How-to: Secure Exchange

EFS Secure Exchange is an optionally available add-on tool that facilitates the exchange of data between persons working together on an EFS survey:

• It allows various data required for conducting a survey, such as questionnaire drafts, lists of participants, checklists, and schedules, to be directly stored in and downloaded from the central EFS admin area. This facilitates the cooperation in large teams, between project participants in different locations, or between customer and project manager.

• You may upload files of any format, except for PHP and HTML. The maximum possible file size of the respective installation is displayed in the import dialog.

• Sensitive data are stored in the controlled-access admin area where they can be viewed and downloaded by authorized users only. Additionally, they can also be protected by password or completely blocked against modification or download. Unprotected data traffic via regular e-mail or complex encoding procedures are no longer necessary.

• There is a separate login for EFS Secure Exchange, usually located at https://www.your-domain.com/fm/. This will take you to an area entirely separated from the admin area, containing only the exchange files. By assigning the relevant rights you can determine which user teams are allowed to work in the admin area and which teams may use the separate login only.

• The management of access rights to stored files is based on the familiar EFS rights system.

• If data have to be frequently updated, assigning file statuses such as “active” or “obsolete” will help you keep track.

• All changes are documented in a history log. This allows you to keep tabs on who has uploaded, downloaded or deleted files from the server.

The following chapter explains how data exchange is performed using EFS Secure Exchange. After that, the next chapter explains how a project manager prepares the exchange process for the team members, i.e. how to create exchange teams, assign user teams, and configure their rights.