Setting up SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) with BetterMynd
Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) is a secure way to share files between your institution and BetterMynd, and works as a complement to Single Sign On (SSO).
What is Secure File Transfer Protocol?
SFTP is a secure way to share files between your institution and BetterMynd. Once it’s set up, your campus can regularly send BetterMynd updated roster lists in a safe and reliable way.
Sharing roster lists in this way ensures that students who are eligible for campus support in the form of session credits can access and use those credits when needed. It also ensures that those session credits are removed from students who are no longer eligible to use them, such as students who have graduated or are no longer enrolled in classes.
The cadence at which the rosters are shared with BetterMynd will be determined during onboarding, in conjunction with the campus IT team. In general, roster updates via SFTP are structured to ensure that students currently engaged in care on BetterMynd have appropriate time to conclude treatment with their counselor, while also allowing campuses time to communicate and set clear expectations for students utilizing the platform.
Why should you set up SFTP with SSO?
SSO and SFTP integrations are complementary when utilizing BetterMynd. SSO handles authentication to verifying a user’s identity while SFTP supports eligibility management by providing BetterMynd up-to-date roster data. To learn more about SSO setup, please visit this article.
Logging in via SSO does not necessarily mean a student should have access to free online therapy sessions on BetterMynd. Many campuses offer BetterMynd to specific cohorts, so roster data is required to define who is eligible. Even when access is campus-wide, roster files are still important to confirm active enrollment, since students can often continue to log in via SSO after they are no longer enrolled.
SFTP then enables campuses to securely and automatically send these roster updates on a set cadence, ensuring that access remains aligned with current eligibility for services, as defined by your campus’s primary contact for BetterMynd.
Setting up Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)To begin the SFTP setup process, please alert your campus IT team that they will be connecting with the BetterMynd Product team to set up SFTP. Sometimes this needs to be done via a campus ticketing system. If you need guidance on the form inputs, please let your Campus Success Director know.
Guidance for SFTP cadence and add/replace/remove
We recommend a cadence of weekly, although we can accommodate daily data transfers.
Example of a data transfer cadence:
- Daily or weekly add files during the add/drop period
- A single replace file at the conclusion of the add/drop period (this is only necessary if the institution intends to limit usage to students currently enrolled in classes)
- Daily or weekly add files throughout the remainder of the term
- A single replace file at the conclusion of the term or academic year (this will act to remove credits from students who are not enrolled in the next term)
This is not a required cadence, and we can support the campus with defining their use case with the IT team. Our best practice is not to use Replace files throughout the term to avoid disruptions to services.