Firmex administrators can choose between three methods of delivering documents to their users:
- Keep documents online and in Firmex and display them using the Firmex Viewer.
- Allow users to download PDF and/or Office documents to their own computer and display them using their native applications while maintaining document protection options and document monitoring.
- Allow users to download documents to their own computer and display them using their native applications without document protection options or monitoring.
In this lesson, you will learn about document protection options and the differences between the Firmex Viewer and downloaded documents.
What are the Firmex document protection options?
Firmex offers document protection as an added layer of security and monitoring that can be applied to data room documents, both online through the Firmex Viewer and offline when downloading PDF and Office files to a user’s computer.
The options are:
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Disable Save
Allows users to view documents in Firmex Viewer, but cannot save. -
Disable Print
Prevents users from printing documents from Firmex Viewer or printing downloaded PDF and Office files. -
Lock to Computer
Once downloaded to a user’s computer, PDF and Office documents cannot leave the user’s computer. The document can only be opened on the computer on which it was first opened. -
Expire Access
The document cannot be opened once the document expiry date has been reached. If the user is allowed to download documents, Expire Access will only be applied to PDF and Office file types.
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Enforce Watermark
Documents in the Firmex Viewer and downloaded PDF and Office files will contain a watermark. Below is an example document with the the default watermark text applied. Click to enlarge.
A note about time zones related to document expiry and watermarks:
By default, Firmex detects and displays your own time zone based on your location. This means that any time you see a time zone in the product - whether in a report, a watermark, or an 'upload date' column - you can be certain that you are seeing the date in your own time zone.
When is a plug-in required?
If a user is able to save a document to his or her own computer and the administrator has enabled document protection and monitoring (e.g. a document protection option like Lock To Computer), then the user will need to install a plug-in in order to view PDF and Office files on his or her own computer.
Can a user view a document online, as well as download?
Yes. Administrators may choose to enable the Firmex Viewer and allow a user to save documents to her own computer. The user may view the document online without the need to install a plug-in, and in their native applications once downloaded using a plug-in.
Related Resources
- Visibility of information in your project
- View your project as another user
- Set up groups & invite users
- Reviewing documents efficiently