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Feature · Shared pools

The securealternative toSharePoint.

SharePoint is strong for the internal intranet but weak at secure exchange with external partners: Microsoft cloud, license lock-in, guest friction. SecureFiles pools give you shared file spaces where teams and external partners upload and download encrypted, without a Microsoft account, GDPR-compliant and hosted in Europe.

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SharePoint for external partners is friction

SharePoint plays to its strengths inside the intranet. As soon as external partners join, it gets tough. Four reasons.

Microsoft cloud and the CLOUD Act

Your files sit in the Microsoft cloud, potentially under US access via the CLOUD Act. For case, HR and health data that is a permanent GDPR concern.

External partners need accounts or guest access

The partner is supposed to upload a file and suddenly needs a Microsoft account or a guest access. Invitation, consent, permission, and it still often fails.

License and complexity costs

An M365 license per user, a permissions jungle, admin overhead. For plain file exchange with external partners that is a lot of overhead.

No real end-to-end protection

Encryption yes, but Microsoft holds the keys. For sensitive external collaboration the client-side control is missing.

Three steps to a secure shared file space

SecureFiles pools replace the external part of SharePoint: a shared, encrypted space, without the Microsoft cloud and without license lock-in for external partners.

1. Create a pool

You create a shared file space with a quota and retention period. One pool per project, engagement or supplier relationship.

2. Invite members and external partners

Internal colleagues and external partners join the pool via a link, without a Microsoft account. Roles and access stay in your hands.

3. Exchange securely

Everyone uploads and downloads encrypted, every action lands in the audit log. After the retention period, the content is cleaned up automatically.

What the SharePoint alternative delivers as standard

Not an intranet clone, but the secure shared file space for collaboration with external partners.

Shared file spaces (pools)

One shared space per project, engagement or partner. Several people upload and download, with clear attribution and overview.

No Microsoft account for external partners

Partners need no M365, no guest access, no OAuth chain. Open the link, collaborate, done.

End-to-end encrypted, EU hosting

TLS in transit, AES-256 at rest, key management in the EU. Infrastructure exclusively in the EU.

Quotas and retention per pool

A storage quota and a retention period per pool. After expiry it is cleaned up automatically, no data graveyard.

Audit log and access control

Who uploaded or downloaded what and when, with IP hash and timestamp. Roles and permissions stay traceable.

Branding, Outlook add-in, no M365 license

Your own logo and colors, direct access from Outlook, and all of that without a Microsoft 365 license for external collaboration.

Compared for external file exchange

SharePoint stays strong in the intranet. For secure exchange with external partners the comparison looks like this.

 
SecureFiles Pool
SharePoint / OneDrive
Data location
EU, German servers
Microsoft cloud, CLOUD Act risk
Account required for external partners
No, a link is enough
Microsoft account or guest access
End-to-end encryption
Your own S3 bucket in Germany possible
Microsoft holds the keys
License model
Usable without an M365 license
M365 license per user
Setup and operation
In minutes, no permissions jungle
Complex, admin-intensive
Audit log with IP hash
Standard
Only in higher plans

This comparison describes operation across a company. For individual users, encryption inside the client remains a workable solution.

Frequently asked questions about the SharePoint alternative

Is SecureFiles a full SharePoint alternative?
For secure file exchange with external partners and shared file spaces: yes. SecureFiles pools replace exactly the part where SharePoint struggles, collaboration with partners without a Microsoft account. What SecureFiles deliberately is not: an intranet with wikis, lists and workflows. For an internal intranet SharePoint stays strong, for external file exchange SecureFiles is the more secure, leaner choice.
Why replace SharePoint for external file exchange?
Because the external part causes the most friction: external partners need accounts or guest access, the data sits in the Microsoft cloud, and every share costs admin time. With SecureFiles external partners open a link, collaborate in the pool, and you keep data location, encryption and the audit log in your own hands.
Do external partners need a Microsoft account?
No. External partners join the pool via a link and upload or download, without M365, without guest access, without an OAuth chain. That is gone entirely, and with it the most common reason external SharePoint shares fail.
Where is the data stored?
Exclusively in the EU, on European infrastructure. No detour through the Microsoft cloud, no CLOUD Act risk. The data location is provable contractually and technically.
Is the SharePoint alternative GDPR-compliant?
Yes. TLS in transit and AES-256 at rest are standard. Every action in the pool is traceable via the audit log under GDPR Art. 30, IP addresses are hashed, and retention is configurable per pool. A DPA template is available on request.
Do I need a Microsoft 365 license?
No. SecureFiles pools work independently of Microsoft 365. You pay no M365 license per external partner and are not tied to the Microsoft license model.
How is a pool different from a single transfer?
A transfer is a one-off delivery to specific recipients. A pool is a persistent shared space where several people upload and download over time, with a quota, roles and retention. For ongoing projects and supplier relationships, the pool is the right tool.
Which industries is the SharePoint alternative suited for?
Anywhere teams share files with external partners on an ongoing basis: law firms with case files, engineering offices with drawings, procurement with suppliers, agencies with clients, public authorities with project partners. Whenever a shared, secure file space is needed, without pulling every external partner into Microsoft 365.

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Verschlüsselter Dateiversand nach Art. 32 DSGVO und NIS-2.

Sicherer Posteingang

Dateien sicher empfangen — persönlicher Upload-Link für Externe.

Große Dateien per Outlook

Outlook-Anhang zu groß? Direkt aus Outlook verschlüsselt versenden.

Datei-Upload-Formular

Dokumente strukturiert anfordern, geführte Checkliste statt E-Mail-Ping-Pong.

Your secure shared file space, without the Microsoft cloud.

Demo in 30 minutes. Free pilot phase. External collaboration that does not fear GDPR.

Request a demoSecureFiles in detail