diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 46bbdce4e..d01e99546 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ google =
 libcloud =
     apache-libcloud
 sftp =
-    paramiko
+    paramiko >= 1.10.0
 
 [flake8]
 exclude =
diff --git a/storages/backends/gcloud.py b/storages/backends/gcloud.py
index 7e2738416..837b657bf 100644
--- a/storages/backends/gcloud.py
+++ b/storages/backends/gcloud.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 from storages.utils import check_location
 from storages.utils import clean_name
 from storages.utils import get_available_overwrite_name
+from storages.utils import is_seekable
 from storages.utils import safe_join
 from storages.utils import setting
 from storages.utils import to_bytes
@@ -194,7 +195,7 @@ def _save(self, name, content):
         for prop, val in blob_params.items():
             setattr(file_object.blob, prop, val)
 
-        rewind = not hasattr(content, 'seekable') or content.seekable()
+        rewind = is_seekable(content)
         file_object.blob.upload_from_file(
             content,
             rewind=rewind,
diff --git a/storages/backends/s3boto3.py b/storages/backends/s3boto3.py
index 9af0dbb3a..28ed7dd6e 100644
--- a/storages/backends/s3boto3.py
+++ b/storages/backends/s3boto3.py
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 from storages.compress import CompressStorageMixin
 from storages.utils import check_location
 from storages.utils import get_available_overwrite_name
+from storages.utils import is_seekable
 from storages.utils import lookup_env
 from storages.utils import safe_join
 from storages.utils import setting
@@ -445,7 +446,7 @@ def _save(self, name, content):
         name = self._normalize_name(cleaned_name)
         params = self._get_write_parameters(name, content)
 
-        if not hasattr(content, 'seekable') or content.seekable():
+        if is_seekable(content):
             content.seek(0, os.SEEK_SET)
         if (self.gzip and
                 params['ContentType'] in self.gzip_content_types and
diff --git a/storages/backends/sftpstorage.py b/storages/backends/sftpstorage.py
index 643685c88..34a5755c2 100644
--- a/storages/backends/sftpstorage.py
+++ b/storages/backends/sftpstorage.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 from django.utils.deconstruct import deconstructible
 
 from storages.base import BaseStorage
+from storages.utils import is_seekable
 from storages.utils import setting
 
 
@@ -123,15 +124,14 @@ def _mkdir(self, path):
 
     def _save(self, name, content):
         """Save file via SFTP."""
-        content.open()
+        if is_seekable(content):
+            content.seek(0, os.SEEK_SET)
         path = self._remote_path(name)
         dirname = posixpath.dirname(path)
         if not self.exists(dirname):
             self._mkdir(dirname)
 
-        f = self.sftp.open(path, 'wb')
-        f.write(content.file.read())
-        f.close()
+        self.sftp.putfo(content, path)
 
         # set file permissions if configured
         if self._file_mode is not None:
diff --git a/storages/utils.py b/storages/utils.py
index ce7b54af1..4a5d8f41c 100644
--- a/storages/utils.py
+++ b/storages/utils.py
@@ -125,3 +125,7 @@ def get_available_overwrite_name(name, max_length):
             'allows sufficient "max_length".' % name
         )
     return os.path.join(dir_name, "{}{}".format(file_root, file_ext))
+
+
+def is_seekable(file_object):
+    return not hasattr(file_object, 'seekable') or file_object.seekable()
diff --git a/tests/test_sftp.py b/tests/test_sftp.py
index a7fd99223..703a6b272 100644
--- a/tests/test_sftp.py
+++ b/tests/test_sftp.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 from django.test import override_settings
 
 from storages.backends import sftpstorage
+from tests.utils import NonSeekableContentFile
 
 
 class SFTPStorageTest(TestCase):
@@ -69,7 +70,12 @@ def test_mkdir_parent(self, mock_sftp):
     @patch('storages.backends.sftpstorage.SFTPStorage.sftp')
     def test_save(self, mock_sftp):
         self.storage._save('foo', File(io.BytesIO(b'foo'), 'foo'))
-        self.assertTrue(mock_sftp.open.return_value.write.called)
+        self.assertTrue(mock_sftp.putfo.called)
+
+    @patch('storages.backends.sftpstorage.SFTPStorage.sftp')
+    def test_save_non_seekable(self, mock_sftp):
+        self.storage._save('foo', NonSeekableContentFile('foo'))
+        self.assertTrue(mock_sftp.putfo.called)
 
     @patch('storages.backends.sftpstorage.SFTPStorage.sftp', **{
         'stat.side_effect': (FileNotFoundError(), True)
@@ -77,7 +83,7 @@ def test_save(self, mock_sftp):
     def test_save_in_subdir(self, mock_sftp):
         self.storage._save('bar/foo', File(io.BytesIO(b'foo'), 'foo'))
         self.assertEqual(mock_sftp.mkdir.call_args_list[0][0], ('bar',))
-        self.assertTrue(mock_sftp.open.return_value.write.called)
+        self.assertTrue(mock_sftp.putfo.called)
 
     @patch('storages.backends.sftpstorage.SFTPStorage.sftp')
     def test_delete(self, mock_sftp):
@@ -212,4 +218,4 @@ def test_write(self):
     def test_close(self, mock_sftp):
         self.file.write(b'foo')
         self.file.close()
-        self.assertTrue(mock_sftp.open.return_value.write.called)
+        self.assertTrue(mock_sftp.putfo.called)