System To Secure Electronic Content, Enforce Usage Policies And Provide Configurable Functionalities

A computer implemented method of managing security of and access to electronic content in a networked environment, comprising:

• providing a security client application on a computing device of a user in response to a request for accessing said electronic content within said networked environment;
• embedding a local software component employed for accessing said electronic content within said security client application, wherein said local software component is preloaded on said computing device of said user;
• creating a proprietary wrapper file that encapsulates said electronic content upon transferring said electronic content to said computing device by said security client application, wherein said proprietary wrapper file is configured for enforcing content usage policies on said electronic content and for performing a plurality of configurable functionalities;
• granting controlled access to said electronic content to said user by enforcing said content usage policies by said security client application through said proprietary wrapper file;
• and
• monitoring and tracking activities of said user on said electronic content by said security client application to ensure compliance of said activities with said enforced content usage policies.

A computer implemented method of creating a proprietary wrapper file for encapsulating electronic content in a networked environment, comprising:

• invoking a wrapper file manipulation engine in response to a user action to trigger encapsulation of said electronic content within a proprietary wrapper file, said proprietary wrapper file comprising a predefined file structure;
• obtaining content usage policy and encryption information from a policy server based on user information in response to invoking said wrapper file manipulation engine;
• generating metadata associated with one or more configurable functionalities by invoking one or more wrapper file adapters associated with said configurable functionalities;
• and
• encapsulating and selectively encrypting one or more of said electronic content, said user information, said usage policy, said encryption information, and said generated metadata in said predefined file structure of said proprietary wrapper file.

A computer implemented system for managing security of and access to electronic content in a networked environment, comprising:

• a policy server that provides a security client application on a computing device of a user in response to a request for accessing said electronic content within said networked environment;
• a wrapper file manipulation engine provided on said computing device that creates a proprietary wrapper file for encapsulating said electronic content, wherein said proprietary wrapper file is configured for enforcing content usage policies on said electronic content and for performing a plurality of configurable functionalities;
• a plurality of wrapper file adapters distributed over said networked environment that generate metadata associated with said configurable functionalities, said metadata being encapsulated along with said electronic content within said proprietary wrapper file when said wrapper file manipulation engine invokes one or more of said wrapper file adapters;
• said security client application that embeds a local software component employed for accessing said electronic content within said security client application, said security client application comprising:
• an access control module that grants controlled access to said electronic content to said user by enforcing said content usage policies through said proprietary wrapper file;
• and
• an activity tracking module that monitors and tracks activities of said user on said electronic content to ensure compliance of said activities with said enforced content usage policies.

A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a computer-readable medium, wherein said computer program product comprises:

• a first computer parsable program code for creating a proprietary wrapper file for encapsulating said electronic content within said proprietary wrapper file upon transferring said electronic content to a computing device of a user, wherein said proprietary wrapper file is configured for enforcing content usage policies on said electronic content and for performing a plurality of configurable functionalities;
• a second computer parsable program code for providing a security client application on said computing device;
• a third computer parsable program code for embedding a local software component within said security client application, wherein said local software component is preloaded on said computing device;
• a fourth computer parsable program code for granting the user controlled access to said electronic content by enforcing said content usage policies;
• and
• a fifth computer parsable program code for monitoring and tracking activities of said user on said electronic content to ensure compliance of said activities with said enforced content usage policies.