www.dataroomabout.com/how-to-protect-confidential-documents-for-boards-committees-of-associations/

regardless of the size of the board or company, it is essential for boards to protect confidential documents. The documents are secured to ensure that it is not accessible by anyone without authorization. This could prevent information leakage which could affect the business, or cause the loss of trust.

To address these concerns, it is important to have an extensive policy. In the ideal scenario, the policy should stipulate that directors are bound to protect all private information they receive or obtain while serving on the board. The policy should also clearly define what constitutes confidential information, and include a clear statement that any breach of confidentiality can be considered a violation of the director’s fiduciary responsibility to the company.

The policy should also address how the board will react to the occurrence of a breach. The board should, generally be able to consider a variety responses, ranging from a censure from fellow directors to, in the worst case, removal from board. This ensures that the policy will be taken seriously and enforced when required.

It is imperative that the secretary install a board management and distribution program to establish an effective document security system. These systems can be configured within minutes and provide administrative controls and digital rights management (DRM), which help the secretary of the board in securely distributing the board documents. The system can offer the option of setting up specific access rights to each individual, including limitations on viewing and printing along with PDF expiry dates visible watermarks and the ability to view who has had access to the document.