Sharing Outside the Organization (Guest Access)

How Can I Share and Collaborate on Documents with Consultants or Outside Agencies?

Teams and SharePoint libraries can be set up that allow consultants and guests from outside agencies to collaborate with City team members.

Sharing Options for Teams/SharePoint

Option 1: Share a folder or file with an external guest (easiest)

Grants access to a specific folder or file

Requirements:

Sensitivity label needs to be set to: Confidential-External

Site Sharing Permissions need to be set to: Site owners and members, and people with Edit permissions can share files and folders, but only site owners can share the site.
Guests are not required to enroll in MFA

Pros

Users can manage sharing with non-team members and guests

Cons

Change management is lost. Users can share with anyone.

How to Do It

If your Team or Library is set up for sharing, find the file or folder you want to share and click the Share Icon
Enter the email address of the user you want to share the file or folder with and click Send.
That person will receive an email with the invitation. Once they click the link they may receive an email verification that it is them. Once verified they will have perpetual access to the shared file/folder

Option 2: Invite external guest as participants to Teams/SharePoint

Send a request to Xantrion to make this happen.

Email: support@xantrion.com

What it does:

Grants access to the entire Teams/SharePoint environment, including chats, files, etc. Guests will have the same access as City staff in that Teams/SharePoint environment.

Requirements:

Sensitivity label needs to be set to: Confidential-External
A ticket will need to be submitted to Xantrion with the name and email address of the guest.
Guest will need to enroll in MFA and use MFA

Pros

A change management approval process is maintained

Cons

Needs to involve Xantrion
Guest is required to enroll in MFA
If the sharing settings include Members, change management is lost. Users can share with anyone.

Team Sharing Controls by Type

Microsoft Teams and SharePoint offers many options for security and sharing control. Your ability to share content is dependent on how your Team is configured. We don't want someone to accidentally share a folder full of confidential information to the public or leak classified information. We have protections in place to avoid breaches but we can make spaces available for your Department to share so it is easier to collaborate.

Contact Digital if you need assistance setting up a shared space for your team or project.

Public (Sharing is permitted)

Least Restrictive, Least Secure

Site owners and members, and people with Edit permissions can share files and folders, but only site owners can share the site.

Confidential External (Sharing is permitted outside Team and for Guests)

Less Restrictive, More Secure