How do I protect documents and control access?

Learn how document protection levels, roles, and category settings determine who can view or modify a document.

Document protection limits who can modify or open a document. Access depends on the user’s role, the document category settings, and the document’s protection level.

How to protect a document

1. Find the document you want to protect.
2. Open the three-dot menu and select Protect.
3. Select the required protection level and click Protect and add notifications.

Document protection levels

• No protection: Users with the required permissions can view, download, edit, and delete the document.
• Write protection: Users can preview and download the document but cannot edit it. Use this level for completed documents that should not be changed.
• Read protection: Users cannot preview, download, or edit the document. Use this level when the document should only be available to users with the required access.

When you select a document protection level, the overview updates automatically. It shows which roles can view and edit the document, only view the document, or cannot access the document. You can use the overview to confirm access before saving the protection.

Access by role and document protection level

Note

Document category settings can also affect access.

Protection Owner for document protection

The person who applies Write protection or Read protection to a document automatically becomes the Protection Owner. As long as the Protection Owner has an active user account in Simployer Classic, only the Protection Owner can remove the protection.

The Protection Owner can change the protection level, remove the protection, and choose who receives a notification if the protection is removed.

Although Document Administrators have permission to manage documents, they generally do not have direct access to protected documents. Document Administrators must actively remove the document protection before they can access the document.

This does not reduce the permissions of Document Administrators. It ensures that protected documents cannot be opened without someone making a deliberate decision. This approach follows the principle of “compliance by design.” The Document Administrator remains responsible for ensuring that protection is only removed when supported by applicable legislation, such as compliance-related regulations.

Notifications for document protection

You can add people who should receive a notification if the document protection is removed. If a Document Administrator removes the protection, a notification is sent to the person who applied the protection and everyone selected as a notification recipient.

If the Protection Owner leaves

If the Protection Owner is deactivated in Simployer Classic, a Document Administrator can take over management of the document. This ensures that the document can still be managed when the person who applied the protection is no longer active.

Tip

Use document protection when documents should not be modified or made available unless someone actively removes the protection.