Do you know what information is leaving your document management system (DMS)?
Organizations are increasingly turning to document management solutions or work product management to ensure they have the ability to access and safeguard their content, allowing the organization to be more efficient while maintaining content security. These solutions allow organizations to quickly save, secure, search and share content in a way that has not been seen before.
The DMS allows all team members to collaborate in real-time, allowing for an unprecedented ability to complete work in an efficient, accurate and timely manner. This type of access also brings some inherent risks that if not proactively addressed, might create significant exposure to an organization.
Consider the following: An employee at ABC Law LLP, knowing that they will be leaving the firm, starts to download large amounts of documents onto a USB key. Typical, reactive monitoring systems will capture this type of activity based on when an administrator runs their scheduled query, resulting in a report that identifies the security breach. The problem is that this activity might take place weekly, every few days or even daily, which is generally too late—as the culprit may be long gone from the firm.
Confidential information comes in all forms – from IPOs, personal information, financial details to intellectual property, etc.
This information, in the wrong hands, can cost organizations irreparable damage to not only their reputation, but also the potential financial fallout from lawsuits.
What should organizations do to help provide another layer of protection? Real-time monitoring of their DMS. It is important for organizations to know at all times what is happening to their content. Real-time monitoring can take many shapes, but some of the items to consider are as follows:
Active monitoring of the DMS
- Immediate notification to the appropriate individual
- Email notification
- Escalation if there is no response to the notification within a specific period of time
- Ability to run reports on breach activity
- Ability to access monitoring system from anywhere
Your organization’s information is too important to leave to antiquated systems. You need to learn from the mistakes of others—not your own. Reduce your risk and take the time to seek out a solution that captures the needs of your organization today—before it’s too late.
John Russell, RBRO Solutions Inc.