Recently, the use of PDF converters, PDF exporters and other types of decentralized software for managing PDF documents began to become popular but. What is a decentralized software and what advantages does it have?
A Blockchain network offers enormous security privileges and for this reason, data transfer software based on this technology has begun to emerge. The use of this technology to export, convert, share and sign PDF documents is known to have become popular recently as this makes it virtually impossible for someone to forge a signature or modify the file.
In this article
Part 1. The Issues of Using Decentralized PDF Software
Typically, the reason the PDF format is used is because this format faithfully displays the document, regardless of whether it is printed or opened from a different computer or device. In addition, if using any other format, compatibility problems could arise that cause discrepancies and as a result, the file could not be seen as it should, that is, it could lose information related to size, font, margins, graphic elements, etc.
In general, the PDF format is used to share official documents and, although using Blockchain technology to transfer this type of files may be an attractive option, you must bear in mind that it is a complex technology that despite offering security benefits, it can also make you sacrifice the convenience and interoperability benefits that you are used to. Also, as it is a decentralized software, your documents are everywhere and nowhere at the same time so, you won’t be able to receive support easily.
Part 2. The Advantages of Standardization
There is a lot of talk about the security advantages that Blockchain technology offers but this does not mean that standardized software is not secure.
Most software intended to assist data transfer works in a similar way. The user uploads their information to a storage cloud and later, the server where the information is stored returns a web address to the user to access their information. Although some people believe that this puts their information at risk, the reality is that companies that offer these types of services invest a lot of money and effort in ensuring that all the information they store is secure and backed up. This means that these companies not only offer the service of transferring the data, they also back up the information and protect it from anyone who tries to access it without your permission.
In addition to the advantages of security, storage and transfer, most of these services usually offer additional management tools to facilitate the tasks of their users and, in case these can become confusing, you can request assistance since, unlike of the Blockchain system, the companies that develop these tools also offer technical support services.
Part 3. Choose PDFelement
Lately there has been a lot of talk about using Blockchain decentralization technology to manage the transfer of PDF files as these documents usually contain very important information and with the help of this technology it would be ensured that PDF files could not reach into the wrong hands, in addition, it is considered that in some work environments this technology could be used to manage the sending of PDFs destined for the collection of signatures. However, today there is already file management software that can perform all these tasks and more in a much easier way. It's about Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor.
Convert files
Although using PDF converters and exporters is not difficult. With PDFelement you have everything in one place, in addition, this procedure is carried out without the need to upload your document to the internet, so it is completely impossible for an unauthorized person to have access to your information during this process.
All you have to do is open the document you want to convert from PDFelement and go to the "Convert" section. Once there, you will be able to see a series of formats available to carry out the conversion. Just click on the one that interests you and assign a destination location.
Store files
PDFelement is software designed by Wondershare and allows its users to store their information in Wondershare cloud storage service.
Storing your files in a cloud has great advantages, such as freeing up space on your device, creating backups that are accessible from anywhere, and protecting them from malware or errors that can corrupt your data. In addition, Wondershare Document Cloud is a service especially focused on file management, so you will notice that it offers you many other management tools from your web browser. All you have to do is register to access all these benefits.
Share files
One of the greatest advantages that Blockchain technology offers is that it guarantees its users that no one who is not authorized can view or modify your documents. On the other hand, with Wondershare Document Cloud, your files are protected and backed up on their servers. No one to whom you have not authorized will never be able to access these files, but you will notice that sharing them is extremely simple.
From the Wondershare Document Cloud web application, click on the three dots corresponding to the file you want to share and select the "Share" option.
Now you will see a window that allows you to create links and emails. You must choose "Email" if what you want is to send your document through an email service. On the other hand, if you want to share access through a different medium, use the "Link" option.
Keep in mind that in both cases you can create a "deadline" and restrict read or write permissions if you consider it necessary. In this way, you can be sure that the document will not remain visible forever on the network.
Password protect
The main advantage of Blockchain technology is its security. It is practically impossible to break this security. However, Blockchain technology did not appear overnight. This technology is born from the fundamentals of information encryption and, although it may seem difficult to believe, many of the software you use daily encrypt your information to protect it.
PDFelement allows you to use various encryption methods to protect your files. All you have to do is open the file with PDFelement, go to the “Protect” section and click on “Set Password”. Currently, there are several encryption methods and AES is one of the most common. An encryption system is a very complex security system. This consists of dividing the document and the user's password into bit blocks.
The bit blocks in the file are scrambled to create chaos based on the user's password bits as an inverse algorithm for rejoining the blocks.
This is how encryption protects your information. As long as the file is encrypted, it is just a meaningless set of bits. You can rest assured that even today it is known that it is practically impossible to break this type of security without knowing the password.
Request signatures
PDFelement allows you to easily sign and request document signatures. You do not need to use Blockchain technology to make sure that the signatures have not been forged.
All digital documents have metadata. This metadata stores information regarding all interactions that the document has had. However, this metadata can be modified.
PDFelement solves this problem by requesting digital credentials. This means that a user must verify identity through the email in order to sign a document.
All you have to do is upload your file to the Wondershare Documents cloud, go to the “Sign” section and click on “Request Signatures” to start.
Closing Words
The technology industry has revolutionized everyone's life. New needs and technologies arise every day, so it is not surprising that interesting alternatives appear. However, it is advisable to maintain objectivity in the face of these types of emerging technologies as they require several years to be tested and perfected for common use. As you may have noticed, using specialized software such as PDFelement solves all your needs with reliability and simplicity without using any experimental technology.