3 Advantages Your Company Will Have Using Digital Rights Management Software

No matter what kind of business you’re in, you need a reliable way to protect your sensitive documents and confidential information. Digital rights management (DRM) is a combination of technology, as well as policies and procedures, that can protect your information by giving you the freedom to control and customize access. You’ve likely heard of DRM in some form in the past. It’s the same technology that intellectual property owners and copyright holders use to protect their property from unauthorized use and illegal sharing on torrent sites.

Digital rights management will frequently involve codes that prohibit copying or editing a product, or it may limit the number of devices that the product can be used on. A common example of this is with PC games, which are generally linked to a single user account, so they can’t be used by other accounts. Of course, DRM technology can also be used to protect ebooks, DVDs, and any other digital assets. The technology protects digital media via encryption, and only those with the decryption keys can access the materials.

DRM software has been used since data was first able to be shared on floppy disks, although the methods and use cases have evolved substantially since then. In the business world, DRM is used every day to protect sensitive information like medical records, financial reports, merger and acquisitions (M&A) documents, audit reports, and much more. Here are just three advantages you’ll have at your company when you start using DRM technology.

1. You’ll have total access control.

The most obvious benefit of a DRM solution is that it lets you control who is able to see your materials in the first place, whether it’s company training videos, quarterly KPI reports, or any other information that needs to be kept out of the wrong hands. When it comes to enterprise security, you can’t afford to rely on traditional file-sharing options like Dropbox or Google Drive. When you rely on such options, you’re taking a risk on the security of all PCs, Android devices, or other devices that access your materials. All it takes is one group member with an unsecured connection to potentially expose your sensitive information.

This is why DRM systems are so popular for virtual data rooms (VDRs) where business users need to go over specific documents before closing a deal. You can control exactly which users are allowed to view, download, or edit which documents. For example, accounting professionals will need to look over financial reports, whereas a company attorney will need to examine legal forms. Ensuring that each team member can only access the appropriate documents limits confusion and makes it easier for everyone to complete their job faster.

2. You can rescind access to downloaded files.

Naturally, you won’t want anyone to be able to hold onto your confidential or sensitive files forever. You can easily control who has access in the first place with remote support for decryption key delivery, and you can even set up multi-factor authentication, but you need a reliable way to immediately deny access as well.

A reliable DRM solution with great permission management will let you rescind access to files at any moment. Not only will users no longer be able to view, download, or print from the VDR, but they’ll even lose access to files they’ve already downloaded on their devices, ensuring your files are always kept safe.

3. You’ll have comprehensive activity tracking.

The best DRM systems also let you record all user activity via the browser. This includes each time a file is downloaded, but it also lets you keep track of when they’re viewed, copied, or edited. This makes it easier to see which users are truly interested in a prospect, and if a group member seems to be struggling with one of their documents, you can direct them toward the most important information to speed up the process.

In a world of digital transformations where information is one of the most powerful resources that any business has, you need the right DRM system on your side to ensure your security.