Support has now ended for Legacy Collaborate.
To upgrade to New Collaborate, refer to Upgrading to New Collaborate.
Issue
We have a client file that we need to share with a third party, but we don't want the client to see it. Can we use Collaborate?
Solution
Collaborate is designed to be able to share documents with your clients, either using a direct link to a document or providing access to the entire Share folder.
When the folder is shared with a client, this means the client will have "View" access to all documents in that folder, even if a document wasn't shared with them using a direct link.
If you need to share a client file with another party and don't want the client to see it, we would recommend using one of the following solutions:
Share Documents directly using Email
FYI offers multiple ways of sharing files, including email as an attachment (either in their native form or as a PDF). Email sharing is available to users on an Intermediate or Pro plan of FYI.
By sending an email directly, the file will not be stored in the client's Share Folder in Collaborate.
Refer to Sharing Documents with External Users via Email, Collaborate, or myprosperity
Share Documents using a new Client in FYI
If regularly sending your client files to external contacts, you may find it easier to create a new client in FYI.
You can either create one client for external sharing with different external contacts (this client is referred to as an "Internal Client"), or a unique client if sending documents to the same external contact.
Different External Contacts
If the files are typically shared with different contacts, you can create a new client in FYI referred to as the "Internal Client". Documents can be filed against this client and then shared using a Document Link. Your external contact will then be able to access this document only, not the entire folder.
Important: Do not share the Folder Link if using an Internal Client to send documents to ensure recipients are not able to access files they're not authorised to view.
To share an individual document using Collaborate refer to Sharing Documents via Collaborate
Same External Contact
Alternatively, if you frequently send documents to the same third-party recipient, it may be beneficial to set up the recipient with their own client account in FYI. Once created as a client, you can use Collaborate to create a Share Folder unique to that recipient. Documents will need to be filed against this client specifically before being shared using Collaborate.
Important: The Folder should be shared with this contact only, to ensure the folder can only be viewed by the authorised user.
To share an entire folder in Collaborate refer to Sharing the Share Folder with the Client