When preparing HR documents, both employees and managers reap huge benefits from having trust in the authenticity and integrity of their documents. These documents guide the company and the employee in their career and activities in the company. Sometimes, the documents can come into question and can be disputed, in the normal course of business, and employers will want to have full trust in their documents and records, in order that issues can be resolved and in worst case situations during contract disputes and legal proceedings.

Here are some examples of HR processes that can be certified with Autoprotect:

• When new hires arrive, the provision of the new employee with a signed contract and the relevant policies and documents can benefit from Digiprove technology.
• Even during the interview process, both the internal and external candidates can be subject to reviews and documentation is usually prepared. When a candidate is unhappy with the procedures, they can be called into question and this is exactly the kind of situation where you need to have trust in your documents.
• Health and safety training is mandatory by employment law, and what better way to prove that employees have received every aspect of training than by Digiproving your records?
• Performance management is another process that benefits greatly from digital trust. Try Digiproving all records and documents so you can prove they haven’t been tampered with down the line.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012

 Is the Digital world incongruent? “That’s a big word, what does it mean?” Well in this example what I mean is that the advantages of going digital are also the disadvantages. Let us take an example, a significant advantage is that digital content is easily changed and manipulated “at the end of the day, it’s just ones and zeroes”. It is intended by design to be easily created, modified and communicated. On the other side once it comes into existence unless specific system and data security actions are taken then it’s easy to accidently or maliciously change digital data. This creates a potential trust issue for users of your software systems and/or digital content. It may also create the same issue when digital data is required as evidence as part of a routine process or as part of a formal process such as audit or legal process such as a court case.  However by taking some reasonable actions the Provenance, Integrity and Authenticity of Digital content can be secured and also verified.

 What do we mean by Digital Data/Content?

 Fundamentally it is data and information which is represented in ones and zeroes, for processing electronically. This includes all types of digital content such as emails, Word documents, Digital camera photos, Music and audio files, Web site content, Tweets, Software, Videos and many more. Digital communications covers mobile phones (GSM/3G), Scanned documents including PDF’s, most broadcasts TV, Radio, Internet.

 Characteristics of Digital Data

 The main characteristics are as follows

 It is binary in nature (ones and zeroes)

• It is intended by design to be manipulated
• It can be changed without leaving a trace:
  • Text files
  • Microsoft Word and other documents
  • Email archives
  • PDFs
  • Sound recordings
  • Images
  • Database records
  • It can be changed in transit

 Where is Digital Data stored?

•  Hard Disk files and folders in digital devices such as Servers, PCs, Notebooks, Tablets, on Networks (Public & Private)
• Semiconductor (Chips) on PCs, Servers, USB keys, Mobile Phones etc.
• Memory Cards in or attached to PCs and portable devices such as cameras, phones etc.
• Application and email servers, back up servers
• Databases
• Log files
• In the Cloud

How does digital data & content change?

As we now know one of the significant advantages of digital data is the ability to manipulate, process and analyze digital information. Modern day living and business is underpinned by technology that can do this. Think of a visit to the Hospital and the equipment used by the medical profession such as MRI scanners which help in the diagnosis of medical conditions, or Photoshop on your PC which allows you manipulate photos. There are thousands of applications we get positive benefit from through manipulating and changing digital data. However there are some risks:-

Accidental change: – This is where digital data or content is changed by accident and unintentionally but can have serious consequences. Data can be corrupted, that is changed by some unintended action either within our control such as changing something on our PC, or outside our control such as the impact of a software bug or an act of God such as a power surge as examples. Human error happens more frequently and can cause data to be changed, so it is  not as it was intended or expected.

Corrections: – We change data/content to correct earlier mistakes or to include new and/or more accurate information.

Malicious/Deliberate: – This is where someone changes data to perhaps hide facts, misrepresent facts and mislead the user of the data/content. Even amateurs can make changes with a little knowledge, however they are likely to leave footprints that an IT professional can identify, however a professional leaves no trace.

So in order to re enforce and build trust in data/content we want to be sure that the data is as intended and that accidental or malicious changes are prevented or, can be detected before the data is used.

What is important is that we know the provenance of the data/content, its source and history, so we trust its integrity and its authenticity.

 “It’s a question of trust”

When you are presented with content that is digital in origin and nature as an employee, citizen, supplier, regulator, auditor, court, manager or any stakeholder, what do you want to know?

• Who (and when), prepared this digital content?
• Who (and when), modified this content?
• Who owns this content?
• What is its history?
• Is it as it was intended and expected? (Has it been tampered with?)

The answers to these questions give us the provenance of the digital content. So a 3^rd party may just ask the question “What is the provenance of this digital content” in other words can it be trusted implicitly.

How do you secure the provenance of Digital Content?

When you scan, create or modify the digital content:-

• A unique digital fingerprint should be created
• A date and time stamp is recorded against the content and the fingerprint
• The person who is responsible is recorded against the action
• A unique independent certificate is created.
• An independent audit record is created.

Additionally with modern mobile devices it’s also possible to record the location of the devise the digital content is being certified on and include this in the certificate and audit record.

How do you know the provenance of Digital Content is authentic?

You must be able to on or off line:-

• Recreate the digital fingerprint and confirm it correlates with the original fingerprint.
• Review the certificate associated with the content and the fingerprint.
• Access and review the original and any updated digital certificates and their related content

 This sounds a bit complicated, Is it?

No not at all there are several providers of technology out there, however we prefer the patented Digiprove solutions because:-

• They are easy to integrate and use
• They have little overhead
• They do not require you to send your content to then, so it always remains confidential.
• The meet all the requirements above to secure and validate the provenance of digital content.
• The Georgia Institute of technology have validated Digiproves’ technology

How can I get this protection on the provenance of my digital data in place quickly?

At any time you can just log into www.digiprove.com for a specific piece of content and Digiprove it. Whether it be a source code file, a video, a document they can all be Digiproved, why not sign up for a free trial.

However today in this paper we are talking about the bigger picture if you are a software development organisation you can down-load the Digiprove software Developers Kit and any good developer can quickly integrate Digiprove into your system at the levels appropriate to the specific application. It’s just a matter of identification of critical digital content and the key stages of processing within the application and use the SDK to enable real-time Digiproving of the digital content.

If you are a user of the software but need these features then in the first instance you may want to ask your supplier would they be willing to integrate Digiprove into your software.

Don’t worry if it’s not possible to integrate for whatever reason there is a good fall-back position, download and install Autoprotect. Autoprotect allows you to identify any files or folders to be Digiproved at a frequency you determine and it runs as a background task so once set up (takes about 10 minutes to install and configure in a few easy steps by anyone). You can include the file relating to your software and their content will be Digiproved thus securing the digital content provenance.

What is the value of integrating or using Digiprove?

The bottom line is that the provenance of your digital content is secured, it can be validated at any time, there will be evidence if it has changed outside what it was intended to be, and it is strong and valid evidence that stakeholders can trust. So accidental or malicious changes will be obvious and therefore it will be compliant.

The good thing is that as a user you only pay for the usage of the system, that is the number of Digiprove transactions you have completed.

As a developer or integrator, The SDK is free to download and use, development and testing is free, and you only pay when the software is in production either internally or at a client site. For those who integrate Digiprove there are whole sale transaction rates which enable additional revenue streams for you or the ability to discount or add value for your client.

Everyone is talking about the cloud and what does it mean for their business. I am often asked how do I get started?  In fact many who ask this question are already using cloud based services such as Microsoft’s Office 365, or Google Doc’s and many more in their personal lives. Of course there are many vendors with cloud business solutions such as Salesforce.com, Apples iTunes etc.

A good starting point is to make sure we understand what the cloud is and what new considerations beyond the traditional IT decisions might be.

What is the cloud?

Think of the cloud as a set of IT resources that you can access and use which do not reside on your premises or within your IT infrastructure. You and even perhaps your cloud provider may not even know specifically where the data resides, unless you have a specific agreement when you set up a Cloud based service. You may retain control of who has access or direct your Cloud provider to manage your authorized access.

There are three main ways of using cloud services and many reputable suppliers for each:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

In this scenario you use the hardware (server, storage, networks) and operating systems from your provider. You are responsible for and have complete control over all aspects of the software and data you develop and/or install and use in the environment.

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

This scenario is similar to IaaS above but in addition you also rent your software development environment and manage and control that environment.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

In this scenario you have everything provided to you by your cloud provider to host and operate your business application(s). All you do is configure the application for your business and control the data.

What are the benefits of the Cloud?

There are both business and operational benefits to using cloud services:-

Business Benefits:

• You only pay for what you use
• You avoid big up-front costs by paying on a monthly basis
• You can improve you staff productivity by having access to applications and data anywhere, anytime once you have internet access.
• You improve customer service by having real-time access at point of sale and service
• You can significantly reduce paperwork and related overheads

Operational & Technical benefits

• Your provider is an expert IT supplier and manages all aspects for you, you do not have to retain IT expertise, assets and associated costs.
• Cloud providers have very high reliability and resilience so service interruptions are unlikely.
• Your data and applications are backed up frequently and automatically, and have integrated disaster recovery infrastructures.
• You can scale up or down your IT as required to meet business demands
• Your provider maintains the latest technologies and software releases ensuring you are always up to date.

What are some of the key considerations when looking to get started?

I will not go into a full vendor selection process here, I will just outline some of the key points you need to consider.

• Vendor pricing model and how it changes as your activity increases or decreases
• Any change to your current infrastructure to enable access to the selected cloud services
• Have the supplier a tried and tested migration plan
• Their backup, disaster and recovery proposition
• Guarantees around up-time and resilience
• The usability of their admin/control panels that allow you self-service and self-manage.
• Security, Security, Security
  • Regulation of Access
    • User Identity
    • Roles & Rights Management
    • Anti-Virus & Spam
    • Encryption
    • Securing the Data Provenance(Prevention)
      • Date & Time stamp
      • Content identity & detail
      • Authorship-Ownership-Copyright
      • Tamper proof & Tamper Evidence
      • Verification & Functions
        • Tamper-proof & Auditable Logs
        • Instant verification of data as used
        • On-line & Off-line verification
• Location of Data Centres, Data, Backups, DRP and ensure the location has adequate infrastructure and laws that protect your data assets.
• Regulatory Compliance, you still will have responsibility for any Government or Industry compliance items and you need to ensure that relevant processes may need to be adapted. So long as you retain control over the IT environment and have adequate security then you should have no issue. That said some Governments place restrictions.
• Data Protection compliance for the jurisdictions you operate under.

How can I get started?

Once you have determined the strategic or tactical business case to move forward then it’s really down to selecting your product and/or provider. However if there are the following drivers as an entry point:-

• Enhance our cost model by moving to rental and having the ability to scale
• Create access to our digital content anywhere, anytime
• Reduce paperwork and improve productivity

Then some good starting points are:-

• Migrate your current infrastructure to the IaaS cloud provider, they will then handle all the hardware and platform support.
• An easy start is just to start moving your basic storage and critical Data to the cloud using one of Digiproves solutions such as Brokerprove, Autoprotect or Cloudprotect. You can retain your current file structures or enhance them.
• Most Digital content originates in an office productivity tool such as MS Office, You could migrate to Office 365, Google Docs or a similar service.
• Address your back-up and recovery by implementing one of the many on-line services available.

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Finance is the most vulnerable and scrutinized part of any business, both from internal pressures and outside regulators and auditors. Any anomaly with finances automatically destroys trust in the business as a whole, never mind the legal penalties that are at stake. The finance department must ensure that there are adequate and effective controls on costs, revenues and cash within the business, and has reporting requirements to the authorities at all times. Having trust and believing in the authority and integrity of these reports is a must for stakeholders and auditors alike.

The biggest risk to company stability- finances

Finances are the biggest risks for fraud and misinterpretation within your business. Financial records and their systems are now managed using IT applications- these could be excel sheets or full ERP systems. Remember that financial data tends to be a resource for decision makers, whether they be buyers, investors, bankers, or partners, so it’s vital that digital records can be proven as authentic to ensure digital trust.

With Digiprove’s Autoprotect, you’ve got a handy addition to your electronic tools that are used to manage finances, by bringing in a new layer of trust and authenticity to financial records.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012

Some data protection methods are free, some expensive, some long-winded and some easy to implement. It’s wise to carry out a risk analysis- identify the data that needs to be 100% bullet proof, over that data that doesn’t matter. After this, carry out a cost benefit analysis with the solutions you have in mind.

Prevention of access, regulation of access to data:

By controlling access, you can ensure that only authorized people can have access to digital information and digital data that they have the right to access, and this might be set out within business law and regulations. The level of access and what a person can do is also an area that can be controlled and managed. By choosing an appropriate solution, access can be regulated and accidental damage to data can be prevented, hence enhancing digital trust. Examples of these procedures and solutions include: rights and roles management, anti-virus, encryption solutions, and biometric security.

Prevention of data alteration:

In this situation we want to know and maintain the origination and history of digital data- i.e. have confidence in when it was created, modified, changed, deleted and saved etc. We would also like to know which user carried out each modification and what they were. In this scenario, there are also tools available to us, like: date and time stamping, content identification, author proofing, tamper proofing andtamper evidence proofing.

With the above tools, we can enhance digital trust in digital data. Not all of these procedures and tools need to cost your life savings, either. Get in touch today to find out more about date and time stamping and content verification.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012

What do we mean by digital trust?

For employees and customers to have confidence in your business and products, it’s vital that your documents can be proven in their authenticity and legitimacy. If you’ve prepared an employee contract, how can you prove it hasn’t been digitally altered since its creation? Documents can be tampered with in a number of ways, sometimes accidentally but sometimes maliciously. This in turn can have legal ramifications in terms of compliance issues or even employment law.

When people have digital trust in your business then you will enjoy a better relationship with clients and higher client retention rates. It just makes sense.

Business Consultant Takes Up Digiprove To Protect Content

Lorne S. Wellington, a successful author and business consultant, recently signed up for Digiprove’s web protect service in order to protect his site’s online content. For a sole trader like this, it’s important to be able to maintain rights over your bespoke content in order to deter copyright thieves. Lorne maintains a regular insightful blog on his website, and this kind of content is hard to beat in terms of reputational benefits and even online marketing benefits. It’s vital to protect it.

With the Digiproves wordpress plugin, online content can be proved and filtered automatically and will have a digital signature applied. The author can prove the time and date of content creation and modification, which is vital evidence when taking up a copyright case.

Web protect for WordPress is free to try. Why not sign up today and instantly start protecting your online content?

Sign up for a free trial here

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Always practice the truth

Honest communication online is key to success. Admit mistakes straight away. Cover-ups and half-truths will erode consumer trust in your brand. If you seek to enforce trust in your social postings, we’re working on a tool that will help. Stay tuned to this spot for more details.

Privacy

Data security and data privacy is something that your company has to make an open commitment to online. Personal customer information shouldn’t be used online, so make sure every member of the team adheres to the social privacy policy in order to enforce digital trust.

Brand promises and expectations

Building up trust online means adhering to promises. Meet expectations or even exceed them, but don’t make promises to social media that you can’t keep. Integrity is vital in building up digital trust. That’s why you much enforce ethics and respect privacy.

Honesty and transparency

Being open in social media spaces is key to social success. It’s also vital in building the digital trust in your brand. Your audience is likely to require information about TOC’s, warranties, guarantees, etc. Be open about policies. When posting these out, ensure digital trust by taking advantage of the tools that we’re be developing.

Digital trust is created by repeating these ethics and practices time and time again. Digiprove is here to advise on digital trust in the office space but also the online space. Stay tuned for further updates and service developments.

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How can data be changed and voided?

Accidental changes: Our digital data and content can be changed unintentionally- by accident- and can have serious consequences down the line. Data can be corrupted and changed by unintended actions like changing a document name or Meta, or it can be changed by outside forces, like data disasters and power failures. Human error has more of an impact on data changes than you would think.

Data corrections: Sometimes we change data to correct mistakes like spelling or to include more up to date information- for certain documents this can undermine their legitimacy.

Malicious changes: Perhaps a person can gain access to a file and change it’s data to hide information, change the facts or create misleading content. It’s easy to void a contract with very little technical knowledge, and the overall document will usually register the change though it’s final change date.

In order to ensure that our data is legitimate and can maintain it’s authenticity, it’s important to prove it’s initial creation date and any modification dates. Hence we can prove that it hasn’t been tampered with, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Digiprove has the solution for exactly this purpose.

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Let’s look at Twitter for some examples. It’s one of the most popular social networks around and it’s a cool way to follow celebrities and see what they’re up to. Companies use it too in order to communicate with customers and potential clients and increase their brand presence and awareness. Hackers tend to target celebrity accounts or corporate accounts to cause the most chaos.

Celebrities and news corporations: all victims of Twitter hacking

Celebrity pop star Justin Bieber had his Twitter account hacked, causing a certain amount of confusion to his followers and fans. He got his own back, however, when he gained access to his Twitter again and obtained the phone number of his hacker and posted it- the cyber criminal’s phone was then overloaded with text messages.

NBC News was hacked in September of 2011 and sent out disturbing Tweets about Ground Zero being attacked once again. Of course, it wasn’t true and the official NBC account posted a clarification just minutes after. It turned out the hack was attributed to a Trojan virus that arrived in their media center via email.

Other high profile hacks include Fox News, Rick Sanchez and Britney Spears.

Wouldn’t it be great to add a note to each social media post proving it’s authentic- only something authorized users would be able to do? Digiprove are working on this area…..so watch this space!!

Click here to read more about Digiprove for social media.

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What is the Global Earth Movement?

The website features the main sections of: Community, Bloggers, Videos, GEM & Projects, and Theories & Ideas. The site has a number of posts based on self-help guides

This example just goes to show how Digiprove’s Autoprotect can aid any organization- no matter what their shape or size. A Digiproving facility like the Autoprotect plugin is so useful for organizations that wish to ensure that their web pages are protected from copyright and content theft. Digiprove’s Autoprotect plugin can be used to protect online pages, files and blogs with a unique timestamp.

Why protect online content?

Global Earth Movement maintain blogs on their website, and the organizers use the blog to spread the word on anything from environmental news to meditation techniques and self-help guides. The blogging element of their online strategy is integral to a site like this, and helps to drive traffic and new readers. As such, the content needs to be unique and so copied or duplicate content on the web is to be avoided. By protecting their content with Autoprotect, the Global Earth Movement have put in place a method to dissuade content thieves from taking their unique content and have given themselves legal ammunition to prove if their content has been stolen.

Digiprove’s patented technology provides a unique and authentic timestamp to content, so that users can prove it’s creation and modification date.

Click here to check out the Global Earth Movement website

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