The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/4983
the quarterly magazine of ILTA 9 Peer to Peer systems typically come with access control mechanisms, but these might not provide metadata removal protection for mobile devices. As with forwarding documents that have been received via e-mail, attaching a document to an e-mail message and sending it externally increases the risk of inadvertent leakage of information through the document metadata. As the storage capacity of smartphones increases, so does the likelihood that documents will be downloaded and stored on these devices. At the very least, a policy should be in place to cover which business documents can be stored on a mobile device. Metadata in the document will be retained in full for documents that are attached by the attorney to an e-mail message and sent externally. This applies both to documents that are stored on the smartphone and those that are stored within a central business system, such as a document management system (DMS) that is mobile enabled. There are different metadata removal applications on the market today. Here is a list of features that should be considered when investing in this technology: • Wide service spectrum: supports any e-mail client and e-mail server (BlackBerry, iPhone, PDA, netbooks and Webmail) • Multiple format support: MS Office, PDF or OpenDocument Format • automated system with low operational costs: metadata is removed automatically according to centrally set rules. No user training or ongoing technical support is required, which substantially reduces the application lifecycle costs • Reduced risk of leakage: no user intervention is required, which ensures a consistent service level and reduces the risks of inadvertent data leakage • application resides on network: the automated system provides a service that is transparent to the user and works reliably, out of sight, on the company network. Removing metadata from documents is a processor intensive application for desktop or laptop computers, which can cause problems and severely degrade employee productivity. Transferring this processing to the network or via software as a service (SaaS) is especially important for organizations that send large quantities of documents via e-mail; • ease of integration: well documented application programming interfaces (API) enable ease of integration into DMS and CMS. ThINk bEyONd ThE OFFICE So, not only do law firms need to have security policies in place for metadata scrubbing or removal from documents being forwarded by desktops within the office, but they also now need to look at how to protect themselves by scrubbing metadata from documents being forwarded outside the firm through a mobile device. When looking at a solution, like one that scrubs document metadata as the document is sent via e-mail, ensure that it will cover not just desktops and laptops, but also any mobile device or mobile access method. In addition, if your firm currently has a policy for use of just a single device, it is important, as with other applications, to bear in mind that this is likely to change. You should consider support for multiple types of mobile devices when evaluating solutions. It is clear that smartphones and other mobile devices enable attorneys to conduct business efficiently. Ensuring that this is done securely does not mean limiting their capabilities to access, review, edit and send of documents. With the right security technology, features and considerations, your firm's data can be secure whether on a desktop, laptop or mobile device. ILTA cathy brode is founder and vice President of Product Marketing for 3bview (www.3bview. com). she has more than 20 years' experience in the it and life sciences industry. Prior to 3bview, cathy was a founding member of cdc solutions, a provider of software and services for the life sciences industry, which was acquired by liquent in 2003. she was previously employed as a consultant at Kinesis systems (now part of ibM) and, earlier in her career, managed a major european research project on advanced network management for Plessey Research. cathy holds a degree in computer systems from university college cardiff. she can be reached at cathy.brode@3bview.com. did you know . . . Addiction to BlackBerry devices was so widespread in 2006 that Webster's New World College Dictionary coined "crackberry" the "New Word of the Year." ILTA