The rules process begins with a determination as to what rights the owners want to convey. These may include, but are not limited to:

• Viewing – including frequency of use and number of viewings allowed;
• Copying – including subsequent distribution to other computers and/or portable devices;
• Rules can be set to travel with the content and may at various times require authentication from a remote server in order to unlock the content;
• Based on receipt of payment, if any;
• Expiration of rights – at a date certain, upon reaching a certain number of viewings or on some other basis.

Access and referring data is a huge DRM issue for companies both big and small. Photo courtesy of iStockPhoto.com.

Enterprise DRM
Perhaps more mundane than Media DRM, Enterprise DRM is every bit as important. Corporations need to protect their information and control access to it. The American Society of CPAs recently listed Information Security as #1 on their list of top 10 technologies for 2004. The following are some of the issues to consider:

• Authentication of users – determining who has access to which files;
• Rights – what users can do with files to which they have access, i.e. read, modify, print, etc;
• Prevention of access after termination of employee/employer relationship;
• Maintain confidentiality of customer files – i.e. financial services, healthcare industries;
• Maintain confidentiality of HR information;
• Protect consumer information, including e-commerce transactions.

Benefits
Establishing a DRM policy for both Media DRM and Enterprise DRM results in the following benefits:

• Preserves value of content;
• Limits unauthorized access to information;
• Audit trail of users – rules can be applied to track who has used the content;
• Protects consumer information.

Due to the digital environment in which we work, digital content is a fundamental element in how we conduct business. Therefore, the protection of that content and the whole DRM process should not be taken lightly. It is important to understand the ABCs of DRM, the basics, in order to address the challenges. This is just the beginning as the process will evolve and become more sophisticated over time. Those who understand and implement DRM strategies will be ahead of the curve.

Marty Shindler is ceo of The Shindler Perspective, a management consulting firm that provides a business perspective to creative, technology and emerging companies. Visit iShindler.com to learn more about the firm’s capabilities. Marty may be reached at Marty@iShindler.com.