If you’re trading contracts, pricing sheets, or sensitive specs with another company, sloppy document sharing can blow up a deal—or worse, land you in hot water. This guide is for B2B teams who want to keep their files safe and their process sane in Buyerassist—without the usual corporate fluff.
We’ll walk through the nuts and bolts: how to share documents in Buyerassist, what actually makes a difference for security, and the stuff you can safely ignore. Whether you’re in sales, procurement, or just the person who always gets stuck with “document duty,” you’ll leave with a setup that’s both secure and not a giant headache.
Step 1: Understand the Risks Before You Hit “Share”
Before you start uploading, get clear on what’s at stake. Most B2B deals involve sensitive data—pricing, contracts, NDAs, even confidential IP. If these leak, it’s not just embarrassing; it can be expensive, or even kill a partnership.
What can go wrong? - Files get sent to the wrong party (think: wrong email, wrong permissions). - Documents are downloaded and forwarded outside your control. - Old versions stick around after a deal is done. - Access lingers for ex-employees or expired accounts.
Not all “security” features are equal. Focus on what prevents real-world mistakes, not just what looks good on a checklist.
Step 2: Set Up User Access and Permissions Properly
Buyerassist lets you share documents with teammates, clients, or partners. But if you just add everyone willy-nilly, you’re asking for trouble.
How to do it: - Use roles and groups: Assign people only the access they need. Sales doesn’t need finance docs, and vice versa. - Review default sharing settings: Don’t trust defaults. Double-check who gets access when you upload or create a folder. - Limit external access: Only invite users from outside your company when absolutely necessary, and restrict what they can see or do. - Set expiration dates: For critical files, set access to expire after a set time or milestone.
Pro tip: Do a quarterly “access audit.” Remove anyone who’s left the project or company. It’s boring, but it’s how leaks happen.
Step 3: Use Buyerassist’s Built-in Security Features (But Don’t Overtrust Them)
Buyerassist has a bunch of built-in security tools. Some are genuinely useful, some are just there to tick boxes for sales demos.
Actually useful features: - Granular permissions: Control who can view, edit, download, or share each file or folder. - Audit trails: See who accessed what, and when. This is gold if you ever need to backtrack a mistake. - Two-factor authentication (2FA): Require it for all users. If someone complains, remind them that weak passwords are why we can’t have nice things.
What to ignore: - “Military-grade encryption” marketing: Most SaaS tools encrypt data in transit and at rest. It’s table stakes, not a differentiator. - Overly complex watermarking: Watermarks can help, but if your process grinds to a halt because of them, it’s not worth it.
Watch out: No tool can stop someone from screenshotting a document or copying text. Tech helps, but trust and controls matter too.
Step 4: Control What Gets Shared (And How)
Don’t just dump your whole contract folder into Buyerassist. Think about who actually needs what, and when.
Best practices: - Organize by deal or project: Create folders for each deal, not a giant “shared” folder for everyone. - Share links with care: If you use “shareable links,” always require authentication. Public links are a security leak waiting to happen. - Restrict downloads: For sensitive docs, allow online viewing only. It’s not bulletproof, but it slows down accidental leaks.
Pro tip: If you’re sharing something you’d hate to see on the front page of the internet, double-check permissions, then ask yourself: does this person really need this file?
Step 5: Stay On Top of Version Control
Nothing’s more dangerous than old, outdated documents floating around. Out-of-date specs can cause confusion, and old contracts can end up in the wrong hands.
How to manage versions: - Use Buyerassist’s versioning: Upload new versions instead of creating new files with “FINAL_v3_REALLYFINAL.pdf” in the name. Makes it easier to track what’s current. - Lock old versions: Archive or restrict access to previous versions so people don’t grab the wrong file by mistake. - Communicate changes: Notify collaborators when a new version is live. Don’t rely on people to notice on their own.
Step 6: Have a Process for Removing Access When the Deal’s Done
Most leaks happen after the project ends and no one remembers to clean up. Don’t be that company.
Checklist: - Revoke external access: Remove partners or clients who no longer need to see documents. - Delete or archive old folders: Don’t leave old deals lying around for years. - Remove users who’ve left: This is an IT 101 move, but you’d be surprised how often it’s missed.
Pro tip: Put a calendar reminder to do this every quarter, or after every big deal closes.
Step 7: Train (and Remind) Your Team
Even the fanciest security features can’t fix basic human error. Most leaks come down to someone clicking the wrong button or sharing with the wrong person.
How to keep people sharp: - Short, regular reminders: No one reads 40-page policies. Send a quarterly email with the top 3 things to remember. - Show real examples: If you hear about a close call, anonymize it and share the lesson. Makes it real. - Make it easy to ask questions: People are more likely to ask before they make a mistake if you’re approachable about security.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
Worth your time: - Setting up permissions carefully at the start. - Using audit logs and version control. - Scheduling regular cleanup.
Not worth your time: - Overcomplicating things with dozens of permission levels no one understands. - Relying on tech alone—people make mistakes, and no tool can fix that. - Obsessing over security features you’ll never actually use.
Ignore the hype: If a feature feels more like a sales pitch than something you’d use, skip it. Focus on basics you can actually maintain.
Keep It Simple, Review Often
You don’t need a PhD in cybersecurity to keep your B2B docs safe in Buyerassist. Get the basics right: strong permissions, regular cleanup, and a little common sense go a long way. Set yourself up with a simple, repeatable process, and adjust as you learn what works for your team.
Security is never “done”—but it doesn’t have to be a full-time job. Start simple, review regularly, and you’ll avoid the worst headaches down the road.