AODocs overview: choose an AODocs library – AODocs Knowledge Base

AODocs is a content services platform leveraging the full power of the cloud to help organizations control their documents, automate their business critical processes, and meet compliance requirements.

AODocs is fully integrated into Google Drive and Microsoft 365. Learn more: Who can access AODocs?

AODocs provide users with different types of library designed to address different use cases :

Team Folder libraries: the simplest AODocs library type is called AODocs Team Folders, and provides a collaborative experience very similar to an unmanaged Google Drive folder. End users can add documents to their folders by drag-and-drop from their My Drive or from their device, or by saving Gmail attachments directly to AODocs, and they can freely move files and folders around and share files with their teammates. As their name implies, AODocs Team Folders are intended for collaborative work among a team, when the productivity and flexibility are the most important factors.
Secured Folder libraries: this library type provides administrators with more granular control over Google Drive permissions, such as controlling who can modify document sharing permissions, and protecting the folder structure. AODocs Secured Folder lets your users access the managed files from the Google Drive user interface or the Google Drive mobile applications, while at the same time providing the level of control you need for confidential documents, for business critical files that need to be organized in a specific manner, or for documents that are involved in structured business processes.
Document Management libraries: this library type provides all the features you need to organize your documents in a structured manner, set up workflows, implement business applications and integrate your document library with your ERP, CRM and other enterprise applications.

Note: The storage platform for Team Folders and Secured Folders is always Google Drive. You can't use Team Folders or Secured Folders with other storage platforms, such as Google Cloud Storage or Azure Blob Storage. However, if you’re a Google Workspace customer with an active AODocs Content Services subscription, you can choose any of the compatible storage platforms to store the attachments in your Document Management libraries. Learn more: What are the differences between the various storage platforms for AODocs?

The table below shows a comparison of the features available in each type of library.

Document Management libraries are only available to AODocs customers who have an AODocs Document Management license. Some advanced features of the AODocs Team Folder and AODocs Secured Folder libraries (identified with a * in the list below) also require an AODocs Document Management license.

Comparing the features of AODocs libraries


	Team Folder	Secured Folder	Document Management library
Google Drive integration
View library from Google Drive View the folder structure from the Drive interface
Library picker Easily access your libraries
Search in Folder Narrow keyword search to a specific folder
Office files collaboration Edit and save Microsoft Office files directly in Google Drive and lock files against concurrent modifications
Drag and drop a file from PC Create a file in the library by dragging it from your PC
Drag and drop files among library folders Move a file among folders within the same library, using the Google Drive drag-and-drop feature
Library permissions from the Drive interface Set library permissions from the Drive interface
Files and subfolders permissions from the Drive interface Set permissions for all subfolders and files directly in the Drive interface
Upload multiple files at once Upload more than one file by dragging them from your PC
Save Gmail attachment Use the Google Drive feature to save a Gmail attachment directly from the Gmail interface into a library
SECURITY MANAGEMENT
Company ownership All files are owned by a corporate Google Account
Secured sharing Prevent users from sharing files or folders
File recovery Dedicated trash per folder with configurable retention time
Inheritance permissions management Possibility to manage and optionally block inheritance of permissions on subfolders
Check-out / Check-in Lock a document, preventing other users from editing it when checked out
Lock the folder structure Prevent non-administrator users from creating, modifying or deleting subfolders
Domain and user allowlists Prevent users from sharing folders with external not-allowlisted users or domains
Define who can delete files Allow (or not) only library administrators to delete files
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
Multiple document classes Create one or more document classes
Document relations Create links between documents in the same document class
Document properties Tag your documents with any type of property
Multiple attachments Attach one or more files (or none) to your AODocs documents
Google Drive Store attachments in Google Drive
Google Cloud Storage Store attachments in Google Cloud Storage
Azure Blob Storage Store attachments in Azure Blob Storage
Workflow Define business workflows in a few clicks, with fully configurable workflow steps
Version control Manage multiple versions of documents
Office files collaboration Edit and save Microsoft Office files directly in Google Drive and lock files against concurrent modifications
Convert emails into documents Turn any incoming emails into AODocs documents and email attachments into Google Drive files
Advanced search Narrow your search with filters, browsers and search operators
Audit log Record user activity (library configuration changes, document views and document history)
Folio Create pre-configured libraries for specific business use cases
File templating service Replace placeholders in Google files, Word files and PDF forms with properties
Document Assembler Insert the content of one or more files into another file to assemble a document using pre-defined pieces of content
CUSTOMIZATION/INTEGRATION
APIs Access, create and update documents or trigger workflow actions from external applications
Custom scripts Attach custom scripts to specific events like document updates or workflow activity
Primary data management Synchronize AODocs data lists with your ERP, CRM and other business apps

These features are available in Team Folders and Secured Folders but require an AODocs Document Management user license

Comments

6 comments

Hamish Drewry
August 15, 2019 10:13

The documentation states 'Team Folder libraries: the simplest AODocs library type is called AODocs Team Folders, and provides a collaborative experience very similar to an unmanaged Google Drive folder' - Why would you use Team Folder libraries when you could just use Google Drive?

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Permanently deleted user
August 16, 2019 17:50

There are several advantages to using Team Folder in comparison to an unmanaged Google Drive folder or a Shared Drive:
1. corporate ownership: all the files and folders are owned by the storage account and can not be deleted by the users
2. library trash: any file or folder deleted (by an admin or other authorized user) will end up in the AODocs library trash and can be restored from there
3. Sub Folder permissions different from the root folder: currently Google Shared Drive does not allow you to have different permissions on the subfolder level
4. Workflow in the Google Drive interface: your team folder will have only one document class but you can activate the workflow on it and perform your workflow action directly from the Google Drive interface using the AODocs Smartbar
The list goes on, essentially, every check on the first column of the table is a feature or set of features.

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Tina Mowen
July 06, 2020 15:31

It looks like locking a document is possible in the Google Drive integration for Team Folders but locking documents with check-in/check out is listed as Secure Folder. Can someone help me understand? Is it correct that checking out a document is only in the AODocs interface for secure folders?

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Permanently deleted user
July 06, 2020 20:49

Indeed, in Team Folders the concept of version management is not available in the library configuration (Document Class > Advanced > Version settings).
If you want to work with documents with check-out/check-in features, you will need to use either Secured Folders or Document Management libraries.

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Leah KR
November 07, 2024 01:57

I am curious about once a choice is made on the use of a file storage type, can you change to a diferent type later?

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Catherine Heywood
November 07, 2024 09:03

Hello Leah,
It's possible to switch the storage platform of a Drive library to Google Cloud Storage or Azure Blob storage. Our Service team manages this process on behalf of customers. You might find this useful:
https://support.aodocs.com/hc/en-us/articles/4468726590363-What-is-the-Library-Switcher
Have a great day!

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Comparing the features of AODocs libraries

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