't show the whole picture.
Most MFT tools lack the ability to present a single-pane-of glass dashboard, or real time file transfer analytics. A bespoke File Transfer Dashboard addition addresses this by providing a holistic overview of the system from point of entry to the point of exit for files passing through. This allows an administrator to identify bottlenecks and plan accordingly, perhaps simply reorganising schedules, or adding servers to an application pool to extend resources at key times, but crucially also arms non-technical teams with the ability to monitor and track file transfer activity.
What is a Dashboard in File Transfer?
We can think of a dashboard as a window into a system that provides both a real-time and historical view of transactions in your file transfer solution. In some cases, that dashboard will also be able to provide a future trend and predict when the file transfer system may be at risk from stress. The key function of MFT software is naturally secure file transfer, not necessarily file transfer reporting and extrapolation of the gathered information into meaningful statistics. Where MFT systems provide some form of dashboard, it tends to reflect only transactions and workflows in process or, from a reporting perspective, a history of what has already happened in the form of dry data that you will need to reformat and process in order to get meaningful information. Therefore, it makes sense to get an external view into the MFT system using a Dashboarding and Analytics tool that is designed specifically to interpret your data.
But what file transfer KPIs and metrics should you be tracking, monitoring and reporting on? Here are the seven key metrics that the right MFT Dashboarding and Analytics tool can record and present to you.
1. Workflows transferring files successfully
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This metric keeps record of workflows that transfer one or more files successfully.
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Mostly this file transfer metric is used to identify that the workflow component of a file transfer system is performing as expected. It forms the basis of predictive analysis and when a system does not come close to its normal number of transfers, indicates an issue. Additionally, vastly exceeding the regular number of file transfers may indicate that something is amiss.
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2. Workflows that transfer no files successfully (fail or no activity)
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This particular metric identifies every workflow that for some reason did not manage to transfer at least one file, alerting the administrator of any issues or anomalies.
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This can be considered in two different ways – firstly, in many systems, failed file transfers are simply tried again repeatedly until successful. This may mean that a workflow failure may go unnoticed endlessly when hidden amongst other failures. Tracking these failures in a dashboard may also indicate that some workflows always fail at certain times of day.
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In addition, workflows that transfer no files are simply using system resources that may be better employed elsewhere.
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3. Amount and size of files uploaded, transferred and downloaded
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This metric provides detailed insights into the volume and scale of data movement of files that enter or leave the file transfer system, or are moved by a workflow.
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Unlike the tracking of workflows, reporting file movements can give visibility to the whole journey of a file from moment of upload, through departure from the system, through every action that occurs to the file. Workflows may have a one to many relationship with files and of course, the reverse may also be true when multiple workflows drive the processing of individual files. Unexpected increases in the volume of data being transferred can obviously negatively impact other parts of the MFT system.
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4. Transfer speeds
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Transfer speeds is a metric that measures how quickly are files moving, including through interfaces and workflows.
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This includes ingress and egress speeds at the end user interfaces of the MFT system as well as cross-network speeds. Remember that a file can only move as fast as the slowest part of the path that it has to travel; the speeds not only assist you in locating bottlenecks, but may also point to a failing part of the system. Large numbers of files being uploaded may affect not only MFT, but also other network users.
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5. ‘Stuck’ files that do not move within a specified time
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This metric is defined by simply looking at locations that files should be collected from, but are not – flagging the issue clearly to administrators so that the issue can be investigated and corrected.
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One basic rule of file transfer is that data should be transient in nature. Workflows can potentially monitor folders for files and react to their arrival (or else poll for new files on a regular basis), but sometimes these processes fail. If a file that should be transient remains on a system, it’s a key indicator of an issue.
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6. Successful logins
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- Successful logins is metric that determines the number of accounts accessing the file transfer system, including multiple sessions from the same users, essential for monitoring user activity, ensuring security protocols are being followed, and validating that the system is functioning as expected.
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Every organisation that has an internet facing MFT system has to be alert to the potential attacks on their system, DOS or otherwise. These are generally handled elsewhere in the MFT system or network perimeter monitoring, however, we sometimes see unintentional attacks by clients performing multiple concurrent logins, or even connections without sending a disconnect. This can affect not only the system resources, but can also cause port exhaustion, resulting in ‘regular’ users being denied access.
- Successful logins is metric that determines the number of accounts accessing the file transfer system, including multiple sessions from the same users, essential for monitoring user activity, ensuring security protocols are being followed, and validating that the system is functioning as expected.
7. Expected files (SLA)
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This metric validates that files are arriving or leaving in a timely manner, essential for meeting business-critical Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
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When designing workflows, it is quite straightforward to add an alert step which will fire if a file transfer fails, or no files were found. However, it is not so easy to receive an alert if a certain number of files have not been received or despatched by a certain time of day as this is often a measure of how many times a workflow executed rather than simply checking results of any given workflow. In MFT terms, this forms the basis of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) – “Transfer at least three files to the bank by 4pm” for example. Because dashboards are outside of the regular MFT environment, they are not tied to the individual transfers in the same way. SLA failures may indicate a failing workflow, or even that an external users has been unable to download a key file, requiring an action to be performed to avoid the file being overwritten by subsequent activity.
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One key word when it comes to file transfer dashboards that I haven’t mentioned yet is CONTROL. Effective control of a Managed File Transfer system can only really be achieved when there is a holistic overview of the entire MFT solution – how files are moving, whether they're moving as planned, and how users and workflows that transfer the files are performing. With the right Dashboarding and Analytics tool, and the combination of metrics above you'll get full control and real-time visibility into all your file transfers in a single centralised, customisable, user-friendly dashboard.
Pro2col provide support implementing dashboards and analytics for MOVEit Transfer, Globalscape EFT, Coviant Diplomat and GoAnywhere MFT. Get in touch for a personalised demo today.
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About the Author |
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Richard Auger is the Principal Technical Consultant at Pro2col, and has been working in the field of file transfer and middleware for around twenty years. He’s currently Pro2col’s lead Technical Consultant helping clients get the most out of their MFT solution. One of the reasons why Richard loves tech is his curious nature. Tech is constantly evolving, so he is always trying the latest tech releases and testing their limits. |
