IBM Sterling File Gateway vs Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct comparison

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IBM Sterling File Gateway and Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Progress Software, BMC, IBM and others in Managed File Transfer (MFT).
To learn more, read our detailed Managed File Transfer (MFT) Report (Updated: March 2024).
768,415 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"Very high functionality with the ability to plug in your own code.""I have found almost all the features valuable.""It offers easy utilization of resources for smooth transfers.""It's highly configurable, there is no need for standalone scripting.""The most valuable aspect is that it has good functionality.""This product has been a leader in the field of secure file exchange."

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"Security is the most valuable feature of this product.""The Security Plus feature of this solution is excellent, and allows you to send encrypted files very securely to remote destinations.""The product has been very stable.""Offers secure file transfers with a fast and efficient protocol for very large files.""Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is a solution that is on the market for a very long time. There is an integrator that has been developed and evolves every year. On the roadmap, there is always a new integration. For example, it's one of the solutions in the market that out of the box can handle EBICS protocol. The file processing is done very well. By default, there are a lot of configurations that can be customized.""Automation is the most valuable feature.""The most valuable feature is that it provides 100% reliability for file transmission. It ensures that files get delivered in a secure manner. When you use Connect:Direct, your file 100% gets delivered to the next delivery location. If the log shows that a file got delivered, it will have all the transmitted data without truncation or other data issues."

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Cons
"IBM is advising not to use the IT translate anymore but this is going to be an extra cost to the customer to use the alternative.""I would like to see auto-deployment without service disruptions.""Not a ten because it's a bit complex, not so simple. It's one product but there are many screens.""The API capabilities could be expanded to make integration more versatile.""The admin console needs some work.""Too many features; UI is not good."

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"The user interface could be more user-friendly.""Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct could improve by adding some of the functionality that some other vendors have. For example, GoAnywhere has call agents, which are small clients that can be installed on the endpoints and can be handled by the central point on the server. If I want to do this with the IBM solution, I have to sell a lot of account addresses. The price could be unprofitable for the customer. There is some small functionality that could be implemented and could be easily done to improve this solution.""They have File Agent, which is an additional utility and a component of Connect:Direct, for automated file transmission. In that utility, there is some issue with the file name. There is a limitation on the file name, and that is being fixed by IBM.""This solution cannot be deployed on a root_squash NFS, which limits superuser privileges.""The user interface needs to be improved.""Sometimes we face issues and can't figure out the cause of failures.""User interface is not user friendly.""Technical support is the number one concern."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "It's reasonably priced at $800,000."
  • "There are two types of customer licenses, an annual preview license, and an ELA-based license. I have found the solution is priced well. However, they need to review the pricing model because if you look at any other competitors, such as GlobalSCAPE, they do pricing based on the components and what you select. With this solution you have a monolithic application which you need to buy, there is no component level price discount."
  • More IBM Sterling File Gateway Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Annual licensing fee."
  • "The price and licensing of Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is expensive."
  • More Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:It offers easy utilization of resources for smooth transfers.
    Top Answer:The admin console needs some work. There are old buttons and limitations when looking for logs. required the reason why has so old way of buttons and limitations for looking at logs.
    Top Answer:There is room for improvement in monitoring. We don't have good visibility tools and monitoring, so I believe there may be some enhancement needed in its monitoring dashboard.
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    Overview

    Securely manage transfer files with authentication, encryption and audit trails while you retain administrative control of data using a library of templates.

    Sterling File Gateway can help you increase secure and dependable file transfer with your trading partners. It consolidates disparate centers of file transfer activity and facilitates the security-rich exchange of file-based data over the Internet. It helps companies avoid the risk and operational issues that can result from using loosely controlled file-transfer servers.

    IBM's Sterling Connect:Direct is a software product that offers security-hardened, point-to-point file transfers to reduce reliance on insecure File Transfer Protocol (FTP) transmissions. It is designed for high-volume file distribution within and between businesses. The solution guarantees more reliable file movement, from batch integration and movement of large images or catalogs to synchronization with distant sites. Sterling Connect:Direct also enables hybrid cloud deployment through certified containers, allowing for simple and consistent deployment lifecycle management.

    Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct Features

    Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

    • Performance capabilities such as extraordinary scalability and low latency.
    • Automated, dependable file transmission that permits unattended, round-the-clock operations.
    • Designed to run on a variety of operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, UNIX, Linux, IBM z/OS, OpenVMS, i5/OS, and HP NonStop.
    • Advanced security features with cutting-edge encryption to meet regulatory and industry standards.
    • IBM certified containers for Sterling Connect:Direct are enterprise-grade, secure product editions that are scalable, secure, easy to install, and manage update and rollback processes. They also have integrated common software services for consistent deployment lifecycle management.
    • Boosts transfer speed for large files over high-speed networks by up to four times the previous speed while reducing latency.
    • Gives existing FTP transfers the ability to retry, checkpoint, and compress existing transfers.
    • Supports a variety of network protocols, including TCP/IP, Systems Network Architecture (SNA), and an optional high-speed add-on based on Aspera FASP technology.

    Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct Benefits

    There are many benefits to implementing Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

    • High performance: Takes care of your most demanding workloads, including multi-gigabyte files to large volumes of small files.
    • Reliable file delivery: To help ensure predictable, assured file delivery, it offers automated scheduling, checkpoint restart, and automatic recovery.
    • Secure transmission of files: Maintains the confidentiality of customer information and supports regulatory compliance measures.
    • Speed up patching and installation: By deploying your solution with a certified container that contains all necessary components, you can drastically cut installation and patch time from hours to minutes.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its robust file processing and its security for file transfers. PeerSpot users take note of the advantages of these features in their reviews:

    Michele I., Business Unit Manager at Innovery, writes of the solution, “The file processing is done very well. By default, there are a lot of configurations that can be customized. Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is one of the stronger MFT solutions in the market, it is available in each type of installation, and offers SaaS, PaaS, YaaS, on-premise.”

    Camilo M., Pre-sales Engineer at Dell EMC, mentions, “It's a great tool because it offers secure file transfers and it has a fast and efficient protocol for very large files.”

    Sample Customers
    Information Not Available
    HZMO, Bank of Communications
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm36%
    Computer Software Company10%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Insurance Company7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm43%
    Computer Software Company10%
    Government8%
    Manufacturing Company5%
    Company Size
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business12%
    Midsize Enterprise7%
    Large Enterprise82%
    REVIEWERS
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise86%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business13%
    Midsize Enterprise7%
    Large Enterprise80%
    Buyer's Guide
    Managed File Transfer (MFT)
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Progress Software, BMC, IBM and others in Managed File Transfer (MFT). Updated: March 2024.
    768,415 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    IBM Sterling File Gateway is ranked 4th in Managed File Transfer (MFT) with 6 reviews while Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is ranked 8th in Managed File Transfer (MFT) with 7 reviews. IBM Sterling File Gateway is rated 7.4, while Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of IBM Sterling File Gateway writes "Easy to use with good validation and monitoring of the file transfer". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct writes "Good automation features but needs improvement in the monitoring dashboard ". IBM Sterling File Gateway is most compared with MOVEit, Aspera Managed File Transfer, BMC Control-M Managed File Transfer, Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT and Axway AMPLIFY Managed File Transfer, whereas Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is most compared with Kiteworks, Aspera Managed File Transfer, MOVEit, Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT and BMC Control-M Managed File Transfer.

    See our list of best Managed File Transfer (MFT) vendors.

    We monitor all Managed File Transfer (MFT) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.