Why use link instead of attachment

The article highlights some reasons why one should avoid sending attachments.

Always share the latest version

  • Have you ever sent a file as an attachment and then immediately noticed a typo? By sharing links, you can go back in and edit the file itself before the recipient sees it.
  • Even better, you can continue to make changes and edits to the file over time, and  the recipient will always see the latest version when they use the link to access it. This is especially useful for files that a group co-authors. Instead of sending a document around, everyone can write on the same master version.

Limit the possibility of forwarding

There may be cases where you have a need for the information you share not to be able to be shared further. An easy way to achieve this is to use recipient links associated with an email address. When someone other than the recipient clicks on the link, the document will not be shared with them (as they don't have reading or editing permissions). This provides a good balance between ease of use and security.

Give the person only read rights to the document

It is not always that someone needs full rights to a document and that they need to edit the document. Sometimes the person you send to only needs to read the document, so why send the file? A better alternative would then be to send the person concerned a link that only allows one to read the document. By doing it this way, you as the sender add a layer of security around the content that is not possible with attachments.

Remove (revoke) the permission

There are occasions when you want to share information temporarily. This is often the case with information such as prices or an offer that may expire. By using links that automatically expire on a certain date, you prevent the file from being downloaded after a certain time. You can also adjust the parameters to a shorter duration or delete it completely.

Better security and management

This is perhaps the most important reason to use links instead of attachments. By using links, an advanced file system can information you want to share, so its sharing policies can prevent unauthorized sharing of sensitive information. With email attachments, this is only possible with complex data loss prevention (DLP) systems.

Reduser UiOs klimaavtrykk

Skylagring betyr at dataene ligger lagret p? servere ett eller annet sted i verden. Og disse serverne, de bruker str?m. Ofte ganske mye str?m. Dette er kanskje str?m som bedre kunne v?rt brukt til noe annet, og som i noen tilfeller dessverre kanskje ikke kommer fra rene energikilder.

Det er derfor viktig ? alltid tenke at dokumenter og bilder ikke b?r distribueres som vedlegg til e-post. Signaturer b?r v?re enkle, korte og uten bilde. Et bilde i signaturen tar kanskje mer lagringsplass enn resten av e-posten!

I denne sammenhengen kan en ogs? nevne at det sendes en god del un?dvendig e-post, som "Tusen takk!", "God helg!", "Supert!"/"Topp!" osv. 

Det er kanskje un?dvendig ? si, men slett spam! Alle disse un?dvendige e-posten krever ogs? lagringsplass.

P? UiO mottas det rundt 350.000 e-post p? UiO hver dag. Un?dvendige e-post, feil bruk av signaturer og bruk av vedlegg i stedet for lenke til en hovedversjon av et dokument blir dermed dyrere for UiO enn det trenger ? v?re og dessverre ikke klimavennlig.

 

 

 

Published Oct. 11, 2024 11:23 AM - Last modified Oct. 11, 2024 11:23 AM