SealPath brings RMS protection to AutoCAD

[Azure Information Protection Team]

First published on CloudBlogs on Sep 08, 2015
Happy Tuesday everyone For companies that generate intellectual property, document-level security is a top priority these days. While RMS has historically been known for protecting Office and PDF documents we've been working with key partners on protecting files our customers are demanding be protected. CAD is one such sector. In the recent past we've shared with you our ability to protect Siemens JT file (as PJT) thanks to the good folks at Siemens. Today we're sharing with you some incredibly deep integration of RMS into AutoDESK AutoCAD from a partner of ours, SealPath. Organizations can now use SealPath product to protect AutoCAD designs with RMS and share them with others, and then use AutoCAD to work on those protected designs.

If your CAD format is not JT or AutoCAD, please let us know and we'll work with the vendors to get it protected: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RMSforMFG

Here's our interview with SealPath's CEO, Luis Angel del Valle: Dan: Hello Luis. Could you please introduce us to SealPath and your role? Luis: Thank you Dan. SealPath offers diverse solutions centered on RMS for corporate clients who require more configuration flexibility. We have recently created a RMS plugin for AutoCAD which we believe will be very valuable to our shared customers. As far as my role at SealPath, I am the CEO and am deeply involved in the definition of our roadmap and the product development strategy. Dan: Can you tell me more about the RMS plugin for AutoCAD and what is the user experience like? Luis: The new RMS plugin for AutoCAD offers native integration with the AutoCAD suite (currently v2012 to v2016) enabling the control of the permissions assigned to a specific CAD design. An AutoCAD file can be protected by the user using the RMS sharing app . The user can use either templates or using the assignment of granular permissions. Once the plugin is installed, when the file is protected, the file will change from having a .dwg extension to a .pdwg extension. Then, when double clicking on the file the drawing will be opened in AutoCAD and the permissions associated with it will be enforced (e.g. only view, edit, print/plot, copy and paste, etc.). We have placed the emphasis on the user's experience to ensure that it is very easy to manage and access for users.

Figure 1. Protect and open secured drawing

Figure 2. Permissions restricted by the AutoCAD RMS plugin

Dan: What kind of companies can benefit from this plugin? Luis: Any company that works with the AutoCAD suite and is concerned about safeguarding their intellectual property can benefit from it. Through the proven and powerful RMS technology and the SealPath plugin, companies in engineering, research and development, manufacturing and other sectors can protect their designs when sharing them both internally or externally as well, with partners, subcontractors, suppliers, etc. What other solutions can we expect for the future? Can you give us a clue? Luis: We are actively working on the protection of formats in the industrial area. We soon hope to provide plugins in order to extend RMS to formats for other design solutions such as 2D, 3D, PLMs, etc. Another critical part of our solutions is the integration with document management systems beyond SharePoint in such a way that it is extremely straightforward to protect documents in different documentation repositories. Can someone trial the AutoCAD plugin? Luis: Of course. We offer free trials for one month of the AutoCAD plugin. Upon request, we provide the plugin so that it can be tried in a real environment by different users. Dan: If organisations have questions or want to see a demo, how do they reach you? Luis: All they have to do is access http://rmscad.sealpath.com and request it using the contact forms or by sending an e-mail to info@sealpath.com . As such, we can organise demos or analyze specific requirements regarding AutoCAD protection.  Regarding licensing, there is an annual price per user that can protect, edit, print/plot a drawing, but you don´t need a license for view only users. So there you have it, RMS inside of AutoDESK's AutoCAD! Much more to come so, check back with us! Regards, Dan Plastina @TheRMSGuy https://www.linkedin.com/in/danpl