Create a New Client Secured Collaborate Site

1. In FYI, open the Client Workspace and click on the Security tab.
    
2. Enable Security is initially set to "Off" for all clients.
   If your practice has already enabled Client Security for the client, you can move on to Step 2 below.
   
3. Click the Off toggle to switch it On.
    
4. The current user will be added to the list automatically.
    
5. Click Add User to Client.
    
6. Search or scroll to the relevant user, and click the Minus symbol (-) to change it to a tick. Repeat for any other additional users.
   Note: FYI Admins will also need to be added to the list if they require access to the site.
    
7. Click OK to save the changes.
    
8. The users will be added to the Security list. These users will be able to log into the Client-Specific Collaborate Site once created.
   
   Note: FYI Admins, excluding OneDrive Admins, will be able to see the client and relevant documents in FYI, but will not be granted access to the site unless they have been added to the Security list. The OneDrive Admin will be set as the "Owner" of the site, and will have access from within the Microsoft Admin Centre.
   

Client-specific Sites are created within the Client Workspace.

1. In FYI, open the Client Workspace and click on the Collaborate tab.
    
2. Click Sharing Settings.
   
3. Click the Settings tab.
    
4. Change the Default Collaborate Site drop-down to No. The Client-Specific configuration fields will be displayed.
   

5. Create a new Collaborate Site by clicking the plus + button on the right of the Collaborate Site field.
   
   Enter a name into the New Collaborate Site Name field. FYI will automatically create and configure the site for you with the required permissions.
   
   Note: When naming your client-specific New Collaborate site, the name will be visible to your clients. We recommend using a format like "(Client Name) Client Portal" in the name to indicate the SharePoint site's purpose for your clients. The name must be unique for each client.

   Important: For practices with an existing SharePoint site used for external purposes, we strongly recommend creating a new SharePoint site exclusively for your client. Using an existing site that was not created specifically for New Collaborate may prevent core New Collaborate functionality from working.
   
    

   If selecting an existing SharePoint site, the list will exclude the default practice site and client-specific sites already in use. If a site is selected and multiple Document Libraries are detected, a warning will be displayed. New Collaborate is only able to control access to the Document Library selected in the Collaborate app settings in FYI. Where multiple libraries exist, this can result in guest users to the site having access to libraries that the practice does not intend for them to access.
    

6. The Document Library field will be greyed out if creating a new site.
    
7. The Microsoft Group is a mandatory field, displaying the Security Group used to control sharing and access to documents. The field will be set to "Users with secure client permission" by default.
   
   It is not recommended to change the Microsoft Group to ensure the Client Security features are enforced. If a different group is selected, Client Security in FYI cannot be used to add and remove internal users to the site. The practice will need to manually manage the Site Members list on SharePoint.
    
8. The Retain Uploads option allows practices to control whether client-uploaded files remain on the SharePoint site after being imported to FYI. If the option is set to Yes, uploaded files will be moved to a "Processed" folder within the client's Upload folder, enabling clients to confirm their documents have been successfully imported. If set to No, the files will be deleted from SharePoint after being imported.
    
9. Click Save. 
    
10. The site will be created, and the URL will be displayed under the Collaborate Site field.
    
11. Click the Users tab to begin adding clients and sharing the Client Folder. Once users have been added, the links in the Options drop-down will be available, and the site link will be displayed in the top right-hand corner.

Once your SharePoint site has been created, you can enable the audit feature, to track user activity and understand which users have accessed the content.

Note: The following steps must be completed when logged in as the OneDrive Admin User (the SharePoint user).

1. In FYI, open the Client Workspace and click on the Collaborate tab.
    
2. Click Sharing Settings.
   
3. Click the Settings tab.
    
4. Click the Site Link under the Collaborate Site field.
5. The Collaborate site will open. Click on the Settings cog icon in the top right-hand corner.
   Note: It may take a few seconds for the icon to be displayed.
   
6. Click Site Information, and then the link View all site settings.
    
7. Click Site Collection Features.
    
8. Locate the Reporting option, and select Activate.
   

After 24 hours, the reporting function will be activated, and you will be able to create audit logs. Refer to the Microsoft article Configure audit data for a site collection.

Microsoft 365 offers the ability to expire guest user access after a specific period of time. This means the client or contact will be removed from the site, and not able to log in or access their documents.

This option is required to be disabled for New Collaborate. Otherwise, practices would need to regularly re-add clients and other contacts to the Sharing Settings in FYI, or re-share documents.

Guest User Expiry can be disabled at an organisation-level, and will be applied to all SharePoint sites for the practice, including any other sites not used for New Collaborate. Refer to Setting up Microsoft 365 for New Collaborate.

To disable Guest Expiry for the Client Collaborate site only, follow the step-by-step instructions below. If Guest User Expiry has been disabled at the organisation level, this section can be skipped.

1. Log in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center as the OneDrive Admin.
    
2. On the menu on the left, click Show All.
    
3. From the menu on the left-hand side, locate the Admin Centers section and select SharePoint (you may need to first click Show All). 
    
4. In the SharePoint admin centre, on the menu on the left, click Sites - Active Sites.
    
5. Click on relevant site in the list.
    
6. From the drawer on the right, click the Settings tab.
   
7. Click More sharing settings.
    
8. Click Advanced settings for external sharing to expand the section.
    
9. Untick Same as organization-level setting (30 Days). 
    
10. Select Guest access doesn't expire automatically.
     
11. Click Save.