How do I share documents securely?
Penn offers two services that allow faculty and staff to securely share documents.
Secure Share
These are the main features of Secure Share:
- Users may upload and download files via Secure Share and the application ensures that files reach only the intended recipients.
- Files are encrypted when they are uploaded, downloaded, and while being stored, and the system sends e-mail notifications to designated recipients when files are available for retrieval.
- Files are automatically deleted after they are retrieved by a designated recipient; files that are not retrieved within 30 days are deleted from the system.
- Secure Share is not designed to be a document storage facility
- Available to all Penn faculty and staff with a valid PennKey and PennKey Password.
Secure Space
These are the main features of Secure Space:
- Enables faculty and staff engaged in collaborative activities to securely share files with colleagues at Penn and other institutions
- A secure, local alternative to "cloud"-based commercial options such as DropBox and BaseCamp.
- Files are encrypted in transit and at rest, and all data are held at Penn, reducing some of the risks associated with commercial, cloud-based services.
- A free space option that will meet the needs of many teams or projects, and a more robust paid option, with fees based on actual usage.
Visit the main Secure Space website for more details and information about pricing.
Which Service Should I Use?
Use Secure Share to securely send a single document to one or more colleagues who have Pennkeys.
Use Secure Space to collaboratively share files (similar to Dropbox) with colleagues who have a Pennkey or external credentials.