How to Protect Confidential Documents For Boards
It is crucial that boards safeguard confidential documents regardless of the size of their organization or board. This means that the information can’t be accessed by anyone who isn’t authorized to access it. This can help keep information from being leaked that could be detrimental to the company or cause the loss of trust.
In order to solve these issues it is essential to have an overall policy. The policy should clearly state that directors are required to keep confidential any information that they receive or acquire during their time on a board. The policy should clearly define confidential information and also include a declaration that a breach of confidentiality is an infraction of the director’s fiduciary duties towards the company.
Most importantly, the policy should outline the manner in which the board will react to a breach. The board should, generally, consider a variety of responses, ranging from a censure from fellow directors to, in the worst case removal from the board. This will ensure that the policy is taken seriously and enforced when necessary.
To establish a solid board document security system it is essential that the secretary utilizes an appropriate board distribution and management system. These systems can be put in place in just a few minutes and provide the administrative and digital rights management (DRM) controls required to support the board’s secretary in distributing documents to the board. The system also gives the possibility of setting up specific access rights for each person including printing and viewing limitations, expiry dates for PDFs, visible watermarks and the ability to review who has seen a document.