Managing documents in the cloud

Startups & Venture Capital

Control after hitting the send button

Startup offers new way to track and secure digital documents after they’re sent

 

Boston Business Journal by Taryn Plumb, Special to the Journal

Friday, November 2, 2012

Courtesy

It's often hard to truly know the fate of emails and documents you send and share. Sometimes you're simply left to wonder: Did they arrive where they were supposed to? Were they looked at? Or did they get intercepted or passed along to someone who was never intended to view them?
That's a level of control you shouldn't have to give up, according to Clement Cazalot, CEO of the startup docTrackr, which has entered the hot market of cloud document management.
The company launched in Paris in 2011, took part in the 2012 winter session of the TechStars Boston accelerator program, and is now based in Boston. In early October, docTrackr announced raising $2 million in seed funding from investors including Polaris Venture Partners, Atlas Venture, CommonAngels and the French government.
The startup doesn't aim to directly compete with powerhouses like Box -- in fact, it's forged partnerships with them. Instead, the company intends to add a layer of protection and insight through encryption and analytics that its founders say has been lacking in the industry.
"Being able to control and protect documents is a huge challenge, especially in the cloud," Cazalot said. "We give you the power to know what is happening to your documents after you share them."
To do so through the cloud-based platform, users upload files, choose recipients who can access them, and set privileges - such as whether the receiver can edit, share or print. Documents or files are encrypted and can be password-protected, and opened through traditional tools such as Adobe or Word.
The moment the email or document is opened, the sender starts to get a history through docTrackr's detailed intelligence analytics. The sender can see when the file was opened, how long it was open, who it was shared with, and if it was printed. The sender also continues to have the ability to update, edit, and change the file's accessibility.
"They're controlling their document, owning their data," said Cazalot, saying that docTrackr is "democratizing" online document security, and helping to curb unintended sharing of intellectual property or sensitive information.
With numerous companies now offering cloud document management, docTrackr is entering a robust, flourishing market.
"As the cloud grows in popularity, document exchange among business partners will also grow," said Michael Krigsman, president and CEO of Brookline-based IT consulting firm Asuret. "Unlike paper documents, material sent over the Internet can be easily replicated but not easily tracked."
Still, he noted, docTrackr faces a challenge in asking customers to entrust sensitive and confidential documents to a "new, untested service."
"That's the biggest hurdle this company faces in the short term," Krigsman said.
But Cazalot doesn't appear to be intimidated. Developed at the accelerator Le Camping in Paris, the nine-employee company has partnered with Box, and has an eye to also integrate with Dropbox, YouSendIt and Egnyte.
The startup is currently focused on small to midsized businesses, although it has worked with SNCF, France's national railway, and also has a beta version available for individuals. Cazalot declined to disclose numbers related to customers or growth.
As for settling in Boston? Cazalot explained it this way: "We believe Boston is where there is talent in the U.S."

Original story link here.