Organizations frequently need to collaborate with external personnel who contribute to investigations without requiring full access to case information. Information Sharing users provide a secure mechanism for assigning and tracking work while maintaining strict control over access to sensitive data.
OWL supports this by allowing organizations to create external users dedicated to task execution, ensuring that they only access information required to complete their assigned work.
Information Sharing users are a specialized type of External Collaborator intended for task-based collaboration. Unlike standard External Collaborators, they are not added to cases directly. Instead, they are assigned tasks that allow them to collaborate with internal investigators by updating task information and providing supporting documentation.
This helps organizations across multiple industries to...
- Insurance Claims Investigations – Assign external adjusters or investigators to verify claims, collect supporting documents, conduct interviews, and update task progress without granting access to the complete claim or case.
- Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Cases – Break complex fraud investigations into manageable tasks, assign them to internal or external specialists, and monitor completion from a centralized workspace.
- Criminal Investigations – Assign activities such as evidence collection, witness interviews, surveillance, intelligence gathering, and forensic analysis to authorized external personnel while maintaining secure access controls.
- Multi-Agency Investigations – Coordinate investigative tasks across partner agencies, track progress, share supporting documents, and ensure each participant only has access to their assigned work.
Information Sharing users can:
- View tasks assigned to them.
- Update task progress (except marking tasks as completed, based on permissions).
- Upload supporting documents and evidence.
- Add notes and comments to assigned tasks.
- View scheduled events assigned to them.
- Access assigned work through My Assigned Tasks, Calendar View, and Agenda View.
Information Sharing users cannot:
- Be added as Case Collaborators.
- Create or manage cases.
- Modify their assigned access rights.
- Be assigned Read-only access.
When an Information Sharing user is created, the Access Rights field is automatically set to Write and cannot be modified.
How it Interacts with Other Features / Functionality / Modules
Information Sharing users integrate with the following OWL modules:
| Module / Feature | Interaction with Information Sharing Users |
|---|---|
| Tasks Manager | Information Sharing users receive assigned tasks, update task progress, upload supporting documents, and add task notes. Authorized users assign tasks through this module. |
| Calendar View | Displays tasks and scheduled events assigned to the Information Sharing user in a calendar format. |
| Agenda View | Provides a chronological view of all assigned tasks and scheduled events. |
| Information Sharing Workspace | Serves as the primary workspace where Information Sharing users manage assigned tasks, update progress, upload document, add notes, and view task details. |
| Notifications | Sends task assignment and task update notifications through the configured notification channels (Email, SMS, or Web UI), if enabled by the administrator. |
| User Management | Allows administrators to create Information Sharing users directly without requiring the External Collaboration approval workflow. |
Create an Information Sharing License User
Regular users can create Information Sharing users from the Collaboration module, under Manage External Collaborators.
When created through the Collaboration module, the Information Sharing user is treated as an external collaborator and must go through the external collaboration approval workflow. When created through User Management, an Administrator can create the user directly without requiring approval.
- Navigate to the Collaboration menu in the OWL header and hover over External Collaborator.
- Select Manage External Collaborator.
- You will be taken to the Manage External Collaboration page.
- The page displays all active agencies that have been created under your account.
- Choose the agency to which you want to add an external collaborator or click Add External Agency to create a new agency and add collaborators at the same time.
- On the Add External Agency page, enter all required agency information—such as agency name, phone number, and address.
- In the same form, provide the required collaborator details: first name, last name, phone, mobile, email, expiration date, department, Collaborator Type, language, time zone, and access rights.
- The Collaborator Expiration Date determines how long the user will remain active in OWL. This date cannot exceed the expiration date of their external collaborator subscription.
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The Collaborator Type determines the type of external user that will be added to the organization.
Information Sharing – These users are intended for task-based collaboration and are automatically assigned Write access. Since Information Sharing users are responsible for updating assigned tasks, uploading evidence or supporting documents, adding notes, and updating task progress, the Access Rights field is fixed to Write and cannot be modified when the Information Sharing collaborator type is selected.
- The Access Rights dropdown includes two options—Write or Read—which control whether the collaborator can create new records or only view case information. (See below for access and feature details.)
- The Department selection determines which department the collaborator will be associated with. Department supervisors for the selected department will be responsible for reviewing and approving the collaborator’s details. The dropdown displays departments based on those available to the logged-in user.
- Language and Time Zone can be set according to the collaborator’s preferred settings.
- The collaborator’s email and mobile number must be unique and must not match any existing OWL user information.
8. To add more than one collaborator at once, use the + Add Collaborator(s) link above the Save button.
9. After completing all required fields, click Save.
10. You will return to the Manage External Collaboration page, where the newly created agency will appear.
11. Select the agency to view its details, including the collaborators you added. Newly added external collaborators will initially appear with a Pending Approval status.
The collaborator request is submitted for approval and initially appears with a Pending Approval status.
Notes
- Email address and mobile number must be unique.
- The collaborator expiration date cannot exceed the external collaborator subscription expiration date.
- Information Sharing users always receive Write access and cannot be assigned Read access.
After submission, the request is routed to the appropriate Department Administrator or Supervisor. The collaborator remains in Pending Approval until reviewed. Once approved, the Information Sharing user becomes active and can access the Information Sharing workspace.
Once the user is created, OWL sends an onboarding email containing a temporary password. The user must complete the password-reset process before signing in to the OWL Collaborator Portal.
Assign Tasks to an Information Sharing User
Once an Information Sharing user has been approved through the Collaboration workflow or created through User Management, they can be assigned tasks by authorized users using the Create Task feature in the Tasks & Calendar Manager.
Steps
- Navigate to Tasks & Calendar.
- Click + Task.
- Enter the required task details, including the Task Name and Task Description.
- In the Assignment & Dates section:
- Select the Task Owner.
- Choose the appropriate Department.
- In the Assigned To field, select the approved Information Sharing user.
- Set the Priority, Status, and Due Date.
- Link the task to a Case, Subject, Case and Subject, or create it as a Standalone Task, as required.
- (Optional) Add task steps, reminders, attachments, and investigation notes.
- Click Add to create the task.
Important
Standard tasks support assigning multiple users. However, when an Information Sharing user is selected in the Assigned To field, only one Information Sharing user can be assigned to the task. Multiple Information Sharing users cannot be assigned to the same task.
After Task Assignment
Once the task is created, it is immediately available in the Information Sharing user's workspace and can be accessed from:
- Task Dashboard
- Calendar View
- Agenda View
The Information Sharing user can:
- View task details.
- Update task progress.
- Add task notes.
- Upload supporting documents.
- View assigned calendar events related to the task.
Information Sharing users are limited to working only on tasks assigned to them. They cannot create or manage cases and cannot be added as case collaborators.