Overview
DropZone version 4.1.0.0 is now available and ready for rollout.
This update introduces a username and password login option, ensuring continued access to:
DropZone
Send to GP functionality within Microsoft Word.
This change prepares your organisation for NHS England’s retirement of CIS1 in February 2027.
What has changed
Following our earlier communication regarding the impact of NHS Series 10 (CIS2) smartcards on DropZone, we are pleased to confirm that an updated version of DropZone is now available and ready to be rolled out to your trust.
DropZone currently relies on CIS1 authentication, which NHS England are retiring in February 2027. As Series 10 smartcards use CIS2 and do not support CIS1, users who have already been issued a Series 10 card lose access to DropZone. Version 4.1.0.0 addresses this by introducing a username and password login option, allowing those users to continue using DropZone and the full Send to GP capability with Microsoft Word.
How the updated login flow works
When a user who has been issued a Series 10 smartcard clicks DropZone > Send to Rio from within Microsoft Word, the following will occur:
A brief progress indicator appears confirming that the system is attempting SSO login.
As DropZone supports CIS1 and not CIS2, smartcard SSO authentication will not succeed. The system transitions directly and seamlessly to the standard Rio username and password login form - with no interrupting dialogues or additional steps required.
The login form displays an inline informational message: “CIS2 Smartcard authentication is not currently supported. Please log in with your Rio Username and Password.”
The user enters their Rio username (your familiar Non-SSO Login ID, e.g. jsmith) and their configured Rio password, then clicks OK.
Login completes successfully and the Document Details form opens as normal, allowing you to upload the document back to Rio.
⚠️Important: User administration, please note each affected user will need their Non-SSO Login ID (SAFLoginID) set within People Management / User Administration in Rio before they can use the updated login. This is typically the user’s familiar short username (e.g. jsmith).
Whilst this does need to be configured on a per-user basis - there is no bulk setup option - it is a one-time action per user and ensures that once set, those users can continue to access DropZone and Send to GP without any further changes. We would recommend your Rio system administrator works through affected users ahead of deployment to minimise any disruption.
How to get this update
DropZone version 4.1.0.0 replaces the previous version 4.0.0.9. You can download the latest version of DropZone from the Access Knowledge base in the usual way you download our latest updates.
The following will also be required to take advantage of the new CIS1 username/password fallback capability:
The updated DropZone client (version 4.1.0.0) will need to be installed on each affected user’s machine.
Users’ Non-SSO Login IDs (SAFLoginIDs) will need to be configured within Rio People Management / User Administration prior to deployment.
A small, targeted change is required to your Rio database to support the updated login. This does not require any system downtime and there is no minimum Rio software version required. The change will be applied by the Access team - you do not need to take any action on this, and we will confirm once it has been completed.
If you have any questions or you need any support please contact Lee Meredith at [email protected]