Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT vs. SolarWinds Serv-U

Go Anywhere is perfect for moving data between systems. It is great for pulling data and emailing it or sending it to another server. However, Go Anywhere is limited as an ETL tool. It is not good for large datasets. When we had to move millions of rows from one server to another, it totally choked.

Incentivized

I believe that SolarWinds Serv-U is well suited for small to medium businesses that do not require an expensive high-end FTP server. Also, once the server is configured the daily administration can be handled by less experienced IT personnel. In my opinion this product may not be the right solution a large enterprise with heavy FTP traffic.

• Automated Task Scheduling - This is a no-brainer. Schedules are easily set up to accomplish anything from basic file transfer tasks to advanced database queries and e-mails.
• User Interface - Easy to navigate and organized. A central administration dashboard is available to keep up with processes and users.
• Multiple file transfer solutions - GA MFT provides FTP, FTPS, SFTP, HTTPS, Secure E-Mail as options for secure file transfers. If one method does not suit the needs internally or for a vendor, other options are available.

Incentivized

• The Wizard allows us to create new user accounts very easily and quickly. We do not have a formal IT department so those of us "mere mortals" can use this easily.
• Using the Web Client has made it very simple to set up and instruct our customers on getting to the server from any device with a minimum of fuss. We have many customers with ESL, and school students including middle and high school. Most of them are not computer experts, just regular users so the simplicity allows to do the whole setup over the phone in minutes.
• The newer version of Serv-U does not appear to be very resource-hungry so our computer runs nice and fast, without having to be a top of the range powerbox. We concentrated on large storage to cope with the file sizes we receive daily.

• In the beginning, when implementing, it can take a while to understand how it works thoroughly.
• Due to the added abilities learning to configure the software can take some time.
• Training for this product will cost extra. The training is also not excellent.
• The software seems glitchy at times, sometimes being slow or corrupting jobs.

Incentivized

• The user interface on large screens becomes tiny and nearly unreadable without the aid of Windows Magnifier.
• Active Directory integration is either absent or not straightforward.
• Settings and configuration aren't always intuitive.

Since using it and having time to work with it, its process and actions are growing on me and once a project is created one can implement across numerous location or platforms

GoAnywhere's support team is absolutely wonderful. They are always very fast to respond and will do anything that they can to help you with whatever dilemma you are facing. They also have a great user forum that is very helpful if you are looking for the solution to a problem or just want some advice from others. They are constantly looking to improve and always looking for suggestions on what customers would like to see next which is refreshing.

Incentivized

Support was the biggest hurdle for us. It definitely needs improvement, but not to the point of being a deal breaker.

Incentivized

Implementation was straight forward. We paid for 50 hours of professional service in case, we need help. We end using only 10 hours. I have only 1 month to convert over 120 scripts from FTP voyager to goanywhere. Old script was had written using bat files. Some of the batch file were written by some other person, who passed away. Documents for old script was not in details. With the professional service, I was able to convert all script within windows

I've never used a product that handles file transfers in the way GoAnywhere does. I have used other SFTP servers and this is by far the most robust and easiest to use. I've used FileZilla, Cerberus and Windows for FTP services and this by far is easier to set up and manage than the other options.

The overall interface of SolarWinds Serv-U was better in my opinion than that of Cerberus. We had several outside users demo both and the SolarWinds desktop client was the selling point for them. Both had an option, but SolarWinds was more user friendly, which was a big plus. Everything else was pretty close between the two.

Incentivized

• With the Secure Mail feature we automated massive secure mail distributions that were previously done by post.
• By building corporate and EDI frameworks with the Project designer, we reduce the complexity of adding new project to adding a new configuration file to the framework.
• Simplify security administration by having a single point of entry for process that need file transfers with external partners.

• Crucial for intercompany file transfers.
• Trustworthy system that comes up every time after server reboots without fail.
• Must keep paying yearly maintenance fees.