Connections optimized for EDI via SFTP and FTP

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is a widely used method for the electronic transfer of business data between companies. When EDI data is transferred, special transfer protocols are often used, such as AS2 or OFTP2. However, classic protocols such as FTP or SFTP are also used quite often for the exchange of EDI data. Although these protocols offer high reliability and compatibility due to their simplicity and widespread use, they also present various challenges when used for EDI because of their generality.

Challenges with EDI via FTP or SFTP

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is one of the oldest protocols for data transfer on networks and the Internet. The biggest drawback of FTP for EDI is the complete absence of security measures. FTP does not provide any encryption. Although there is an encrypted variant of FTP (FTPS, which stands for FTP over SSL and FTP over TLS, respectively), this is rarely used for transmission over the Internet. This is because both FTP and FTPS use multiple connections for file transfers, which makes configuration in firewalls much more difficult. As a result, FTP is most often used only for transfers on local or otherwise secured networks, such as over existing VPN connections.

SFTP sounds like FTP, but it stands for SSH File Transfer Protocol and is technically a completely different protocol for data transfer. It uses a single, encrypted connection via SSH (Secure Shell) to transfer the data. This makes it both secure and easy to configure in firewalls. With SFTP, the main challenge is to configure an SFTP server so that it does not become a security hole. This is because SSH can provide various services through which a logged-in user can gain full access to the system, for example. Typical FTP or SFTP solutions require complex configuration until sufficient security is ensured and logged-in users cannot access areas of the file system to which they should not have access.

Simple and secure: SFTP and FTP with !MC5

This is where the SFTP and FTP solutions from !MC5 come into play and take these tasks off your hands: The corresponding modules are optimized to enable the secure exchange of EDI data and fully integrate with !MC5. The FTP and SFTP clients are easy to configure and provide all necessary functions for the exchange of EDI data, such as renaming completely transferred files or deleting downloaded files on the server side. The SFTP server module is designed for maximum security and simplicity. A logged-in client sees only the files explicitly provided for it and otherwise has no access to the local file system. When a client uploads files, it does not have to worry about anything. Completely received files are automatically transferred to further processing modules.

!MC5 offers you a secure and reliable solution to implement the exchange of EDI data via FTP or SFTP quickly and easily. Even inexperienced users can easily set up new connections without compromising the security of the system. Even for your partner, the configuration effort is significantly reduced, regardless of the solution they use. And as with all other modules, all processes can be fully automated.

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