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External File Sharing at DreamBox

  • Updated

Purpose

This How To document will show you how to safely and securely, share documents with users external to DreamBox Learning.

Requirements

In order to share documents to external users of DreamBox Learning, the following must be true:

  • Possess a DreamBox Learning (DBL) Okta Account

  • The Microsoft Office tile is visible in Okta

  • Have successfully logged into your Microsoft account using DBL Okta

  • The end user you are sharing documents with must have a valid email address

NOTE * DreamBox has legal requirements that dictate what type of data/content can be shared with whom. If you have ANY question about whether you are permitted to share content with an outside party, please submit a ticket to ithelpdesk@dreambox.com first in order to have your request vetted by the Security Team.

 

Before you Start

Understand the use cases for different tools

Explains how to choose what tool to share your files


Sharepoint usage

“Like a bulletin board in the office.”

SharePoint is primarily used as an intranet and content management system. It's where you create, organize, and store files and documents that multiple teams or the entire organization need to access.

Use SharePoint when:

  • You need to create a company-wide intranet.

  • You're working on a project with multiple teams and need a common platform to store and manage all files and documents.

  • You need to create workflows or automations for business processes.

  • You want to create public pages or sites within your organization to share news, updates, or resources.

Microsoft Teams usage

“Like a conference room desk.”

Teams is a collaboration hub. It's used for communication within teams (chats, calls, meetings) and collaboration on files in real-time. Teams integrates with SharePoint and OneDrive to allow for seamless collaboration on files.

Use Teams when:

  • You need to communicate with your colleagues through chat, audio, or video.

  • You're working in a small team and want to keep all your communication, files, and tools in one place.

  • You need to set up a meeting, especially if you want to use features like screen sharing or recording.

  • You're working on a document with others in real time.

OneDrive usage

“Like your file cabinet.”

OneDrive is a personal cloud storage service from Microsoft. You use it to 'back up' your files and access them from anywhere. You can share files, but it's mostly meant for individual use.

Use OneDrive when:

  • You're working on files that are not meant to be shared with others, such as personal or draft documents.

  • You want to access your work files from anywhere, on any device.

  • You want to share files with specific people, with more control over who can see or edit them.

  • You need to sync local files to the cloud for backup or remote access.

Note * In practice, you'll often use these tools together. For example, you might store a file in SharePoint, work on it with colleagues in Teams, and then save a backup in OneDrive. The integration between these tools is what makes the Microsoft 365 suite so powerful for collaboration.

Sharing Files Externally

OneDrive

How to share externally using OneDrive

  1. Click the three dots (…) next to the file or folder in OneDrive you would like to share, and select “Share”:

     

  2. By default, you’ll see that the sharing is set to “People in Dreambox can view”:

     

  3. Click on the text “People in DreamBox Learning…” to expand further options, and select “People you choose”:

     

    1. Optional: you may choose to change the privileges for the guest user. The default is “Can View”, but you can click on that text to get more options:

       

  4. Click [Apply] button

  5.  

     

    and then enter the email address of the external person you want to share with:

     

  6. The email address will appear in a drop-down once you type it, which you can click to add the user.

    1. Double check that you are only sharing this file/folder to the people you intend to.

    2. You have the option to include a note, but it is not required.

  7. Click the “Send” button. They will receive an invitation to view the file in their inbox. (There may be a delay in terms of when the email shows up in the guest’s inbox. Allow at least a couple hours, though it is usually faster than that)

 

When a guest accesses a link you sent them, an automatic email notification will be sent to you, similar to below:

 

Teams

How to share externally in Teams

  1. Open Teams to the file or folder you would like to share (you can see all files using the “Files” tab at the top of your Team)

  2. Right click on the file or folder you want to share, and select “Share” from the drop-down menu:

     

  3. You will see a window similar to below – notice that the default permission is “People you specify can view” (if this is not selected, you can click the Settings gear icon to change it):

     

  4. You may specify in the top field with whom you’d like to share this file or folder – enter the full email address(es):

     

  5. The email address will appear in a drop-down once you type it, which you can then click to add the user.

    1. Double check that you are only sharing this file/folder to the people you intend to.

    2. You have the option to include a note, but it is not required.

  6. Click the “Send” button. They will receive an invitation to view the file in their inbox. (There may be a delay in terms of when the email shows up in the guest’s inbox. Allow at least a couple hours, though it is usually faster than that)

 

When a guest accesses a link you sent them, an automatic email notification will be sent to you, similar to below:

 

Sharepoint

How to share files externally in Sharepoint

  1. Open SharePoint by clicking on the Office 365 icon in your Okta dashboard, then select SharePoint from the menu in the upper left of the O365 home page.

  2. Navigate to the site from which you want to share your file/folder.

  3. Right-click on the file/folder you would like to share and select “Share” from the menu:

     

  4. You will see a window similar to below – notice that the default permission is “People you specify can view”:

     

  5. You may specify in the top field with whom you’d like to share this file or folder – enter the full email address(es):

     

  6. The email address will appear in a drop-down once you type it, which you can click to add the user.

    1. Double check that you are only sharing this file/folder to the people you intend to.

    2. You have the option to include a note, but it is not required.

  7. Click the “Send” button. They will receive an invitation to view the file in their inbox. (There may be a delay in terms of when the email shows up in the guest’s inbox. Allow at least a couple hours, though it is usually faster than that)

 

When a guest accesses a link you sent them, an automatic email notification will be sent to you, similar to below:

 

 

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