Removing metadata before a document is converted or shared via email is essential to managing risk and confidentiality. It is essential to not only rely on technology tools to remove metadata, but to put the processes and training in place to ensure best practices are followed.
The following best practices should be followed to ensure your organization is protected from the risk of document metadata:
- Establish an enterprise-wide metadata policy and have a clear understanding of what metadata is and why it is a risk to the organization
- Review a report of existing metadata in documents before cleaning or sending to others
- Send or upload only those PDF files which have already been cleaned
- Remove all metadata from your template library to reduce the risk of any metadata being inherited from previously used documents
- Turn Track Changes off before creating a PDF
- Clean all Word documents before you create a PDF
- View the comments in your Microsoft Office application before sending documents to others to review if a history of comments exists
Workshare’s Metadata Removal Options
Workshare metadata management tools provide protection for both desktop and mobile users, as well as centralized policy management capabilities, to enforce content security policies across the organization.
Desktop Metadata Cleaning
- Clean metadata within Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files
- Clean email attachments
- Create a clean PDF document
- Batch clean multiple documents
Beyond The Desktop
With Workshare Protect Server organizations can protect proprietary information across their entire network with a server-based metadata removal solution. Workshare Protect Server secures confidential information being managed by Blackberry, iPhone and other mobile devices, removing metadata contained in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF attachments. Workshare Protect Server also monitors attachments sent with Outlook Web access and Lotus iNotes.
Cleaning metadata from Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets, and presentations is critical for every organization. To ensure that violations of legal, regulatory, or corporate policy are monitored in real time, organizations need to follow best practices and implement technology solutions to help manage their information and reduce their risks.