New trading partner is offering either SFTP or AS2 — which should we choose?
Asked by integration_ops_lee (EDI Practitioner) on 2026-08-15 · 760 views
We're onboarding a mid-size supplier and they gave us a choice between setting up SFTP or AS2 for EDI exchange. We already have AS2 infrastructure for other partners. Any reason to prefer SFTP here instead of just reusing our AS2 setup?
1 Answer
If you already have working AS2 infrastructure and certificates management, reusing AS2 is usually the better call: you get built-in encryption, digital signatures, and non-repudiation via the MDN receipt without building anything new. SFTP works fine too, but you're responsible for building your own equivalent of delivery confirmation and you don't get the same non-repudiation guarantees out of the box. The main reason teams choose SFTP over AS2 for a new partner is when the partner's technical team is small and unfamiliar with AS2 certificate exchange — SFTP has a lower setup barrier for less EDI-mature partners. If this supplier is comfortable with AS2, I'd stick with what you already operate.
netsec_avery · EDI Specialist · 2026-08-15