Small businesses have a lot on the line, as any security misstep could potentially destroy the reputation a firm has been working on since its launch. Unfortunately, a company's standing is not something easily restored, as customers may forever recognize the service provider as tarnished.

A recent CIO report said repairing a reputation is a lot of work and will take time, as the incident that led to notoriety did not occur overnight. While managing damaged stature is important, it is easier to simply avoid the entire conflict if possible. In today's highly mobile business landscape, this requires IT executives to deploy advanced document security programs that limit unauthorized access to sensitive resources.

IT Business Edge noted that decision-makers need to plan document protection initiatives well in advance, incorporating future trends and technologies that may impact programs. Executives should also err on the side of caution by implementing too much security rather than not enough.

As the corporate setting becomes more competitive, maintaining a healthy reputation is one of the only ways small organizations can guarantee longevity. If a firm fails to protect its sensitive assets, however, executives will find themselves in the shadows.

Privacy has always been a top concern within document security strategies, as inadvertently allowing unauthorized individuals to see sensitive files can lead to a devastating breach. A recent Lexology report highlighted this, stating that even the most well-managed companies can experience trouble through the smallest privacy mistakes.

The advent of the internet and cloud computing has made privacy issues more real, as employees can access mission-critical resources around the world on virtually any device. For this reason, among others, decision-makers need to identify which resources are deemed private and implement robust identity programs to ensure these assets are only viewed by individuals with the right credentials, the news source said.

However, compliance requirements often make implementing efficient privacy programs difficult, especially when an organization has branches reaching beyond the United States, which is becoming more common in the era of cloud computing.

Nevertheless, there is a way to avoid these problems. By deploying access control and other document rights management strategies, executives can ensure only authorized individuals see confidential files, regardless of work location. In doing so, decision-makers can reduce some of the privacy risks the company may be experiencing during the consumerization process.

In addition to embracing cloud computing and mobile devices in the workplace, decision-makers are also embracing strategies in which they adopt social networking solutions to enhance collaboration. Although this can significantly boost performance and teamwork, SC Magazine said it also puts a strain on document security, as executives may not be fully aware of where and how confidential resources are being used.

"With employees wanting the same experience in the office as they have at home, it's no surprise that social networking emerges as a serious concern for the IT department," said Raj Samani of McAfee, according to the news source. "As the consumerization of IT continues to extend its reach into the workplace, it's crucial for IT to take control and set manageable policies for employees to follow."

Decision-makers should consider establishing firm document protection strategies in which they implement robust identity policies, limiting unauthorized access of mission-critical resources in and outside the office.

Social media is rapidly making its way into the corporate setting. As it does so, executives need to be proactive and deploy innovative programs that keep businesses safe and efficient.

A recent study by Symform revealed that decision-makers across the country are losing control over cloud deployments, largely because they do not even know they are using the cloud. The survey, which polled close to 500 companies, found that only 61 percent of organizations acknowledged they were using the cloud, even though the majority of the remaining respondents were also using the technology.

"This research validates how cloud applications and services are being purchased and managed increasingly by non-IT departments and illustrates the need for IT to reclaim control from a policy and governance standpoint while still enabling the business to benefit from the cloud's agility and cost effectiveness," said Margaret Dawson, vice president of product management at Symform.

Respondents said the No. 1 concern with document protection in the cloud was access control, as IT departments have trouble monitoring which employees are using the cloud for what purposes. Dawson said that adopting the cloud may be inevitable, but that doesn't mean executives should lose all authority over the hosted environments.

By deploying advanced document rights management tools, for example, decision-makers can regain visibility into cloud deployment strategies. In doing so, companies can reduce the security vulnerability associated with inappropriate access to the cloud.

Organizations around the world are using cloud computing services to store mission-critical records in an off-site scalable environment. While doing so can invite a number of new possibilities for the private sector, it also raises some significant document security questions as to whether decision-makers are doing enough to keep confidential resources safe.

Managing identities, in particular, is becoming increasingly difficult with the cloud, according to a report by InfoWorld. In the past, IT departments could easily monitor who accessed sensitive documents and why. As operations began shifting toward off-site environments, however, decision-makers lost some control and visibility into user activity.

"The cloud in 2012 is different from the on-premise world of 2002," identity expert Patrick Harding said, according to InfoWorld. "Back then, a proliferation of different directories emerged that were then subsumed by [Active Directory]. Most on-premise apps were tied to AD for authentication and role/group management."

As more organizations embrace the cloud, executives will need to adopt identity and document rights management solutions that provide decision-makers with insight into who is accessing what and why. If companies neglect to use these tools, they will find themselves struggling to manage cloud security initiatives efficiently.

Cybercriminals launch a variety of attacks to gain sensitive information from companies, including attempts wherein they mimic employee credentials, according to a Dark Reading report. This raises the question as to whether firms are implementing identity and document rights management strategies strong enough to keep unwanted individuals at bay.

In many cases, outsiders target workers with privileged accounts that enable employees to access confidential resources, hindering a firm's overall document protection capabilities.

"The common belief is that if you're managing the user names, roles and privileges of your IT employees' personal accounts, then you're successfully controlling all privileged accounts and access," security expert Adam Bosnian said, according to Dark Reading.

This is not always the case, however, as many privileged identities act as conduits for direct entry to repositories containing highly sensitive information. As a result, decision-makers need to regularly test and monitor document security solutions, ensuring only authorized individuals are viewing mission-critical files. If executives neglect to constantly improve and change employee privileges, they will likely find themselves fighting complicated cybersecurity vulnerabilities at every turn.

As if traditional document security initiatives were not complicated enough, the rapid adoption of cloud computing and mobile devices in the workplace is introducing even more challenges for IT departments. Now, exposing confidential resources is an even more likely possibility as the number of endpoints increases, according to a BankInfoSecurity report.

"A lot of security tenets today are built off the fact that you have this visible and single point in your network," said Dan Hubbard of the Cloud Security Alliance, according to the news source. "The cloud and mobility in the consumerization of IT are changing all of that. This kind of single traffic lane or freeway doesn't exist anymore."

In fact, one of the top threats associated with consumerization is unauthorized access to confidential resources through unprotected mobile gadgets, the news source said. For this reason, among others, decision-makers need to incorporate mobility and cloud solutions into their overall document protection program.

Executives should consider implementing document rights management and other access control tools to ensure only those permitted to view sensitive resources can do so. If companies neglect to adopt advanced security solutions, they will find themselves struggling to protect confidential resources during the age of consumerization.

The government, like the private sector, is highly susceptible to evolving digital risks. For this reason, federal, defense and intelligence agencies are prioritizing document security initiatives to keep confidential resources protected in the age of adversity, according to a new study by Lockheed Martin.

"Government's challenge is twofold, adopting transformational technologies to help reduce operating costs while also keeping systems and data safe," said Rick Johnson, vice president and CTO of Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions.

The study revealed that 85 percent of government IT decision-makers have put an emphasis on digital document protection strategies, as they have already deployed at least one major initiative. Other technological projects, such as the adoption of cloud computing and mobile solutions, are raising the importance of launching robust security programs.

A separate report by INPUT noted that federal investments in information security will exceed $13 billion by 2015, largely driven by the consensus that the government still has a lot of work to do to remain secure in today's evolving digital landscape.