B2B secure file exchange
B2B secure file exchange
Exchange sensitive business files without losing the thread
Give every business-to-business handoff a named recipient, a set access window and a record that stays with the exchange. Partners get a direct route, while your team keeps useful oversight.
A cleaner external handoff
A secure data exchange platform built around the business relationship
Cross-company sharing becomes difficult to defend when the recipient, access window and file history sit in separate tools. MX brings those decisions into one deliberate workflow.
Identify the recipient
Work with known internal and external users instead of anonymous public links.
Set exchange rules
Apply permissions, download conditions and an appropriate expiry window.
Move the complete file
Transfer sensitive or very large files without splitting the handoff across services.
Retain the evidence
Review uploads, access, downloads and pending recipient activity afterwards.
Both sides of the boundary
A B2B exchange has two experiences, and only one of them is yours.
Internal teams judge the route on control. The organization at the other end judges it on whether they could complete the task without calling you. Both verdicts decide whether the route survives contact with a deadline.
The sender
Needs to create the exchange quickly, apply the right conditions without deliberation and see confirmation that the material arrived.
The recipient
Needs to understand what they received, authenticate without support and know whom to contact if access fails.
The reviewer
Needs to answer a question months later without reconstructing the transaction from a mail thread and somebody's memory.
Recipient policy
Decide who can access the exchange before the file moves.
Named access keeps the intended audience explicit. MFA, permissions and expiry controls can add proportionate checks for more sensitive transactions.
Approved recipient identity
Access is associated with the people named for that transaction instead of whoever holds the link.
Defined access period
The availability window is a decision made at creation, not an oversight discovered months later.
Configurable download conditions
Restrict what a recipient can do with the material where the sensitivity justifies it.
Return upload route when required
Give the other organization a controlled path for sending material back.
Total traceability
One secure route. Every action connected.
A chronological record helps teams answer the practical questions that appear after a file crosses an organisational boundary: who was included, whether the latest package was collected and when access should end.
- Actions recorded around the file. Uploads, invitations, verifications and downloads sit together.
- Linked to one transaction. Related activity is not scattered across separate tools.
- Accountable recipients. The record shows who was authorized, not just that access occurred.
- Expiry applied. Availability closes on a decision instead of by neglect.
Design the B2B exchange
Build the route around the business relationship, not only the file.
A pricing workbook may reveal a negotiation, a design pack may contain intellectual property and a customer export may include personal information. Identify the relationship, the people allowed to take part and the point at which access should end before anybody uploads the first file.
Name the exchange owner
Give one person or team responsibility for the handoff. The owner should know why the files are moving, who approved the recipient list and when access is expected to close.
Separate participants from observers
A supplier contact who must download a specification needs different access from a colleague who only needs confirmation of delivery. Define each role before sending.
Match controls to sensitivity
Use stronger identity, availability and protection settings for commercial models, regulated records or valuable technical material, and keep the route usable for ordinary work.
Plan the recipient experience
External users should understand what they received, how to authenticate and what they are expected to do next. Remove unrelated workspace clutter.
From pilot to standard
Close with evidence, then turn the pattern into something departments can follow.
Completion is more than sending the file. Confirm whether the intended recipient accessed it, retain the relevant activity history and end availability when the purpose has been fulfilled. This creates a cleaner operational record for customer queries, supplier disputes, security reviews and internal assurance work.
Start with one recurring exchange that currently creates friction, such as monthly client reporting, supplier onboarding or a technical data handoff. Document the sender, recipient, file type, approval point, expected duration and evidence requirement. A focused pilot tests the controls against real behavior without redesigning every collaboration process at once.
Treating every transfer as a generic upload creates gaps between policy and behavior.
Once the pattern works, turn it into a short operating standard that departments can understand. State which exchanges belong in MX, who can create them, which settings are mandatory and how completed activity should be reviewed. The practical result is a B2B file exchange process that remains practical at the front end and explainable behind the scenes.
What the standard should answer
- Which exchanges belong here. Named examples from real departments, not an abstract classification chart.
- Who may create one. Including cover during absence, so urgent work does not fall back to email.
- Which settings are mandatory. A compact baseline is easier to train and audit than a catalogue of options.
- How activity is reviewed. Assign an owner and a rhythm instead of waiting for an incident.
- How to request an exception. A visible route is safer than an invisible workaround.
See it in your workflow
Replace improvised B2B handoffs with one controlled route.
Start with a seven-day trial for up to five users, or speak to the team about a larger deployment and governance requirements.