To control distributed content is critical for enterprises as well as publishers. Companies need to make sure that confidential material cannot be opened by not authorized users. Publishers do want their valuable ebooks or content to be protected against copying. The demand to secure documents is the always same but workflows and type of permissions are different.

Actino DRM Server is a configurable platform solution containing a database to manage documents, users or permissions and several or applications scripts to manage and automate the processes. Based on open industry standards like SQL and PHP it provides all features to encrypt PDF or Office documents, to log requests but also an interfaces to AD and APIs for workflow application or webservices.

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Digital Rights Management and Tracking

In DRM or IRM solutions the documents get encrypted but the key to open the file is saved in the publishers or enterprises permission server. Every time when a user tries to open a file, a requests is submitted to the webserver so the publisher has full control. The document owner can grant or revoke permissions any time.

Online or offline

The Actino DRM Server supports online or offline control. In an online scenario the user must be online and the permission server always available for requests in the Internet or Intranet. When offline is required the permission server generates an encrypted offline key with the users machine ID. By this the document is locked to the users computer but can be opened until expiration without being online.

Watermarking

A popular features to protect files are watermarks placing text for personalization on the page. This additional content appears on screen or on printout and can contain several static or dynamic data like time or date. Actino DRM Server allows to specify individual templates for watermarks ontop or below the page content. Publishers can add all kind of text to identify the source, the current status or the owner of files.

Features and modules

Pemission Server

  • open SQL database for users and documents
  • manage permissions (Open, print, copy, etc.)
  • server support for Linux or Windows
  • standard webserver with browser interface
  • PHP scripts to manage all tasks and processes
  • dynamic watermark for screen and print
  • Interface with Active Directory (LDAP)
  • logging all requests

Encryption Server

  • encrypt PDF and Offices documents
  • different modes for online or offline protection
  • single or batch encryption on demand
  • Dispatcher for automation

Client

  • open protected PDF in Adobe Reader
  • support other popular PDF Viewers
  • document control and screenshot prevention
  • show dynamic and static watermark
  • FileOpen Viewer app for iOS and Android
  • communicates by HTTPS with permission server

Database

Document management

The permission server database manage all encrypted documents. A list window shows the documents, the expiration dates and the associated groups. In case of necessary changes the admin can easily enter the modifications. Administrators and group administrators can manually upload PDF and Office files for encryption and download the protected document.

User management

Implementations in which permission are associated to a specific user or a user group requires a database to save the necessary information for authentification (Username, password) and a counter for device, print or open control. All request to the permission database are or can be logged and interpreted for document control, tracking and analyses. The database is based on SQL and it is possible to add additional tables for other important information or to use standard SQL tools for administration.

Group & Permission management

All users and documents belong to an individual groups which hold the permissions. Open, print, copy, screenshot prevention or watermarks are attributes of a specific group and managed via the browser interface. The group administrator is responsible for the different participants, the single documents and the current permissions. Any change is immediatly valid for the whole group.

The groups manage users, documents and permissions.

The groups manage users, documents and permissions.

Workflow and automation

Dispatcher

A key feature for DRM is automation and integration. Both functions drive the workflow and help to avoid human errors. The Dispatcher is an multithreading application or service to adress the full process of encryption, distribution and updating the permission server database.
It can be launched by any other application, DMS or shopping system or as a webservice. All attributes are part of XML jobtickets.

Reporting modul

The application connects to the SQL database and extract all informations for a given period. Enterprise get all the details about the requested documents, the time, duration and date or the users or devices.

HTML5 conversion

To view content inside browsers without any PDF viewer installation the document can be converted to HTML5. The resulting document provides page views, zooming, page flipping, bookmarks for navigation and hyperlinks. It feels like a PDF.

References

The Actino DRM Server platform is used by several enterprise and institutions like WHU Business School, SFS Finnish Standards Publisher, DVS Media, Volksbank Hameln, Minimax or Denso.