Define your use case
For a successful implementation, take the time to consider your enterprise requirements, then to plan and design which Aspera on Cloud resources and strategies will achieve your goals.
Consider the following questions.
- Are you creating a multi-tenant implementation, in which the various entities that will be using Aspera on Cloud are completely separate from each other, and require maximum compartmentalization and privacy?
- Is there need for collaboration among various teams, or only within teams?
- Is there need for organization members to collaborate with people outside the organization? If yes, how much control or freedom do you want your users to have in collaborating with outside users?
- Is the scenario predominantly to ingest files?
- Will users be collaborating iteratively on content in shared folders in a repository?
- Are you expecting that various and diverse users will be submitting files for further processing or publication?
Ingest from multiple collaborators
If your Aspera on Cloud usage is focused on ingest of files and folders from multiple collaborators, use a single workspace, enable the Packages app, and configure multiple shared inboxes. Shared inboxes provide separation of projects, assets, and participants. Grant membership in specific shared inboxes to specific workspace members, configuring one or more inbox permissions as required for each user:
- Send: Can send packages to the shared inbox
- Receive: Can browse and download packages sent to the inbox
- Add users: Can add a new member to the inbox, granting Send only permission to the new member
With Add users permission, shared inbox members can invite users outside the workspace or outside the organization to become members of the inbox with Send only privilege for a 'blind drop' to the inbox.
Each shared inbox can have discrete or overlapping membership, discrete branding, collaboration settings, metadata fields, workflows, and notifications, and can be tailored for various uses:
- Ingest for a specific project or project phase
- Ingest from a specific client
- Ingest from a specific user
- Ingest from internal users
- Ingest from external users
Using the Packages app to send and receive digital packages creates an traceable trail of delivery, contents, and recipients, since each package is an immutable, original record of the transfer.
Delivering and accessing content using a shared folder structure
If your users need to collaborate iteratively on a structured set of content items, you can use the Files app, configure the required folders, and share them with your users. Collaboration conventions among team members can mean that the latest version of certain content is always available in a given location. This structure can also be used to distribute files and folders to users in diverse locations, who can be granted browse and download permission to the required folders. Email notifications alert users when new content is available.
Distributing assets to large groups of recipients
Similar to the ingest scenario, use a single workspace, enable the Packages app, and configure multiple, uniquely branded shared inboxes. Give asset creators Submit permission to the shared inbox; give the recipient list Receive permission. Asset creators submit immutable digital packages containing any number of assets of any size, from any source or location; each recipient receives a separate copy of the package to download for further processing or distribution.
Alternatively, add aligned recipients into groups; asset creators can address digital packages to these groups. Addressing groups can provide additional simplicity to content delivery since senders can address multiple groups and multiple individual recipients in the same send operation, whereas senders to a shared inbox cannot address additional recipients or groups in the same send operation.
Collaborating with users with limited storage access
You may find a need to collaborate with users who have access only to certain storage locations or types. In this scenario, you can use the Files app to create a folder structure on the appropriate storage, posting the shared content to the required portion of the folder structure. The intended recipients receive email notification that new or revised content is available in the location they can access.