BoardWorks 8.6 introduces several enhancements designed to provide Administrators with greater visibility into document permissions, stronger control over how users access BoardWorks, and increased flexibility when managing Officer Groups.

Together, these enhancements help simplify administration, strengthen access controls, improve the External Attendee experience, and provide a more consistent document management experience throughout BoardWorks.

The Meeting Document Permissions Report provides Administrators with a single view of document access across an entire meeting.

Prior to BoardWorks 8.6, reviewing document permissions often required examining each document individually. The Meeting Document Permissions Report simplifies this process by displaying permission information for all meeting materials in a single report.

This allows Administrators to:

The report can be generated from several locations within BoardWorks.

The report is generated and opened in a new browser tab.

The Meeting Document Permissions Report displays all documents within the selected meeting along with their associated permissions.

Information included in the report includes:

For documents shared with a large number of users, select View More to display the complete user list.

The Access Type column identifies how users have been granted access to a document.

Group Access indicates that document permissions have been assigned through a committee or group.

For example, if a document has been shared with the Board of Directors committee, all members of that committee automatically receive access.

User-Specific Access indicates that permissions have been granted directly to individual users.

This is commonly used when a document should be available to specific individuals regardless of group membership.

Some documents may display both access types.

This indicates that some users receive access through a group while additional users have been explicitly granted access.

Administrators appear in the report even when they have not been directly assigned access to a document.

This is expected behaviour because Administrators automatically inherit access to all meeting materials through their role permissions.

BoardWorks generates and downloads an Excel version of the report.

No. The report is strictly informational and does not modify permissions.

Yes. The report includes all meeting documents and displays the permissions assigned to each.

Administrators automatically receive access to all meeting documents by virtue of their role.

Yes. The report displays Group Access, User-Specific Access, or a combination of both.

Yes. The report can be exported to Microsoft Excel.

No. The report reflects permissions at the time it was generated. Use Refresh to retrieve updated permissions.

Organizations often have specific security and governance requirements regarding how users access sensitive meeting materials and BoardWorks content.

BoardWorks 8.6 introduces the ability to restrict access to BoardWorks through a web browser for eligible users. When enabled, affected users can continue to access BoardWorks using the BoardWorks iPad, iPhone, Android, and Windows applications, but will no longer be able to sign in through a web browser.

This enhancement gives Administrators greater control over how users access BoardWorks and can help support organizational security policies by encouraging the use of approved BoardWorks applications.

Administrators can configure browser access restrictions directly from User Administration.

To restrict browser access for an individual user:

Once enabled, the user will no longer be able to access BoardWorks through a web browser.

BoardWorks 8.6 also introduces role-based browser access management, allowing Administrators to update browser access settings for multiple users simultaneously.

To manage browser access by role:

This provides a centralized way to manage browser access settings across multiple users.

Browser access restrictions are available for the following roles:

These roles typically consume BoardWorks content and can perform their responsibilities through the BoardWorks applications.

Browser access restrictions are not available for administrative roles because those users require access to functionality only available through the BoardWorks web portal, such as content creation and document management.

When browser access has been restricted:

If a restricted user attempts to access BoardWorks through a web browser, they will receive a message explaining that browser access has been restricted by their organization.

The user will also be provided with download links for supported BoardWorks applications to help them transition to an approved access method.

Browser access restrictions provide Administrators with greater control over how users access BoardWorks. Organizations can use this feature to support security policies, promote a consistent user experience, and encourage the use of approved BoardWorks applications.

Only BoardWorks Administrators can configure browser access restrictions.

Browser access restrictions are available for:

Certain roles perform administrative and content management tasks that require functionality available only through the BoardWorks web portal. As a result, browser restrictions are not available for these roles.

Yes. Browser access can be enabled or disabled directly from an eligible user's account.

Yes. The Users by Role screen allows Administrators to review and update browser access settings for multiple users from a single location.

The user will be informed that browser access has been restricted by their organization and will be provided with download links for supported BoardWorks applications.

Yes. Restricting browser access only prevents access through the BoardWorks web portal. Users can continue to access BoardWorks using the BoardWorks iPad, iPhone, Android, and Windows applications.

No. Users can continue to access BoardWorks through supported BoardWorks applications.

No. Restricting browser access only changes how a user accesses BoardWorks. Permissions, committee memberships, and security rights remain unchanged.

Yes. Administrators can remove browser restrictions at any time by clearing the Restrict Web Browser Access setting.

Managing Officer Groups is now more flexible in BoardWorks 8.6.

Administrators can now update Officer Group names and permanently delete Officer Groups directly within BoardWorks. Previously, these changes required assistance from BoardWorks Support.

This enhancement provides greater flexibility and allows Administrators to manage Officer Groups more efficiently without requiring Support intervention.

Organizations evolve over time, and Officer Group names may need to be updated to reflect changes in titles, departments, responsibilities, or administrative requirements.

To update an Officer Group name:

The updated Officer Group name is immediately reflected throughout BoardWorks.

Officer Groups that are no longer needed can now be permanently removed by Administrators.

To delete an Officer Group:

The Officer Group will be permanently removed from BoardWorks.

An Officer Group can only be deleted when it is no longer in use.

Before an Officer Group can be deleted:

If either condition exists:

This helps prevent the accidental removal of active Officer Groups.

Renaming an Officer Group updates the group's name throughout BoardWorks.

When an Officer Group is renamed:

This allows Administrators to update group names without affecting existing configurations.

When an Officer Group is deleted:

Because deletion is permanent, Administrators should verify that the Officer Group is no longer required before proceeding.

Before deleting an Officer Group:

If an Officer Group is still associated with users or committees, those associations must be removed before deletion becomes available.

Prior to BoardWorks 8.6, renaming or deleting Officer Groups required assistance from BoardWorks Support.

BoardWorks 8.6 allows Administrators to manage Officer Groups directly within the application, reducing reliance on Support and providing greater administrative flexibility.

Only BoardWorks Administrators can update Officer Group names.

Only BoardWorks Administrators can delete Officer Groups.

Previously, renaming or deleting Officer Groups required assistance from BoardWorks Support. BoardWorks 8.6 allows Administrators to perform these actions directly within BoardWorks.

No. Renaming an Officer Group only updates the group's name. Existing memberships, permissions, and committee associations remain unchanged.

An Officer Group can only be deleted when it has no assigned users and is not associated with any committees.

If either condition exists, the Delete option will not be available.

Remove all assigned users and any committee associations. Once the Officer Group is no longer in use, the Delete option will become available.

No. Once an Officer Group has been deleted, it cannot be restored. A new Officer Group would need to be created if required.

No. Deleting an Officer Group only removes the group itself. User accounts remain unchanged.

No. Officer Groups must be deleted individually. Each Officer Group must meet the deletion requirements before the Delete option becomes available.

Inviting External Attendees to meetings is now even more convenient in BoardWorks 8.6. When an External Attendee is invited to a meeting, BoardWorks now automatically includes an ICS calendar file with the invitation email. This allows recipients to quickly add the meeting to their preferred calendar application without manually entering meeting details.

ICS files are widely supported by popular calendar applications, including:

This enhancement helps External Attendees stay organized, improve meeting visibility, and reduce the likelihood of missed meetings.

When an External Attendee receives a BoardWorks meeting invitation:

Once added, the meeting will appear within the attendee's calendar along with the meeting information included in the invitation.

The ICS file contains meeting information from the BoardWorks invitation, allowing External Attendees to quickly add the meeting to their calendar.

Depending on the meeting details provided, the calendar entry may include:

ICS calendar files are an industry-standard format supported by most modern calendar applications.

Supported applications include:

Most other calendar applications that support ICS files can also open and import the meeting invitation.

Prior to BoardWorks 8.6, External Attendees often needed to manually create calendar entries after receiving a meeting invitation.

By including an ICS file with the invitation email, BoardWorks simplifies the scheduling process and makes it easier for External Attendees to track upcoming meetings using their preferred calendar application.

External Attendees invited to a meeting automatically receive the ICS file as part of their invitation email.

No. The ICS file is automatically included with all External Attendee meeting invitations.

ICS files are supported by most major calendar applications, including:

Yes. The ICS file contains meeting information from the invitation, allowing attendees to easily add the meeting to their calendar.

No. This enhancement applies specifically to External Attendees.

No. The ICS file is provided as part of the meeting invitation and can be opened using a supported calendar application.

Yes. Most calendar applications that support the ICS file format can be used to import the meeting invitation.

Using the ICS file helps External Attendees:

BoardWorks 8.6 introduces several enhancements that improve how password-protected documents are handled throughout the platform.

These improvements provide a more consistent experience when uploading and managing protected documents across BoardWorks, including Meetings, Events, Alerts, and other document management areas.

When uploading a password-protected PDF document, BoardWorks now prompts users to enter the document password before the upload can continue. Upload workflows have also been enhanced to better handle password-protected files when multiple documents are uploaded at the same time.

In addition, BoardWorks now provides clearer feedback when unsupported password-protected file types are selected, helping users quickly identify and resolve issues.

Password-protected PDF documents continue to be supported throughout BoardWorks.

When uploading a password-protected PDF:

Once the password has been provided, BoardWorks can process and upload the document successfully.

This enhancement helps ensure that protected PDFs can be uploaded while maintaining the document's security requirements.

BoardWorks 8.6 improves the upload experience when multiple documents are uploaded together.

When one or more password-protected PDF documents are included in an upload:

This helps streamline document management workflows and reduces confusion when working with large document packages.

BoardWorks supports password-protected PDF files but does not support password-protected Microsoft Office documents.

If an unsupported password-protected file is selected, BoardWorks will provide guidance explaining why the document cannot be processed.

This helps users quickly identify unsupported files and take appropriate action before attempting another upload.

Supported File Types

BoardWorks supports password-protected PDF files across the platform.

Unsupported File Types

These file types must have password protection removed before they can be uploaded to BoardWorks.

The password-protected document enhancements apply throughout BoardWorks, including:

This provides a more consistent experience regardless of where documents are being managed.

Yes. Password-protected PDF files are fully supported throughout BoardWorks.

No. Password-protected Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files are not supported.

These improvements apply across BoardWorks, including Meetings, Events, Alerts, and other document management areas.

No. Password-protected documents remain protected and continue to require the appropriate password when opened.

BoardWorks requires the password for protected PDF documents so the file can be processed and uploaded successfully.

BoardWorks will provide guidance explaining that the file type is not supported and cannot be uploaded while password protection is enabled.

No. The enhancements improve how password-protected documents are handled during upload but do not remove or bypass the document's security settings.

These improvements help create a more consistent document management experience, reduce upload issues, improve feedback during uploads, and make it easier to work with password-protected documents throughout BoardWorks.

BoardWorks 8.6 focuses on improving administrative visibility, strengthening access controls, simplifying user management, enhancing the External Attendee experience, and creating a more consistent document management workflow across the platform.

This release introduces five key enhancements:

Provides Administrators with a consolidated view of document permissions across an entire meeting, making it easier to review access, validate permissions, identify restricted documents, and export permission information for auditing and record keeping.

Allows Administrators to prevent eligible users from accessing BoardWorks through a web browser while continuing to provide access through the BoardWorks iPad, iPhone, Android, and Windows applications.

Enables Administrators to update Officer Group names and permanently delete eligible Officer Groups directly within BoardWorks without requiring assistance from BoardWorks Support.

Automatically includes an ICS calendar invitation with External Attendee meeting invitations, allowing recipients to easily add meetings to Outlook, Microsoft 365, Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and other supported calendar applications.

Introduces enhancements to the handling of password-protected PDF documents, improves upload workflows, provides clearer feedback for unsupported file types, and creates a more consistent experience throughout BoardWorks.

BoardWorks 8.6 helps organizations:

Prefer a printable version?

A downloadable PDF version of this Quick Start Guide is also available below and can be saved or shared for offline reference.