Encryption plays a critical role in any organisation’s data and information protection strategies, but few routinely apply the strategy to portable document formats (PDF) even in this age of remote working.
Derek O’Neill, global security lead at Nitro, notes that today’s digital workplaces can find it challenging – especially with so many distributed teams collaborating via home offices and other remote locations, to tick all the boxes around security, reliability and usability. However, it’s simple to encrypt, for example, PDF data by using Nitro Pro‘s password security features, accessed via the Protect tab.
“When you encrypt a document, you make that document safe and secure from anyone who does not have the password,” O’Neill noted.
“We developed Nitro with enterprises in mind; their needs for security, reliability, and compliance are reflected in the product. Nitro Pro uses Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) to make sure your data has the strongest possible protection.”
Passwords can be required for opening a document, printing it, editing the content (creation or deletion), or to fill in form fields – making it possible to work from a wider range of locations when handling sensitive materials.
Sue Power, demand generation associate at Nitro, said that the company itself decided to mandate working from home for all staff, due to the coronavirus crisis, in March 2020. Power offers these tips on remote working as a result.
“Over the past couple of months, we’ve learned that everyone approaches remote work differently, so it’s important to figure out what works for you,” she said.
That said, certain principles can be applied to make for a smoother, more effective teamwork experience – such as ensuring people have a routine to follow.
Staff should also be encouraged to have a dedicated space to work at home to help with productivity. This doesn’t need to be a full-fledged home office – a breakfast nook, quiet corner, or underused table equipped with laptop and mobile phone is often sufficient.
Regular breaks are also important – and these too should be scheduled.
“At Nitro, we have a homework Slack channel to make sure we keep moving throughout the day. Every hour, on the hour, you get a message to do a particular exercise challenge. These can be anything from scissor kicks to squats. And it always starts a conversation, so we also get some of the usual office conversations we all miss,” adds marketing manager Ann Marie Ryan.
Nitro’s productivity suite also includes analytics to help boost business performance, including data on product usage, insights on product deployment and adoption, and statistics on printing and paper wastage across a company.
