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15. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for FTP
Adapter Overview
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for FTP, SFTP, and FTPS
Enterprise Adapter for FTP reduces many of the complexities associated with incorporating file transfer protocol
(FTP), secured file transfer protocol (SFTP), and file transfer protocol SFTP (FTPS) jobs or batch processes into
enterprise job schedules. Built on the industry-leading Workload Automation, it offers an easy-to-use, powerful
solution for managing FTP dependencies within job schedules and the application integration they support. IT
operations staff can manage file transfers as an integral part of a critical workflow business processes.
This is an excellent scheduling solution for environments that handle FTP jobs, because it can improve
efficiency by directly addressing critical FTP-related scheduling challenges discussed in the following section.
The File Transfer Challenge
Increasingly, businesses are working to integrate their internal operations and also to develop closer links with
partners and customers. Companies in financial services, insurance, healthcare, and retail, among other
industries, depend on seamless data exchange to integrate their operations with others and to allow them to
respond with the speed and accuracy the market demands. Today, approximately 70 percent of data and
application integration is accomplished through batch jobs. As a result, automated application integration and
file transfer capabilities are vital to accomplishing the twin goals of reliability and cost effectiveness.
FTP is the technology most commonly used to exchange data or transfer files among applications and partners.
As the enterprise extends business processes across its value chain, the reliability and security of data
exchange with partners and customers is increasingly important in meeting business goals. Transmission
delays, breached security, and corrupt data can impact not only the business but also relationships with
partners and customers. The exchange of data between applications, partners, and customers must be so
reliable and secure that it can be taken it for granted. To achieve these objectives, data and file exchange must
be an integral part of the enterprise-wide business process. And because there is a close relationship between
data exchange and batch job processes, both must be seamlessly and simultaneously managed to attain high
levels of automation, security, speed, recovery, and accuracy.
Manual FTP Management: Error-prone and Insecure
In many companies, processing file transfers is still a manual process. For example, a company may have a
workflow in which a customer sends a file containing all orders for the day via FTP. During the day, IT