ENTERPRISE GOVERNANCE

The Proofpoint Enterprise Governance solution leverages a breakthrough architecture that overcomes the challenges of outdated enterprise information management systems. Digital Thread™ technology works like a GPS system for documents, tracking an enterprise document as it moves throughout your infrastructure. It does so without requiring additional systems investment, complex data migration, or change in the way that users collaborate around specific information.

Digital Thread technology uses patented algorithms to allow users to track and manage enterprise documents moving through disparate systems including email, hard drives, shared drives, removable drives, Microsoft SharePoint, IBM Lotus Domino, Dropbox, and Box.net.

Easy storing and sharing Digital Thread™
Instead of being required to check enterprise documents into and out of a central document repository system, Proofpoint Enterprise Governance users are free to store and share enterprise documents the same way they always have, so organizations' existing business practices remain intact.

Track and manage documents through the entire lifecycle with Digital Thread™
Since the Proofpoint Enterprise Governance solution tracks and manages enterprise documents with its Digital Thread system, the enterprise documents can be monitored and managed through the entire document lifecycle. Document tracking and management begins upon creation or reception of an enterprise document.

What Digital Thread™ captures
When a document is saved, the Digital Thread system stores metadata about the document. This enables the document's identity and classification to survive location and filename changes as the document travels through an enterprise's disparate systems. To accomplish this, the Proofpoint Enterprise Governance solution tags every document within its management system. These tags act as the document's DNA and, combined with Proofpoint's patented algorithm system, allow the document management service to determine if and how any two enterprise documents are genetically related.

File types supported
Since the Digital Thread system never embeds information within an enterprise document, it can track any file type. The system also continues to track files whose metadata has been accidentally or intentionally removed.

The Proofpoint Enterprise Governance solution provides organizations the ability to classify files. File classification allows organizations to tag files by project, case, department, purpose, or any other reason seen fit by the organization. When it comes time for document disposition, automated policies are applied to classifications to clean up files tagged to the classifications.

How are classifications managed
Administrators are given the ability to easily create file classifications and assign users to them at any time. This task is typically done upon implementation with the help of Proofpoint's implementation team.

How can file classifications be viewed
Classifications and the files assigned to them can be viewed by users in a user interface. From there, users can manage the files in several ways including uploading, downloading, deleting, moving, and reclassifying.

How are file classifications reported
Information about file classifications is aggregated into a global report for administrators to view. For example, reports can show the number of files assigned to classifications, the names and metadata of the files, users assigned to classifications, the location paths of the classifications' files, and much more.

Available file classification options

• Autotag Folders:A variety of options for classifying files is available. Organizations may choose to use Autotag folders which are folders on Windows Explorer, SharePoint, or Outlook that automatically classify files (or emails) placed in them to a specified classification. Administrators can execute policies that create these folders on users’ machines, or users can have the option to easily create these folders themselves.
• Classification Prompt:Another option for classifying files is by a prompt that pops up after a user saves a new file to his or her computer. A list of the file classifications the user belongs to are displayed in the prompt and the user can select the appropriate and relevant classification.
• User Interface Classification:Users can optionally classify files in a user interface by selecting one or more files and clicking a classify button that pops up a simple classification prompt

File types supported
Since the Digital Thread system never embeds information within an enterprise document it can track any file type. The system also continues to track files whose metadata has been accidentally or intentionally removed.

Powerful governance policies in the Proofpoint Enterprise Governance solution allow organizations to enforce the disposition or retention of files across all file locations (hard drives, removable drives, shared drives, email, Microsoft SharePoint, IBM Lotus Domino, Dropbox, and Box.net). These governance policies are extremely flexible and can be configured in a multitude of ways according to the needs of the enterprise. Governance policies can be manually executed by an administrator, or they can be configured to automatically execute according to a schedule or occurrence.

How are policies uploaded
Upload policies allow enterprises to automatically upload files to a specified file repository. These policies are very flexible and can be configured to upload based on criteria such as classification, creator, age, location, etc.

How classifications can be viewed
Classifications and the files assigned to them can be viewed by users in a user interface. From there, users can manage the files in several ways including uploading, downloading, deleting, moving, and reclassifying.

How policies are deleted
Delete policies enable enterprises to automatically and selectively delete files across the entire enterprise. Delete policies are also very flexible and can be configured to delete files based on criteria such as classification, age, modified date, repository, duplicates, etc.

Placing files on Legal Hold
Proofpoint Enterprise Governance has the ability to move or copy files to legal hold via Proofpoint Content Collection. This allows files to be added to holds managed by the Proofpoint Enterprise Archive.

Using autotags
Autotag policies allow enterprises to distribute autotag folders (auto-classifying folders) to users' desktops or Outlook. For example, an administrator could have a folder classified as Personal Files sent to all users' My Documents folder, or the administrator could have a similar folder created in all users’ Outlook Inbox. As users save files to these autotag folders, the files will be automatically classified according to the folders’ classifications.

Proofpoint Enterprise Governance creates governance reports that show the status of the organization's information in real-time. Consequently, managers or administrators can (a) understand the scale of their information problem, and (b) monitor file or record counts based on criteria such as location, age, creator, modified date, etc. Governance reports can be emailed to administrators or managers on a scheduled basis, or the governance reports can be accessed anytime online.

Visibility provided
Governance reports give managers visibility of every file report tracked in the enterprise. This governance report enables managers to monitor trends and file activity across the enterprise in real time.

Available reports
There are a variety of governance reports that can be accessed by administrators. Popular governance reports exist by default, but custom reports can also be created. As listed above, reports show a wide variety of information such as counts per classification, user, file type, location, size, and age.

Graphical information provided
Governance reports are in graphical and tabular form to give managers the most valuable information about the cleanup efforts and information status of their organization.