Getting Started
Welcome. This page is the orientation map for the rest of the docs. Pick the row that matches who you are and what you’re doing; each link drops you into the first page of that path.
Pick your starting point
| You are… | Start here |
|---|---|
| Standing up a fresh Sovereign install | Sovereign installation, then walk through the rest of Setup. |
| The first admin of a new organization (Cloud or Sovereign) | Members & invitations, then Roles & Permissions. |
| Configuring outbound mail for a Sovereign install | Mail configuration. |
| Deciding who owns the data and the keys | Self-managed storage and Self-managed secret keys. |
| Planning public-facing URLs for an install | Access URLs. |
| Learning the governance modules | Governance overview, then Modules. |
| Setting up the AI Governance suite | AI Governance overview. |
| Wiring automations for triggers and actioners | Automation overview. |
| Governing external parties end-to-end | Party Governance. |
| Running an existing Sovereign install day-to-day | Operations. |
| Integrating an external system with Novantra | Developers → Getting Started. |
Two roles, two paths
Most readers fall into one of two roles. The docs are organized so you only need to read what’s relevant.
Workspace administrator
You manage one or more organizations on Novantra. Your responsibilities are members and roles, organization settings, the audit log, classifications, and shared workspace tools. Your home base is Workspace administration.
Sovereign operator
You run the Novantra install itself. Your responsibilities are the install package, mail, access URLs, data and key custody, license, backups, updates, monitoring, key rotation, and storage migration. Your home base is Setup for the once-only configuration and Operations for ongoing work.
In Cloud, the operator responsibilities are Novantra’s. You can skip Setup and Operations except for the parts that are still customer-side (typically: choosing your own data residency, opting into self-managed keys, planning external URLs for shared surfaces).
Cloud and Sovereign at a glance
| Topic | Cloud | Sovereign |
|---|---|---|
| Install and updates | Managed by Novantra | Customer-operated (see Sovereign installation and Updates & upgrades) |
| Default outbound provider | Customer-configured (Mail configuration) | |
| Object storage | Novantra-managed by default; opt-in Self-managed storage | Customer-owned |
| Encryption keys | Novantra-managed by default; opt-in Self-managed secret keys | Customer-owned KMS |
| Backup & restore | Managed by Novantra | Customer-operated (Backup & restore) |
| Cross-org governance | Single org only | Multi-organization model available (Cross-organization governance) |
| REST API | Same /api/v1/... surface | Same /api/v1/... surface |
The product itself is the same in both. What changes is who runs the install layer.
Looking for the REST API instead of the product? It lives under Developers. The v1 surface is curated, versioned, and scope-token authenticated.
Next
Pick a row from the table at the top, or jump straight to one of these:
- Setup, if you’re installing or wiring an environment.
- Workspace administration, if you’re administering an organization.
- Governance, if you’re configuring or using the governance modules.
- Operations, if you’re running an existing install.
- Developers, if you’re integrating an external system.