Granular access, enterprise-grade authentication, and lifecycle automation—built in.

From the very beginning, Files.com has been designed around a simple truth: security starts with identity. Who has access? What can they do? When does that access end? If those questions aren’t answered clearly, every other safeguard is at risk.

That’s why Files.com doesn’t treat user management as a bolt-on. It’s core to the platform, giving IT teams the control they need, business users the flexibility they expect, and security officers the assurance they require.

Identity: The Foundation of File Security

Managing users may sound straightforward, but at scale it becomes one of IT’s hardest challenges:

• Contractors, vendors, and temporary project teams need access—but only to specific folders.
• Internal staff need different levels of permissions depending on role, department, or geography.
• External counterparties expect smooth, branded, and trustworthy experiences.
• Security teams must enforce least-privilege access while preventing oversharing.
• IT must continuously onboard and offboard users, often by the hundreds, without leaving behind shadow accounts.

When identity management is weak, everything downstream becomes fragile: compliance certifications, customer trust, even day-to-day productivity. Files.com solves this by making identity orchestration part of the fabric of the platform.

Granular Controls: Precision Without Complexity

Most file platforms offer crude “all-or-nothing” permissions. Files.com goes deeper, letting you fine-tune access by user, group, folder, and action.

• Folder-Level Access: Assign rights at any level of the hierarchy—from a global folder to a single subfolder.
• Permission Spectrum: Choose from Full, Read/Write, Read-only, Write-only, List-only, Share-only, History-only, Admin, or Read-Only Admin.
• Preview-Only Mode: Let users see previews without touching originals—ideal for legal discovery or external audits.
• Log Access Without Files: Grant staff visibility into logs and reports without exposing sensitive files.

Changes take effect immediately, so admins can adjust access on the fly with confidence.

Example: A financial services firm sets up a folder structure for quarterly reporting. Auditors get “preview-only” permissions, accountants get “read/write,” executives get “read-only,” and compliance staff get access to logs. Everyone has exactly what they need—no more, no less.

Groups at Scale: Organize, Simplify, Automate

For organizations managing thousands of users, groups are essential. Files.com lets you model your real-world organization inside the platform:

• Define groups like “Vendors-EU”, “Contractors-ProjectX”, or “Finance-US”.
• Apply permissions once at the group level; users inherit them instantly.
• Add or remove members in bulk, or schedule expirations so accounts shut off automatically.
• Retire an entire group when a project closes, instantly revoking access for all members.

Groups eliminate human error, enforce consistency, and make scaling access repeatable and auditable.

Delegated Administration: Control Without Bottlenecks

Central IT shouldn’t have to field every access request. Files.com introduces delegated group administration so teams can move faster without creating risk.

• Assign trusted leaders as Group Administrators.
• They can create and manage users only within their group, inheriting predefined permissions.
• Group Admins can’t touch global settings or broader access controls.

This creates a balance: distributed flexibility with centralized governance.

Example: A global consulting firm gives each project manager Group Admin rights. They can add and remove team members instantly, but can’t alter access outside their project scope.

Enterprise Authentication: Built for the Real World

Files.com integrates seamlessly with your identity stack. Whether you’re a startup on Google Workspace or a Fortune 500 on Azure AD, Files.com meets you where you are.

Single Sign-On (SSO)

• Supports SAML, OAuth, and JIT provisioning.
• Works with Okta, Azure AD/ADFS, Google, OneLogin, JumpCloud, Auth0, and more.
• Ensures users have one identity across all services.

LDAP & SCIM Sync

• Merge users and groups from Active Directory or LDAP directories.
• Hourly syncs keep your directory continuously updated.
• Wildcard rules let you auto-include/exclude groups (e.g., “auto-provision anyone in dept-*).

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

• Five supported methods, including app-based, SMS, and hardware tokens.
• Enforceable globally or per user.
• Works across all protocols—including FTP, SFTP, and WebDAV.

No other platform combines this breadth of authentication options with file-centric security.

Lifecycle Automation: Identity From Start to Finish

Manual provisioning doesn’t scale. Files.com automates the entire identity lifecycle:

• Provisioning: Add users via web interface, bulk import, API/CLI, SDKs, SCIM, LDAP, or JIT. Auto-create home folders and assign correct permissions.
• Inactivity Rules: Disable or delete accounts after 30, 60, or 90 days of idle use.
• Expiration Dates: Assign temporary access at creation. Contractors disappear on schedule.
• Automated Deletion: Eliminate shadow accounts automatically.
• Resource Reassignment: Transfer ownership of shares, automations, and keys when a user leaves.

Every account has a beginning, a middle, and an end—and Files.com ensures you’re in control of all three.

Administration Tools That Actually Save Time

Files.com is designed to make life easier for IT administrators.

• Bulk Operations: Import, clone, or disable hundreds of users in one step.
• Read-Only User Impersonation for Site Admins: Log in as a user to confirm the intended access without risking misconfiguration.
• Audit Logs: Track every action, every change, every login.
• APIs & SDKs: Integrate identity management into your workflows and monitoring systems.

What once took hours of manual effort can now be automated, repeatable, and compliant.

Why It Matters to the Business

Identity management isn’t just an IT task—it’s a business enabler.

• Improves Security: Enforce least privilege, MFA, and SSO at scale.
• Simplifies Growth: Manage thousands of users across regions and projects with confidence.
• Accelerates Onboarding: JIT, SCIM, and LDAP provisioning mean users are ready on Day 1.
• Supports Compliance: HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2, ITAR—every requirement is easier with audit trails and automated deprovisioning.
• Reduces Admin Burden: Delegate where safe, automate where possible.
• Prevents Oversharing: Sensitive data stays in the right hands.

Differentiators You Won’t Find Elsewhere

• Five 2FA methods, including legacy protocols.
• Group Admin Delegation for distributed but controlled user creation.
• LDAP/SCIM sync with wildcard rules for inclusion/exclusion.
• Resource reassignment on deletion to prevent “dangling” workflows.
• Read-only impersonation for validation without risk.
• Proven scalability to tens of thousands of users.

Competitors offer checkboxes. Files.com offers enterprise reality.

Real-World Scenarios

• A Fortune 500 uses LDAP wildcards to auto-create users for any AD group prefixed with files-*. Thousands of accounts stay synced automatically.
• A media company provisions external contractors with preview-only rights, ensuring they can review content but not download raw files.
• A healthcare network enforces 2FA on SFTP connections for HIPAA compliance—something most vendors can’t do.
• A global retailer sets up expiration rules so seasonal staff accounts are disabled at the end of each quarter.
• A consulting firm reassigns shares and automations automatically when an employee exits, eliminating manual cleanup.

Bottom Line

User Management & Authentication on Files.com is comprehensive, automated, and enterprise-ready. It combines granular permissions, group management, delegated control, SSO/LDAP/SCIM, multi-factor authentication, and full lifecycle automation in one unified platform.

It ensures the right people have the right access, at the right time—no more, no less.

For IT, it’s the difference between chasing down accounts and orchestrating identity at scale.
For security, it’s the assurance that least-privilege and compliance are built in.
For the business, it’s the confidence that sensitive files flow only where they should.

Secure. Automated. Auditable. Built for enterprise reality.