In the world today, people’s personal files getting hacked into and leaked online is becoming alarmingly common and easy to do. While this is usually done by people who try making demands through blackmails and threats, CAD files are often hacked into and stolen for different reasons. Imagine working on a single design for more than 6 months, only to have it stolen overnight and released by someone else in a couple of weeks. All the hours you spent at the drawing board come to nothing, because your intellectual property in the form of original ideas has been stolen. 

If you’re a designer or a developer or work in a similar protection, you know how important every single file is to you, because you know the hours it took you to arrive at one design. In this age where nothing is safe, physically or digitally, it’s best to do everything you can and take all the precautions to ensure that your property remains safe, no matter what! In this article, we’ll go over 4 tips that will help you keep your CAD files safe and secure! Let’s get started right away.

1. Invest in Good Software

The first thing you will need to do to ensure that all your CAD files are digitally secure is to invest in a good and trusted antivirus software that will drastically reduce your chances of having your files stolen or meddled with. Antivirus software will prevent your devices, whether you use a desktop, laptop, or phone from being invaded by malware or spyware. Typically, they can prevent, scan for, detect, and also delete viruses that may potentially invade your device through a number of ways which include but aren’t limited to emails, certain sites you visit online, and unsafe files you may download. 

Once you get good software, it runs in the background and protects your device in real-time from potential attacks. If you’re clueless about the different types of antivirus software’s and which one will work best for you, you can take a look at this exhaustive list of software from BuyersGuide.org, where you’ll be able to find solid reviews on each type of software that will describe all the pros and limitations, helping you easily arrive at the perfect choice. 

2. Secure Files with Passwords

No matter what you’re sending out and who you’re sending it too, make sure your files are password protected if you truly value them. This will ensure that they don’t get passed around or end up in the wrong hands. Additionally, you’ll be able to keep track of who exactly you’re letting into your files, and knowing this will automatically give you more control than sending out open files that can be accessed by just about anybody with an internet connection. This may seem like a manual, unnecessary and even time-consuming step, but in the long run, you’ll be happy you took the extra steps to keep those files safe when you finally start benefiting from your great work. 

3. Make Your Files Read-Only

Just like protecting your designs with passwords is important, you also can go a step ahead and set your files to be read-only. This ensures that your files cannot be copied or modified in any way, no matter how many teams and colleagues you send it to. One thing to keep in mind is that even if you trust the people you’re sending out the files to and know that they will not purposefully do anything that will harm your work, you can never be too careful. 

For instance, if one of your colleague’s has a device which isn’t fully protected with great antivirus software, there is a chance that your files can also get copied or stolen if his device ever gets affected by any kind of malware or spyware. By setting your files to be read-only before you send them out, you can ensure that no other individual can easily copy or change anything in your work. 

4. Nondisclosure Agreements

Make sure you get the right confidentiality agreements before sending your files to anyone, as these are legal documents that bind people to their agreement of keeping your data that you send or share with them completely private and secure. The reason this is done is because if anything ever goes wrong and you figure out who was directly responsible, you’ll be able to take legal action and set things straight. Making such a move would not be completely possible and as effective if you don’t have a binding contract that’s set on paper. 

At the end of the day, you also need to be wise and not be too careless with your work. No matter who you’re sharing your files too, always be sure to follow the steps above to ensure the safety of your files and prevent them from being copied, stolen, or tampered with in any way.

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