eSHARE Trusted Sharing for Teams Chat

The eSHARE Trusted Sharing for Teams Chat app is an add-on to eSHARE Collaborate that allows Teams users to share files with external users via Teams chat, confident that the external users will be able to securely access the shared content. The insertion of a native M365 link in a chat with external users causes the app to create a Trusted Share and provide the share link to all chat participants via a chat message.

The Problem

Microsoft Teams is increasingly being used for collaboration with external parties. This collaboration in many cases requires the sharing of files. Unfortunately, this file sharing usually occurs outside of Teams, often via emailed attachments. There are multiple reasons for this.

1. The ability to attach files in chats with external users using the 'Plus' (+) button is a feature that needs to be explicitly enabled by a Teams administrator using PowerShell commands. It is disabled by default.
2. Even if attachments are enabled, the ability to apply the permission "People in this chat with the link can view/edit" requires the external user to have a guest account, which many organizations don’t allow or greatly limit. The alternative to this is to allow sharing with the Anyone permission, which most organizations don’t allow.
3. Native M365 links (e.g., obtained via Copy Link) can always be pasted into a chat; there is no way for the org to prevent this. However, most organizations prevent those links from being accessible to external users without guest accounts.

The net result is that Teams users are generally unable to share files with the external users.

The Solution

Organizations who have deployed eSHARE Collaborate understand how it seamlessly integrates with M365, enabling secure and brand-safe sharing of files stored in SharePoint and OneDrive. With the eSHARE Trusted Sharing for Teams Chat app, Trusted Sharing is now extended to include Teams chat, including Teams meetings.

When a native M365 link from SharePoint or OneDrive file/folder is pasted into a pending message in a 1-on-1, group or meeting chat where there is an external recipient, the app immediately modifies the pending message to announce its presence and describe why and how a Trusted Share will be created. This share creation action can be canceled by the user by closing the card that is inserted by the app into the pending message. An example is shown below.

If Trusted Share creation is not cancelled by the user, the app inserts a message into the chat that includes the reason for the share creation along with share details (i.e., file/folder name, Trusted Share link, and sharer name). The eSHARE app is identified as the entity posting message.

As with all eSHARE Trusted Shares, users benefit in multiple ways.

• Secure sharing of files stored in SharePoint and OneDriveusing the native M365 UI improves user productivity

• No data duplication, as shared files are always and only stored in M365

• Branded external recipient web portal to instill trust and the prevent recipient link blocking experienced with point solutions and M365 itself

• Enables highly-governed, link-based external file sharing from closed M365 tenants

• Real-time, label-driven controls prevent oversharing at the time of sharing by internal users and data access by recipients

• Delivers governance guardrails without compromising productivity or security (e.g., recipient justification for sensitive file downloads)

Contact us to find out how eSHARE Trusted Sharing for Teams Chatcmaximizes M365's potential, allowing organizations to collaborate without compromise.