How Dynamic Watermarking Can Help You Stay Compliant

Before we begin, let’s take a second to explore the world of ‘watermarking’. Most people are familiar with watermarks— they show up on banknotes, checks, stamps. Others are familiar with the ones that appear in pictures or music. These are the types that are obviously or invisibly embedded in photos, videos and music to prove the authenticity of the file. These are not the types of watermarks that we are talking about today when we discuss protecting digitally stored documents.

There are two types:

Static

• Does not change regardless of user
• Typically used to identify a document’s owner

Dynamic

• Identifies user
• Changes upon opening the document
• Can display different types of documents depending on whether the document is viewed or printed

How does digital watermarking work? In the case of “Digital Rights Management” (DRM) Software, digital watermarking is a core feature that provides an extra layer of security and authorized access. In banknotes, watermarks are typically used to ensure that a document is authentic. In the case of a ‘static’ digital watermark, the effect is the same on an electronic document—the file cannot be reproduced without removing its proof of authenticity. However, in the case of digital dynamic watermarking, the software’s algorithm creates an added layer over the document with a unique ID and time stamp that identifies who accessed the document and when it happened.

Of course, this would all be useless without some type of feature that can ‘freeze’ the file which essentially means the modification of the file is impossible in that setting. The RegDOX™ Secure Data Room Solution offers such an approach as part of its robust set of features called Brainmark™. Brainmark management includes all functions that help users to simplify the secure distribution of Brainmark documents. These include security categories, secure document viewer and embedding of watermarks, as well as further functions that help centralize document conversions and manage them efficiently.

So, what exactly does this mean?

A Brainmark-secured download delivers an automatically generated and protected version of a document to the user. The sender can select from the following security options:

• The document has a unique identifier using digital fingerprint technology
• The document is delivered as a simple but clearly marked print version with all edits removed
• The document is delivered with a personalized watermark
• The user can only view the document, not forward or print

This feature protects sensitive user data by removing the capability for specific files to be downloaded, printed, or photographed by identifying when and how it happened. It is also integrated with an automatic tracking and alerting feature that will allow for real-time administrative notice of aberrant behavior. The overarching effect of this intuitive feature is that not only does it record crucial data about how the file was accessed that would also deter copying, but it is impossible to remove or tamper with the watermark in any form. This is one of the core ways that RegDOX helps you maintain ITAR and DFARS compliance. Want to learn more about our Brainmark™ feature and how it works? Contact Us Today!

About RegDOX Solutions Inc.

Operating since 2007, RegDOX Solutions Inc. is a market-leading provider of highly intuitive SaaS solutions enabling customers to securely manage and collaborate on confidential documents and information, whether inside or outside of their IT environments. RegDOX® offers compliance options for the transference and storage of ITAR, DFARS, EAR, and Corporate technical data within the cloud through highly intuitive, feature-rich virtual data room solutions. In addition, RegDOX offers DFARS assessment services for contractors and subcontractors of the DoD.