Every company must take active measures in personally safeguarding classifiable data in any given environment, in order to abide by sustainable business practices and also adhere to government rules such as the Data Protection Act of 1998.  It is the responsibility of every organisation to maintain a safe and protected IT infrastructure for data to be transmitted within the company and between different companies securely and efficiently.  Safeguarding electronic data files and PDF documents must be the highest priority of every organisation as every company is advised to assess and scrutinise their selected security system to ascertain that information assets are safeguarded appropriately.  Ultimately, the goal of every organisation is to have a smooth and seamless flow of data throughout the organisation while enabling secure sharing of classified information with authorised recipients outside the organisation, ensuring that information is well-managed and safeguarded at every stage.

An effective PDF security solution can help in delivering uniform security systems within and outside the corporate firewall while enabling organisations to benefit from the effectiveness of the electronic process, such as cutting down on paper wastage, lessened expenditure of operation, and quicker process cycle times.

Protecting PDF files throughout their lifecycle

Most organisations that secure their PDF documents and data files within their network attempt to do so by protecting their documents at several stages in the company’s infrastructure, such as at the file system level, or by enciphering the hard disk.  These solutions are not effective in safeguarding the complete lifecycle of a PDF document, particularly if it has been communicated to a third party outside the organisation.  An effective PDF security solution must be implemented outside the corporate firewall to obviate dangers/weaknesses such as:

• Cyber-terrorists who illegally acquire, alter, or spread documents.
• Ignoring safety protocols and intellectual property use, whether deliberate or unintentional.
• Noncompliance of regulations.

PDF documents and data files can be effectively protected with the help of information centric security that is inherently connected with the data itself.  An ideal PDF security solution should be able to provide the functionality of document security in order to enable the business to:

• Safeguard intellectual property, maintain confidentiality throughout as well as abide by regulatory compliance.
• Protect against unintentional or intentional disclosure of classified data without hampering employee efficiency, collective effort or progress.
• Ascertain that authorized recipients both within and outside the organisation can gain access to the document, whenever required.
• Incorporate current credentials within the PDF document mechanism so that safety guidelines do not impress upon daily business schedules.
• Observe and audit all actions by the authorised recipient, especially towards sensitive data assets.
• Actively maintain control so that the creator of the PDF document can authorise which recipient can view content and which user can edit the content of the PDF file, irrespective of where the files are stored.
• Control the devices and locations where protected PDF documents can be used.

Non-invasive PDF security solutions should also be easy to deploy.  Most organisations are aware that extensive adoption and acceptance can only come with an easy and consistent user experience where the safety process is inconspicuous and pervasive.

Locklizard PDF security software

Locklizard PDF security solutions ensure that organisations can collaborate and perform their tasks seamlessly in the electronic space with confidence while helping to boosting productivity.  By enabling dynamic, continuous and rugged PDF security frameworks, organisations will be able to diminish data risk, systemically, in their environment.