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# Document Distribution

# 📢 **Document Distribution**  
> **"Get the right documents to the right people."**  
> *Securely distribute approved policies, procedures, and critical information—internally and externally.*  

---

## 1️⃣ Why Use Distributions?  
The primary goal of this module is to **streamline the distribution of essential documents** across your organization and to external partners such as consultants and auditors. 

By using distributions, you ensure that:  
1. Everyone has access to the **latest versions**.  
2. You have an overview on** who has read** the documents 
3. You **save hours of work** by not having to run after the documents during an audit. 

| 📌 Only administrators can see the Distributions module in Brainframe.  

---

## 2️⃣ What's a Distribution?
##   
A **distribution** is a curated set of documents that serve a common purpose, such as:  
* Policies  
* Procedures  
* Induction materials  
* Security & Privacy training  
* Customer legal documents  

💡 *Distributions help centralize information and enforce evidence of acknowledgment.  *

---

## 3️⃣ Steps to Create a Distribution  

### ① Add Distribution  
* Open the Distribution menu.  
* Click **Add distribution**.  

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/3/f/2/6/3f26ce462760bc00/1_1uqsiaf.png =651xauto)


1. **Title** – name your distribution (e.g., *Policies*).  
2. **Evidence** – enable read/approval tracking.  
3. **Custom text** – add a custom message to send to the recipients.  
4. **Password protection** – by default distributions can simply be access using the provided link. For sensitive distributions (e.g. auditor evidence collection) you can protect the link with a password and send the password through another way (e.g. sms)

---

### ② Categories  
On the next screen, define categories to group documents. 

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/3/f/2/6/3f26ce462760bc00/2_qycuu9.png =581xauto)


1. Multiple categories.  
2. Categories can be moved around the order, or removed (documents will be unlinked, not deleted).  
3. New categories can be added anytime.  

---

### ③ Recipients  
Next, define recipients from your **external contacts**.  

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/3/f/2/6/3f26ce462760bc00/3_1db5nof.png =564xauto)


You can assign:  
1. Individual contacts.  
2. Multiple contacts at once based on tags (e.g Marketing, Development,...).  
3. Exclude contacts based on tags.  

| 📌 Recipients can always be updated after the distribution is created.  

---

## 4️⃣ Assigning Documents  
You can assign any document from your workspace, including:  
* Word, Excel, PowerPoint files  
* PDFs  
* YouTube/video captures  

**Steps to assign:**  
1. Click the three dots next to a document.  
2. Select **Add to distribution**.  
3. Choose the target distribution and category.  


![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/3/f/2/6/3f26ce462760bc00/4_57cg1l.png =624xauto)

---

## 5️⃣ Overview of a Distribution  
When opening an existing and configured distribution, you'll see:  

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/3/f/2/6/3f26ce462760bc00/5_gr38l7.png =786xauto)


1. **Distribution name & selector** – quickly switch between distributions.  
2. **Copy link** – copy the distribution URL to share internally or externally.  
3. **Preview** – see what the recipients will see.  
4. **Manage & Notify Contacts** – track acknowledgments if they have been enabled. You can see more info on this [below](#2-6-manage-notify-contacts).  
5. **Actions**:  
* Edit distribution  
* Delete distribution (tracking removed, documents unlinked but not deleted)  
* Download attachments (non-printable files like Word, Excel, Zip,...)  
* Download as a single indexed document (useful for sharing with auditors).
6. **Document list** – reorder via drag & drop.  
7. **Version control** – outdated versions shown in red. You can choose to show your contacts an older version while you are working on a new one.
8. **Acceptance %** – shows the number of people that have acknowledged the document. By clicking on the % button, you can see exactly who has and hasn't completed it.  
9. **Edit/remove documents** – The edit button opens the document in the original folder, allowing you to make modifications to it. The delete button unlinks the document from the current distribution without deleting it.  

| 📌 You can also include YouTube videos using the Website Snapshot tool. This is useful if you want to share trainings and track their completion

---

## 6️⃣ Manage & Notify Contacts  
To invite external contacts:  

1. Click **Manage & Notify contacts (step 4 above)**.  
2. From here, you can:  
* Track **acceptance progress** per contact.  
* Quickly add new contacts.  
* Send invitations via email.  

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/3/f/2/6/3f26ce462760bc00/6_1f7hj7n.png)


### Key actions 

1. **Unassigned contacts list** – list of your contacts currently NOT in the distribution. Add them with the "Add" button.  
2. **Assigned contacts list** – track acknowledgments and percentages per user, and select the contacts to send a notification to using the checkbox.  
3. **Last activity date** – shows most recent "marked as read."  
4. **Send notification** – invite all selected contacts to look at the distribution.  

The email includes:  
* Distribution name (e.g., *CISOMatic*)  
* Your organization's branding/logo (configured in [Custom Branding](https://docs.brainframe.com/en/article/license-duplicate-setting-custom-branding-1nzo7dp/)) 
* A direct access link  

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/3/f/2/6/3f26ce462760bc00/screenshot-2026-07-06-at-16035_hs8kz8.png =698xauto)


📌 *External contacts do not need to log in — the link in the email gives direct access.  *

| 💡 For added security, configure a general password and share it separately.  

---

## 7️⃣ Audit Readiness Recommendation

We strongly recommend consolidating all audit-relevant documents into a dedicated distribution ahead of any audit engagement. This ensures that your evidence package is organized, version-controlled, and readily accessible when needed.

Once your audit distribution is complete, use the **Download as a single indexed PDF** option to export the full document set. This exported file serves as a reliable, self-contained snapshot of your compliance documentation — independent of system availability or connectivity — and can be shared directly with auditors upon request.

> 💡 **Pro tip:** Scheduling a periodic export of your audit distribution (e.g. quarterly) is a good habit to ensure you always have an up-to-date offline backup of your compliance evidence.

---

## 8️⃣ Best Practices  
* 📌 Always group documents by **category** for clarity.  
* 💡 Use **evidence tracking** to meet compliance audit needs.  
* 🔐 Apply **password protection** for sensitive external distributions.  
* 🔍 Regularly review **acceptance %** to spot gaps in awareness.  
* 📂 Use the **download PDF** option for auditors or for quick search.  
---

### **🎯 Visual Checklist**  
* [x] Distribution created  
* [x] Categories defined  
* [x] Recipients assigned  
* [ ] Documents added and grouped  
* [ ] Notifications sent  
* [ ] Acceptance tracked via dashboard