Users in an Active Directory Environment

SecureCircle’s Transparent File Encryption technology enables organizations to protect data at-rest, in-use, and in-transit, while also allowing authorized users running the SecureCircle agent to interact with the protected files completely transparently, using the same devices and applications they have always used, with no obstacles or impact to their workflow.

Interacting with Data Protected in a SecureCircle Circle

Users within an organization will interact with protected data in exactly the same way they have always interacted with the data. Protected data is added to a SecureCircle "Circle". A Circle defines the policies that control access to the data.

Protected Files and Folders

Files

Protected files will be marked on the lower-left with a SecureCircle icon. Interact with the file in the same way as an unprotected file.

Folders

Protected folders will be marked on the lower-left with a SecureCircle icon. Data moved/copied/saved into the folder will automatically be protected.

Accessing Protected Files

If a user is allowed access in a protected file's Circle, the user may interact with the file in the same way as they always have: double-clicking, copying, moving, opening in an application, etc. If a user is not allowed access in a protected file's Circle, they will receive a message that access is denied. Users that do not have the SecureCircle Agent installed on their machines are not allowed access to the data, and will receive a message that protected files are corrupt.

SecureCircle Installed, User Allowed Access

User has transparent access to protected data.

SecureCircle Installed, User Not Allowed Access

User receives access denied message.

SecureCircle Not Installed

User receives message that file is corrupt.

Protecting Data in a SecureCircle Circle

Users may manually protect data in a SecureCircle Circle through two methods: right-clicking on the file and selecting "Add to Circle", and moving the file into a protected folder.

Right-Click, Add to Circle

Right-click on a file, select "Add to Circle", then select the Circle in which to protect the data.

Move to Protected Folder

Move/copy/save a file into a Protected Folder.

Sharing Protected Data with External Users

If protected data is sent outside of the organization, external users that haven't been explicitly invited to a Circle by an administrator will be unable to access the data. Instead, they will receive a message that the file is corrupt. In this case, the SecureSend feature can be used to securely allow access to protected data.

Please see the SecureSend tutorial for more information. [Fix link]

Determine Which Circle a File is In

Occasionally, it may be useful to determine which Circle a file is in. This can be done by right-clicking on the file, selecting the "Properties" item, and then navigating to the "SecureCircle" tab in the file's Properties Sheet.

Entering Airplane Mode

SecureCircle will automatically enter Airplane Mode when no network connectivity is detected. However, in some cases when network connectivity is extremely intermittent, it may be useful to manually enter Airplane Mode so that SecureCircle uses cached offline information to allow access to protected data.

Removing a File from a Circle

If a file is in the wrong Circle, or needs to have its protection removed altogether, authorized users may right-click on a file and select "Remove from Circle" to remove protection from the file. Upon taking this action, an event notification will be sent to SecureCircle Administrators so that the action may be audited, as needed.