BlackBerry announces WatchDox by Blackberry Email Protector

BlackBerry has announced WatchDox by BlackBerry Email Protector. WatchDox offers businesses a means of automatically controlling and securing files sent through email by embedding file-level DRM protection, even after they leave the company’s firewall. Further, WatchDox File Sync and Share integration will be available for Salesforce.com and Microsoft Office Online. It also offers a number of other features such as the ability to edit documents in the browser, online viewer, authentication enhancements, and more.

Read the complete press release below

BlackBerry Limited, a global leader in secure mobile communications, today announced WatchDox® by BlackBerry Email Protector, an entirely new offering that provides businesses with the means of automatically controlling and securing files sent through email by embedding file-level DRM protection, even after they leave the organization's firewall. In addition, WatchDox File Sync and Share integration will be available for Salesforce.com and Microsoft® Office Online. 

“The emergence of cloud services as core components of business infrastructure is changing the way organizations need to approach security. WatchDox protects the new borderless enterprise by delivering not only the most secure EFSS File Sync and Share solutions but enhanced integration with Salesforce.com and the new BlackBerry Email Protector,” said Billy Ho, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Product and Value Added Solutions, BlackBerry. “The risk of data loss is significantly minimized by encrypting and enforcing DRM protection at the file-level when users are viewing, editing and annotating synced documents, no matter on which side of the firewall those documents travel.”

Email Protector leverages the highly regarded WatchDox platform to automatically apply DRM protection to email attachments sent through an organization’s email gateway based on controllable policies such as recipient or file type. Administrators can protect or exempt specific file types, users or entire domains. In addition, Email Protector places attached files into an IT-controlled WatchDox repository and replaces the file with a download link in the original email. This provides unmatched security with a seamless user experience. Email Protector also integrates with email Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions to enforce file-level security based on DLP security policies. If the DLP system identifies an email with sensitive business information, WatchDox will embed DRM security into the attachment before it leaves the firewall.

As one of the most used SaaS (Software as a Service) applications and a system of record, increasing amounts of data are now contained within Salesforce. This includes very sensitive information about the company’s business, including leads, contacts, and sales opportunities as well as other insights into the operations. Companies working with Salesforce can take full advantage of WatchDox storage, sharing, collaboration and customizable document security features, directly from within Salesforce.com. By using WatchDox to store and share files specific to Salesforce records, organizations can apply policies to avoid costly data loss. Access controls are completely customizable and intuitive and files can be set to expire, or be revoked at any time. 

Other feature updates for WatchDox by BlackBerry include:

• Edit Documents in the Browser with WatchDox for Web and Office Online – WatchDox for Web is now integrated with Office Online, so users can securely view, edit and version their documents without ever having to leave the web browser, download a file, or install any software. When changes are saved, they are automatically synced back to WatchDox and stored as a new version.
• Powerful Upgrades to WatchDox for Microsoft® Outlook® – WatchDox delivers incremental productivity by providing users with a consolidated and convenient place to view all of their sent and received files at a glance and with tools to easily create, version, protect and share files up to 10 GB in size. All this within the Microsoft Outlook interface, saving people time who have to search through their inbox looking for files.
• Introducing Custom Application Workspaces – Third-party application developers benefit from this private storage space that is not exposed through the native WatchDox interface. Combined with a rich SDK and APIs, web and application developers can leverage the WatchDox platform’s security, mobility, sharing and synchronization capabilities directly through their custom app interface.
• New Online Viewer in WatchDox for Web – The online viewer for WatchDox has been rebuilt in HTML5 to the same security standards as the original Flash viewer, and introduces new user experiences and design. Users can now create, review and share annotations with other contributors who can then correspond on any device.
• Role Builder – WatchDox system administrators can create customized permission profiles for unique user workflows, making them available to end-users when they’re sharing files. It’s a capability that gives organizations the flexibility to control how the users in a workspace are engaging with files. It also gives the organization confidence that the right security settings are being applied across a range of scenarios.
• Authentication Enhancements – System administrators can now customize timeout periods for specific users, user groups, or by application. For example, a large private equity firm uses WatchDox to share documents to both internal employees and external partners, vendors and customers. To enhance security, external parties are required to re-authenticate daily, while internal employees are only required to re-authenticate once a week.
• WatchDox for Microsoft Windows, now with Easy Upload – Users on a Windows PC (Windows 7, 8 and 10) can select any file on internal or external storage and upload it directly to a WatchDox workspace (or sub-folder). This way, you can start an upload of a large file now, and if you have to close your computer and resume later, you can. WatchDox remembers where the upload was before you closed your computer.

 
WatchDox by BlackBerry is a modern, highly secure file management platform that enables effortless, multi-OS synchronization and sharing. The solutions limit the risk for data loss or theft by embedding Digital Rights Management (DRM) security into each individual file, so content remains secure and within IT’s control, even after it is downloaded and shared outside of an organization. Users can easily access, sync, edit, share and control their files from any of their devices and provides unified access to content in SharePoint, file shares, cloud storage services and Enterprise Content Management Systems (ECMs). WatchDox is available for Mac OS® X, Windows® PC, Android®, iOS and BlackBerry® 10 devices.

WatchDox by BlackBerry Email Protector and WatchDox for Salesforce are available as of today, while the enhanced Outlook plug-in is launching in the upcoming weeks.