What to Look for in an Enterprise SFTP Server Solution

When security is on the line, you want to make sure you use SFTP and the best and most secure SFTP servers.

What Is SFTP?

SFTP stands for Secure File Transfer Protocol. It is a secure file transfer protocol used to transfer files between two remote systems in a secure manner. It is based on the SSH (Secure Shell) protocol and provides a secure and reliable way to transfer files over an unsecured network. It can be used for both interactive and automated file transfer operations. It also supports features such as directory listings, file permissions, and file encryptiocn. SFTP is different than other file transfer methods because it provides an encrypted connection between two systems, which helps protect data during transmission. Unlike with FTP (File Transfer Protocol), SFTP ensures data is transmitted securely, as SFTP encrypts both the control and data connections, making it more secure. SFTP also provides additional security functions, such as directory listings, file permissions, and file encryption, that are not available with other file transfer methods.

Why Use Enterprise SFTP Software?

Enterprise SFTP software is used to securely transfer files over a network between two endpoints, usually from a local computer to a remote server. It enables businesses to transfer large files more securely than FTP with features such as encryption, authentication, data integrity, and more. It’s an ideal solution for reliable file transfers, even over unreliable connections, and can help businesses ensure that their data is secure at all times. It can also help streamline workflow processes and improve data privacy and security compliance.

What About Cloud SFTP?

Cloud SFTP is a file transfer protocol that enables users to securely transfer files to and from the cloud using advanced authentication and encryption. It is a web-based system that is hosted by a third-party provider and accessible through a web browser.

On-premises SFTP, by contrast, is a file transfer protocol that enables users to securely transfer files to and from their own hardware. It must be installed, managed, and maintained by the organization, making it a more expensive and complex system than cloud SFTP. On-premises SFTP systems also offer more control and customization than cloud SFTP.

Here is a quick list of cloud SFTP and on-premises SFTP pros and cons:

Cloud SFTP Pros:

• No installation or maintenance required
• Lower cost than on-premises SFTP
• Easily scalable
• High levels of security and encryption
• Accessible from any web browser

Cloud SFTP Cons:

• Less control and customization
• Dependent on third-party provider
• Increased complexity of data migration

On-premises SFTP Pros:

• More control and customization
• No dependency on third-party provider
• Lower complexity of data migration

On-premises SFTP Cons:

• Complex installation and maintenance required
• Higher cost than cloud SFTP
• Limited scalability
• Lower levels of security and encryption

What Is an SFTP Server?

Modeled off classic File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Secure FTP (SFTP) is a protocol that allows you to transfer files between one computer and another securely.

FTP is perhaps one of the most foundational protocols in modern computing. In essence, FTP defines a protocol where two computers can share a direct connection and send files over that connection. Because FTP was conceived and built in the earliest days of the internet, it is a bit archaic in a few key areas, primarily when it comes to security.

Imagine sending a letter to a friend. You place the letter in your mailbox, knowing that the post office will be able to read the address on the envelope and get it to the right destination. That envelope doesn’t protect the message from theft, however. Anyone with the inclination could take that letter during its journey, open it, and read everything you wrote. That’s FTP in a nutshell: it’s fast and reliable but provides no security measures against theft.

SFTP addresses this issue by recreating FTP using more modern and secure technology: Secure Shell (SSH). SSH creates an encrypted channel through which data passes. If someone intercepted that data, they wouldn’t see the actual data—they would see the encrypted form of the information that would be difficult, if not impossible, to break. If we consider the letter example above, SFTP would operate almost identically. Still, instead of sending a plain text letter, it would scramble all the words on that letter and only unscramble them when the person receiving the letter reads it.

Much like FTP, SFTP follows a client/server model. A server computer storing files would accept authorized connections from SFTP clients who would download or upload more files for storage.

By default, SFTP cannot function without a server computer and one or several clients connecting to that server. That means having software (or a dedicated host offered by a third-party provider) installed on a server computer and client software installed on client computers.

What Should I Look for in an SFTP Server?

What you look for in SFTP servers and what features you want depends almost entirely on your business and technical needs. However, there are some general features that a solid SFTP server should provide to demonstrate that it can help you achieve your goals or adapt to do so.

In general, look for the following features when selecting an SFTP server:

• Security Measures That Meet Your Business Needs: By and large, you want a server that can support the encryption you need while also protecting stored data in the server through technologies like firewalls, anti-malware, and hardening techniques. Typically, you’ll want AES-128 or AES-256 encryption for data-at-rest and TLS 1.2+ for data-in-transit.
• Compliance Support: Secure file transfer itself isn’t compliant with most industry regulations out of the box. However, a provider that offers compliant servers has typically used expert engineers and compliance offices to customize their offerings based on your specific industry. Look for service providers that can support frameworks like HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), FedRAMP, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), or whichever industry regulations you need to meet. You must configure over 100 controls to meet most of these regulations, requiring functionality and policies such as data access controls, separation of administrative duties, and block-listing or allow-listing domains. Most important, ensure the logging and reporting is sufficient for passing compliance audits with a reasonable amount of effort. 
• Security Monitoring Integration: Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) is an increasingly vital SFTP security tool for compliance and system management. Your server should include either built-in SIEM or integration with SIEM-as-a-Service providers. 
• DLP Integration: Enterprise organizations using extensive file transfer capabilities will invariably need to invest Data Loss Prevention (DLP) features. Look for a server that supports integration with these tools.
• Disaster Recovery and Availability: Backups and disaster recovery usually come in two flavors: “cold” for long term but slower access, and “hot” always-on recovery with backup redundancy across multiple backup servers to ensure you never have a disruption due to system failure. Look for a system that can ideally support both, but at least hot recovery backups to mitigate downtime.
• Managed File Transfer (MFT) Services: Many providers will also offer secure file transfer as part of a more extensive managed file transfer (MFT) package. MFT can bring more granular controls over batch processing, scheduling and auditing, and provides automation without the need to write and maintain code or scripts. It also provides an operations console to ensure reliable transfer services in spite of failures in networks and remote servers, with analytics to help tune throughput and transfer times.
• Data Orchestration: Secure file transfer is considered a legacy technology against other modern cloud platforms, and yet it still serves an integral part as the backbone of a large-scale secure file transfer. Accordingly, a server that works with data orchestration tools can help make transfers between servers, on-premises or legacy cloud storage and shared cloud services seamless and simple.
• Support for Security and Operational Analytics: Understanding your data’s activity and its transfer is critical for compliance and business operations. Pick a server with a CISO Dashboard that gives you essential intelligence on logging, security events and data governance insights. 
• Large or Unlimited File Sizes: Not all servers can support large or unlimited files. Look for a server solution that provides file transfer limits that fit your needs.

The Best SFTP Servers

There are several key criteria that differentiates great SFTP servers from average SFTP servers, including:

1. Robust security features: A great SFTP server should have strong built-in encryption, authentication systems, and other advanced security features that provide enhanced protection of your data.
2. High performance: A great SFTP server should be able to handle large data transfers and provide an efficient, high-throughput connection.
3. Reliability and uptime: A great SFTP server should be highly reliable and offer a consistent and reliable connection to all clients.
4. Easy to configure and use: A great SFTP server should be easy to install, configure, and use without requiring a lot of technical knowledge or experience.
5. Scalability: A great SFTP server should be able to scale to meet the changing needs of your users or organization.
6. Integration with other systems: A great SFTP server should be able to integrate with other systems, such as databases or other applications, for more efficient file transfers and automation.
7. Comprehensive support: A great SFTP server should provide comprehensive customer support and resources to help users get the most out of their server.

Tick Off All Your SFTP Check Boxes With Kiteworks

SFTP servers today must pull more weight than just providing secure file transfer. Enterprise tools, MFT integration, and security and compliance configurations are what set an SFTP server apart from the pack.

The Kiteworks platform enables organizations to create their own Private Content Networks. SFTP is one of the elements under the Kiteworks platform and built with enterprise businesses in mind. Governance, compliance, and security are paramount to what we offer, a Private Content Network that unifies, tracks, controls, and secures sensitive content coming into, within, and out of an organization.

With the Kiteworks platform, you get:

• Security and Compliance: Our systems utilize AES-256 encryption for data at rest and TLS 1.2+ for data in transit. Its hardened virtual appliance, granular controls, authentication, other security stack integrations, and comprehensive logging and audit enable you to achieve compliance efficiently.
• SIEM Integration: Keep your environment secure with integrated SIEM for alerts, logging and event response. Integrations include IBM QRadar, ArcSight, FireEye Helix, LogRhythm and others. It also helps the Splunk Forwarder and includes the Splunk App. The Kiteworks platform also standardizes audit logs and report entries into a single log for widespread SIEM consumption.
• DLP: The Kiteworks platform includes powerful DLP features to protect against data loss and empower disaster recovery. Our DLP integrates with your existing DLP servers and logging tools to provide protection and, if necessary, block violations of DLP policy.
• Disaster Recovery: Speaking of recovery, Kiteworks provides hot recovery backups across two backup locations with automatic failover to empower always-on operations with little or no downtime during an emergency.
• Audit Logging: With the Kiteworks platform’s immutable audit logs, you can trust that you can detect attacks sooner and that you’re maintaining the correct chain of evidence to perform forensics. Since the system merges and standardizes entries from all the components, its unified Syslog and alerts save your SOC team crucial time and help your compliance team prepare for audits.
• Single-Tenant Cloud Environment: Your file transfers, file storage, and access will occur on a dedicated Kiteworks instance, deployed on your premises, on your IaaS resources, or hosted as a private, single tenant instance by Kiteworks. That means no shared runtime, databases or repositories, resources, or potential for cross-cloud breaches or attacks.
• Data Orchestration with the Cloud: Kiteworks also offers orchestration tools so that you can connect your legacy on-premises data servers, SFTP servers and modern cloud environments for backup, migration, or data scaling purposes.
• Seamless Automation and MFT: The Kiteworks platform supports MFT automation to facilitate content transfer into and out of secure file transfer and other repositories like file shares and AWS S3.
• Self-Service Ease of Use: Business users access the back end of the Kiteworks platform through familiar web file sharing folders. Employees and administrators alike can utilize intuitive interfaces to navigate files, create folder and set file and folder permissions.
• Data Visibility and Management: Our CISO Dashboard gives you an overview of your data: where it is, who is accessing it, how it is being used, and if it complies. Help your business leaders make informed decisions and your compliance leadership maintain regulatory requirements.

If you want to learn more about how Kiteworks enables secure content communications across numerous communication channels, which includes SFTP, schedule a custom demo.

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