What is a shared inbox?

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An Aspera on Cloud Packages app shared inbox is an optional workspace feature similar to a drop box: you can send content directly and simultaneously to all members of the shared inbox without having to address it to particular users or user groups.

An Aspera on Cloud administrator or workspace manager creates the shared inbox, then designates members of the shared inbox from among the workspace members; each member has specific permissions to the inbox.

You as an individual user in the workspace may have membership in one or more shared inboxes, or in none. You may have different permissions in each shared inbox. Your permissions may be different than the permissions of other shared inbox members.

Am I a member of a shared inbox?

Find your shared inboxes, if any, as follows:

  • For inboxes to which you have Receive or Add users permission:
    • Click Inboxes in the left panel. Any inboxes in the list that are not labeled My Inbox are your shared inboxes. Click the shared inbox name to display the content in that shared inbox only.
    • Click Send files, then click in the To field of the form to display all shared inboxes to which you can send packages.
  • For inboxes to which you have only Send permission, click Send Files, then click the Recipient field of the form to display the list of shared inboxes to which you can send packages.

When you send a digital package to a shared inbox, you send to all members of that shared inbox simultaneously; each shared inbox member receives their own copy of the content you included in the package. As with all package sending in Aspera on Cloud, sending content to a shared inbox initiates a transfer, which you can monitor in the Transfer monitor if you wish.

Metadata

The Aspera on Cloud administrator or workspace manager can configure metadata fields for each shared inbox, and can make these fields either optional or required. When present, these fields allow senders to apply metadata tags to packages they send to a shared inbox; these tags provide information about package contents without requiring the recipient to open the package, and allow shared inbox members to search and sort packages easily. If any metadata data fields are required, you cannot send the package without addressing the required field.

Permissions

Shared inbox members may have one or more access permissions (configured by the Aspera on Cloud administrator or the workspace manager) to a given shared inbox; users see the shared inboxes they have at least one permission to in the list of all inboxes on the left side panel.

  • Send: Members with Send permission can send packages to the shared inbox.
    • Click Send files; in the form that displays, click the To field to display a list of shared inboxes to which you have Send permission.
    • See Sending: Detailed procedure.
    • Members with only Send permission cannot see contents or receive packages from this shared inbox.
  • Receive: These members can access packages sent to the shared inbox.
    • In the list of all inboxes on the left side panel, click the shared inbox name; packages in the shared inbox display.
    • Members with only Receive permission cannot send a package (upload files or folders) to the shared inbox.
  • Add users: These members can invite others to send packages to the shared inbox.
    • In the list of all inboxes on the left side panel, click the shared inbox name.
    • In the Collaboration panel on the right, look for the Add button; if present, this member has Add permission to this shared inbox.
    • See Request a package to a shared inbox for details.