OpenCloud Spaces: Team folder with smart authorization management

Imagine you are the bouncer of a club. You have the key, let guests in and decide who gets access. But what happens when you leave? The club is either left empty - or worse: locked, with all the guests inside.

A similar problem exists in most cloud environments: Users have their own area for personal files and collaborate with other users via shares. Sounds sensible at first - you can store everything you need and share it with others as required. But this is exactly where the problem lies. What happens if someone leaves the company or changes department? The shared files still belong to that one person. If they leave, the data is gone - or has to be laboriously rescued.

And who has to pay for it? Usually the administrators. That's where the tickets end up because authorizations have to be checked, data backed up and transferred to someone. And if that person leaves? It starts all over again.

Our OpenCloud Spaces solve exactly this problem. Instead of tying files and folders to individual users, they belong to the organization. And the best thing is that anyone who leaves can simply appoint a successor - no data migration, no stress, no support ticket. For administrators, this means fewer support requests, less manual work - and a cloud that finally feels like teamwork.

This article shows how OpenCloud Spaces works, what roles and rights there are and how teams can manage their data securely and independently - without additional work for IT.

Team folders in OpenCloud: How to use Spaces for shared files

Spaces are designed so that you can always find exactly the right files in the right place - without having to search your way through personal folders or chaotic shares. Getting started with Spaces is easy. You can find your Spaces directly in the OpenCloud interface: Open the menu and click on Spaces in the left bar - here you can see all the areas you have access to. If other users have added you to an existing Space, it will automatically appear in your overview.

Click on New Space to create a new Space and enter the name in the field that opens. Done. If you are the administrator of a Space, you can use the context menu (accessible via the right mouse button or the button with the three vertical dots) to show members, download the Space as a packed zip file, rename it, duplicate it and more. Here you will also find functions to customize the description or subtitle or to set an image or icon. Photos or emojis help you to recognize the Space in the overview at first glance.

If you are the administrator of a Space, you can add new people or change the access rights of team members via the context menu / Members. In the next section, we will take a look at how exactly the roles work.

Who can do what? Roles and rights in OpenCloud Spaces

In a club, the bouncer decides who is allowed in - and who is not. This is exactly how it works in OpenCloud Spaces, with one crucial difference: there is not just one bouncer, but several roles with clearly defined rights.
Everyone who has access to a space is assigned one of three roles:

• Can view: Users with this role can view documents, images and PDFs.
• Can edit: Users with this role can not only view and download files, but also upload new ones and edit, add and delete existing ones. Users also have access to the file history and can restore older versions.
• Can manage: This role includes all the rights of "Can edit" - plus the ability to share the Space, add or remove members and assign roles.

To add new members to a Space, open the desired Space, click on Members in the context menu and enter the person's name in the Search field. Then open the Can display drop-down menu and select the desired role. You can find detailed instructions in the official OpenCloud documentation.

Manage storage space efficiently: How to set quotas in OpenCloud Spaces

Space administrators are responsible - not only for access rights, but also for ensuring that the space does not "overflow". Large files in particular, such as high-resolution videos or large data packages, can quickly fill up the storage - with an appropriate quota, teams can keep an overview.
When you manage a Space, you can adjust the quota at any time. To do this, click on Change quota, either select a preset size or enter an individual storage size and confirm the change. This leaves enough space for all relevant data without individual files using up the entire storage quota.

Privacy and security: Privacy-first with OpenCloud Spaces

In OpenCloud Spaces, the protection of sensitive data is the top priority. Even administrators do not have access to content unless they have been explicitly added as a member of a space. The zero knowledge principle ensures that no one outside the authorized team can access files.

Administrators can, however, see all Spaces on the instance, even if they are not a member. In the admin settings under Spaces, they can see a complete list of all Spaces, while regular users can only see the Spaces to which they have access.

What admins cannot see, however, is the content of the Spaces. They can only see the basic metadata, including:

• Name of the space
• Who manages the space
• Number of members
• When something was last changed
• Quota used
• Total quota

This information is important for managing memory usage. For example, if a space has been unused for two years, admins can ask team members whether they still need the storage space or whether they should clean it up.

Shared data, clear responsibilities

With OpenCloud Spaces, the chaos surrounding shared folders is a thing of the past. Data stays with the team, not with individuals. If you are the administrator, you can raise others to the same level or demote them - this brings flexibility, but also responsibility. This works extremely well in well-organized teams because control over access rights is spread across several shoulders. Whoever leaves simply appoints a successor - no data loss, no stress, no support ticket. This is how collaboration in the cloud works.

Would you like to use OpenCloud in your IT environment or do you have questions about the best solution for your team? Contact our sales team - we'll be happy to help!