Managed File Transfer (MFT) Modernization

Project contact

Pat Heyn
Project Manager
360-407-9228

Progress update: April 5, 2023

Project Status: 98% Complete

  • The decommissioning of SFT has been postponed to give users time to correct the different processing schema of MFT from SFT. The migration deadline has been moved from April 3 to April 26 to provide adequate time to make needed changes to the scripts.
  • The Axway application will be decommissioned on April 26.
  • The Project Team identified a difference in how workflows are processed within the MFT and SFT applications. The two scripts affected are used when the client application logs in using an account that has date-time stamp applied.
  • Agencies are responsible for ensuring that all their end users have migrated to the new application prior to April 26, 2023. WaTech is providing technical assistance as needed to ensure agencies are successful in their migration.
  • The Customer Advisory Team will have their last two meetings on April 6 and 20. The purpose of these meetings are to provide status updates, answer questions and provide a forum for agencies to share migration experiences and lessons learned. Please contact Pat Heyn if you would like to attend these meetings.
  • A training document for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) will be published this month.

 

Project background

The Managed File Transfer Modernization project will migrate customers from our current platform to GoAnywhere.

Migration objectives

Objective 1: Establish a production site with the GoAnywhere application.

MFT Admin users will have access to the GoAnywhere application test environment. The production site will be created and load tested prior to migrating any accounts.

Objective 2: Migrate account data by group to the GoAnywhere application.

Current accounts will be categorized into two classifications: active accounts, which have been used in 2021 and 2022, and all others will be classified as non-active. WaTech will work with each group through this process. Due to limited time and resources, only active accounts will be completely setup on the new solution by WaTech.

Objective 3: Update GoAnywhere with the current subscriptions/routes utilized.

WaTech will work with agencies to export groups and user templates for active accounts only, assign a temporary password and provide agencies with related account inventory and information.

Each customer agency will need to:

  1. Update scripts with a new DNS address.
  2. Change the temporary password.
  3. Setup non-active accounts (i.e., those not used since 2020).
  4. Communicate as needed to customers/end users.

Agencies will be migrated in one of three groups, beginning September 2022 and concluding March 2023.

 

 

MFT Migration Timeline

Important dates:

Production environments

  • Secure File Transfer's (SFT) replacement, MFT, will be available for use and migration starting September 2022.
  • Production SFT will be maintained (but not developed) in tandem with the new MFT service until April 3, 2023.
    • This allows your agency to have time to schedule its production use cases from SFT to MFT, before the SFT product is decommissioned April 3, 2023.
  • If you would like to schedule the migration of your agency's production use cases from SFT to MFT, please email support@watech.wa.gov and reference SFT or MFT so the ticket is routed correctly.

Test environments

  • The sft-test.wa.gov site will be available until Oct. 5, 2022; no access will available after October.
  • The mft-test.wa.gov site is in operation to provide MFT admins access to the new GoAnywhere application. WaTech is providing access to the test site after the initial meeting with each agency/group.

Migration dates:

  • Group 1: Sept. 1-Nov. 3, 2022.
  • Group 2: Nov. 3, 2022-Jan. 5, 2023.
  • Group 3: Jan. 5-March 21, 2023.
  • SFT.wa.gov production site decommissioned: April 3, 2023.