Sometimes the Simplest DRM Solutions are the Best

3. Lock Your Content.
When you’re just getting on the road to profitability, there’s nothing more counter-productive to the bottom line than an unlocked file. Locking now is wiser than locking later—why wait? Typically, DRM providers can accept your content via ftp or sftp and can encrypt or package your content in bulk in an automated fashion. After packaging, your content can be ftp’d directly to your CDN account or hosting platform.

4. Find a Processing Agent and Integrate.
Processing agents come in a variety of forms, including Credit Card, Check, Dialer, or even PayPal. There is a wealth of processing resources on the Web. If you have a merchant account with a processor in place, set up a call with them to talk about how you would like to integrate your buy-page’s successful purchases and posts into your DRM licensing processes. Your DRM provider should be able to work this out for you at a low cost by setting up a sort of "integration conduit." Look for a simple solution that is easily modified in the future and one that uses the same username and password list already in place on the your site.

5. Post It and Push It.
DRM is more than a lock and key. It’s a switch and you’re holding it. Once your files are locked, your buy-page is done, and your processing is integrated, it’s time to go to market. To be successful, you will need to drive traffic to your buy-page and be ready for feedback. Take notice of the traffic and how the users respond to your presentation. If you don’t get good click throughs, change it around. Add a free trailer and be willing to adapt your pricing based on customer feedback. If a partner site isn’t holding its weight and delivering the eyeballs, don’t be afraid to strike deals with new traffic affiliates. Make sure your payouts for partners and affiliates are manageable, and don’t ever pay out more than you charge per month to each affiliate for a join.

Steps for Cutting Down on Excessive Use and Theft
Step One: Use Silent Licensing
If you just want to prevent theft of your content, the silent license function in WMT DRM allows for users to watch a piece of content for free, with a silent license being passed to their player before they play the content. This typically happens in less than three seconds and for the most part is completely transparent to the user.

Step Two: Use Instant Revocation
When it comes time to expire an internal communication or presentation, you are able to instantly shut down access to a piece of content or to whole directories of content with one click. Whether the message got leaked or it’s just plain old, you will have the option of controlling the message and the medium at your desktop.

File-level DRM is not the final word in defending your assets on the Web; however, combined with a holistic, overall security policy, DRM can be your most effective tool in preventing excessive bandwidth usage related to your content. If your streaming media bill is starting to get out of hand, file-level DRM gives you one more way to balance out your expenditures and cut down usage by unauthorized or unwanted parties without a high cost of implementation.