Enabling AEC Tenants on Egnyte: Seamlessly Unleash Comprehensive Project Data with E2E Connector

The AEC industry is heavily reliant on accurate and reliable information. Architects, engineers, builders, and owners all require instant access to data and documentation throughout the lifetime of a project, from inception to post-occupancy. In a project with numerous stakeholders, ensuring timely access to necessary information is crucial for all involved parties.

Challenge

Architects, engineers, contractors, and owners share a common challenge - managing multiple document repositories. The  limited visibility into project documents often results in stakeholders concentrating solely on their relevant scope of work. The result? A continuous hunt  for specific files and manual uploads of the latest versions whenever project information is requested by a stakeholder.

Solution

Egnyte has introduced an exciting and new cross-domain feature, enabling Egnyte platform tenants to seamlessly connect folders through one-way synchronization. The requirement for project folder handover during close-out is rendered obsolete thanks to the introduction of the E2E Connector. This feature establishes a seamless connection, ensuring access to the latest project documents for both Egnyte tenants. Users can easily upload files into another stakeholder's domain and seamlessly sync the document back into their domain or vice versa. Tenants can invite external partners to sync project documents, eliminating the arduous task of uploading files to multiple locations, thereby, reducing content sprawl. Moreover, this solution also extends its capabilities to joint venture projects, allowing for seamless synchronization of project folders and documents. In essence, the E2E Connector promotes streamlined document management and enhances collaboration efficiency for both Egnyte tenants and project stakeholders.

Let's Explore How it Works

To establish a connection, users with Secure & Govern (S&G) access need to navigate to the application. This can be achieved by selecting the checkerboard icon located at the top left corner of the WebUI.

Navigate to the "Settings" section and locate the recently added module called "Egnyte to Egnyte Connector". When you access the E2E Connecter module for the first time, you will notice that the dashboard is empty. To establish a new connection, select the option that says "[Add new]".

This will open a page where you can specify the parameters of your connection. Each parameter is detailed below:

• Job name: This is a string used to identify your E2E connection. 
• Source Domain: This is the Egnyte Collaborate instance in which you wish to share data from. Note: Only linked Egnyte domains will be available from this dropdown. To add or remove an Egnyte domain to this list, add or remove an Egnyte source from “Settings > Content Sources” in S&G.
• Destination Domain: This is the Egnyte tenant that you wish to share data with. If accepted, data will flow from the source domain and into the destination domain.
• Parent folder: This is where you will select the folder(s) that you want to share with the destination domain. After selecting the folder(s) that you wish to share, this will display the folder path to the selected folder(s).‍
• Optional Message: Once you create the request, admins of the destination domain will receive an email notification that contains this optional message.

After entering all the connection details, click on the [Create request] button located at the top right corner of the screen. This will trigger a notification to the admins of the destination domain, informing them about the pending E2E connection request.

Visual Indicators

Once the E2E connection is established, any folders that are syncing externally via an E2E connection will represent a unique (blue) appearance in the folder hierarchy.

This will act as a notification method for end users, indicating the flow of data into their E2E-connected folder or being shared externally.

In addition to the blue folder color, an E2E-connected folder status will be available from the “Status” column in the folder listing.

By hovering over the status icon, it provides users with a convenient way to assess the connections’ health via a tooltip. Further, clicking on the status icon grants authorized users the ability to view the shared domains associated with the folder.

Benefits

The E2E connector provides a wide range of advantages for any project stakeholder(s) in search of an all-encompassing project data set. Key benefits include:

• Smooth integration and collaboration among diverse stakeholders, guaranteeing effective communication and simplified workflows.
• Instant access to project data, enabling enhanced decision-making and superior project management.
• Improving data accuracy and integrity, reducing errors, and ensuring the dependability of a complete project dataset shared among all requisite parties.

In conclusion, the E2E Connector empowers Egnyte tenants to efficiently harness project data, resulting in heightened visibility, improved productivity, cost savings, and successful project outcomes.

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