How to Automate FTP File Transfers to Google Drive with MFT
Teams and organizations face ever-growing file management needs, from exchanging files with B2B partners using FTP or SFTP to securely storing files in cloud storage platforms like Google Drive.
Sometimes these needs converge. Whether you need to move files retrieved via SFTP into the cloud for data backup & archiving, push files downloaded from the cloud out to a partner, or sync data between file locations, you have several options: manual file transfer, scripting, and managed file transfer (MFT).
Here, we briefly evaluate these options for integrating FTP & SFTP servers with Google Drive, (and other popular cloud storage solutions like Dropbox and OneDrive) and walk through how you can automate a variety of FTP-Google Drive data flows with a managed file transfer platform like ArcESB.
Manual File Transfer: Not Scalable
Organizations may try manual file transfer processes with ad hoc solutions like FileZilla and a web browser. But manually moving files between FTP and Google Drive involves a mind-numbing series of steps to select each file within the GUIs of various FTP and Google Drive tools, a repetitive and error-prone task not suited for manual management. While the manual approach may work for small, urgent tasks, time spent grows exponentially as more data movements are added, and the risk of human error grows just as quickly. Businesses serious about file management need a reliable, scalable (automated) process.
Scripting: Brittle & Time-Intensive
Developers can automate data movements with custom scripts, but it introduces considerable complexity. Scripts require engineers comfortable with networking libraries that support both FTP/SFTP and Google Drive's REST API interface. These scripts are opaque to non-engineers, and may include programmatic assumptions that create delicate fault-lines in the whole operation.
Small changes in the FTP, SFTP, or Google Drive setup cause the scripted solution to come crashing down. Worse still, if the engineers tasked with building the script happen to be reassigned or leave the company, you'll likely need to start from scratch. The overhead cost and fragility risk of scripted file transfer mean it rarely makes sense for companies that don't already have a team of programmers dedicated to writing (and maintaining) robust file transfer scripts.
For more, see our article on scripting vs. managed file transfer for file transfer automation.
The Solution: Automated Managed File Transfer
The robust and reliable way to integrate file transfer with cloud storage is with an automated managed file transfer (MFT) solution. Automated MFT solutions save you from costly errors, ensure timely file delivery, and reduce risk by providing a code-free interface that eliminates the technical challenges of implementing a programmatic process yourself.
A managed file transfer platform is a centralized system that comes with built-in file transfer connectors for handling, and automating, all your file transfers in one place. These platforms have done the technical dirty work for you, and all that is left to do is supply a few simple values that allow access to your specific remote servers. In other words, they provide the tools to create a scalable, reliable connection between FTP servers and Google Drive — without a team of programmers.
Better yet, automated MFT platforms have simple interfaces for implementing important business logic. There are many examples of these business logic needs:
- Pushing only certain file types to the cloud
- Downloading only recently modified files
- Routing files should to different destinations based on critical elements of the file data
- And many others
Core Features of ArcESB MFT
We have created a robust managed file transfer platform that enables you to quickly set up automated FTP-Google Drive workflows in under 10 minutes following a few simple steps.
- Built-In Connectors with Wide-Ranging Support — A comprehensive suite of tools for any platform or protocol you want to use: FTP, SFTP, Amazon S3, Azure Blob, Box, Dropbox, OFTP, AS2, AS4, and more.
- Ease of Use — ArcESB provides an intuitive, visual interface so non-technical users can quickly create automated MFT flows through our drag & drop, no-code workflow designer provides the flexibility you need without adding needless complexity.
- Reliability — ArcESB supports automatic retries, so temporary network outages don't cause headaches. ArcESB only reports a file as transferred once delivery has been guaranteed.
- Monitoring — ArcESB's notifications and monitoring tools automatically keep you in the loop for any obstacles that arise during the file transfer process. Even set custom email notifications so your system admin can respond to anything noteworthy.
- Security and Compliance — ArcESB includes encryption, decryption, digital signatures, identity verification, even secure DMZ access.
How to Automate Transfers Between FTP and Google Drive with ArcESB
If you're ready to get started sending files over FTP and SFTP to Google Drive, try out ArcESB, our automated MFT solution. ArcESB is a modern, accessible MFT solution for creating data flows like integrating your FTP file transfer with your Google Drive cloud storage. Setting up an automated flow takes less than 10 minutes:
- Download ArcESB
- Run ArcESB in our simple web UI within your browser
- Set up our easy-to-use FTP and Google Drive Connectors
- Link these connectors so that data flows freely between them
- Activate automation so that the process runs smoothly behind the scenes
For a complete walkthrough, check out our knowledge base article that covers the step-by-step setup in detail or watch our webinar on integrating file transfers to cloud storage.
See FTP-Google Drive Step-by-Step Tutorial ArcESB
Webinar: Integrating File Transfers to Cloud Storage with ArcESB
To get a sense for Arc's MFT capabilities, it might be helpful to watch our engineers create file transfer flows in real time. Feel free to check out our Webinar to learn more about Arc's support for client and server-side MFT implementations and cloud storage integrations.