Office 365 is the latest version of the office utility package of Microsoft, which has revolutionized the way things worked, by introducing online file sharing and protection in versatile ways. The tool is web-based and app based both, and can be installed and used in any mobile, tablet, or computer.
Creating, editing, moving, copying and sharing of files and documents were always possible in multiple ways using other versions of Microsoft Office. However, this version is smarter from the aspect of protecting files too in much sophisticated ways. While you may now keep all files in the cloud and use a variety of apps in the cloud using G Suite you may also combine the power of Office 365 to enable high-level protection for all files containing sensitive data in the cloud too. Therefore, with the synced function of G Suite and Office 365, business handling and file sharing can be so simple, secure and efficient.
Why would you like to protect a file?
Sometimes you share and store on cloud very important and crucial business data which is sensitive. It may contain such information, leaking of which can be fatal for the business and for many others. Protecting that data becomes necessary.
How to protect a file?
In that case, the best you would do earlier was to password protect those important files so that none can unlock and see the contents inside them. Now you have better options. You may encrypt a file too, which makes it practically impossible to hack open.
G Suite users generally feel sure about the high-level security of their files online. They even create G Suite backup using services like Spinbackup for enhanced surety of never losing their files. On top of that, if you infuse the high-level security of Office 365 backup with it, then things get to the most reliable level of protection and makes a great safe environment for secure data backup and maintenance.
Encryption and Office 365
Encryption is the process of converting data or information into code with a program, which program only can be used to change back that code to the information in usable form. Office 365 has this feature in it to encrypt any document and file so very easily. An encrypted file cannot be accessed or used by anyone and no information can be stolen from it, see from it, or the file cannot be used in any way in this form. When the file is changed back to usable form, it is called decryption. A decrypted file can then be normally used.
Office 365 can protect your files online
You can now protect your files both offline on your local drive and online while you are sharing them, or while maintaining them on the cloud. This is possible in a number of ways. Here are the protective features for files you may use in Office 365:
- Convert a file to read-only mode. The file will only be readable. Nobody can edit it.
- Encryption is one of the smartest hard-core protection that saves the file from any unauthorized access a lock s contents within.
- The amount of content in the document, which is editable, can be limited partwise. Only the part you allow for editing may get edited, leaving the rest of the document protected and read-only.
- The document can be protected with a digital signature. This way the document cannot be used in a wrong way.
- Marking a document final is another feature in Office 365, which makes the document look like it was never again accessed and changed since it was saved the last time.
Some of these features were present in the older version of Microsoft Office. However, in 365 the specialty is that the feature of marking a file read-only and marking it final are given as two separate independent features, none depending on one another.
How to protect a Word document?
While working with a word document you would like to use the following steps to protect it in various ways as you share it online. First, you will have to open the document, and then click on the File menu, and the click on Protect document button. You will get a menu.
- Select always open read-only, to make the file read-only. Saving it in this mode and then closing and opening again will change the things. Every time the document would be opened, a prompt would ask if you want to continue opening it in the read-only mode. Clicking yes would open the document.
- If you want to encrypt the file, you should open it is edit mode first. Go to protect document menu from the file menu. Select here, Always open read-only. Click again in that state at the protect document button. Now select Encrypt with the password. Then you get the encrypt window where you have to create a password. Save the document and close it to complete the process.
Above-mentioned are the two most used processes for protection of files online. Together with that, if you also take time to time Office 365 backup then your file system can practically be indestructible and hack-proof.
