Secure File Transfer Platform Using AWS Transfer Family and Amazon S3

The enterprise relies on the secure exchange of sensitive operational and financial data with external partners and internal business units. They required a...

[Overview] System Overview

Ampity Infotech deployed a secure, highly available file transfer solution using AWS Transfer Family for fully managed SFTP services, backed by Amazon S3 for scalable cloud storage. This serverless architecture enables seamless B2B data exchange, automatic scaling, and robust security eliminating the operational burden of managing legacy file transfer servers.

[Targets] The Goals

[Strategy] Our Solution

[DESIGN] Architecture design

secure-file-transfer-platform

[APPROACH] Execution model

##### Architecture Design

Defined bucket structure, IAM roles, and security policies.

##### Service Configuration

Provisioned AWS Transfer Family endpoints and integrated with VPC

##### Authentication Setup

Deployed Secrets form Parameter store for user auth.

##### SSH Migration

Migrated user SSH keys to the new system

##### Go-Live & Validation

Conducted connectivity tests and load testing prior to partner cutover

[RESULTS] Measurable outcomes

##### Scalability

System handled peak file volumes automatically without performance degradation.

##### Performance

Direct S3 integration optimized throughput for large datasets.

##### Security

Integrated Identity Provider and KMS encryption ensured data protection.

##### Availability

Managed endpoints provided 99.99% uptime across Availability Zones.

##### Cost Optimization

Migration to serverless architecture reduced TCO by approximately 30%.

##### Operational Efficiency

Fully managed service cut maintenance effort by 100%.

[BOUNDARIES] Working constraints

AWS Transfer Family (SFTP)

Amazon S3

AWS IAM

Parameter store

Amazon CloudWatch

Amazon VPC

Elastic IP

Amazon Route 53

Terraform

CloudFormation

[ANTI-PATTERNS] What could have gone wrong

##### Benefits

Zero Server Management: Eliminated the need for OS patching and server updates entirely.

Infinite Scalability: Amazon S3 backend handles unpredictable storage growth seamlessly.

High Availability: Multi-AZ architecture ensures reliable access even during outages.

Enhanced Security: Granular scope-down policies restrict partners to specific folders only.

Cost Efficiency: Pay-as-you-go pricing for data transfer and storage reduced fixed costs.

Automated Workflows: S3 Event Notifications enabled immediate processing of uploaded files.

[APPLICABILITY] Where this pattern applies

Delivered a resilient B2B exchange platform capable of supporting critical business workflows.

Freed up engineering resources by removing 100% of server maintenance tasks.

Strengthened compliance posture with comprehensive audit logs and encryption.

Achieved ~ 30% cost savings by optimizing storage classes and removing idle instances.

Improved partner experience with consistent uptime and faster transfer speeds.