How It Works
End-user Experience
Security Framework
Modules
Licensing Options
How it works:
Using the FileOpen Converter, you convert your PDF files to OPN files in real-time on a server or via our desktop application. OPN files are searchable, vector facsimiles of your PDF files which are strongly protected using AES 256-bit encryption.
OPN files display in the free FileOpen Viewer, which does not require any installation as long as Adobe Flash Player version 9 or later is present. According to Adobe's statistics this represents over 98 percent of internet-connected devices. The FileOpen Viewer includes scripting to detect environments where the minimum Flash version is not installed and redirects the user to the appropriate Flash installer page.
You can grant permission to your documents in one of three ways:
- Session cookie from website login
- Username/password dialog with values authenticated at server
- Machine/Device context (e.g. lock access to a specific computer)
End-user experience:
Documents displayed in the FileOpen Viewer appear within a frame inside the browser, and are controlled via the application's navigational toolbar. The navigational interface is similar to that of the Adobe Reader and the user experience is intended to be as close as possible to that of PDF. Where the publisher allows, these files are printable, internally searchable and text may be extracted.
Except where explicitly permitted by the publisher, the files cannot be downloaded or used locally. No modification of the file content is allowed.
Security framework:
The FileOpen Viewer is designed to work everywhere, without the installation of additional software beyond that contained in the typical consumer web browser, and to provide as much document security as possible in that context. Files displayed in the FileOpen Viewer are encrypted using AES encryption at 256-bit key strength. As with the other FileOpen products, decryption keys are transmitted independently of the documents themselves, via a managed client/server protocol.
Because the FileOpen Viewer operates in the browser, unlike Adobe Reader and Acrobat (which are standalone applications designed to enable downloading and local use of PDF files), OPN files may be "locked" to the publisher's server in a manner not possible with other formats. Files can be opened only when and where decryption is permitted, and decryption requires authentication by the publisher's server. Moreover, unless the publisher explicitly enables downloading, there is no way for a user to obtain a local copy of the OPN file, and any OPN file obtained via other means (e.g. downloaded directly from the server via another application) can be opened only using the FileOpen Offline Viewer, which is itself a managed application that respects all permission values imposed by publishers using the system.
Modules:
- FileOpen Converter: Windows/Linux/Macintosh (commandline binary for all platforms; standalone desktop tool with GUI for Windows/Macintosh).
- FileOpen Viewer: Any browser/OS/device with Adobe Flash 9 or later.
Licensing Options:
FileOpen Hosted for OPN is available either as a SaaS (Software as a Service) implementation, in which files are uploaded and converted on the server, or as a client/server authoring implementation in which files are converted/encrypted locally and data uploaded to the server.
A fully-functional evaluation version is available on request.