Designing a Virtual Data Room
A Virtual Data Room (VDR) is a controlled online workspace for sharing sensitive documents with a defined audience. Files.com does not treat a VDR as one product object. You assemble it from folders, permissions, user or visitor access, sharing controls, and audit logs according to the relationship you have with the participants.
The first decision is whether each participant needs a Files.com account.
Choose The Access Model
| Participants and workflow | Recommended model |
|---|---|
| Known people who need recurring access, individual authentication, or access through Files.com apps and protocols | Users in a dedicated Group |
| Members of an outside organization that should be isolated and managed together | A Partner with Partner Users |
| Temporary participants who only need browser access to a defined set of documents | A secured Share Link |
| Visitors who only need to submit documents | An Inbox |
| Visitors who need to download source documents and return completed files separately | A Share Link with an associated Inbox |
Users And Groups
Create user accounts when participants need durable access rather than a temporary sharing session. Put the participants in a dedicated Group, grant that Group access only to the VDR folders, and manage membership as people join or leave the project. User accounts support individual authentication, two-factor authentication, notifications, and access through Files.com clients and protocols.
When the participants belong to an outside organization that will manage its own people, use a Partner instead of creating unrelated external users. The Partner gives the organization an isolated root folder and can delegate user administration to Partner Admins.
Share Links And Inboxes
Use a Share Link for time-limited, browser-based access when creating an account for every participant would add unnecessary administration. Configure the link's visitor permissions for previews, downloads, uploads, or full access. Then apply the security controls appropriate to the material, such as access control, an email-based one-time password, a password, recipient restrictions, and expiration.
Use an Inbox when participants should submit files without seeing what anyone else uploaded. To provide source documents and collect responses through the same page while keeping the folders separate, attach the Inbox to a download-only Share Link.
Support Document Collaboration
If participants need to edit business documents together, enable an online editor and review Co-Authoring and Collaboration. Share Link visitors need full access to use the online editor. Files opened through desktop programs or unsupported clients are not part of the same co-authoring session and can overwrite another editor's changes.
Plan Governance Before Opening The Room
Define the folder boundary, participant list, allowed actions, and expiration or offboarding process before sending invitations. Use the narrowest permissions that let participants complete their work.
For user-based rooms, review folder activity through History Logs. For visitor-based rooms, use Share Link access logs and audit reporting to review invitations, registrations, access, and file activity. Remember that revoking a Share Link stops access immediately, while changing the link owner's folder permission does not stop an existing link.