Microsoft Expands Rights Management Tool
CNet News,
Business Week,
Feb 21, 2003
Microsoft announced today that it will be releasing a test version of its rights management server (RMS) next week. They get the concept partially right: the protection is document specific. But in order to view the document, a user would have to be able to access the Windows Server running RMS on first opening a document to authenticate the rights and decrypt the document. Otherwise, the document cannot be opened. This creates a dependency on Microsoft software in order to use the system, a concern that some commentators company discounts. "You wouldn't become anymore dependent on Windows than you would be from using Exchange or Office." Of course that's like saying that jumping out of this airplane without a parachute is no more dangerous than jumping out of any other airplane without a parachute. It's true, but it's cold comfort: if my document reader becomes no more reliable than my email access I may as well go back to pen and paper. Ironically, the Microsoft announcement today was prompted by an accidental release of confidential material on its developer network site.
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