Back

Mitigate BYOD Risks and Enjoy Benefits with Azure Rights

When you think about rights you tend to think about people People have rights In the context of managing information on your corporate network y...

3 min read
Published on Jan 26, 2016
Enjoy BYOD benefits & mitigate BYOD risks with Azure Rights Management

When you think about “rights,” you tend to think about people. People have rights. In the context of managing information on your corporate network, you think about assigning rights to people so they have access to specific resources, and others don’t.

Now think about how well that works in the context of our Internet-connected world, with mobile devices in use everywhere. Rights were easy enough to assign and control when files and documents remained inside your own network, but that’s hardly ever the case anymore. These days, documents are sent from network to network constantly, across the hall and across the globe.

It Just Isn’t About You

Our paradigm has to shift. It just isn’t about the user anymore. Because it’s the files and documents that are moving around so much, they need to carry their own rights with them. When the file knows who does and doesn’t have rights to it, it remains protected no matter where it goes and no matter what network it finds itself on. That is the driving reason behind Azure Rights Management Services (RMS).

Azure RMS is part of the Microsoft Enterprise Mobility Suite (EMS) along with Microsoft Azure Active Directory Premium, which provides hybrid identity and access management, and Microsoft Intune, which provides mobile device and application management. RMS provides protection for your information.

Note: With all the acronyms flying around, it’s important to note that you may have previously heard RMS referred to as names like “Active Directory Rights Management Services,” “Windows Rights Management Services,” “Windows Azure Active Directory Rights Management,” “Information Rights Management (IRM)” or Microsoft Rights Management. Recently, all of these have been gathered under one name, Azure RMS.

You may BYOD, but it’s still the company’s data!

It has often been suggested that MDM should stand for Mobile Data Management instead of Mobile Device Management, mainly because companies are far more concerned about managing, protecting and securing their data than they are about the devices themselves.

The powerful advantage of using Azure RMS is that access to almost any file or document can be completely controlled on almost any device using almost any platform inside your organization or outside, on-premises or in the cloud. When you encrypt your files with RMS, you indicate who has access to the file and what kind of access they have. They may just be able to view the file contents, or they may be a reviewer who can comment on them, a co-author who can read and write or a co-owner with additional ownership rights.

The point is that the platform doesn’t have to go back to your company’s Active Directory to check your rights as a user. The file itself knows what rights you do or do not have. This makes the security, privacy, control and accessibility of the file completely portable, so no matter what device you bring to access the file, the file will determine if you have rights to it. Check out this TechNet video for more on Azure RMS.

Ask Agile IT about Azure RMS

Especially since we started seeing the “consumerization” of IT and the rise of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives, concern keeps rising about how to protect valuable corporate information assets while in transit as well as at rest. Azure RMS and the EMS suite handle both very well, and we’d be glad to show you how. Call your Agile IT representative for more information today!

This post has matured and its content may no longer be relevant beyond historical reference. To see the most current information on a given topic, click on the associated category or tag.

Related Posts

CMMC Documentation Requirements: Avoid Assessment Failure

GIGO: Garbage In, Garbage Out: Why Documentation Can Make or Break Your CMMC Success

Strong documentation is critical to CMMC success. Learn the key evidence assessors expect and how to avoid common documentation failures.

Jul 24, 2025
5 min read
Fast-Track CMMC Certification for Urgent Contracts

How to Fast-Track CMMC Certification for Urgent Contracts with AgileThrive JumpStart

Need urgent CMMC certification? AgileThrive JumpStart accelerates compliance for DoD contractors with fast-track assessments, gap analysis, and rapid audit readiness.

Jul 21, 2025
5 min read
Defending Against Email Compromise

Defending Against Email Compromise: Safeguarding Accounting & Procurement

Discover how to defend accounting and procurement teams from email compromise in the Defense Industrial Base. Learn CMMC-aligned best practices using Microsoft 365.

Jul 15, 2025
4 min read
Technical vs. Process Controls in CMMC Compliance

Understanding Technical vs. Process Controls for CMMC Compliance

Understand the difference between technical and process controls in CMMC compliance. Learn how both work together to protect FCI and CUI data effectively.

Jul 14, 2025
4 min read
20 Essential Questions to Ask a Managed Service Provider

Top Questions to Ask Your Managed Service Provider (MSP)

Looking for a new MSP? Stay ahead with the top questions to ask—from security and scalability to pricing and offboarding. Vet your provider with confidence.

Jul 12, 2025
5 min read
Overview of CMMC 2.0 and Its Levels: DoD Compliance Guide

CMMC 2.0 Explained: Levels, Compliance Requirements, and Key Changes

CMMC 2.0 simplifies cybersecurity requirements for DoD contractors. Explore an overview of its levels, key changes from CMMC 1.0, and what each level means for compliance.

Jul 11, 2025
6 min read

Ready to Secure and Defend Your Data
So Your Business Can Thrive?

Fill out the form to see how we can protect your data and help your business grow.

Loading...
Secure. Defend. Thrive.

Let's start a conversation

Discover more about Agile IT's range of services by reaching out.

Don't want to wait for us to get back to you?

Schedule a Free Consultation

Location

Agile IT Headquarters
4660 La Jolla Village Drive #100
San Diego, CA 92122

Secure. Defend. Thrive.

Don't want to wait for us to get back to you?

Discover more about Agile IT's range of services by reaching out

Schedule a Free Consultation