Digital rights management: How to protect your digital assets

Companies have lots of brand assets that they need to share widely within and outside of their organization. But while granting free access to everyone makes it quick and easy for people to find the files they need, it can also cause lots of problems: off-brand materials, using files with expired licenses, regulatory compliance issues.

Digital rights management (DRM) helps enterprises protect and govern their digital assets without slowing their teams down. Here’s how DRM helps protect your digital media, and how to implement a solution that’s the right fit for your organization.

What is digital rights management?

Digital rights management is the technology, policies, and processes that protect your intellectual property and digital content. 

Companies need DRM to prevent unauthorized use, modification, and distribution of their assets and files. It protects proprietary, sensitive, or confidential data and ensures content is only used according to license agreements. For businesses in highly regulated industries, DRM is especially helpful for ensuring regulatory compliance.

Key components of a DRM system include encryption, access control, license management, authentication, and monitoring and reporting. These elements safeguard intellectual property, maintain compliance, and secure digital files. Some companies use a standalone DRM tool, but in many organizations, DRM capabilities live inside a digital asset management (DAM) platform, where teams can control access, track usage, and manage licensing.

An example of DRM in action

A global brand launches a new product line and needs to share campaign visuals with regional teams, agencies, and retail partners. The company uploads the hero images and packaging renders into its brand portal. DRM enforces who can view, download, and repurpose each file based on their role, region, and project stage.

Now imagine an agency partner tries to pull a product photo before legal signs off. DRM blocks the download, flags the request, and routes it to the asset owner for approval. If someone shares a file outside the portal, a visible or invisible watermark ties it back to the source, so you can trace leaks or attempted misuse.

Why is digital rights management important?

In enterprise companies, distributed teams, multiple agencies, and partner networks all need access to files, but that access can’t be a free-for-all. DRM gives you a practical way to scale content sharing while still protecting your brand and helping you stay in control. Here are several reasons why DRM is so important for enterprise brands:

• Protects intellectual property: DRM attaches ownership details and usage rights to each asset and restricts unauthorized copying or reuse.
• Maintains compliance: With DRM, you can enforce licensing terms, usage rights, and territory restrictions automatically. This keeps your team aligned with contracts and regulations without manual policing.
• Secures assets: A DRM protects your files through robust encryption and authentication mechanisms, reducing vulnerabilities to cyber attacks and data breaches.
• Enables secure distribution: Instead of sending files as attachments, DRM lets you share assets through controlled links and tracked access. You can share files more widely while controlling how they are accessed and used.
• Supports scalable collaboration: DRM makes it easy to assign different permissions to different roles, from internal teams to external partners. So you can easily share assets with agencies, partners, and regional teams while maintaining control over access, usage rights, and approvals.

How DRM works

DRM combines multiple mechanisms to protect digital content. These layers work together to secure your digital assets, controlling access, usage, and lifecycle governance. Only authorized individuals can access and use them according to your company’s specific guidelines.

Encryption

Encryption converts data into an unreadable format to prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing or distributing protected content.

In the context of DRM, encryption secures digital content by transforming it into a coded format that can only be accessed by authorized users with a decryption key. It protects files in transit and at rest, which ensures that even if an asset is intercepted or accessed without permission, the unauthorized user can’t read or view it.

Authentication

A DRM will verify a person’s credentials to make sure only authorized users can access your content.

Enterprise DRM systems often integrate with identity management tools like SSO and SAML, letting employees log in with their existing corporate credentials. Alternatively, administrators grant access and permissions to appropriate team members, and set up credentials, including usernames and passwords, biometric data, or security tokens.

Access control

Access control determines what users can do with your files. Administrators set specific rules and granular permissions — based on roles, locations, or asset types — to govern who can access, modify, or share your content. This prevents unauthorized use and distribution of your files.

License management

DRM lets you control and monitor how each digital asset can be used through license management. It tracks who holds a license, when it was granted, and how long it remains valid. This license specifies the rights and limitations for using content, such as the duration of access or the number of devices on which it can be used. Some systems send alerts before licences expire, and can automatically restrict access, revoke permissions, or archive assets once rights end, so files can’t be used beyond their authorized window.

Monitoring and reporting

DRM tracks every interaction with your digital assets, giving you visibility into who’s using your files, when, and how. It collects analytics on asset access, downloads, shares, and even the context in which files are opened. The data is then analyzed to identify any patterns of unauthorized behavior. This helps brand teams spot suspicious activity, understand adoption across teams or regions, and change user permissions or licences.

Types of digital rights management

Digital rights management is a fairly broad concept, encompassing multiple technologies and approaches. Different types of rights management protect different content, support varying risk levels, and fit into specific workflows. Enterprise brand teams typically need a mix of these, and DAM platforms with built-in rights management are increasingly the operational standard for effective governance and DRM.

Encryption-based DRM

Encryption-based DRM protects content by encoding it so that only users with the decryption key can access it. This approach is common for sensitive documents, internal brand assets, and high-value media files — for example, product launch decks, confidential market research reports, or documents containing proprietary information. By securing the content at the file level, encryption ensures that even if assets are copied or intercepted, they remain unusable without proper authorization.

Watermarking

Watermarking embeds visible or invisible identifiers into a file, linking them to a specific user, department, or organization, so you can deter misuse and trace leaks. 

Visible watermarks add text or logos on top of images, while invisible (forensic) watermarks bury a unique code in pixels or metadata that survives copying and format changes. For example, a pre-launch ad campaign PDF might include a subtle, unique watermark for each agency partner, making it easy to identify the source of any unauthorized distribution. Beyond tracking, watermarking also deters sharing, as users know their access is traceable and misuse can be traced back to them.

Access control DRM

Access control manages exactly who can view, edit, download, or share an asset by assigning permissions at the user, group, or role level. Common access levels include:

• Role-based access
• Geographic restrictions
• Time-limited access.

For enterprise brand teams using a DAM, access control DRM is often the most practical way to enforce consistent rules, protect sensitive content, and maintain brand integrity across large, distributed teams.

License management DRM

License management DRM tracks usage rights, expiration dates, and compliance rules across large libraries of mixed assets. It ensures every file — from stock photos and music tracks to partner-provided templates — is used according to its license. The system can automatically raise expiration alerts, log usage, and revoke access when terms end.

This is critical for organizations that use a lot of stock imagery, copyrighted material, or assets with contractual restrictions, such as marketing teams using third-party imagery for campaigns or global product launches.

Digital rights management use cases

In the past, digital rights management was just for media companies. But now, as content creation and distribution has snowballed (especially since the introduction of generative AI), any organization with valuable or proprietary digital content benefits from rights management.

Brand and marketing teams

DRM matters to brand and marketing teams because it preserves consistency and reduces legal exposure, keeping campaigns running smoothly across different departments and regions. Some ways marketing and brand teams use digital rights management include:

• Protecting logos, guidelines, and campaign assets from unauthorized use or off-brand customization: Brands store master logo files with edit-restricted access while providing partners flattened PNG or JPG exports. Teams add visible watermarks or export restrictions on pre-release mockups.
• Ensuring regional teams and agencies use approved, current versions: Brand teams enforce version control and role-based access so regional teams only see approved localized assets and can’t accidentally revert to outdated artwork. Marketers set time-limited access for agencies and automate archival of outdated assets.
• Managing permissions across internal teams, external partners, and public distribution: Brand or marketing leaders grant teams and partners granular permissions and use single sign-on to keep identity controls consistent. Teams use DRM to record downloads, shares, and edits in audit logs and revoke access instantly when a partner changes or a contract ends.

Media and entertainment

For media and entertainment teams their content is their product, and unauthorized access directly impacts revenue. DRM software helps protect high-value releases while enabling complex distribution models that vary across platforms and markets. Some ways media and entertainment companies use DRM include:

• Protecting content from piracy: Encryption-based DRM locks down master files and distribution copies so only authorized players or apps can decrypt them. Watermarking adds viewer- or partner-specific identifiers into screeners and pre-release cuts, making leaks traceable and discouraging misuse.
• Managing licensing across platforms and geographies: DRM enforces rules around where, when, and how content can be accessed, such as limiting a title to specific countries or devices. Rights can expire automatically by territory or platform, ensuring content is removed when licenses expire.

Healthcare and pharmaceuticals

DRM is essential for companies in highly regulated industries like healthcare and pharmaceuticals. It protects sensitive information while supporting strict compliance and governance requirements. DRM helps to:

• Protect patient data, research materials, and regulatory documentation: Access controls limit who can view, download, or modify files like patient-facing materials, study protocols, and submission documents. Encryption and watermarking help ensure that sensitive files remain secure even when shared externally.
• Support compliance efforts with access controls, audit trails, and usage permissions: DRM logs every access, download, and change, creating a detailed audit trail for regulatory review. Granular permissions ensure regulated content is only used in approved contexts, helping teams align with standards like HIPAA, GDPR, and GxP requirements.
• Manage access to clinical trial data and sensitive research: Role-based and time-limited access lets researchers, CROs, and partners see only the data relevant to their work and only for the duration of the study. When trials conclude or partnerships end, DRM can automatically revoke access to reduce risk and exposure.

Financial services

Financial institutions need to keep sensitive client and market information secure. DRM protects assets, ensures compliance, and maintains trust across teams, clients, and partners. Here are some ways financial companies use DRM:

• Protecting confidential materials and compliance documentation: Encryption and access controls prevent unauthorized downloads or sharing of portfolio reports, investment models, and internal memos. Watermarking can add client-specific identifiers to sensitive PDFs or slide decks, deterring leaks.
• Maintaining audit trails to support regulatory and compliance requirements: DRM logs who accessed what, when, and how, creating detailed records for regulators or internal audits. This is vital for SEC, FINRA, or GDPR compliance, helping organizations demonstrate accountability and proper handling of sensitive data.
• Managing access across branches, advisors, and client portals: Role-based permissions ensure that branch staff, financial advisors, and clients see only relevant files and cannot alter or redistribute restricted content. Time-limited links or expiring documents keep sensitive materials controlled even in external portals or distributed teams.

Manufacturing and retail

DRM protects manufacturing and retail companies’ intellectual property, product designs, and brand assets while ensuring marketing and sales materials remain consistent across every channel:

• Protect product designs, technical specifications, and proprietary processes: Encryption and access controls restrict sensitive files, blueprints, and operational manuals to authorized engineers, suppliers, or internal teams. Watermarking and usage tracking make it easier to trace leaks if confidential information is shared outside approved channels.
• Manage product imagery and marketing materials across channels and partners: DRM ensures that high-resolution product photos, promotional videos, and campaign graphics are distributed in approved formats with proper permissions. Version control and role-based access prevent outdated or unapproved assets from appearing in catalogs, online stores, or social media campaigns.

How to implement digital rights management

With a clear understanding of the mechanisms behind DRM, you can implement a system within your company. By following these steps, you'll keep your digital assets protected and secure.

1. Assess your needs

Start by understanding what you need from digital rights management. Look at what you need to protect your assets, but also to enable users to access them without unnecessary friction.

• Take inventory: List your digital assets and sort them by how important and sensitive they are, to prioritize which files need the most robust protection and management.
• Understand access needs: Record who needs access to which assets. Include internal teams, agencies, external partners, and regional departments. Get granular and include different levels of access.
• Understand compliance requirements: What compliance and regulatory requirements apply to your industry? For example, regarding GDPR requirements, you can set your DRM to encrypt customer data during storage and transmission.
• Evaluate risk: Identify the biggest risks for your business. Are you struggling most with unauthorized sharing, expired usage rights, off-brand usage, or version drift? Understanding your challenges will help you identify the types of DRM that will be most beneficial.

2. Choose a platform for DRM

Companies typically choose between a dedicated DRM or an all-in-one DAM solution. A standalone DRM is often purpose-built for specific content types, so you may require different tools for different assets. While a DAM platform with integrated DRM combines centralized storage, organization, access control, and usage rights management in one system. This is often a better fit for organizations managing diverse brand assets at scale.

Here’s how to identify the best DRM capabilities for your organization:

• Granular permissions: Look at how much you can tailor user permissions. Can you restrict access based on role, geography, time, and asset type — or just a couple of these?
• Automation capabilities: How much rights management can the platform handle for you? For example, can you automate asset expiration and removal, and alerts if there’s unauthorized usage?
• Integration with existing tools: Look at whether your DRM integrates with existing tools like creative software and CMS. This will help avoid issues like designers using unlicensed images in their designs or publishing unapproved content on your website.
• Ease of use: Look for tools or features that are easy for end users to work with. Adoption is critical because rights management fails when teams bypass the tools or systems with their own processes.
• Scalability for multiple brands: Can your chosen DRM or DAM platform grow with your business? For example, will it cope with multiple brands, regions, or growing libraries of multiple asset types?

3. Set access controls

Establish who can view, modify, and share your assets. Set specific permissions to that each file is only accessible to those who are authorized to use it. Here’s how to set and manage these controls:

• Define access permissions: Determine who can access, edit, or distribute your digital assets. This could include lifecycle-based controls, where assets are automatically restricted or removed when campaigns end or licenses expire. For example, marketers can edit campaign assets while sales teams can only view or download, or regional teams can access localized content while the global team manages the master assets.
• Set up your platform: Use the access control features in your chosen DRM or DAM. Create groups like “Design Team” and “Sales Team,” and assign permissions based on your defined policies.
• Classify assets: Identify which files are protected, confidential, or team-specific. For example, applying stricter controls to financial reports and strategic documents ensures only senior management can access them.
• Regularly review and update: Periodically review and update access permissions to adapt to changes in your organization, such as new employees or changing project needs.

4. Train staff

DRM only works if people use the system. If the process is too complex, teams will find workarounds that bypass the protections it offers. Instructing your staff on DRM policies, usage guidelines, and the importance of compliance helps them understand the purpose and value of your new system. Some of the following support materials help drive adoption for your DRM process:

• Demos: Conduct live demonstrations to highlight key features and best practices that show employees how to work with the DRM.
• Training sessions: Hold workshops and training sessions tailored to different roles and use cases, to show people how to use DRM functionality and processes.
• Resource guides: Provide comprehensive instructions that detail how to navigate and use the DRM.
• FAQ sheets: Create easy-to-read documents that address common questions and issues employees might encounter.
• Support channels: Establish channels, such as a help desk or dedicated Slack channel, where employees can ask questions and get assistance.

5. Monitor and update

Track how teams and individuals are using your DRM. This will help you identify and address potential security breaches, unauthorized access, and patterns that may indicate misuse.

• Monitor usage: Use your DRM platform's reporting and analytics features to track access patterns (who’s using what, when), licenses (assets approaching expiration) and system adoption (who’s using the DRM). Regular monitoring helps you spot potential issues, anomalies, and identify potential security threats.
• Review policies regularly: Periodically review your DRM policies to ensure they’re updated and comply with the latest security standards and best practices. This involves checking that the access controls, user roles, and permissions are still appropriate.
• Keep protocols updated: Your organization grows and evolves — and so should your DRM procedures. Make sure your documents and processes adapt to new threats or changes, including new asset types, changes in regulatory requirements, or adjustments in user roles.

Choose the right DRM solution for your brand

Instead of looking for a standalone DRM solution, look for a DAM that also supports asset rights management and governance workflows. A unified tool makes rights management simpler as it’s embedded in the tool where your files already live.

Frontify offers a centralized platform for organizing, managing, and distributing your digital assets, enhancing collaboration and security. With features like customizable access controls, granular and scalable permissions, and automated rights management, Frontify provides everything you need to create, safeguard, edit, and store your files effectively. 

Whether you're managing a single brand or a portfolio of sub-brands across global markets, Frontify scales with your organization. Book a demo to see how the Frontify platform can support your DRM efforts.

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