Attachmate FileXpress 7.0 Offers Enhanced Security Features

Version 7.0 offers support for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and enhanced data security features.

Managed file transfer specialist Attachmate announced the availability of the latest version of FileXpress, a family of products for the managed file transfer (MFT) software market. FileXpress 7.0 is designed to simplify the task of securing file exchanges with business partners and customers by extending managed file transfer capabilities to Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and providing enhanced automation and auditing features to manage file transfers within organizations.

FileXpress 7.0 delivers secure file exchanges over the Internet and hopes to differentiate itself from other solutions through its ability to avoid storing sensitive files in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) boundary between the corporate network and the Internet. The latest version of FileXpress includes enhanced support for data security regulations through encryption, authentication, auditing and role-based administration functionalities, enabling B2B data exchange with partners, vendors, suppliers and customers.

"Enterprises are looking to MFT technology to assist in their efforts to pass audits related to the privacy and security of data at rest and in transit," said Thomas Skybakmoen, senior research analyst with Gartner. "As these enterprises seek to replace traditional FTP with solutions that integrate file transfer with their governance process, they seek solutions that improve security [and] reliability and support growing file sizes."

Skybakmoen said while the MFT market is growing, many IT organizations still don't know that MFT solutions support both tactical initiatives around secure file transfer over the Internet and strategic initiatives associated with improving the reliability and automation of file movement across the enterprise.

FileXpress 7.0 offers secure file transfer capabilities including support for a range of secure file transfer protocols, detailed file transfer auditing and an architecture designed to eliminate the need to store sensitive information outside of the corporate firewall in the DMZ, improved search capabilities, new server status alerts that notify when outages occur, and more detailed SMTP messages for faster error determination and issue resolution.

In addition, a company release noted FileXpress 7.0 integrates more easily with existing user registry architectures through new capabilities that support the use of a local user account database for external contacts while simultaneously leveraging an existing LDAP user registry for internal users.

"In our conversations with customers, the most common headaches expressed about traditional file transfer methods are the effort involved in provisioning file transfers to new users, and resolving problems when file transfers go wrong," said Sam Morris, product marketing manager for Attachmate. "FileXpress 7.0 eliminates those pains by providing an integrated solution that supports files of any size, offers centralized visibility and sends alerts when problems occur. These features reduce the administrative burden and issue resolution times for IT operations teams supporting file transfer activity inside and outside the organization."