Controlling Interests: Technology to Secure Proprietary Content
Intellectual property protection and
privacy are high priorities on university campuses today. Original research,
confidential data, and proprietary content, whether owned by a university or
sent to the university by a content provider, must be protected by some sort of
management system.
One option is to use a content protection tool—hardware
or software that protects an institution's intellectual property by giving the
owner complete control over who can view it, how it can be viewed, and whether
it can be shared, copied, or printed.
Such tools don't package or distribute
content per se; they simply encrypt the data as it leaves the content owner in
such a way that its use is tightly controlled. Of course, the technology behind
the tools is hardly simple, and each vendor offers a different approach to
content protection. We've surveyed a few of them here.
Alchemedia's Mirage 3.1
Alchemedia Technologies Inc.'s
Mirage 3.1 product is a combination of patented display technology and an
encryption tool. The latest version uses a server/client framework. Mirage
Server integrates with a Web server to dynamically encrypt data as it is being
sent to an end user. Mirage Client then decrypts the information on the end
user's computer and displays it securely in the browser. A non-transferable key
authenticates the user's identity. Without the key authentication, the document
being sent can't be displayed. Because Mirage Client transparently safeguards
information, users cannot copy, print, save, capture, or forward the data
without authorization. Like a mirage, users can see the information but they
can't touch it. Mirage's modular architecture, standards-based protocols, and
application program interface suite allow it to be integrated into most
e-learning environments. In use by corporate clients such as AOL Time Warner
Inc., AT&T, and Nintendo of America Inc., Mirage is being marketed primarily
to technology,
pharmaceutical, and financial institutions. However, it is
appropriate for educational uses where there are
a limited number of users
to be authenticated.
Contact: Alchemedia, Grapevine, Texas
(817) 442-8552
www.alchemedia.com.
Aladdin eToken
Aladdin Knowledge Systems Inc.'s eToken
is a portable USB device the size of a house key. It can be used for
authenticating individuals on a network or an electronic business application.
Like Mirage, this inexpensive solution would work well for institutions that
want to control data sent from and to specific users. The designated user must
plug in the eToken, which resides on his or her computer, and type in a
designated eToken password.
eToken Enterprise, the plug-and-play software that
allows systems administrators to integrate eToken into their existing security
frameworks, provides organizations with Microsoft Corp. Windows 2000/XP smart
card log-on security for online Web services and virtual private networks. The
software also facilitates quick public-key infrastructure implementation,
including support for seven major certificate authorities, and provides simple
methods for securing e-commerce, extranet services, and ISP/ASP services. Using
a set of industry-standard application program interfaces, the eToken SDK, a
separate solution from eToken Enterprise, allows organizations to integrate
eToken into their customized security applications. For example, Control Break
International uses eToken to add a physical layer of protection to its preboot
security solution for laptops and PCs.
Contact: Aladdin, Arlington Heights, Ill.
800-562-2543
www.ealaddin.com/eToken.
SealedMedia
SealedMedia manages and delivers secure
online content using a server-based check in/check out mechanism. This approach
allows a user to view content from any device, not just the device from which
the content was originally downloaded. Customers have a choice of content
delivery modes, including trial access, pay-per-view, subscription-based
delivery, and roaming access. SealedMedia, which won the Gold Award for Digital
Rights Management Solution of the Year from Publishing magazine, works with
several publisher clients, including ipicturebooks.com, Harcourt Inc., Pearson
Education, Congressional Quarterly Inc., and Xansa. SealedMedia's products
feature integration with related technologies and internal processes,
auto-update for new formats, and security that prevents screen grabbing,
hacking, and reverse engineering. SealedMedia also provides feedback on end-user
access patterns and gives customers the ability to act on that feedback without
requiring them to reseal and redistribute content. The product is compliant with
emerging content-related standards, including Digital Object Identifiers and
Extensible Markup Language.
Contact: SealedMedia, Burlington, Mass.
(781) 685-4973
www.sealedmedia.com.