To ensure your automated reports are fully encrypted and password-protected for compliance, follow these steps within the PDF-eXPLODE Options menu.
1. Security and Encryption Setup
-
Select Encryption Level: Navigate to the PDF Settings and select 128-bit AES encryption. This is the industry standard required for HIPAA and GDPR data-at-rest protection.
-
Enable Password Protection: Check that that a fixed password is set for various PDF report type or assign a password for each document to be sent by assigning the password to a specific "Variable" in the data section of the tag
-
Define User Passwords in the page tags: Assign a password from a field in the database to one of the 9 possible data Variables in the Data section of the hidden report Tag. The password must be unique to each individual client's PDF. This ensures that a single master password isn't shared across different recipients.
2. Report Tagging for "Slice and Dice" Accuracy
-
Embed Hidden Tags: Ensure your back-office report includes hidden text tags that PDF-eXPLODE can read
-
Verify Break Points: Confirm that the "Split" or "Explode" tag is placed correctly at the start of each new client record to prevent data from one client overlapping into another’s file.
3. Secure Delivery Protocols
-
Configure SMTP/SSL: If delivering via email, ensure your SMTP settings are configured to use SSL/TLS (Port 465 or 587) so the encrypted PDF is also sent over an encrypted connection.
-
Set Up Secure FTP (SFTP): If archiving to a remote server, use SFTP or FTPS credentials rather than standard FTP to maintain a secure tunnel during the "one-pass" delivery.
4. Audit and Cleanup
-
Zero-Footprint Verification: Confirm that your "Temporary Files" folder is set to a secure local path and set off a Windows scheduled task periodically that will delete old delivered PDF files after a set period post processing to ensure no sensitive data remains on the middle-tier server.