Put an End to Document Chaos. Share Files Securely with AITEZA Relay

Ten emails with different attachments, a download link for larger files that expired after just three days, and additional documents stored in OneDrive or SharePoint. Anyone who regularly works with customers, suppliers, and external project partners knows the situation.

Documents are exchanged through different channels, multiple file versions accumulate, and keeping track quickly becomes difficult. Which documents have already been shared? Which version is the latest? Are important files still missing? And who actually has access to which information?

This becomes particularly challenging in engineering and industrial projects, where extensive technical documentation, planning documents, and test reports are exchanged between several companies.

This is exactly where AITEZA Relay comes in.

Instead of distributing documents across countless emails and download links, companies can provide customers and business partners with centralized, controlled access to their AITEZA data rooms. External partners can view, download, and, with the appropriate permissions, upload documents themselves, without needing their own AITEZA account.

But Relay goes one step further. Shared documents can also be searched using artificial intelligence. Rather than manually searching through individual files, customers and project partners can ask the AI questions directly and verify the answers using the provided source references.

What used to be a fragmented exchange of documents becomes a centralized, controlled way of working together.

Using a typical engineering project as an example, we will show how AITEZA Relay works and what it offers for secure document sharing.

One Central Place for Document Sharing

Many companies already have systems for storing and sharing documents. Nevertheless, exchanging files with external business partners often involves several different platforms.

The customer prefers SharePoint, the supplier sends files by email, and the engineering company receives large documentation packages through a download link.

AITEZA Relay brings this exchange together in one central location.

Companies can share an existing AITEZA data room with selected external users. Invited guests receive a personal link and can access the documents made available to them.

No additional AITEZA registration is required. To sign in, guests receive a six-digit security code by email, which remains valid for ten minutes.

Depending on their permissions, they can view, download, and upload documents.

The company decides which features are available and how long access remains active.

A Practical Example from Engineering

An engineering company is responsible for planning a new industrial facility. The project requires a wide range of documents, including technical specifications, existing plant drawings, electrical schematics, safety data sheets, inspection reports, and documentation from various manufacturers.

The client provides the initial documents. As planning progresses, additional files are added, drawings are revised, and external suppliers contribute further technical information.

Without a central system for exchanging documents, different document versions, additional questions, and confusing email conversations quickly become part of everyday project work.

How Collaboration Works with Relay

The engineering company or client creates an AITEZA data room for the project and enables Relay.

The relevant project participants are then invited. Each guest receives individual access to the shared documents.

New project documents can be added directly to the data room. External partners can also upload their own files if they have been granted permission.

For example, a supplier can provide an updated technical data sheet or inspection report without sending another email attachment.

The internal project team can see newly uploaded files and review them before approving them for further processing in AITEZA.

Changes to existing documents can also be tracked.

This gives everyone involved a shared point of access to project documentation instead of having to collect information from different communication channels.

The same approach can be used when working with machinery manufacturers, utility companies, external technical experts, legal advisors, or industrial suppliers. Find out here how AITEZA can support your industry.

Which Documents Can Be Shared with AITEZA Relay?

Not every project consists entirely of PDF files. Engineering projects in particular involve a wide variety of document types.

AITEZA supports the processing of several common file formats, including

• PDF documents, including scanned documents
• Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files
• OpenDocument files
• Text files, CSV, and Markdown
• Image files such as JPG, PNG, and TIFF
• Archives such as ZIP, TAR, and 7z

Additional file formats can also be exchanged through AITEZA Relay. This is particularly useful in engineering, where CAD drawings, for example, can be uploaded and downloaded.

It is important to distinguish between exchanging a file and processing its contents in AITEZA. While CAD files can be shared and downloaded through Relay, their contents currently cannot be processed for AI-powered search. Other supported document formats can be processed and searched directly in AITEZA.

Executable files and scripts are generally not accepted through external Relay uploads.

Are There Any File Size Limits?

Relay is designed to handle large documentation packages.

Individual files can be up to 10 GB in size. Each guest can upload up to 1,000 files, with a total storage limit of 100 GB. The overall storage capacity per Relay is also 100 GB.

In addition, up to 100 folders can be created, with a maximum folder depth of three levels.

This makes it possible to organize and share even extensive technical documentation in a structured way.

How Secure Is Document Sharing with AITEZA Relay?

When exchanging technical project documents, contracts, or confidential business information with external partners, companies need to know exactly who has access and what happens to uploaded files.

AITEZA Relay provides several security measures to address these concerns.

Data Storage and Data Sovereignty with AITEZA

When dealing with confidential business documents, secure transmission is only one part of the equation. It is equally important to know where the data is stored and processed.

AITEZA offers different deployment options. Most of our customers choose a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) hosted by a German provider. Alternatively, AITEZA can be operated in our SaaS cloud or directly on a company’s own infrastructure (on-premises).

This allows companies to choose the infrastructure that best meets their data protection and data sovereignty requirements. Documents exchanged through AITEZA Relay are transferred via the respective AITEZA instance, where they are centrally managed and made accessible to authorized business partners.

Especially when using a VPC or an on-premises deployment, companies retain control over where their documents are stored. Whether additional external services are used for optional AI features depends on the selected configuration.

Individual Access and Time-Limited Permissions

Each external guest receives a personal access link. Signing in also requires a security code sent to the guest’s email address.

An expiration date is defined for each Relay. Once this date is reached, access is automatically disabled.

Companies can also remove individual guests or deactivate an entire Relay at any time.

Available features can be controlled separately. For example, companies can decide whether external users are allowed to download documents or upload their own files.

If additional people need access, an access request feature can be enabled. The responsible company remains in control of whether these requests are approved.

Virus Protection for Uploaded Files

One particularly important feature is the integrated virus protection.

Files uploaded by external guests are scanned for known malware using an antivirus scanner.

If malware is detected, AITEZA rejects the file.

However, there are technical limitations. The virus scanner can check files up to 500 MB in size. Larger files, as well as encrypted, password-protected, or otherwise unscannable files, may still be accepted but are clearly marked accordingly.

Before such files can be processed in AITEZA, an authorized employee must explicitly confirm the processing. This decision is logged together with the employee’s name and the time of approval.

Virus scanning helps reduce the risks associated with document sharing. However, as with any signature-based antivirus solution, complete detection of all malicious software cannot be guaranteed.

External Documents Are Reviewed Before Processing

Another security measure concerns the handling of newly received files.

Documents uploaded by external guests are initially placed in a separate area called “External Uploads”.

There, they receive the status “Pending Review”.

Only after a member of the internal team has reviewed and approved the files for processing do their contents become available for AITEZA’s search and AI features.

This ensures that external users cannot independently decide which uploaded content is immediately incorporated into the company’s internal knowledge base.

Data Protection and Data Sovereignty

In addition to technical security, maintaining control over confidential business information is essential.

AITEZA offers different deployment models, including cloud solutions and installation within a customer’s own infrastructure.

The applicable data protection requirements depend on several factors, including the type of data being exchanged, where the platform is hosted, and how access permissions are configured.

AITEZA Relay helps companies manage external access in a controlled manner rather than distributing documents through numerous independent transfer channels.

Individual guests can be invited, permissions can be adjusted, and access can be revoked when necessary.

However, ensuring compliance with data protection regulations also requires appropriate technical, contractual, and organizational measures.

What Has Been Shared and What Has Changed?

A central document exchange system is only truly useful if everyone involved can keep track of newly added or updated files.

AITEZA Relay therefore provides an overview of changes to the shared document collection.

External guests can see which documents have been added, updated, moved, or removed since their last visit.

The internal team can also track changes. Activities performed by external guests are marked accordingly.

Email notifications can be configured as well.

For example, the project team can be notified when a supplier uploads new documentation. External guests can receive notifications when the company adds or updates files.

Notifications can be sent immediately, daily, or weekly.

The guest management area also provides information about how actively each access is being used. This includes the number of downloads and uploaded files.

These features improve transparency and traceability. However, they do not replace a professional completeness check of project documentation or automatically confirm that every recipient has read all required documents.

An Additional Benefit Is AI-Powered Search

The main purpose of Relay is to provide a controlled way to exchange documents. In addition, companies can make AITEZA’s AI features available to their external partners.

This is particularly useful when working with extensive technical documentation.

An engineer looking for specific information within several hundred pages of project documentation can ask AITEZA directly.

The platform searches the shared documents for relevant information and provides answers with source references.

Users can then verify the information by consulting the corresponding passages in the original documents.

The AI can only access the content shared with the guest and cannot modify it.

This feature is optional. Companies that want to use Relay exclusively for document exchange can disable the AI features entirely.

Relay therefore remains a practical tool for working with external business partners, even without AI.

Frequently Asked Questions About AITEZA Relay

Do External Guests Need Their Own AITEZA Account?

No. Guests receive a personal access link and sign in using a security code sent by email.

What Is the Maximum File Size in Relay?

Individual files can be up to 10 GB in size. Each guest can upload up to 1,000 files with a combined size of 100 GB. The total storage limit per Relay is also 100 GB.

Are Uploaded Files Scanned for Viruses?

Yes. AITEZA uses ClamAV to scan files for known malware. Files larger than 500 MB, or files that cannot be scanned for technical reasons, are marked accordingly.

Can External Users Upload Documents Without Permission?

No. Uploads are only possible if the upload feature has been enabled for the Relay. Newly uploaded files are stored separately and must be reviewed and processed internally before becoming available for AI-powered search.

Can I Revoke Access to Documents?

Yes. Individual guests can be removed, and entire Relays can be deactivated. Each Relay also has a defined expiration date, after which access is automatically disabled.

Can AITEZA Relay Be Used Without AI?

Yes. AI features can be disabled. Relay can then be used exclusively to share, download, and upload documents.

Conclusion

Exchanging documents between companies is part of everyday business. Yet the process is often unnecessarily complicated.

Different transfer methods, scattered files, and numerous document versions make it difficult to maintain an overview.

This is particularly noticeable in engineering and industrial projects, where large volumes of technical documentation are exchanged between clients, planners, manufacturers, and suppliers.

AITEZA Relay provides a central point of access. Companies can share documents, invite external partners, receive new files, and manage access permissions individually.

Personal access links, expiration dates, virus scanning, and the internal review of incoming files support a controlled exchange of information.

Change tracking and notifications make collaboration easier to manage.

And for those who want to make better use of their documents, AI-powered search can also be enabled for external partners.

AITEZA Relay makes document sharing simpler, more organized, and easier to control.

Discover AITEZA Relay

Would you like to exchange technical documentation, project files, or confidential information more easily with customers and business partners?

Learn how AITEZA Relay works and how existing data rooms can be made accessible to external partners.

Learn more about AITEZA Relay