With microfilm, tape and paper continuing their transition to digital formats, and the Internet posing various risks for distributing sensitive information, many organizations are looking for a reliable solution for securely archiving and delivering large volumes of unique, digital information.

This is especially true when sharing sensitive security video surveillance images, for example.

Disk publishing, a process of creating CDs and DVDs with customized digital content and labels, has become a low-cost, secure standard that many businesses depend on for storing and distributing unique information. Disk publishing content protection and encryption methods ensure the content on every disk is appropriately protected.

Physical copies of sensitive data

As any organization that has experienced significant loss of data or intrusion from an outsider into its electronic files can attest, having a reliable, physical copy of digital data stored in a lock box can be invaluable.

Unlike tape or hard drives that can be volatile, inconsistent and somewhat fragile, CDs and DVDs are extremely durable – impervious to water, scratches and dirt – and have become the standard, universally compatible format for archiving data.

For example, businesses recently affected by the wrath of Hurricane Katrina were well-served if they had a file cabinet full of disks, rather than tapes archiving their data.

With high-performance disk publishing systems now enabling quick and easy in-house disk creation for businesses of all sizes, a variety of CD-recording software has hit the market, making it difficult for end-users to ensure the recorded data on every disk is properly protected.

The most effective technologies for safeguarding digital content and ensuring copy protection apply the following three tiers of security:

1. Straightforward encryption of the disk, providing access to data only through a personal password.
2. An implanted link between the data and the disk, enabling files to be opened only if the disk is present. (This feature makes it impossible to distribute the contents of a disk over the Internet, for example.)
3. Leverage CDs/DVDs manufactured specifically so they cannot be copied.

Another consideration is the type of asset to be protected. Traditionally, executables (.exe files) are the focus of protection, but more recently, there has been a growing demand to protect the security of documents like PDF and HTML files, AVI and MPEG video files and JPG images. New applications have been developed to protect intellectual property. In this manner, these high value assets can be distributed with secure control limiting access and dissemination.

As demonstrated by the number of disks in any office or home throughout the world, a number of businesses are depending on disk publishing for their information storage and distribution needs. Maintaining durable, physical copies of sensitive data, combined with the copy and content protection technologies now available, can ensure the security of an organization’s most critical information well into the future.