Limited access partners in Cognidox
Collaborating with Limited Access Partners Using Private Workspaces
Cognidox allows you to securely collaborate with external partners—like clients or suppliers—by combining Limited Access Groups with Private Workspaces. This setup ensures that each partner can only access their own documents and categories, with zero visibility into other parts of your system.
Collaboration Without Compromise
When working with multiple partners, you want to:
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Provide access to specific documents
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Prevent visibility into unrelated or internal materials
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Maintain complete separation between different partners
Private Workspaces paired with Limited Access Groups make this possible—without complex configuration or risk of data leakage.
The Partner Access Workflow
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Create Limited Access Groups – One per partner (e.g. AcmeCorp, MomCorp)
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Create a Private Workspace – A top-level “Partners” category
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Add partner groups to the workspace with assigned managers
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Create sub-categories for each partner within the workspace
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Assign group-specific security profiles to control document-level access
Step-by-Step: Setting Up Partner Access
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Create the Groups:
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Go to Group Management
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Create Limited Access Groups for each partner
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Assign users via upload (use the Cognidox user import spreadsheet)
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Designate group managers
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Create the Workspace:
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Make a new top-level category called “Partners”
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Open the Security tab → Private Workspace
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Add both partner groups, plus internal user groups if needed
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Assign at least two managers
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Click Update Private Workspaces
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Create Sub-Categories:
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One for each partner (e.g. “AcmeCorp Documents”)
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Inherit workspace visibility, or further restrict as needed
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Apply security profiles to control upload, approval, and review rights
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Testing Access and Visibility
After setup:
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Log in as a partner user (e.g. AcmeCorp)
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Should see only their own category on the homepage
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Should be unable to browse or search other folders
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Switch to another partner user (e.g. MomCorp)
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Will see only their own workspace
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Attempting to access another category or document will be denied
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Search behavior is limited to assigned workspaces
Even entering a direct document URL will not work unless the user is explicitly granted access.
Best Practices for Multi-Partner Setups
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Use clear naming conventions (e.g. “Partner – AcmeCorp”)
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Always set up groups before sub-categories
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Add backup workspace managers
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Regularly review group membership to ensure access accuracy
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Provide partners with direct links or navigation guides to avoid confusion
Further information
Other knowledge base articles
- Creating security profiles: the first of four articles on security profiles and user rights.
- Creating and managing user groups
- Limited access groups
- Private workspaces
Online help pages
There are plenty of help pages on this topic – just search for "security". Here are some examples: