By Jamie Gillenwater | Member
Mobile devices connected through Wi-Fi, 3G, and Bluetooth allow users to share information more easily than ever before. According to Contently.com, an estimated 1.6 million blog posts are written every day; only 35% of those posts are written by professionals. Users add approximately 60 images per second to Flickr. Twenty-five billion tweets were sent in 2010. And these numbers are growing.
The massive amount of public content doesn't take into consideration internal company documents and secure information shared through servers. Have mobile devices made a difference for these organizations? Is their content unchanged by these advances in technology?
How are companies using tablets to make documents accessible?
With 41 reference documents, along with their clothes and personal belongings, pilots board the plane for takeoff. At least they did. Now, Alaska Airline and United-Continental pilots simply pack a 9.5″ × 7.3″ iPad into their carry-on luggage.
The benefit of this transition is more than just a decrease in printed documents, but also an increase in usability. With interactive documents that include hyperlinks and demonstrations, pilots are able to find details quickly in emergency situations.
As your doctor walks from one patient's room to your room, he opens your electronic medical record. He is able to review your medical history, current prescriptions, and reasons for the visit. The doctor, nurse, and medical coder can access this central information to complete their individual responsibilities.
Manhattan Research's 2011 Taking the Pulse survey shows that 30% of doctors are now using an iPad. These devices allow doctors to do more than just access patients' records as they move from one room to the next. Seven percent of doctors are using the mobile devices to share visual information with patients, including images and videos.
How can we keep content secure while using tablets?
Tablets allow for technical communicators to share interactive, portable information in a secure way. The CIA triad defines three aspects of security: confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
When I started in my current position, I was told that we needed to improve our security for our global documents. Colleagues had shared information with unauthorized colleagues. While the situation did not cause us to lose any business or proprietary information, it did reveal a security gap. We couldn't afford for it to happen again. After much research, we were able to implement a security solution that granted access to our documents based on a registered user and device.
Confidentiality
Our security solution prevented print screen, save as, and modifications to the final documents. When a colleague leaves the company, we revoke their access. Colleagues may only access files within the company's firewall. This prevents current employees from sharing proprietary information with competitors.
Integrity
After validating the software used to encrypt the documents, we were able to ensure that only documents approved by the global operations group were distributed through our content management system. With control over document expiration, which version of a document was active and available, and who could encrypt and distribute the documents, we moved forward with distribution.
Availability
In an effort to make the documents readily available to all of the necessary colleagues, we placed the documents on a SharePoint site, which added another layer of security and allowed us to analyze access easily. We were able to increase access from 25 initial users to over 200, providing select information to colleagues as needed.
But we received one major complaint about the new system: users still wanted printed copies. They wanted something to hold that was easy to use on the manufacturing floor for maintenance and operation instructions.
Improving availability while maintaining confidentiality and integrity
Technology provides new solutions that were not available years ago. Technology allows content managers to control what is released, when it is released, and to whom it is released. Tablets allow access to this content in a variety of environments.
Before tablets, laptops or netbooks seemed like a potential solution, but their vulnerability to drops, dirt, and grease, and their full keyboards made these devices difficult to use in select situations. A mechanic wants a device that is small, can handle the occasional fall, and is easy to use even when his hands are dirty. Service technicians want something that they can use on the road with a long battery life.
By using tablets in a manufacturing or service-oriented environment, you not only increase availability while using similar or the same systems for confidentiality and integrity. You can also increase the quality of content you deliver.
As a mechanic prepares to modify a machine with the latest upgrade, he double checks for all of his tools and materials. He checks the list: Installation kit? Check. Allen wrench set? Check. Torque wrench? Check. Spare nuts, bolts, etc.? Check. Work instructions? Check.
With Autodesk Inventor Publisher (www.autodesk.com), technical communicators can manipulate Inventor drawings into instructions. These interactive instructions allow the mechanic to pick the step from which they are starting. The instructions include wiring, mechanical, and troubleshooting information. But the mechanic jumps right to the information he needs. He can view the installation steps from varying angles to help him determine how to approach a task and with which tools.
Considerations for implementing a mobile security plan
If you are considering moving your secure content to mobile devices or if you want to increase security for your current mobile content, there are many factors to consider. Figure 1 shows what requirements need to be evaluated. Each requirement has multiple aspects that must be considered. For example, when considering the user requirements, take into account your users' location geographically and physically. Are they working in an office in New York City? Or are they working on farm equipment in Iowa?
Figure 1
While you are considering your security requirements, take time to evaluate any regulatory or compliance requirements for your industry. If possible, include your users in the evaluation process. Ensure you have the necessary resources for a smooth implementation. You need a team with dedicated time for the project.
Using a mobile device is an effective way to increase the availability of your content, which will make your users happy. Securing your content while increasing your audience will ensure your company is protected, in turn making your boss happy.
Jamie Gillenwater (jamie.gillenwater@gmail.com) is a member of STC and the STC Carolina secretary. As the global technical documentation specialist at Capsugel, Jamie works to improve the documentation workflow, increase security, and promote technical communications.
