Document Sharing with Copy Protection
The following case study is based on our experience working with a customer and illustrates how NirvaShare addressed their file sharing and collaboration challenges using its Document Sharing with Copy Protection feature.
Problem Statement
One of our customers—an educational institute—had a use case involving the secure distribution of course materials. They needed to share specific content with enrolled students, as well as general study materials accessible to prospective students who had not yet enrolled. Their business requirements were as follows:
Course materials shared with enrolled students should be protected against copying and unauthorized distribution.
Students already using the institute’s existing WordPress-based learning system should be able to access study materials via Single Sign-On (SSO).
Prospective (non-registered) students should be able to access general materials using any valid email address.
Administrators should receive email notifications whenever study materials are accessed, including details such as the student’s email address, access time, document viewed, and IP address.
All access and activity should be audited for future compliance and reporting purposes.
Solution using Copy Protection
NirvaShare offers a feature called Document Copy Protect, which allows users to view files without the ability to copy or download them. By leveraging this feature, the institute was able to prevent unauthorized copying and distribution of sensitive course materials.
This functionality supports various file types, including PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and text formats. Additionally, NirvaShare provides the option to apply custom text watermarks, which are displayed on each page of the document when accessed by a user, further enhancing document security and traceability.
For enrolled students using Single Sign-On (SSO) with WordPress, NirvaShare offers the ability to integrate with any external user store, including WordPress in this case. By utilizing a SAML-based plugin, NirvaShare was seamlessly integrated with the WordPress system, enabling users to access documents while being automatically signed in with their existing WordPress session.
NirvaShare supports various authentication methods, including OTP-based authentication. With this feature, the administrator can configure email patterns to enable OTP-based authentication for valid email addresses. In this case, the institute allowed non-enrolled students to access general study materials by authenticating with an OTP sent to the email address they used to access the content.
NirvaShare enables administrators to configure one or more email addresses for notifications whenever documents are accessed. This allows admins to receive email alerts when students view any study material.
Additionally, NirvaShare provides comprehensive auditing of all user actions, which can be used for compliance purposes. Admins can monitor and track user activity, with searchable audit data and the ability to generate detailed reports.
The files were stored in MinIO, an S3-compatible storage solution.
Further References
For further information on how and where to install NirvaShare and its document sharing with copy protection feature, please check our blogs for options across cloud vendors. CLICK HERE