2009 13 Dec

Electronic Document Management- File Storage And Security.

The following information is a brief summary of how electronic document management system can store and secure a database. Security might be administered through profiles, user templates, and databases. Some applications may present all of these levels while others are restricted to only a few. Systems that include Profile and User Template security will offer the greatest quantity of flexibility to administrators and let them to add new users with a couple of clicks.

Profiles- Predefined security levels of a general scope including edit, view, and print. The profile will also determine which user template a user should be offered when they log into the software. If an electronic document management program is restricted to only profile security, then it will be limited to three or four levels.

Encrypting Files- Encrypting documents changes the names of the files consequently they cannot be accessed or opened from an explorer utility. A user could browse the location in Windows Explorer (outside of the electronic document management software), but that person would not be able to recognize a file or document by its filename. They will also not be able to open the file because it is encrypted and must be opened through the electronic document management application.

One of the disadvantages is that a user can delete the records if he can locate them (you cannot “lock” the directory because the document management application, or desktop, requires an access to the directory). You can though overcome this difficulty with frequent backups of the system. Encrypted files have similar naming problems as blobs because reference links are lost, and you may be seized hostage by the DMS if it goes down.

Native File Format Storage- This is the process of storing files in a directory in their original format. This is the most supple method since the files are not changed. The administrator also maintains control of the admission to the documents in spite of of what happens with the DMS application.

The disadvantage is that the directory must stay unlocked (as with encryption) for a desktop application to access the documents. If you require to restrict access to these documents outside of procedural system, then you can store the documents on a hidden directory so that the users do not know how to navigate the document repository. This technique is very effective, but not 100% safe like the blob method.

The best security solution within the document management system will be to store the documents in their native format, but merely allow the users to access the system through a browser interface. The browser accesses the files through services, so the directory may be locked down to prevent accessing documents through the “back door”. The browser alternative gives you the best document management system of both worlds: Hundred % file security with flexibility and most favorable storage capacity.