ARALOC Help

Launching the Publisher

Log in to the ARALOC management console at https://admin.araloc.com, using a Windows based PC and Internet Explorer. You’re presented with the home page. Click the Content tab at the top of your screen. Click the button towards the upper left on your screen that reads "Publish New Content".

The ARALOC publisher application will start up on your machine. If you have never used ARALOC to publish content in the past you will be required to download the ARALOC publisher application and install it on your machine. The ARALOC Publisher runs on your machine so that no other computer has access to your unsecured content.

The ARALOC Publisher is a multi-step wizard application. In the top section of the publisher you may specify a content title at any step. The title of your content can be anything you like up to 256 characters, and must be unique. For streaming distribution, the content title will be used as an identifier in the content URL that may be published to your viewers.

Step One - Select Content Distribution Type

You are asked to choose between three secure content distribution mechanisms. They are:

• Secure Streaming - Choose this option if you will be publishing a link to your encrypted content and users will merely click that link to gain access to your content.
• Secure Disk - Choose this option if you intend to copy your secure content onto a CD or DVD and distribute it to your viewers.
• Secure Package - Choose this option if you intend to create a secure content package file which you can then attach to an e-mail, add to a file share, etc.

Step Two - Select Content Activation Type

• Private Activation - Choose this option if you wish to give access to your content to viewers that are known to you and that you will list in ARALOC.
• Public Activation - Choose this option if which means anyone with access to your secure content may view it so long as they provide information predetermined by you such as e-mail address for other demographic information.

Step Three - Select Hosting Type

If you have selected the streaming distribution option you are asked to choose a hosting option. Select "ARALOC" if you’re an ARALOC hosting subscriber and want to host the secured content on an ARALOC server. Select another content hosting site if you wish to use your own content hosting site that has been pre-configured in ARALOC (see "Content Hosting" under "Settings", below). The ARALOC Publisher will upload the secured content to the server automatically and provide the appropriate content link for publication.

You may choose "Custom hosting" if you’re going to copy the secure content to your hosting location manually. Using the custom hosting option requires that you supply the appropriate URL that will take a viewer to your content.

If you selected a distribution type other than secure streaming, this selection page will be disabled and you simply click "Next" to move on to the next step.

Step Four - Define Rights

You’re now asked to define the user rights that you wish to include with your secure content.

• Start Date - This is the date before which the content cannot be viewed. It is useful when content access must be available to a viewing group at the same time or content that needs to be pre-positioned on third party servers or distributed on CD/DVD through the mail. Default is "None".
• End Date - This is the date after which the content cannot be viewed. It is useful when content access must be limited in the same way for all viewers. Default is "None".
• Password Required for Activation - Passwords are optional for viewing secured content with Private Activation. Public Activation never requires a password. An email address is always required for viewing ARALOC content. Default is "Required".
• Network Connection Required - An internet connection is always required for content to be activated on a viewer’s machine. However, once activated, ARALOC does not require an internet connection in the case of a CD or Secure Package. The ARALOC Viewer will always attempt to retrieve the latest content rights from the ARALOC Server if a network connection is available. If no connection is available, the Viewer defaults to the rights that were originally distributed with the content. Thus, certain ARALOC features like "manual expire" will not be as effective if an internet connection is not required. Default is "Off".
• Enable Printing - This option allows viewers to print the currently viewed file. Default is "Off".
• Enable Screen Capture – This option allows viewers to capture a screen image of your protected content. Default is "Off".
• Enable Multi-Document Viewing - This will display a file browser on the left hand side of the Viewer, allowing the user to navigate between files. Default is "Off".
• Allow WebEx Sharing - This will allow the Viewer to be shared in a WebEx meeting. Default is "Off".
• Maximum Views Per User - This counter allows you to define how many times you want each user to be able to view your content. A setting of zero denotes unlimited views.
• Maximum Activations Per User - This allows you to define how many times you want each user to be able to view the content on a different machine. One activation would allow viewing on one machine, five activations would allow a user to view the content on five different machines. A zero denotes unlimited Activations.
• Expires After (n) Days of Users First View - This option allows you to define the number of days a viewer will be able to access your content from the first day that content was activated by that user. A setting of five would allow the user activating the content on Monday to view the content until the following Saturday provided that the viewer did not exceed the permitted number of views. A zero denotes no expiration related to "days since first view".
• Window Size – This option allows you to specify the initial width and height of the Viewer in pixels. Default is 800 by 600.

Step Four - Select Content Files

In this step you will select each of the files or folders that you want to include in your content by clicking "Add Files" or "Add Folder". You’ll be presented with a standard windows tool to select each of the files or folders you wish to include in your content. Once you have selected the appropriate files you may then specify a startup file, which is the file you would like to display in the Viewer first. Click the "Publish" button when you are ready to publish your protected content.

Performing Operations

ARALOC will now perform the appropriate operations to secure your content based on the information you’ve provided. If you’ve chosen streaming distribution with ARALOC hosting, your content files will be uploaded to the ARALOC hosting space. If you’ve chosen CD, Secure Package, or Streaming with custom hosting, the published files will be placed on your desktop. ARALOC will also update the ARALOC Management console with your content information. You may now click finish.

Content Tab

In the ARALOC Management Console at https://admin.araloc.com click on the "Content" tab to view a list of all of the secured content that ARALOC is managing for you along with certain significant information related to content.

• Expire - You may click the "Expire" box for any content item at any time and that content will no longer be accessible to an end user for activation. Previously activated content will no longer be accessible provided that you selected "Network Connection Required" in the content publishing process. You may "unexpire" a content listing at any time.

Click on an individual content listing to go to the "Edit Content Details" page for that content. In the body of the form you will see all of the options that were selected in the secure content publishing process. You now have an opportunity to change many of these options on the fly. Making changes to this page will have immediate effect on your distributed content and you should become very familiar with ARALOC before making changes. Changes to individual options affect the secured content as follows:

Content Details

• Content Title - The title of your content appears in the title bar of the ARALOC Viewer. For CD and Secure Package, this title may be changed on this page. For streaming, this title is also used as an identifier in the content URL that may be published to your viewers. Thus changing the title for streaming content affects the content URL, and you would potentially have to resend content links to your users. If you wish to change the title of streaming content, you can do so by clicking the "Republish Content" button.
• Distribution Type - Cannot be changed.
• Activation Type - Changing this setting will impact all new activations at activation time. Any previously activated content license will not be affected.
• Password Required for Activation - Changing this setting will impact all new activations at activation time. Any previously activated content license will not be affected.
• Network Connection Required - Changing this setting will impact all new activations at activation time. Any previously activated content license will be updated the next time that the viewer attempts to view the content provided that the viewer is connected to the internet.
• Enable Screen Capture - Changing this setting will impact all new activations at activation time. Any previously activated content license will be updated the next time that the viewer attempts to view the content provided that the viewer is connected to the internet.
• Enable Multi-Document Viewing - Changing this setting will impact all new activations at activation time. Any previously activated content license will be updated the next time that the viewer attempts to view the content provided that the viewer is connected to the internet.
• Enable Printing - Changing this setting will impact all new activations at activation time. Any previously activated content license will be updated the next time that the viewer attempts to view the content provided that the viewer is connected to the internet.
• Allow WebEx - Changing this setting will impact all new activations at activation time. Any previously activated content license will be updated the next time that the viewer attempts to view the content provided that the viewer is connected to the internet.
• Expire Content Immediately - Changing this setting will impact all new activations at activation time. Any previously activated content license will be updated the next time that the viewer attempts to view the content provided that the viewer is connected to the internet.
• Window Size - Changing this setting will impact all new activations at activation time. Any previously activated content license will be updated the next time that the viewer attempts to view the content provided that the viewer is connected to the internet.
• Content Total Running Time - This option is used for certain content where the publisher desires to track the amount of time that a viewer viewed the content. It is particularly useful for video content of a training nature where viewing is mandatory and compliance is important to be tracked, such as training videos in a regulated industry. Select the length of time that a viewer would be expected to view the content to attain its full value.
• Content Targeted Running Time - Select the length of time that a viewer must to view the content to be credited with a "compliant" view. You will be able to track and report on this data in detail in the reports section of ARALOC.

Content Hosting

• Http Content Path - This is the content path you input during the publishing process if you selected "Streaming" as a distribution mechanism and you selected "Custom hosting". If you change this path you must physically move the content files to the new server location.

Content Constraints

• Start Date - Changing this setting will impact all new activations at activation time. Any previously activated content license will be updated the next time that the viewer attempts to view the content provided that the viewer is connected to the internet.
• End Date - Changing this setting will impact all new activations at activation time. Any previously activated content license will be updated the next time that the viewer attempts to view the content provided that the viewer is connected to the internet.
• Maximum Views Per User - Changing this setting will impact all new activations at activation time. Any previously activated content license will be updated the next time that the viewer attempts to view the content provided that the viewer is connected to the internet.
• Maximum Activations Per User - Changing this setting will impact all new activations at activation time. Any previously activated content license will be updated the next time that the viewer attempts to view the content provided that the viewer is connected to the internet.
• Expires after (n) Days of Users First View - Changing this setting will impact all new activations at activation time. Any previously activated content license will be updated the next time that the viewer attempts to view the content provided that the viewer is connected to the internet.
• Notes - Enter any notes in free form that you wish to record about this content. These notes are not accessible to viewers.

After editing content details you must "Save" your changes by clicking "Save" at the top of the form. You may also "Republish" the content after editing and saving by clicking "Republish Content" at the top of the form. This will completely eliminate the original content record and replace it with the edited version. If the content is streaming, you may view the content in the ARALOC Viewer by clicking "Content Link" at the top of the form. You may also delete the entire content record by clicking on "Delete" at the top of the form. Note that deleting content is permanent and cannot be undone, and also deletes all associated reporting information.

In a column on the left side of the form there are several options:

• Configuration - This is the Content Details Page as described above.
• Approved Viewers - This is a list of all users that have access to this content. It will list their user name/email address, Full Name, Group or individual access status, the number of times they have viewed the content, expiration status and the date of their first view. From this page you may expire access for individual viewers or renew access for viewers that have previously been expired.
• Group Rights - On this form you can give access to this content to all members of one or more particular groups you have set up in ARALOC. Once your Group Rights selections have been saved, all viewers associated with selected groups will become approved viewers.
• Individual Rights - On this form you may search for an individual user from your list of users and grant that user the right to view this content.
• Vendors – On this form you can associate this content with a vendor that you have set up in ARALOC. This allows you to run content reports based on vendor.
• Public Registration - If you selected "Public Distribution" in the content publishing process you may choose to collect additional information from your content viewers beyond email address which is always required. Each item selected on this form will be presented as a field to be filled out by the viewer at the time the viewer attempts to activate the content. The three settings for each field are "Disabled", "Enabled", and "Required".
• Content Reports - This is a detailed graphical report showing all viewing activity for this content. All graphs allow for drill down to individual viewer information.

Users Tab

Click on the "Users" tab to view a list of all of the Users that ARALOC is managing in your ARALOC account with certain significant information related to the individual content package.

You may add users individually using the "Add Single User" form. If the "Send Credentials to User" checkbox is selected, the user will immediately receive an email containing their credentials after the record is created.

• Export Users - You may export your users from ARALOC in CSV format. Click "Export Users" and follow the on screen instructions.
• Delete Selected - You may select users using the checkbox next to their username, and use this option to delete them from ARALOC. After confirming your intention to delete, the listing will be permanently removed. Additionally, the data collected as to view and activation history for this content will be deleted as well.
• Filter Users By Group - Subscribers with a large number of Users may want to filter their users by group affiliation. Click the "Filter By Group" link.

Click on an individual user listing to go to the "Edit User Details" page for that user. Here you can make changes to that user’s demographic information. Note that you cannot change the user’s password on this form. Password changes must be done by the user themselves, by clicking on the "Forgot Password" link of the viewer.

Import Users

• Import Users - For your convenience, you may import users from an Excel Spreadsheet which conforms to our provided template.
  1. Select Excel Spreadsheet - Download the template and populate with your user information. You may export users from any other contact management software in XLS format then re-arrange to fit the ARALOC template or export in CSV format then import to Excel. Next, browse your computer and select the completed template.
  2. User Notification - Check this option to have ARALOC Send an email to each of your imported users with their user name (email address) and password. If you do not define a password for each user, ARALOC can create passwords for you.
  3. User Access Options - Users can be given access to content or assigned to a group during the import process. Select either "No Access", Select a group, or select a content item.

Click "Upload" to complete the import process.

Groups Tab

Click on the "Groups" tab to view a list of all of the groups that ARALOC is managing in your ARALOC account. The Group feature is a way to create a completely customizable way to organize individual viewers and to make it easier to give content access rights to one or more "groups" with just a few clicks.

On the left side of the form is the existing group structure. Click on an existing group to edit its name or to add a new sub-group. Click "Add" or "Save" and the group list is immediately updated. You can then go to the User Form and add that group to any user. A User may be associated with any number of groups.

You may consider a group structure based on Clients, Departments, Product Type, Family / Friends or any structure that fits your needs.

Vendors Tab

Click on the "Vendors" tab to view a list of all of the vendors associated with your ARALOC account. ARALOC allows you to maintain information about all the service providers that you use in connection with your content and to associate any number of them with any content item. This allows you to run content reports based on vendor.

Click the "Add Vendor" link to add a new vendor, or click on an individual vendor listing to go to the "Edit Vendor Details" page for an existing vendor. Here you can make changes to that vendor’s company and demographic information, as well as include notes related to that vendor. Vendor information is not accessible to viewers.

Reporting Tab

There are several detailed graphical reports available within ARALOC. Each allow for drill down into supporting data and are exportable to PDF format for distribution.

• Overview Report - Details all viewing activity for a given date range.
• Group Reports - Details all viewing activity for a given date range within the defined group structure.
• Content Reports - Details all viewing activity for a given date range for an individual content item.
• User Reports - Details all viewing activity for a given date range for an individual user.
• Miscellaneous Reports - This is a page for new reports that are added from time to time.

On the left of the page are several page links.

Account Settings

The Account Settings allows you to view and change your login credentials and contact information.

Credentials

• Email - This is the email address you entered when you subscribed to ARALOC. It serves as your user name and is the primary way for us to communicate with you. You may change your email address here. Changing to an incorrect email account could cause your account to become irretrievable.
• Retype Email - If you change your email address you must retype it here to confirm. Changing to an incorrect email account could cause your account to become irretrievable.
• Change Password – Click here to change your password for accessing the ARALOC Management Console.

Company Settings

The Company Settings allows you to view and change your company’s information and subscription information.

Company Information

• Company Name - This is the company name you entered when you subscribed to ARALOC. You may change it here. The Company Name is used in the email templates to identify you to your users.
• Company Email Domain - This is your company’s domain name. This is required when the "Enable Publisher Registration" setting is enabled.
• Username Label - This is the label for the username field that appears in the activation form in the Viewer. You can set it to a custom value here. Defaults to "Email".
• Company Logo - This is the logo that will appear on the Viewer for you content. The default is the ARALOC logo. Depending on your subscription level, you may change this logo.
• Upload New Logo - Use this field to browse to the logo file you would like to use for the viewer. Supported file types are jpg, gif, png. The logo will be resized to 150 X 50.

Additional Information

• Allow Reseller Log In - This option appears if your account was created by a reseller. This setting enables the reseller to be able to log in to your account. Defaults to "Yes".
• Enable Publisher Registration - This option enables walk-up users whose email matches the company email domain to register in the system as a publisher. When enabled, you may click the publisher registration URL link to view the publisher sign up page. Defaults to "No".

Subscription Information

• Subscription Type - Lists your subscription level.
• Subscription Limits - This is the Maximum number of content items, users, and publishers that ARALOC will manage for you given your subscription level.
• Hosting Package - This is the Hosting Package you are subscribed to.
• Hosting Size / Bandwidth - This is the amount of ARALOC hosting and bandwidth that comes with you Hosting Subscription level.
• Hosting Used - This is the amount of ARALOC hosting space you are currently using.
• Modify Subscription - Click this link to upgrade your subscription to another level. You will be taken to the ARALOC ecommerce site to complete the transaction.

Content Hosting

ARALOC can be configured to host content on any WebDAV-enabled site. It requires basic authentication with write/delete access for uploading and anonymous read access for downloading. SSL is highly recommended with the use of basic authentication as passwords are transmitted in plain text.

Click the "Add New Site" link to add a new content hosting site, or click on a content hosting site listing to edit details for an existing content hosting site. Enter the username and password used to upload and delete content, and click the save button. ARALOC will verify the content hosting site configuration, and will give a "Success" indicator when properly configured. To delete an existing content hosting site, click the delete button.

After a content hosting site has been added to ARALOC, it will immediately be selectable as a content hosting option in the Publisher.

Email Templates

There are two email communications that ARALOC uses to communicate with your viewers at you direction. They are the "User Credentials email and the "Content Links" email. You may edit these emails to fit your needs according to the instructions on the right side of the page and in accordance with the ARALOC subscriber agreement.

Publisher Users

This page displays a listing of all publishers who can currently log into the ARALOC Management Console under this company. You may select publishers using the checkbox next to their username, and revoke or allow their access to log into the system to publish or administer content.

Click the "Add Publisher" link to add a new publisher, or click on an individual publisher listing to go to the "Edit Publisher Details" page for an existing publisher. Here you can make changes to that publisher’s demographic information. Note that you cannot change the publisher’s password on this form. Password changes must be done by the publisher themselves, by clicking on the "Forget Your Password" link of the ARALOC Management Console login page. You can also choose to expire all content created by this publisher by clicking the "Expire Content" link. Finally, you may choose to delete this publisher and all associated content by clicking "Delete Publisher/Content", and then confirming. Note that deleting a publisher and content is permanent and cannot be undone, and also deletes all associated reporting information.

The account that you used to sign up to ARALOC is the account owner. This account can not be revoked or deleted, and cannot be edited by a non-owner account.

Publisher Defaults

By using the publisher defaults option, the publisher application will launch in a preconfigured state to reduce the number of steps displayed. On setting a default distribution type, activation type, and hosting site, the publisher can be condensed to one step. The full publisher can still be accessed on a one-off basis by selecting the "Use Full Publisher" link in the lower right of the Publisher.

WebEx Integration

By integrating your WebEx account with ARALOC you are given the ability to easily create secure, encrypted content for your WebEx meetings, recordings, or connect spaces. Once your WebEx account information has been entered and verified, a "WebEx" tab will appear as a tab in the ARALOC Management Console. From here, you may publish new content alongside the meeting, recording, or connect space of your choice. In the Publisher, you will then see a list of all users who currently have access to WebEx, and may choose from that list which users you wish to grant access to. When the user attempts to view content in ARALOC, they enter the same username and password that they use to access the WebEx system.