Maintain iManage DMS Integrity Through Secure External File Sharing

The iManage Document Management System (DMS) is a leading software used by legal professionals worldwide to manage sensitive legal documents and other sensitive information. The platform is designed to offer a robust, secure, and convenient digital environment for storing, accessing, and exchanging legal documents. iManage maintains a file’s integrity by ensuring that the documents stored in the system are secure from unauthorized access, tampering, and corruption. When legal professionals need to share the sensitive files stored in iManage externally with clients, courts, and other trusted parties, they must do so securely and in compliance with data privacy regulations and standards to maintain file integrity and protect their clients’ privacy. As a result, secure external file sharing becomes a necessity. This post explores the ways legal professionals who utilize iManage DMS can protect client confidentiality whenever they share sensitive content externally.

What Is Secure External File Sharing?

Secure external file sharing refers to the practice of sharing files with recipients outside the organization while maintaining data security, integrity, and authenticity. This includes using encryption to protect sensitive data during transit and at rest, and implementing robust access control measures. Secure external file sharing ensures that sensitive legal content like depositions, contracts, client account information, digital images of evidence, and other privileged material remain confidential and protected against unauthorized access or leakages. Unsecured file sharing poses substantial risks, such as data breaches, corruption of files, and exposure of sensitive client information, which could have dire consequences, including loss of client trust, legal ramifications, and damage to the firm’s reputation.

The Role of Secure External File Sharing in Maintaining iManage DMS Integrity

Secure external file sharing plays a crucial role in sustaining the integrity of iManage’s Document Management System. As a platform utilized by legal professionals to store and manage highly sensitive content, it’s paramount to ensure that content shared through iManage is secure, traceable, and controlled. A secure file sharing solution can enhance this by providing an extra layer of protection that guards against unforeseen security breaches, mitigates risks, and maintains the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.

Improve Content Security

Maintaining the security of sensitive content in a DMS is paramount. Legal professionals often deal with confidential and privileged information that needs top-notch security. A secure file sharing solution enhances data security by implementing robust encryption algorithms and multi-factor authentication that ensures that only authorized individuals can access and share documents. It also offers real-time monitoring capabilities, which allow administrators to detect suspicious activities promptly, thereby helping to prevent unauthorized access or data breaches. Security audit logs provide an additional layer of security by offering visibility into user activities and document access history.

Enhanced Client Confidentiality

Client confidentiality is an essential aspect of legal practice. Any system that handles client information therefore must guarantee its privacy. A secure file sharing solution enhances confidentiality by controlling access to sensitive documents based on user roles and permissions. Moreover, advanced solutions provide digital rights management (DRM) features like watermarking and view-only permissions, which can prevent unauthorized copying or printing of sensitive documents. The ability to track and log all activities related to a document, including who accessed it, when, and what changes were made, further helps ensure client confidentiality.

Sustain Compliance With Legal Requirements

The legal sector is governed by stringent regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA), among many others, requiring firms to meticulously protect client information and provide transparency about its use. Therefore, a secure file sharing solution should enable compliance with all applicable regulations and standards by providing features like data encryption, access control, audit logs, and data retention policies. It should also have the ability to produce comprehensive reports for regulatory audits.

Preserve iManage DMS Performance

While security is vital, it should not compromise the performance of the iManage DMS system. An efficient secure file sharing solution should seamlessly integrate with the existing DMS, improving its performance rather than impeding it. It should support high-speed file sharing and allow large file sharing without adding undue load to the system. Furthermore, it should have minimal downtime, if any, to ensure uninterrupted access to vital legal documents. Additionally, the solution should be compatible and scalable to grow with the firm’s needs and technological advancements, ensuring steady and efficient system performance in the long run. Ultimately, a well-rounded secure file sharing solution guarantees not just data security but also operational efficiency, enabling a smooth and efficient workflow in legal practices.

Finding the Right Secure File Sharing Solution: Critical Features

An ideal secure file sharing solution isn’t just about transmitting data, it’s about equipping legal professionals with the necessary tools to protect sensitive information while fostering collaboration. The solution must offer robust security measures, granular control, comprehensive reporting, and seamless integration with existing systems like iManage DMS.

User Access Controls Limit Exposure to Sensitive Files

The ability to enforce strict access control measures is crucial, particularly in a legal environment where sensitive information is the norm. The solution should provide administrative control over who can access what content and under what circumstances. This can take the form of role-based permissions, multi-factor authentication, and granular file permissions that prevent unauthorized access and sharing. Flexibility is also key, enabling the easy addition, modification, or removal of user access as company or case requirements evolve.

File Sharing Reporting and Auditing for Complete Visibility Into File Activity

Next to robust access control, an ideal solution should provide comprehensive auditing and reporting capabilities. This means being able to track precisely who has accessed specific files, when they accessed them, and what they did with them (e.g., download, edit, upload a new version, share, share with whom, etc.). In the event of a security incident, detailed audit logs allow for quick diagnosis, containment, and remediation. Similarly, detailed reporting enables administrators to monitor file sharing activities in real time, identify potential security risks, and validate compliance with security policies and industry regulations.

Encryption at Rest and in Transit Enhances Security

Another critical feature is robust encryption, both at rest and in transit. Data should be encrypted at rest, whenever and wherever it’s stored, and encrypted again in transit, whenever it’s shared or accessed. This comprehensive encryption ensures data security even if the storage medium or transmission channel is compromised. The solution should use advanced encryption standards, such as AES-256-bit encryption, and secure protocols like SSL/TLS for data in transit.

Enterprise File Sharing Analytics Revolutionize Threat Detection

An ideal secure file sharing solution should also have enterprise-level analytics capabilities. These analytics provide insights into user behavior, file access patterns, and potential risks. It should provide visual dashboards for easy comprehension and facilitate proactive threat detection through machine-learning algorithms. With advanced analytics, legal professionals can be alerted of suspicious behavior before a potential breach occurs.

Integration With iManage DMS for Comprehensive Protection of Legal Content

Lastly, the solution should seamlessly integrate with existing document management systems like iManage. This integration allows legal professionals to securely share files directly from iManage without having to switch between platforms, creating inefficiencies. The solution should automatically inherit permissions and security controls set within iManage, avoiding any potential inconsistencies.

Benefits of Implementing Secure File Sharing Solutions in iManage DMS

With digital platforms like iManage becoming increasingly prevalent in managing, sharing, and storing critical content, it’s important that necessary steps are taken to ensure these files are protected from potential threats. The benefits of implementing a secure file sharing solution in iManage DMS include:

Choosing the Right Secure External File Sharing Solution for iManage DMS

Choosing the right secure external file sharing solution for iManage DMS is crucial for legal firms that want to ensure data protection and seamless workflow. This process involves careful selection, evaluation, implementation, and post-implementation reviews that all take into consideration an organization’s business, cost, security, and compliance requirements.

Considerations in Selecting a Secure File Sharing Solution

When choosing a secure file sharing solution that integrates with iManage DMS, consider factors such as security features, ease of use, integration capabilities, and compliance with data protection regulations. The right solution should meet the specific needs of your firm.

Evaluating Different Secure File Sharing Solutions in the Market

Thorough market research and evaluation of different secure file sharing solutions are essential to identify the most suitable one for your firm. Consider conducting a month-long trial to test the solution’s efficacy and compatibility with the iManage DMS.

Implementing the Selected Secure File Sharing Solution

Once a suitable solution has been selected, implement it in your iManage DMS. Ensure users have a seamless integration and adequate training to familiarize them with its functionalities.

Post-implementation Review

After implementing the secure file sharing solution, a post-implementation review should be conducted. This involves evaluating the solution’s effectiveness in enhancing security and maintaining the integrity of the files stored in iManage DMS. Regularly assess its performance to ensure that it continues to meet your firm’s needs and complies with data protection regulations.

Share iManage Documents Securely and in Compliance With Data Privacy Regulations Using Kiteworks

The Kiteworks Private Content Network facilitates safe and compliant external sharing of iManage documents. Kiteworks seamlessly integrates with iManage, providing law firms and corporate legal departments complete control over the files users access and share externally. With iManage and Kiteworks, users protect sensitive client documents while amplifying organizational agility and individual productivity.

Kiteworks’ robust security features include a hardened virtual appliance, end-to-end encryption, secure deployment options, and integrations with your existing security infrastructure like security information and event management (SIEM), data loss prevention (DLP), advanced threat protection (ATP), and content disarm and reconstruction (CDR), among others. These and other security features enable organizations to shrink a vulnerable attack surface, namely the many communication channels organizations use to share sensitive content externally. In fact, a recent report by Kiteworks cited 50% of surveyed organizations rely on more than six communication tools to send and share sensitive content.

With Kiteworks, legal professionals mitigate the risks of a data breach while ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and standards like the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF) and International Organization for Standardization ISO 27000 Standards (ISO 27001). Kiteworks also allows for real-time tracking, with detailed audit logs of file activity and user interactions, to maintain transparency and accountability.

The user-centered design of Kiteworks ensures that these advanced features do not compromise on simplicity and ease of use. It retains the familiarity of native iManage interfaces, enabling users to work within the environment they are accustomed to. Kiteworks provides a path for secure collaboration beyond organizational boundaries, making it not just a tool but an enabler of secure business growth and efficiency.

Request a demo to learn more about how legal professionals can use Kiteworks secure file sharing, including the Kiteworks iManage integration, to share sensitive information with clients and lock down private email conversations.

Additional Resources

• Video Enhancing Contract Management Efficiency and Security With Kiteworks
• Blog Post 12 Essential Secure File Sharing Software Requirements
• Brief Kiteworks Preserves Content for eDiscovery
• Case Study Seyfarth Shaw: Serving Clients Better Through Secure Mobile File Sharing
• Blog Post Secure File Sharing for Law Firms and Lawyers: Ensuring Confidentiality in the Compliance Era