The more than 45,000 organizations that keep data in Box Inc.’s hugely popular file sharing service should now have an easier time ensuring their documents meet security requirements thanks to the addition of a new governance addon that promises to provide programmatic control over access rights. It’s an extension of the automated policy enforcement functionality originally introduced last year.

Administrators can use the aptly-named Box Governance addon to quickly search for vulnerable documents and the associated metadata, along with deleted information that may still be needed for compliance purposes. They can then tailor the rules associated with the content to fit its sensitivity level.

That can mean preventing employees from downloading certain documents in order to prevent unauthorized sharing or setting broad-sweeping restrictions like blocking the uploading of documents contain sensitive details such as social security numbers. Administrators can also create schedules to automatically delete documents after a set amount of time has passed since their submission.

That feature is particularly handy for organizations in regulated industries such as banks that need to walk the fine line between upholding retention requirements and avoiding the hefty fines incurred for holding onto customer data too long. Sensing the opportunity, Box is deliberately targeting that segment with FINRA and  SEC 17a-4 certifications added in conjunction with the launch of the addon that significantly expands the range of financial records that can be stored in its service.

The company is touting the new policy enforcement functionality as a more convenient alternative to the traditional on-premise governance solutions that organizations have historically relied on to control their information, but its main competition is from startups such as  Vera Inc. with platform-agnostic policy enforcement services. It remains to be seen whether the convenience of native integration will be enough to set Box’s governance solution apart from its platform independent rivals.

Photo via Free Press