How File Management Software Handles Access Control
Access control is used to determine who can view, edit and delete files. Good file management software makes it easy to manage access to files.
Role-Based Permission Tiers
In many systems, such as collaboration or workflow management software, there are a number of tiers of permission that can be granted to a user or group of users. For example, a user might only be able to read documents and records (such as invoices) or they might be able to edit such documents and records as well. Others may have full admin rights to all documents and records. A finance assistant, for example, may only be able to view invoices that have been set up by someone else, while a manager of the finance department might be able to edit such documents and records as well as set up new ones.
Granting and Revoking Access
Adding new staff to required folders is simple and if staff leave you can revoke their access within a step or two of removing them from active staff lists – without anything getting left on their account.
Folder-Level Versus File-Level Permissions
The first kind of permission, Folder-level permissions, allow you to set a certain number of permission tiers for a number of folders. For example, all of the invoices for a particular client are stored in a certain folder and everyone in the finance department can view them but not edit them. All of the other folders in that folder would also have the same permission tiers. The second kind of permission, File-level permissions, are for individual files. They can restrict access to a particular document within a folder that is otherwise full of open files, for example, payroll records or draft contracts for particular clients.
Audit Trails
For changes made to documents, such as opening, editing and deleting, a full history or audit trail is created detailing who made changes and when they were made.
Meeting Data Protection Obligations
Access to personal data has to be controlled by the UK GDPR. Software for file management includes access controls. If you are looking for File Management Software, see https://www.watermarktech.co.uk/file-management-software/.
Be careful to set the right permissions for the files of your organisation from the start. You will rarely have to change things afterwards.
