In some ways, digitization doesn’t change what we do, only how we do it. Consider the safeguarding of precious intellectual assets (such as documents and creative works). Whether physical or digital, such assets may need to be protected from:

--Access by unauthorized persons – Private documents need to remain private. Physical assets may be stored in a locked, limited-access vault. Digital assets may be protected via a number of technologies, including multifactor authentication to restrict access to authorized users, as well as encryption and distribution of data to make it less usable to bad actors who stumble on a piece of data.

--Loss or destruction (accidental or deliberate) – In the physical world, valuable assets (such as artwork or documents) may be stored in climate-controlled, fire-protected, secure facilities, or displayed in shatterproof glass enclosures. In the digital world, backup and replication of the digital files can mitigate the impact of data loss, regardless of cause.

--Misrepresentation – For important or one-of-a-kind assets to retain their value, there needs to be confidence that the asset is indeed what it claims to be. For physical works of art or historical documents, “provenance”—a historical record of ownership—can provide assurance of authenticity, as can consensus by experts who examine the physical evidence. For digital assets, which are, by nature, easy to replicate and disseminate, it may be important to establish an “original” file by date; for example, to support a copyright or plagiarism claim.

--Tampering or unauthorized changes – In the physical world, a forged signature or altered contract may be detected via forensic analysis. In the digital world, the challenge is greater. Users may rely on log-management tools to identify whether unauthorized users accessed or changed documents; although, they may be challenged to identify the changes, or roll back all copies to the original version.

Of course, our ability to protect our assets is not absolute. The physical world continues to suffer theft and burglary, forgery and plagiarism. But the digital world—which has become a playground for bad actors—is significantly more vulnerable to data loss and tampering. That’s because many of the tools used to protect digital assets, including logs and encryption keys, are themselves potential targets for breach.

As businesses and individuals move more of their critical transactions and files online, they need a better, more secure way to protect and authenticate their assets. This is the challenge addressed by Acronis Notary, an innovative solution for file and e-signature authentication that leverages blockchain technology.