Thoughts, news and tips

If your organisation relies on moving files between systems, partners, customers or suppliers, chances are you've come across the terms FTP, FTPS and SFTP. While these file transfer protocols have been around for decades, there is still plenty of confusion about how they work, how they differ, and which is best suited for today's security and compliance requirements. In the latest episode of The Transfer Files Podcast, we break down the key differences between FTP, FTPS and SFTP, and explain why Managed File Transfer has become such an important part of secure data exchange. 

The Transfer Files Podcast is back for Season 2. In the first episode, James and Steph unpack what compliance looks like in practice, why so many organisations mistakenly assume they're compliant, and where managed file transfer fits into the wider security and governance picture. From healthcare and financial services to defence and other highly regulated sectors, they explore the unique compliance challenges organisations face, as well as the critical role that visibility, reporting, and Zero Trust principles play in protecting sensitive data.

Pro2col and Files.com Launch a Strategic Partnership to Support Cloud-Based Enterprise File Transfer Adoption Across UK and EMEA. The partnership combines Files.com cloud-native platform with the 20 years of specialist expertise in Managed File Transfer (MFT) offered by Pro2col. Together, they will help businesses simplify how they exchange, automate and manage business-critical data, without the overhead of managing fragmented legacy infrastructure.

Coviant Software, one of our Managed File Transfer technology partners, has released Diplomat MFT 9.5. The company describes it as the first MFT solution to automate PGP encryption for in-browser file transfers. See what's new, including the latest updates and improvements in this release.

The latest version of MOVEit Transfer and Automation has been released: version 2026.0 (also known as 18.0). After upgrading our servers to see how it differs from the previous 2025.1 release, there were several improvements that stood out. In this blog, Richard Auger, Principal Technical Consultant reviews the updates and highlights the key things MOVEit users need to know.

As organisations scale and adopt new technologies, Shadow IT is becoming harder to control - introducing hidden risks across data, compliance, and operations. At the same time, Zero Trust is gaining traction as a smarter, more resilient approach to security. In this episode of The Transfer Files, James and Steph are joined by returning guest Dave Hendley, Head of Technical at Pro2col, to explore how these trends intersect and what it means for modern cybersecurity strategies.

Whether you’re responsible for file transfer strategy, security, or operations, episode 4 of The Transfer Files provides valuable insight into how mature your Managed File Transfer environment really is. In this episode, hosts James and Steph are joined by special guest Dave Hendley, Head of Technical at Pro2col, for an in-depth discussion on the Enterprise Maturity Model for MFT - a practical hands-on framework designed organisations can actually use to assess where they stand today, compare themselves against industry benchmarks, and identify clear, actionable steps for improvement.

Today cybersecurity is no longer just an IT concern, it’s a boardroom priority. Zero Trust is the principle of “never trust, always verify" and is dominating conversations at the highest levels as CEOs, CISOs, and other C-Suite leaders face the harsh reality and growing concern of cyber threats. In this on-demand webinar, Head of Technical, Dave Hendley, explores how adopting a Zero Trust mindset can transform your MFT environment.

Version 8.3.2 of Fortra’s Globalscape EFT was released on 30th January and brings with it a number of new features, enhancements, and bug fixes. In this blog, Principal Technical Consultant Richard Auger takes a closer look at several of the most notable additions and improvements included in the release. If you're using EFT in your business, understanding what’s new in 8.3.2 can help you decide how and when to plan your upgrade.

Threat Brain is a cloud-native, AI-powered security platform that provides organisations with real-time protection and visibility over data entering and leaving their networks. When integrated with GoAnywhere Managed File Transfer, Threat Brain adds an extra layer of security, giving you confidence that sensitive data is monitored and safeguarded at every stage of transfer.

JAMS, a leading workload automation and job scheduling platform, and Pro2col, the UK and Ireland’s leading file transfer specialists, have announced a strategic partnership covering the UK and EMEA regions, supporting enterprise organisations seeking to centralise, optimise and secure their most important business processes.

In episode 3 of The Transfer Files, we dig into what “supply chain” really means in the world of file transfer. We look beyond the internal movement of data and shed light on how organisations exchange data with external systems, partners and suppliers. We discuss why supply chain security has come under increased scrutiny, citing recent high-profile cyber breaches that have shown just how devastating a single weak link can be.

Secure file transfer may be a niche technology, but its impact spans every industry. With so many tools, environments, and vendors to choose from, selecting the right data transfer solution can feel overwhelming, especially in a market that’s evolved dramatically in recent years. In episode 2 of The Transfer Files, we break down what’s happening in the marketplace and how IT teams can cut through the noise, key players, and the latest Gartner Quadrant insights.

Welcome to the first episode of The Transfer Files, the new tech podcast from Pro2col exploring the world of secure file transfer. Hosted by Pro2col’s CEO James Lewis, and Marketing Manager Steph Johnson, this very first episode dives into the fundamentals of Managed File Transfer (MFT) - what it is, why organisations need it, and how it enables businesses to move data securely and efficiently.

The idea for this article came about when our Principal Technical Consultant, Richard Auger, was asked by a major UK retailer whether it was possible to automate the sending of files using the GoAnywhere SecureMail process. This differs from the normal approach of automating the sending of emails because the SecureMail process is tied to a GoAnywhere user, and consequently is not normally associated with batch jobs.

WeTransfer, Dropbox and FileZilla have made a name for themselves globally. Why? They’re popular, easy to use and get the job done. But while convenient, they’re also one of the biggest standout examples of Shadow IT in the workplace - and that’s a serious problem for any organisation, of any size, that takes data security, compliance, and control seriously.

Fortra have just released version 7.8.2 of GoAnywhere MFT. To understand what this means for your existing GoAnywhere File Transfer solution, we turned to Richard Auger, Principal Technical Consultant, to take a closer look at the key enhancements, updates, and fixes included in this latest release.

Fortra has recently released a new version of their range of Clearswift gateway products, and with it comes a statement regarding the end of life (EOL) dates of older versions. Learn what this means and how Pro2col can help you upgrade.

CloudMFT combines the best of both worlds. It allows you to host your preferred MFT solution in the cloud, delivering all the advantages of a cloud-native architecture, including enterprise-grade security, flexibility, built-in disaster recovery, and predictable performance, without the trade-offs often associated with traditional SaaS or rigid hosted options. In this blog, we’ll break down the key benefits of CloudMFT and explain why it’s quickly becoming the MFT hosting solution of choice for modern enterprise organisations.

Today's digital world is full of personal and business data, and keeping it secure is more important than ever. There is something that helps with this called a proxy server. Proxy servers have come a long way since their early days. They were initially developed to cache websites and conserve bandwidth. They were simple tools that sat between the local network and the internet, offering basic security and network efficiency.

Pro2col have designed the Enterprise Maturity Model for File Transfer as a tool to help businesses with Managed File Transfer get the most out of their investment. It provides a framework around which organisations can understand how and why they should continue to review and invest in their infrastructure to ensure that the data transfer tools being used across their business are robust, secure and fit for purpose. We’ve created five simple steps that you can follow to start on your journey across the maturity model.

Fortra’s File Transfer Tech Summit is back! Register to enjoy a front-row seat to the latest developments in Globalscape EFT and GoAnywhere MFT, with expert-led sessions designed to help you deep dive into the future of these secure file transfer solutions.

Managed File Transfer underpins the day-to-day operations of some of the biggest businesses around the world. The maturity model, developed by the Pro2col team is unique. It allows businesses to understand the maturity of their file transfer solution – and plot that maturity against their internal ability to manage, maintain and extract value from that solution.

In modern workflows, automating email attachment retrieval is a common requirement, but traditional methods like IMAP and POP3 may not always be viable due to company or security policies. In this customer use case, Principal Technical Consultant, Richard Auger explores an alternative approach: leveraging REST API to download Office 365 email attachments and process them efficiently.

When working with file transfer protocols like FTP, FTPS, and SFTP, servers send and receive various return codes during sessions. Some codes indicate successful file transfers, while others signal errors and require further action. And when things go wrong, understanding the meaning behind the sever return codes can save you and your team time, money and frustration.  

Signiant's Media Shuttle is a well-known fast-file transfer tool. While the feature set it offers is rich, and the speed and size of files it can transport is impressive, it is hindered by an inflexible pricing model. FileCatalyst directly addresses the limitations of Media Shuttle’s pricing structure, offering predictable, cost-effective pricing and flexible deployment options that adapt to changing business needs.

Every new year brings a fresh opportunity to dust off the crystal ball and share our key predictions for file transfer. With valuable contributions from leading file transfer specialists, global vendors, and trusted partners, what can we expect from Managed File Transfer in 2025?

Shortly before Christmas, Fortra released version 7.7.0 of both GoAnywhere MFT and GoAnywhere Agents, unveiling new features and enhancements. To help our customers understand these updates and what it means for their file transfer solution, we tapped into the expertise of our Principal Technical Consultant, Richard Auger.

Last week, Christchurch Town Centre was filled with festive cheer and carols as we donned our most outrageous, sparkly, and silliest sweaters for our annual Christmas Jumper Day in support of Save the Children UK! Pro2col, along with the support from Christchurch BID, pulled out all the stops to raise as much money as possible for this important cause.

Data transfer technologies have long been the backbone of how businesses share information securely across networks. So, when it comes to the topic of Quantum Computing, a technological revolution is on the horizon, poised to redefine the way we process and secure data.

MOVEit Transfer 2024.1 was released on 20th November 2024, bringing new features, and improvements. We asked our technical experts to take a look into the release for MOVEit Managed File Transfer and highlight the updates they believe will make the most significant impact for our customers. 

Migrating your MFT solution may seem daunting, but the reality is, the new file transfer solution may be easier, more user friendly, and offer you more features such as automation, easy web access, alerting, high availability, that’ll streamline your business processes. Discover everything you need to know about migrating your file transfer solution with our comprehensive guide.

For over a decade, the Certified File Transfer Professional has been recognised as the global leading file transfer training course. As the demand for file transfer training has grown, we took the decision to fully review, update and improve the training course earlier this year.

We live in a fast-paced, data driven world where technology has an impact on every aspect of our lives. But the sheer volume of data being processed by businesses on a day to day basis is growing exponentially - a trend that is particularly noticeable in the creative industry.

If you're using a cloud solution, is it collecting, storing or processing personal data? If so, where is it geographically based? The GDPR has data sovereignty requirements which might prevent data transfers to your cloud provider.

File Transfer Dashboards provide a holistic overview of your MFT system from point of entry to 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. 

On Thursday, 3rd October 2024, from 10am to 4pm, Pro2col and Fortra invite GoAnywhere MFT and Globalscape EFT users to an exhilarating day filled with track driving experiences, Formula 1 simulators, and cutting-edge insights into the future of file transfer. Don't miss this action-packed event!

File Transfers underpin the day-to-day running of many businesses, and if they fail or are not running as planned, the impact can be significant. While many MFT tools provide the ability to set up alerts for specific failures, they largely lack a suite of MFT dashboarding and analytics tools that can provide a visual representation of your file transfer infrastructure.

Discover the benefits of upskilling your team with CFTP, the only vendor-independent file transfer training programme that will enhance and certify your knowledge.

Last month, Christchurch was a hub of excitement as local businesses got together for the highly anticipated Christchurch Business Awards Ceremony at Highcliffe Castle Golf Club. Hosted by Founder Nigel Reeve from Marketing West, the awards started