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May Newsletter

Welcome to the SynergyOS monthly newsletter for May 2024.

SynergyOS

This month, we're excited to introduce significant enhancements to the CRM of projects and the Drive functionality, aimed at improving organization and accessibility within SynergyOS.

New Projects, now part of folders

We have made important changes to the CRM aspect of projects. Projects are now treated as a special type of folder. Here are the key features of this update:

  • Project Folders: Folders can now be designated as either standard folders or project folders. Project folders have a special icon and additional metadata such as pipeline, stage, etc.

Projects in drive


  • Unified Projects View: Access all projects in a new view called Projects, independent of their location in the tree structure. This view displays the full path, stage, all metadata, and allows you to open each project individually.

Projects view


Key Benefits of Project Folders:

  • Enhanced Organization: Easily distinguish between standard folders and project folders with special icons and metadata.
  • Improved Accessibility: The Projects view consolidates all projects in a flat list, making it easier to manage and access them regardless of their location.

All Items View

We have introduced a new view in Drive for all data items. This unified view allows you to see folders, files, notes, emails, and more in one place.

Key Features of the All Items View:

  • Unified Data Access: View all types of data items, including folders, files, notes, emails, etc., in a single, consolidated view.
  • Improved Navigation: Simplifies navigation and access to all your data, enhancing productivity and efficiency.

All Items View

2024-06 Roadmap

Looking ahead, here are the upcoming features on our roadmap for June:

  • Revamped Emails Integration: Improved management and interaction with emails within SynergyOS, including enhancements to the Outlook Add-in.
  • Collections: An improved version of Containers, providing a unified way to organize and manage items.
  • Tabs: View items categorized by type (e.g., projects, contracts) in a flat list, with each type having specific metadata.

The SynergyOS team

April Newsletter

Welcome to the SynergyOS monthly newsletter for April 2024.

We continue to enhance our platform to better serve your needs. This month, we're excited to introduce a new feature in Synergy Tools that will significantly improve file management and collaboration across users.

Synergy Tools: Public Working Copy Directory

We have added a new option to the working copy directory: the Public Working Copy Directory. This feature allows all files to have a stable path regardless of the user who accesses them. This is especially useful for files like Excel that have cross-references to other Excel files. With this new feature, you can now maintain those references across different users, ensuring seamless collaboration and data consistency.

Key Benefits of the Public Working Copy Directory:

  • Stable File Paths: Ensures all files have consistent paths, simplifying file management.
  • Cross-User Consistency: Maintains references in files like Excel, regardless of the user accessing them.
  • Enhanced Collaboration: Facilitates smoother collaboration by eliminating issues with file paths and references.

Public Working Copy Directory

2024-05 Roadmap

Looking ahead, here are the upcoming features on our roadmap for May:

  • Enhancements to the projects data items.
  • New all items view in Drive.

The SynergyOS team

March Newsletter

Welcome to the SynergyOS monthly newsletter for March 2024.

SynergyOS

This month, we're thrilled to announce the launch of our new permissions system to all clients. This update is designed to enhance both the power and flexibility of data management within SynergyOS, ensuring a more intuitive and secure user experience.

New Permissions System

We’ve overhauled our data model and permissions system to provide a unified approach to data management. Here’s a summary of the key changes:

  • Directory (Primary Relation): All items must be children of a folder, simplifying the primary driver of permissions.
  • Containers (Secondary Relations): A unified tagging system merges Drive and CRM containers, allowing items to be associated with multiple secondary containers (Standard Tags, Projects, Contacts, etc.). Custom secondary containers can also be created (e.g., customer support tickets).
  • Items: Includes all items with a uniform data structure, encompassing files, notes, tasks, emails, conversations, and custom item data objects.

Key Features of the New Permissions System

  • Inherited Permissions: Permissions passed down from the parent folder.
  • Cascade Permissions: Permissions that automatically extend to all subfolders and items.
  • Custom Permissions: Tailored permissions for specific folders and items, allowing for granular control.

New Permissions System


This new system centralizes permissions around folders, aligning with how companies organize and think about access control. It offers enhanced power and flexibility while maintaining simplicity and ease of use.

New Item Fields: Priority, Status, Assigned

In addition to the permissions system overhaul, we’ve introduced new fields for all items to improve task and project management:

  • Priority: Assign a priority level to items to help organize and manage them effectively.
  • Status: Track the current status of items, providing visibility into its progress.
  • Assigned: Easily assign items to team members, ensuring clear accountability and streamlined collaboration.

New Item Fields


2024-04 Roadmap

Looking ahead, here are the upcoming features on our roadmap for April:

  • Improvements to Synergy Tools.

The SynergyOS team

February Newsletter

Welcome to the SynergyOS monthly newsletter for February 2024.

SynergyOS

We continue our journey to revolutionize the way businesses manage their data by integrating various productivity tools into a comprehensive platform. This month, we're excited to introduce a significant enhancement with the integration of the new 'Items' structure. This innovation allows for the inclusion of any item-like data object, streamlining the management process through the use of both folders and container tables. By simplifying how data is organized and accessed, we aim to further optimize your workflow and enhance overall productivity.

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Items: The unifying structure for all data objects

SynergyOS introduces 'Items' as a foundational element, standardizing the structure for all data objects within the platform. Each item is linked to a parent folder, ensuring a unified permission model. Access to items is streamlined through the top tab bar, allowing for intuitive navigation. In addition to standard objects, companies have the flexibility to create custom Item objects, enhancing adaptability to specific business needs.

  • Files: Traditional files such as Office documents, PDFs, and text files.
  • Notes: CRM-associated records that log activities like calls or meetings.
  • Tasks: CRM-related records for managing task assignments.
  • Emails: Emails linked with CRM entities, seamlessly integrated from your email server into Synergy.
  • Conversations: Threaded discussions that facilitate collaborative problem-solving.
  • Snippets: Versatile text snippets for a variety of applications, including legal clauses and email templates.
  • Expenses: Detailed records for tracking and managing business expenses, streamlining financial oversight.
  • Invoices: Automated invoicing tools to efficiently create, send, and manage invoices directly within Synergy.
  • Links: Organized bookmarks for quick access to frequently used web resources.

The main navigation pane has been enhanced to include both folders and container tables, serving as the cornerstone for organizing all items. This structure emphasizes:

  • Folders (Primary Relation): The backbone of our permission system, ensuring that all items are organized under a parent folder.
  • Containers (Secondary Relations): A sophisticated tagging system that bridges Drive and CRM functionalities, allowing for multi-dimensional categorization (e.g., Standard Tags, Projects, Contacts). This flexibility is further extended with the option to create custom secondary containers, such as customer support tickets.

Folders

Folders act as the primary organizational unit within SynergyOS, structuring all items and their permissions. This hierarchical arrangement simplifies navigation and enhances security by centralizing control over access rights.

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Container Tables

Container tables function as the framework for SynergyOS's tagging system, incorporating both standard and custom tags. This system plays a crucial role in metadata management and permissions, ensuring secure and efficient information retrieval.

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Smart Folders

Smart Folders dynamically aggregate content based on predefined search criteria, offering a real-time view of items. This feature ensures that relevant information is readily accessible, streamlining project management and collaboration.

Tools

We've redesigned the version saving process. The new save version panel bypasses OS notifications, offering a cleaner, more user-friendly interface that we have full control over, enhancing the user experience.

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2024-03 Roadmap

The upcoming features on our roadmap for March include:

  • Improvements to the new data objects and permission system
  • Improvements to the Matrix Preview for communications (chat,voice,video)

The SynergyOS team

Rethinking Data Objects and Permissions

At Synergy, we've embarked on a significant transformation of our data model and permissions system. Our objective was twofold: to enhance the system's capabilities by introducing more features while simultaneously simplifying its conceptual understanding and usability. This balance aims to empower our users with a robust system that remains intuitive to navigate.

A Recap of Synergy Data Objects

Before diving into the changes, let's review the core data objects within Synergy:

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Objects by Category

  • Drive: Features traditional folder trees and tags.
  • CRM: Encompasses Projects, Contacts, Companies, and Contracts.

Items (Document/File Items)

  • Files: Traditional files like Office documents, PDFs, and text files.
  • Notes: CRM-associated records tracking activities like calls or meetings.
  • Tasks: CRM-related records for task assignments.
  • Emails: Emails associated with CRM entities, saved from your email server to Synergy.
  • Conversations: Threaded discussions akin to git issues.

The Evolution of Synergy's Data Objects and Permissions System

Historically, Synergy differentiated between Drive data objects (folders, standard tags, files) and CRM data objects (Projects, Contacts, etc.), each with its own permissions system. While this granularity offered flexibility, it introduced complexity and usability challenges, particularly when expanding the system with custom data objects.

The New System: A Unified Approach

In response to feedback and collaboration with design partners, we've overhauled our data model and permissions system. Here's what's new:

  • Directory (primary relation): Folders: Now, all items must be children of a folder, simplifying the primary driver of permissions.
  • Containers (secondary relations): Tags: A unified tagging system merges Drive and CRM containers, allowing items to be associated with multiple secondary containers (Standard Tags, Projects, Contacts, etc.). Customers can also create custom secondary containers (for example, customer support tickets).
  • Items: Includes all items with a uniform data structure, encompassing files, notes, tasks, emails, conversations. Customers can also create custom item data objects.

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Now let's look at an example. All items must have a parent folder (primary relation) and can optionally have as many secondary relations as desired:

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Permissions under the New System

Directory: Folders

Folder permissions are the foundational element of the system, organized into three categories:

  • Inherited Permissions: Permissions that are passed down from the parent folder. These permissions automatically apply to the folder based on the settings of its parent.
  • Cascade Permissions: Permissions assigned to a folder that automatically extend to all its subfolders, affecting them recursively. These permissions are also displayed in the 'Inherited Permissions' section of each subfolder to indicate their source and scope.
  • Custom Permissions: Permissions tailored to a specific folder that do not extend to subfolders. Users with custom permissions can view all immediate contents of the folder, including both subfolders and items. If they lack further permissions for the subfolders, they can see these subfolders exist (enhancing discoverability) but cannot access their contents.

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Containers: Tagging System

Secondary containers (Standard Tags, Projects, Contacts, etc.) act as Synergy's tagging system and are visible to all team members, with the permission system allowing only the visibility or hiding of records' metadata. For example, while everyone can see the names of projects, permissions can restrict the visibility of confidential metadata details, such as the project's monetary value and involved personnel.

Items

All items inherit permissions from their direct parent folder (Inherited + Cascade + Custom). Additionally, custom permissions for items have been introduced. This is useful when needing to share specific items (e.g., a file) without granting access to the containing folder. Items shared directly are accessible under a new "Shared with me" section in the file explorer.

Why This Change?

The restructuring addresses key challenges:

  • Simplification: Centralizing permissions around folders aligns with how companies organize and think about access control.
  • Flexibility: The unified tagging system allows for custom secondary containers, accommodating diverse use cases without complicating the user experience.

Benefits for Users

This evolution in our permissions system is designed with our users' needs at the forefront:

  • Enhanced Power and Flexibility: Users gain a more capable system that supports a wider range of functionalities.
  • Improved Usability: The system is now easier to understand and use, streamlining the management of permissions across different entities.

Looking Ahead

Our commitment to refining Synergy's functionalities continues. We believe these changes in the permissions system will significantly enhance both the power and user-friendliness of our platform. As always, we value your feedback and look forward to supporting your work with these new improvements.

The SynergyOS team

January Newsletter

Welcome to the SynergyOS monthly newsletter for January 2024.

SynergyOS

Data objects and permissions improvements

For the next few months we will be working on a revamp of the data objects and permission functionalities thanks to the feedback and suggestions from our partners. Our goal is twofold: how can we add some additional features while we make permissions even easier to use for most users?

This is not an easy task since the data objects and permission system is one of the core pillars of Synergy. We are excited with the progress so far and can't wait to share more in the coming months.

Tools

SaaS and Enterprise

Performance improvements and bug fixes.

2024-02 Roadmap

The upcoming features on our roadmap for February include:

  • New data objects and permission system
  • Improvements to the Matrix Preview for communications (chat,voice,video)

The SynergyOS team

2023-December Newsletter

Welcome to the SynergyOS monthly newsletter for December 2023.

SynergyOS

Permissions improvements

For the next few months we will be working on additional permissions functionalities thanks to the feedback and suggestions from our partners. Our goal is twofold: how can we add some additional features while we make permissions even easier to use for most users?

This is not an easy task since the permission system is one of the core pillars of Synergy. We are excited with the progress so far and can't wait to share more in the coming months.

Tools

SaaS and Enterprise

Performance improvements and bug fixes.

2024-01 Roadmap

The upcoming features on our roadmap for October include:

  • New permission system
  • Improvements to the Matrix Preview for communications (chat,voice,video)

The SynergyOS team


2023-November Newsletter

Welcome to the SynergyOS monthly newsletter for November 2023.

SynergyOS

Preview: integration of the open-source Matrix.org protocol for chat, voice, and video into Synergy

We're very excited to announce the initial preview of the integration of Matrix, the open-source protocol for secure, decentralized communication, into Synergy. This integration not only enables seamless, interoperable messaging and calls but also introduces real-time synchronization of files with Synergy's version control, over the Matrix protocol. This pioneering step significantly enhances SynergyOS, providing users with a robust, flexible environment for cross-company collaboration and communication. From now on, you don't need to switch platforms to communicate and collaborate.

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Tools

SaaS and Enterprise

Performance improvements and bug fixes.

2023-12 Roadmap

The upcoming features on our roadmap for October include:

  • Improvements to the Matrix Preview for communications (chat,voice,video)

The SynergyOS team


2023-October Newsletter

Welcome to the SynergyOS monthly newsletter for October 2023.

SynergyOS

Unified Drive and Workflow/CRM applications into one SynergyOS application

SynergyOS has now integrated Drive and Workflow applications into a single application, streamlining how knowledge workers manage files and workflows. This integration simplifies the user experience by combining file management and project workflow in one place. The Drive tab offers advanced file management with version control, while the CRM/workflow tab improves relationships and project management.

This new interface is designed to increase productivity and collaboration, offering a more cohesive work environment.

Drive tab:

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CRM / Workflow tab:

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Tools

Enterprise

This month we have released a revamped version of Synergy Tools Enterprise, following last month SaaS Tools release.

2023-11 Roadmap

The upcoming features on our roadmap for October include:

  • Communications (chat,voice,video) integration :)

The SynergyOS team


2023-September Newsletter

Welcome to the monthly Product Newsletter for September 2023.

DRIVE

Updated interface

This month we have updated the Drive interface and icons to follow Microsoft's open-source FluentUI 9 design language.

We believe this modernized visual interface is more user-friendly and appealing. We have also taken this opportunity to simplify the tab panel on the left side to group the tabs less used in one "mixed" tab.

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Folder / Data room export index

You can now create a full index of all files and folders in Excel. Select the folder you want to use as the root of the index and click on "Create folder tree index". Once created, you can download the Excel from the "Exported folder trees" tab. This is particularly useful when you need to share a full index of shared folders in a dataroom.

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This is the end result in Excel: Picture

Better sharing and permissions panel

We have unified the sharing & permissions pane so you can see current permissions when you add new users.

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Improvements in guest folder subscriptions and notifications

Internal users can now subscribe guest users to notifications easily from the subscription pane. This is especially useful for dataroom usage so you do not need to manually notify user of new files and folders.

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TOOLS

Version 10

This month we have released a fully revamped version of Synergy Tools, which should bring significant performance improvements and new functionalities.

Clipboard and PDF access from Tools

Synergy Tools has a new user interface to make it easier to access files from the clipboard and perform advanced features such as large uploads.

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2023-10 Roadmap

The upcoming features on our roadmap for October include:

  • Unify Drive and Workflow applications into one SynergyOS app

The SynergyOS team