We are using Connect:Direct to move some application files from point to point, from one application to another application, which might be used by another application and which should maybe use the tool process and make selections on these files. So, simply, we are using Connect:Direct to move one application to another application.

Its primary use case is secure file transmission. We are currently providing support for it to a client. They are using ConnectDirect in their environment, and it is a vast implementation of ConnectDirect. 

We use Sterling Commerce ConnectDirect for limited transfers where the third party only wants to use this protocol. 

Currently we have five administrators that manage, maintain and set-up the exchanges with other partners.

We primarily use the solution for file transfers.

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct can be deployed in many ways. We mainly deploy it on-premise, because the cloud and hybrid deployments are more recent. It's has been in the last five years that they have been implementing the cloud and hybrid versions. I had been installing and providing services in a hybrid role with containers, on-premise, public cloud, and private cloud for different customers.

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is an MFT solution, and in this case, IBM offers the same solution that can also work for B2B, such as file translation. These are solutions that are independent of the industry of the customer. For example, I live in Spain and the target market was finance. I work on several different finance customers with some specific use cases. In Italy, for example, I work with logistics, distribution, manufacturing and the use case are different. In the financial sector, we propose the MFT solution to banks in corporate areas to get the onboarding of the customers of the banks. It allows each bank to propose to their customer a file sent automatically using each type of protocol and providing a lot of facilities. If we talk with the logistic or distribution departments they are most focused on EDI messages to interchange with their providers, such as orders, invoices, and dispatch advisement. 

With IBM it is on the same solution. Depending on the target market where we move on, we can identify a different business case. In the last two years in the financial market, consider that there is a huge migration of standards related to SWIFT. All the banks around the world must translate their MT messages, SWIFT messages, to ISO 20022. We are proposing a combination of the MFT solution with the ITX, that is the IBM mapper. This is the use case most used in the last two years, more or less.

We mainly use this solution for node-to-node file transmissions.

We use this solution for the secure internal transfer of information. We also use it as a way of introducing people to the different products that we offer. I'm a presales engineer and we are customers of Sterling Commerce Connect.