Customer story
Montane automated sales, orders and fulfilment across Shopify, Sage 200, Elastic Suite and its 3PL partner with Zynk, removing manual steps from both D2C and bulk B2B order processing.
Montane
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FTP Integration
Zynk's FTP integration lets Workflow exchange files with the FTP and FTPS servers run by customers, suppliers, 3PLs and older systems. It downloads, uploads, lists, renames, deletes and synchronises remote files, then hands each one to tasks that import it into Sage 200, Sage 50, Business Central or another system. SFTP servers use the same tasks.
Available for
Capabilities may differ depending on the product.
Benefits
Why businesses connect FTP
Files in and out on a schedule
Download order or stock files from a partner's server and upload invoices, price files or despatch confirmations in return, all on a schedule. Nobody needs to open an FTP client to fetch or send a file again.
Each remote file handled individually
Remote File Repeater runs a set of tasks for every file in a remote folder, filtered by a search pattern such as *.xml if you need one. Each order file is downloaded, imported and dealt with on its own.
Local and remote folders in step
Synchronise Directory compares a local and a remote folder by timestamp or size, copies what has changed in the direction you choose and can remove files from the server once they have downloaded.
Encryption wherever the server allows
Plain FTP sends credentials and data unencrypted. Zynk connects over FTPS with explicit or implicit TLS when the server supports it, and the same tasks work with SFTP, so moving to a secure protocol is a connection change.
No file processed twice
Rename Remote File moves or renames a file once it has been handled, with an optional timestamp, and Delete Remote File clears it away. The next run only sees files that still need attention.
Partners who work by file
EDI providers, 3PLs and long-standing suppliers often exchange data by FTP rather than an API. Zynk connects those partners to your ERP without asking them to build anything new on their side.
Capabilities
What you can do with FTP
Every task the Zynk FTP connector can run, grouped by the direction data moves.
Actions in FTP
Tasks Zynk can automate in FTP
7 tasks
- Delete remote file → in FTP
- Download remote file → in FTP
- List remote files → in FTP
- Remote file repeater → in FTP
- Rename remote file → in FTP
- Synchronise directory → in FTP
- Upload remote file → in FTP
Need something that isn't listed?
Most FTP projects include at least one custom step. Our team builds it for you.
The problem
Why integrate FTP?
FTP is still how many partners swap data: a warehouse posts stock files, a customer drops purchase orders, a supplier publishes price lists. Without automation, someone logs in with an FTP client, downloads whatever is new, imports it, uploads the replies and tries to remember which files were already done.
Without integration
- Someone logs in to an FTP client every morning to fetch new files
- Files processed twice because nobody renamed them on the server
- Confirmations and replies uploaded late, or forgotten altogether
- Credentials and data crossing the internet in plain text
- Local and remote folders drifting out of step
With Zynk
- New files download on a schedule and go straight to their import
- Each file is renamed or removed on the server once handled
- Exports from your ERP upload to the partner's folder automatically
- FTPS or SFTP used wherever the partner's server supports it
- Synchronise Directory copies only what has changed
How it works
How the FTP integration works
Step 1: Create the server connection
Enter the server address, credentials and protocol. For FTP you choose passive or active mode and whether to use explicit or implicit TLS. SFTP servers are set up on the same connection screen.
Step 2: Choose folders and files
Point each task at a remote directory and, where it helps, a search pattern such as *.csv. Decide where downloads land locally and whether uploads may overwrite files already on the server.
Step 3: Link the files to your systems
Downloaded files are converted and mapped into the format Sage 200, Business Central or another connector expects, and exports from those systems are uploaded in return. File tasks tidy up afterwards.
Step 4: Run it on a timetable
Workflows run on a schedule with alerts, so a server that refuses the connection or a file that fails to import is flagged for your team rather than missed.
Integrations
What can you connect to FTP?
FTP and Sage 200
Download purchase order files a customer leaves on its FTP server, import them into Sage 200 as sales orders, and upload despatch notes for the customer to collect.
From FTP to Sage 200:Order filesFrom Sage 200 to FTP:Despatch notes
FTP and Sage 50 UK
Publish Sage 50 price lists and stock records to a reseller's FTP folder on a schedule, and bring their order files back for import as Sage 50 sales orders.
From FTP to Sage 50 UK:Order filesFrom Sage 50 UK to FTP:Price lists, Stock records
FTP and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Collect supplier invoice files from an FTP server and import them as Business Central purchase invoices, then upload purchase orders for suppliers who still work by file.
From FTP to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central:Purchase invoicesFrom Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to FTP:Purchase orders
View the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central integration →
FTP and PGP
Plain FTP leaves file contents readable in transit. Encrypt each export with PGP before it uploads, and decrypt downloads from partners who encrypt their own files.
From FTP to PGP:Encrypted downloadsFrom PGP to FTP:Encrypted exports
FTP integration FAQs
How do FTP, FTPS and SFTP differ, and which should I use?
FTP is the original file transfer protocol and sends logins and data unencrypted. FTPS is FTP secured with TLS, in explicit or implicit mode. SFTP is a separate protocol that runs over SSH. Zynk's Remote File Transfer tasks support all three, so pick the most secure one the server offers.
Is plain FTP safe for business data?
Not on its own. Without encryption, usernames, passwords and file contents can be read by anyone able to intercept the traffic. Zynk advises against unsecured FTP and recommends FTPS or SFTP where the server supports them, or PGP encryption of the files themselves.
Has the Zynk FTP connector been replaced?
Yes. FTP is now handled by Zynk's Remote File Transfer connector, which covers FTP, FTPS and SFTP with one set of tasks. The protocol is chosen on the connection, so the same download, upload and repeater tasks work whichever type of server a partner runs.
Can Zynk import files from an FTP server into Sage?
Yes. A workflow downloads each new file, converts it from CSV, XML or another format into what the Sage connector expects, and imports it into Sage 50 or Sage 200, for example as sales orders. The file is then renamed or deleted on the server.
Does Zynk support passive and active FTP?
Yes. The connection lets you pick passive or active mode, which helps when a firewall sits between Zynk and the server. You also choose the FTP secure type, none, explicit or implicit, to match what the server is configured to accept.
Can Zynk upload files to a customer's FTP server?
Yes. Upload Remote File sends a local file to a remote folder, with options to rename it, overwrite an existing file and set Unix-style permissions. It is a common way to deliver invoices, stock files or price lists that a customer's own system then collects.
Can I keep a local folder and an FTP folder in sync?
Synchronise Directory does exactly that. It compares files by modified time or size, copies changes in the direction you pick and can delete files from the server once downloaded, which suits partners who expect their outbound folder to be emptied.
See what Zynk can automate for your FTP setup
Book a 20-minute call. We'll review your systems, flag the quick wins and outline a practical route to going live.
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