UNIFI offers a few different options for sharing UNIFI content with other firms. In this article, we provide an overview of these options and share the advantages and disadvantages of each one. There are also helpful graphics at the end of this article to help you quickly see which option works best for you.
Adding Users to UNIFI User Management
One option you have for sharing is to add users to your firm’s UNIFI User Management as a user group. You could then grant or limit their access by adjusting the library permissions for that group.
The main benefit of this method is that it gives users access to UNIFI features such as content requests, library permissions, and the pending/approval process for uploaded content.
The possible disadvantage of this method is that it would contribute to your firm’s monthly active license account. However, some customers offset this cost by billing the sharing partner for this additional license usage charge.
Another advantage to adding users to your firm's UNIFI User Management is that content that is uploaded must be approved before it can be added. This prevents duplicates from being added to UNIFI (since UNIFI uses the name of the content to identify the revision being uploaded).
Sharing a UNIFI Library with Another UNIFI Customer
If the firm that you are working with is a UNIFI customer, then you could share your UNIFI library with them. When sharing a library, the companies that you share with also become admins of the library you share. This means that they can further manage who has access on their side as well as manage content requests and uploads. You may also use the “Protect Library” feature to make this library only editable by company admins (as opposed to both the company and library admins).
This method is often a great option when acquiring another firm and its content, as you can see the library separate in the shared libraries menu and still manage content from both sides.
Share Content Using Private Channels
If the firm that you are working with is a UNIFI customer, but you do not feel comfortable sharing a library, you could also request a Private Channel. This might be ideal if your firm is going to control and administer all of the content, but the firm that you are sharing with is simply a consumer of the content. Keep in mind that private channels are an additional cost to those owning the channel.
Quick Reference
Here is a visual to help you understand which of these methods would be best for you:
We’ve also included a table that covers specific needs and which option(s) would work best:
Requirement | Adding Users | Sharing Library | Private Channel |
Use your own license | X |
|
|
Each party must own their own license |
| X | X |
Additional hard cost to the content owner |
|
| X |
Allows downloads | X | X | X |
Allows uploads without approval |
| X |
|
Allows uploads with approval | X | X* |
|
Allows both sides to manage library | X | X |
|
Allows one side to manage library | X | X* | X |
Library protection (Company admin edit only) | X | X | X |
Allows for content requests | X | X |
|
Allows for group sharing | X | X | X |
*Requires library protection to be enabled allowing only company admin to approve edited content. Users can still upload but require approval.
If you have any questions on which option might be best for you, please do not hesitate to contact our support team.