Digital Rights Management

How It Works

Protecting Documents

Traditionally, organizations and their users have had to first manually classify their document or information and then take another step to put a security envelope around it. Then, procedures were necessary to allow the receiver of the protected information to access it. This usually required installation of proprietary software on the client side depending on the type of document to be secured.

With NextLabs advanced Enterprise Digital Rights Management, the entire process is automated. When the document or file is generated or uploaded, it is automatically protected. The application automatically inherits the classifications from the source and applies those to the file.

Secure Information Sharing

In the past, organizations were able to control access to critical business documents by keeping access to the people in the department. That is no longer a viable business model. Often, sensitive information is shared without any protection around it. That leaves companies vulnerable to theft and misuse. Now, you can share information with your extended enterprise and know that your information is safe— whether it is shared with partner, suppliers, or third parties unknown to you but related to one of your existing partners. This also includes sharing with the mobile workforce, which is now the norm.

Authorization for the document or file can be determined in two ways. The user can grant ad hoc permissions based on the use case and apply those at the time of generation. The organization can also apply central policies based on the classifications of the documents. The user or central policies determine whether the receiver has rights to view only, edit, copy, paste, etc. These authorizations can be time based and privileges can be revoked at any time.

Accessing Documents and Files

The receiver accesses the protected information through the client software on the desktop. The file has certain rights associated with it which enables the user to do specific things, including view, copy, edit, or some combination of these types of privileges. Users can also access files from their browser—no need to install any client software—or through the mobile app.

Monitoring Usage

Organizations can monitor all of the data activity easily and quickly. They can view document sharing history, usage patterns, and attempted access. This information can be used to detect anomalies or suspicious activity within the organization or extended enterprise to ensure that data has not been compromised or to prevent breaches from happening. Dashboards and reports are available and organizations can easily customized by them.