SimpleumSafe for architects
Protect project documents.In the office and on site.
Keep design drawings, cost documents, meeting notes and site photographs encrypted on Mac, iPhone and iPad, organised and available on your own devices when needed.
Confidential files accompany every project phase
A design drawing for the next meeting, a cost estimate for review or notes from a site visit: architectural practices work with documents that may contain personal, commercial or technical information.
If you organise selected project documents yourself on Apple devices, SimpleumSafe provides a separate encrypted space for them. Keep related files together by project or topic and find them again quickly when you need them.
Everyday tasks
Store project documents securely
Keep selected drawing revisions, quotations, cost documents, contracts and correspondence together by project. File names stored in the Safe remain encrypted too.
Prepare for meetings and site visits
Keep selected documents ready on your own Mac or iPad. If you use optional synchronisation, allow the files you need to finish transferring before the appointment.
Capture documents on site
Save supplementary photographs or paper documents directly into the Safe without storing them in the general photo library. Then return the captures to the intended project record.
A protected space alongside your project software
SimpleumSafe supplements your existing project storage with an encrypted space for selected files. The Finder-like interface on Mac makes storing and organising them easier. No cloud is required for local use; encrypted synchronisation between your own devices is optional.
Decide which version of a drawing or document is authoritative and how edited files return to the intended project workflow. Drawing approvals, collaborative editing, BIM or CDE processes and the primary project record remain in the systems intended for those purposes.
Data protection and confidential project information
Not every project file contains personal data. Contact lists, contracts, signatures, meeting notes or photographs of occupied existing buildings may, however, relate to individuals. Article 32 GDPR lists encryption as one possible measure within a risk-based set of technical and organisational safeguards. The software alone does not make your practice's organisation GDPR-compliant.5
Non-public technical or commercial project information may also qualify as a trade secret under German law. The German Trade Secrets Act requires, among other things, confidentiality measures appropriate to the circumstances. Encryption can support such a measure; access rules, classification and the full file workflow remain important too.7
Data protection and security in detail
How does SimpleumSafe protect your documents, and what still needs attention in everyday project work? Open the topic you would like to explore. The legal references below concern the EU GDPR and, where stated, German law.
Encrypt files and file names
SimpleumSafe protects file contents and associated information, such as file names, using AES-256. A closed Safe therefore does not reveal which clients, projects or properties it contains through its file list. You can use multiple Safes, for example for selected projects or to separate professional and personal documents.1
Protect access to confidential documents
You open your Safe with your Safe password or, where supported and configured, biometric authentication. A strong, dedicated password and a protected, up-to-date device go hand in hand. Keep recovery and setup information safe too.
Readable content may be accessible on an unlocked or compromised device. Encrypted storage therefore does not replace device protection or clear access rules in the office and on site.1
Check stored data for errors
The integrity checker examines the Safe's internal structure and the links to stored file data. Additional options also allow you to check whether files can be read and decrypted.
A successful check applies to the areas examined. It does not replace a backup and confirms neither the technical correctness of a drawing revision nor a document's approval or origin.2
Prepare backups and emergency access
Back up your Safes regularly and independently of your working device, for example to a separate storage device. Files stored in the Safe remain encrypted in a complete Safe backup too. Check that the backup can be restored.
Create a recovery password in advance and store it safely, separate from your device. It allows you to reset a forgotten Safe password. It does not replace a backup or restore deleted files.1
Assess a loss or theft correctly
If a device or a copy of a Safe is stolen, effective encryption can prevent unauthorised people from reading the contents. Whether access credentials, key material or an unlocked device are also affected is crucial to the assessment.
Communication to affected individuals is generally required where a personal data breach is likely to result in a high risk. Under the conditions of Article 34(3)(a) GDPR, effective encryption can make that communication unnecessary. Notification to the supervisory authority under Article 33 must be assessed separately; the incident still needs to be documented.5
Synchronise your own devices in encrypted form
SimpleumSafe can be used locally without a cloud. You can optionally synchronise changes between your configured Apple devices in encrypted form, through iCloud or directly between devices; a shared folder is also possible between Macs. Each configured device has its own local Safe.
Normal synchronisation data does not contain the separate Safe key file. Copied synchronisation data and the Safe password alone are therefore insufficient for decryption. This statement does not apply unchanged if setup information, key material or a configured device is also compromised.
Synchronisation also propagates deletions and unwanted changes and does not replace a backup. For cloud services, contractual arrangements and data protection requirements must still be assessed separately. Encryption does not automatically remove the need for a required data processing agreement.36
Photograph documents directly into the Safe
Using the camera in SimpleumSafe for iOS, you can capture paper documents or supplementary photographs and save them directly in the Safe. They are not stored in the general photo library. This can be useful during a site visit, for example.4
Taking a photograph alone does not replace a defined site documentation process. Assign relevant images and documents to the correct project, date and revision and return them to the intended project workflow.
Account for revisions, editing and exported copies
Importing brings a file into the Safe. Depending on the import method and settings, the original may remain in its previous location. Importing does not retroactively protect copies in an email inbox, Downloads folder or project space.
A file must temporarily be readable for editing. On Mac, SimpleumSafe can provide a working copy in a protected temporary area. The editing application may create its own copies or cloud backups. Exporting or sharing creates a decrypted copy outside the Safe. Label drawing revisions clearly and choose a storage and transfer method appropriate to the file's confidentiality.4
Sources and product documentation
- SimpleumSafe: Security and Encryption method – access, file information, backups and recovery passwords.
- SimpleumSafe: Integrity checker – scope and additional options.
- SimpleumSafe: Extreme secure synchronisation – device synchronisation, key material and limitations.
- How SimpleumSafe works and Take photos directly into the Safe.
- GDPR, particularly Articles 32–34.
- EDPB Guidelines 07/2020, “Hosting services” example, p. 16 – storing encrypted data on behalf of a controller.
- Section 2 of the German Trade Secrets Act – definition of a trade secret and appropriate confidentiality measures.
Confidential project documents on your Apple devices
Would you like to keep selected drawings, records and project documents yourself in encrypted form? Explore SimpleumSafe’s features and find the right purchase option for Mac, iPhone or iPad.
What you can do with SimpleumSafe
Learn more about the features and protection for your files on Mac, iPhone and iPad.