To give an external collaborator safe read-only access to project files, a detailing firm shares the specific folder through SharePoint or OneDrive with view-only permission, requires the outside user to sign in and use multi-factor authentication, limits the access to just what they need and for as long as the project runs, and removes it afterwards. Done this way, a fabricator or contractor can see the drawings they need without being able to change, delete or wander beyond them. For most firms this is part of managed IT at about £45 to £100 per user per month. Here is how it works.
Letting an outside party view your drawings is routine in detailing, but it has to be done so they can look without touching anything else. Here is how to give safe read-only access.
Share the right folder, read-only
Rather than emailing files around, share the specific project folder in SharePoint or OneDrive with view-only permission. The collaborator can open and download the drawings they need but cannot edit or delete them, and they see only that folder, not the rest of your project store. This keeps your authoritative files safe.
Make them sign in securely
Read-only access should still require the outside user to authenticate, ideally with multi-factor authentication through their own account, rather than an open link anyone could forward. That way you know who has access, access can be traced, and a shared link cannot quietly spread beyond the people you intended.
Limit scope and time
Give access to just the project in question, for the period it is needed. There is rarely a reason for an external party to have standing access to everything, indefinitely. Scoping access tightly, and to the life of the project, limits what a compromised or forgotten account could ever reach.
Help collaborators get connected
Outside users sometimes need a hand setting up the authenticator app or signing in for the first time, especially under time pressure. A provider who can quickly help a fabricator or contractor get secure access keeps the project moving, rather than leaving the detailer to troubleshoot someone else’s login.
Remove it when the project ends
When the job is done, the external access should be removed, and periodic reviews catch any that lingered. This stops a build-up of old permissions to outside parties, which is exactly the kind of forgotten access that turns into a security risk. A managed process keeps this tidy without anyone having to remember.
What to ask a provider
A specialist for steel detailers should be able to answer:
- Have you supported Tekla detailing practices and CAD firms, including their licensing, before?
- How do you keep our Tekla licences, workstations and model server running to a fabrication deadline?
- How do you let us share drawings and models securely with fabricators and contractors?
- What is your response time when Tekla is down and the whole team is stopped?
- Is the price clear and per user, with security included rather than charged separately?
Where to start
If you are not sure where your practice stands, a short review is the quickest way to find out: check that your Tekla licences are hosted reliably and not on a single neglected server, that your workstations and file server are sized for your models, that drawings are shared securely with MFA, and that your backups are tested. Those few checks show where a CAD-aware managed setup would pay off.
The bottom line
For a steel detailing firm, good IT is the difference between hitting a fabrication deadline and missing it. Tekla opens first time for every detailer, the model server stays fast even on the heaviest jobs, drawings reach fabricators securely, and the work is backed up so nothing is ever lost. The technology stays out of the way and the team gets on with detailing.
That reliability comes from a setup built around how detailers actually work, high-RAM workstations, properly hosted licences and models, and tested backups, rather than generic office IT. For a small practice whose whole output depends on a few CAD seats and one file server, a predictable per-user cost for that dependability is far cheaper than a day with the whole team locked out of Tekla.
Why steel detailers choose First Stop IT
First Stop IT has supported businesses since 2002, including engineering and design firms, and we understand how a steel detailing practice works: Tekla Structures, AutoCAD, Autodesk and Graitec licensing, high-RAM CAD workstations, large-model file servers, secure SharePoint project sharing with fabricators, and Datto backup for irreplaceable models. We support firms across Essex, Hertfordshire and London. Our credentials include:
- Cyber Essentials Certified
- IASME Cyber Assurance (Gold)
- NCSC Assured Service Provider (Cyber Advisor for Cyber Essentials)
- Microsoft Partner
- Crown Commercial Service Supplier (G-Cloud)
- Quality Principles Certified
We look after more than 2,000 endpoints across 50 companies, we have been named a Top 50 UK MSP for three years running, and we support organisations with 10 to 100 employees across Essex, Hertfordshire and London.
Book a free IT and cyber security review
Want to share models with fabricators securely and easily? Book a free IT and cyber security review with First Stop IT.