Sterling File Gateway extends the value chain with managed file transfer (MFT) capabilities to handle everything from high-frequency messages and huge periodic file transfers to high volume loads of real-time data while leveraging the power of business-to-business (B2B) integration to move data in transit in a manageable way.

According to Gartner, "Although there's still an active market for stand-alone MFT software solutions, B2B Gateway Software (BGS) vendors increasingly offer MFT functionality as an embedded feature or add-on option for their BGS. We expect to see more convergence of the BGS and MFT markets, particularly from vendors addressing the needs of information technology (IT) users implementing B2B infrastructure in association with B2B consolidation projects."

With its advanced partner on-boarding features, extensive communication channel support and improved business process management, Sterling File Gateway advances operational execution with predefined, event-driven business processes and centralized, enhanced management. It provides end-to-end visibility, auditing and reporting services, and the ability to manage a large number of partners and protocols efficiently.

"Sterling Commerce has been and continues to be a leading provider of B2B integration and MFT solutions that enable flexible business process integration across organizations' internal and external boundaries," said Chris Johnson, vice president, global product marketing and management, B2B Collaboration Solutions, Sterling Commerce. "We are proud to leverage our expertise in these areas to offer our customers the power of both in Sterling File Gateway."

Separately, Sterling Commerce, an AT&T Inc (NYSE: T) company, today announced Sterling File Accelerator (SFA). SFA combines the power of the company's Connect:Direct point-to-point file transfer software ─ optimized for high-volume, secure, assured delivery of files ─ with a new UDew UDP Data Transfer-based file transport (UDT) ─ an application-level data transport protocol that overcomes the latency issues associated with transmission control protocol (TCP)-based transmissions.

"File transfer protocol (FTP) alone is not a viable option to provide the insight, security, performance and, ultimately, the risk mitigation necessary to responsibly and strategically conduct business," said L. Frank Kenney, analyst for Gartner. "Fortunately, there is a set of vendors that offer the technologies, services and disciplines to help manage all aspects of the transfer of information ─ including alternate solutions for across-the-globe, large file transfers."

"Trends such as globalization and outsourcing have increased file sizes and the distances they have to travel," said Geoff Baird, vice president, Global Product Line, Managed File Transfer, Sterling Commerce. "As these demands continue to grow, Sterling Commerce is in a unique position to add the speed of the UDT protocol to our category-leading managed file transfer (MFT) offerings to deliver a solution designed to more effectively use today's high-speed connections."

Most file transfers use TCP, which has been used for decades to transport small files short distances. But larger files, such as those with digitalized content, are experiencing significant delays when traveling long distances. Sterling File Accelerator regulates network traffic more efficiently by using flow-control algorithms, enabling users to speed up file-based business processes and meet tighter processing windows as needed.

The Sterling Commerce MFT suite assures the delivery of mission-critical data payloads between enterprises in diverse industries, including financial services, telecommunications, retail, manufacturing and distribution. The company's MFT suite provides increased performance and aims to remove the risk associated with FTP-based solutions by increasing management visibility and security compliance and reducing management cost. The solutions also provide a scalable environment that supports the growth of partner communities, increases customer retention and decreases liability.

Separately, at SIBOS, Sterling Commerce, an AT&T Inc company (NYSE:T), has been awarded the SWIFTReady Label for Financial EAI, for its Sterling Multi-Enterprise Finance Gateway (MEFG) solution. Demonstrating its leadership in supporting the security and reliability standards established by SWIFT for the global financial services market, Sterling Commerce has received this award for the third consecutive year.

SWIFT, a cooperative enterprise affiliated with the financial industry, supplies standardised and secure messaging services to more than 8,400 financial institutions in 208 countries and territories. The award is a benchmark for products to be evaluated by for their ability to provide SWIFT users with the technology and functionality required to fully integrate with the SWIFT community.

"At SWIFT, we raise the bar on our evaluation criteria each year to ensure that our users can be assured of improved service, greater return on investment and increased access to the growing portfolio of SWIFT solutions from our partners' products. Sterling Commerce continues to demonstrate its commitment to the financial services community by incorporating new features and technology to their Multi-Enterprise Finance Gateway platform," said Eric Meirlaen, Business Analyst, SWIFT Partner management.

Recent growth in transactions and payments volumes, largely due to an increase in corporate-to-bank connectivity and financial directives have created increased complexity for banks and corporate organisations alike. In the current economic environment, banks have to meet a tighter set of rules and reporting requirements while reducing costs. This has led to increased demand for a secure and reliable communications platform, which provides financial data transmissions with increased visibility, security and automation.
Meeting additional market interest in the potential to process financial data traffic at reduced cost and with consolidated control, MEFG provides a compliant business-to-business (B2B) communications and financial transaction gateway, which can scale and grow with the customer, while delivering a high return on investment (ROI). Unlike those of other enterprise application integration (EAI) providers, MEFG is also well-established in the corporate world and enables both banks and commercial corporations to automate data compatibility across all major financial standards and protocols, while integrating all auditing and reporting processes, both internally and outside the enterprise.

The solution enables comprehensive security and full visibility over the very high volumes of data transfers which many SWIFT member organisations execute each day, and also supports connectivity to Sterling Collaboration Network (SCN) via its SWIFTNet Service Bureau. This solution facilitates not only message format standards, but also the secure, reliable, global transport of data between SWIFT-member banks and their corporate customers, and will provide the SWIFT-member banks with direct access to the 19,000-member SCN community.

"Year after year, we have demonstrated our commitment to simplifying communications for banks and corporate organisations," said Jim Gahagan, Global Industry Executive, Financial Services, Sterling Commerce. "By meeting the rigorous standards set by SWIFT for the third year running, we continue to exceed our customers' requirements by enabling them to respond to the challenges of frequently changing business demands and increased regulatory compliance, whilst retaining competitive differentiation in a difficult economic climate."

In addition to SWIFT standards, MEFG-supported features include, but are not limited to, the following:
• FileAct: Enhanced Header Support - Allows SWIFT to offer better pricing granularity to its customers for file-based traffic, such as low value payments
• FileAct: 'T' & 'Y' copy support - Important for central institution reporting
• InterAct: Enhancements to traffic management, synchronisation and monitoring
• SEPA routing directory support
• SWIFTNet MT/MX message entry
• 'BIC+' & 'IBAN' directory support - Automation / error correction
• FpML 2.0 schema validation - Securities industry