Tech Tip: VERS Classification Levels

Laserfiche provides a comprehensive security solution that is robust and can be customized to fit every customer’s needs. VERS Classification Levels supplement the existing Laserfiche security structure with a simple way of ensuring that documents stay secure, even when moved between folders.

In Laserfiche, documents and folders are secured by inheriting entry access rights from their parent folders. However, entry access rights on folders only protect the documents they contain. Entry access rights do not “stick” to a document if it is relocated. This is where VERS Classification Levels come in handy—these levels are considered a property of the document itself and will “stay” with a document as it is moved through a repository. Thus, these levels safeguard Laserfiche entries from being accidentally moved into less secure areas of the repository.

Users can assign numeric VERS Classification Levels on documents and folders in the Desktop Laserfiche Client or Web Access. Once an entry is assigned a classification level, it cannot be moved into a folder with a lower numeric level.

For example, a document assigned a VERS Classification Level of 5 cannot be moved into a folder with a VERS Classification Level of 3. This prevents entries from being moved into folders that have been assigned less restrictive security. For added simplicity, when VERS Classification Levels are assigned to folders, they are automatically propagated to that folder’s subfolders and documents.

Note: If a classification level is not set on an entry, it is considered to have the lowest possible classification level (a VERS Classification Level of 0).

Example: Hospital Records

Most of a hospital’smedical records require high security and are private to the hospital and its patients. However, certain information needs to be released internally or to outside organizations. This means documents are often transferred between folders that have different entry access rights.

To prevent an employee from accidentally leaking information, the administrator creates three VERS Classification Levels: “Doctors” (numeric value 10), “Nurses” (numeric value 7), and “Civic” (numeric value 3).

Documents given the “Doctors” classification level can only be moved into folders assigned the same “Doctors” classification level. Documents given the lowest classification level, “Civic,” can be moved into folders with any other classification level, but not to folders without a set classification level (since they are considered to have a classification level of 0).

Learn more about creating and assigning VERS Classification Levels on Laserfiche online help. For more information on VERs standards and certification, please visit the Laserfiche Press Center.