Skip to content
New AI Custom Form BuilderDescribe the intake form. It ships branded and end-to-end encrypted.AI Custom Form Builder is here See it build
Integrations

Using Zendesk Guide & SendSafely for Authenticated Software Distribution

Do you use Zendesk and need a streamlined and secure way to distribute software releases, patches and installers to your customers?

Brian Holyfield · 3 min read
Using Zendesk Guide & SendSafely for Authenticated Software Distribution

Do you use Zendesk and need a streamlined and secure way to distribute software releases, patches and installers to your customers? By using SendSafely with Zendesk Guide, you can add authenticated secure storage and file distribution capabilities to Guide in order to create a gated self-service portal that makes managing software downloads easy for both you and your customers.

Once configured, the SendSafely and Zendesk Guide integration lets you provision specific users to articles within Guide that contain release notes, software documentation, and installation instructions along with a direct to the downloadable software versions and installers in a SendSafely Workspace. All downloads are authenticated and logged, so you’ll know exactly who has downloaded each release. Additional benefits include:

Customer entitlements are managed directly from Zendesk. Tags are used to identify each product and limit customer access to only the specific software they are authorized to download. Simply add or remove the correct tags from each user to grant or revoke access to a specific product.

The use of SendSafely Workspaces behind the scenes allows files of any size (software releases, installers, patches etc.) to be hosted and made available for download from Zendesk Guide articles.

All downloads are logged and available for analysis, auditing and reporting. Logs can also be extracted using the SendSafely API for automated import into other internal systems used to track licensing.

The SendSafely API allows software teams to automatically publish new releases directly into each Workspace, making them available for download by authorized customers. Each customer can also subscribe directly to the Activity Log for each product workspace in order to be automatically notified when new files are released.

How it Works

This solution leverages User Segments within Guide to enforce authorization on individual articles for each product. This functionality is native to Guide and is available with Zendesk Professional and Enterprise subscriptions.

user_permissions

Articles for each product include a download link that directs users to a designated SendSafely Workspace with downloadable files for that specific product. The Zendesk User Segments are then automatically synchronized with the SendSafely Workspace using a script that connects to the Zendesk and SendSafely APIs, which ensures that software downloads are only accessible to users with appropriate permissions. As users are added or removed from each User Segment in Zendesk, they are added or removed from the corresponding SendSafely Workspace each time the synchronization script runs.

Picture1

Configuring this Solution

Step-by-step instructions for setting up and configuring this integration are published in our Online Help Center. If you would like more information regarding building a secure software distribution platform using Zendesk and SendSafely, please send an email to success@sendsafely.com.


SendSafely: Integrated File Transfer for the Apps you Love

_If you are looking for a secure way to transfer files with customers or business partners, our platform might be right for you. Contact us today to request a demo and free trial subscription. _

Request a Demo

Frequently asked questions

How can I use Zendesk Guide to distribute software securely?

You can pair Zendesk Guide with SendSafely Workspaces. Guide articles hold release notes and install instructions and link to a SendSafely Workspace containing the downloadable files, so only authorized users can download them and every download is authenticated and logged. The EZOPS case study shows a production example.

How are customer entitlements managed in the Zendesk Guide and SendSafely integration?

Entitlements are managed in Zendesk using tags that identify each product. Adding or removing a tag on a user grants or revokes access to that product’s articles, and a synchronization script adds or removes the user from the matching SendSafely Workspace each time it runs.

Which Zendesk plans support the Guide User Segments used by this integration?

The solution relies on User Segments in Zendesk Guide to enforce authorization on individual articles. In 2019, this functionality was native to Guide and available with Zendesk Professional and Enterprise subscriptions.

Can I automate publishing new software releases into a SendSafely Workspace?

Yes. The SendSafely API lets software teams publish new releases directly into each Workspace so they become available to authorized customers. Customers can also subscribe to each product Workspace’s Activity Log to be notified when new files are released. See the Developer API for API details.

Is there a file size limit for software downloads hosted through Zendesk Guide with SendSafely?

Yes. Files are hosted in SendSafely Workspaces behind the scenes, so Workspace file size limits apply: 2 GB per file on Team and Business plans and 100 GB on Enterprise.

Written by Brian Holyfield