HOW TO: Creating a PGP FileShare Protected Folder

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How to create a PGP FileShare Protected Folder.

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This article provides step by step instructions to create a PGP FileShare folder.

PGP FileShare enables specific users to share protected files in a shared space, such as on a corporate file server, in a shared folder, or on removable media such as a USB drive.

The files are protected by encryption, but continue to appear as normal application filesNotepad, Microsoft Word, HTML, Microsoft Excel, and so on. Applications can directly read from and write to the files; the fact that the files are protected is transparent to the applications. Anyone else with access to the shared space can see the files, but they cannot read/use them.

To create a new PGP FileShare Protected Folder

1. Open PGP Desktop and click on the PGP FileShare Control Box. The PGP FileShare work area is displayed.

2. Do one of the following:

Drag the folder you want to be the Protected Folder to the field labeled Drag and Drop Folder Here, which opens the PGP FileShare Assistant and skips the step of specifying the Protected Folder.
Click Add Folder in the PGP FileShare Control Box or select FileShare > Add Folder. The Select Folder screen of the PGP FileShare Assistant is displayed.
Click Browse. Navigate to the folder with the files you want to include in the Protected Folder you are creating. To create an empty folder into which you will put the files you want to be part of the Protected Folder, click Make New Folder. Click OK to close the Browse For Folder dialog box.

3. Click Next. The Add Users screen is displayed

4. To add users for the Protected Folder you are creating, click the down arrow icon. A list of the keys on your keyring is displayed.

5. Select a user, and then click Add.

Note: If you want access to the contents of the Protected Folder, do not forget to add your own key. If you do not, you will not be able to use the files in the Protected Folder.

6. Do one of the following:

Click on a key in the Key source column and click Add.
Double-click on a key in the Key source column.
Drag keys from the Key source column into the Keys to add column.

Note: PGP NetShare does not automatically notify newly added members that they have been added to a Protected Folder as authorized users.

7. Click OK when you are finished with the User Selection screen.

8. To assign roles to each user, right-click the user's name and select the role:

Admin: Create only one Admin per PGP FileShare protected folder. This role has full read/write rights to the folder, can add and remove users, assign roles to other users, and can promote another user to be the Admin.
Group Admin: Create as many Group Admins as you need for each PGP FileShare protected folder. This role has full read/write rights to the folder, can add and remove users, and assign roles to other users.
User: Create as many Users as you need for each PGP FileShare protected folder. This role has full read/write rights to the folder.

You can change a user's role at any time after the protected folder is created. Click on the protected folder in the PGP Desktop, and right-click the user's name to change the role.

9. Click Next.

10. Select one private key from the private keys on the local keyring. This key will be used to sign the files that are protected by encryption in the Protected Folder.

11. Type the Passphrase for the key.

12. Click Next. The files in the specified Protected Folder are encrypted and the specified users are added as Authorized Users.

13. When the process is done, click Finish.