Microsoft Preps Rights Management Update

At the RSA Conference in Barcelona, Microsoft announced beta availability of Windows Rights Management Services (RMS) Service Pack 1. RMS, which drew concern after its 2003 debut, is designed to lock down sensitive documents such as e-mails from prying eyes.

SP1 enhances protection through the use of smart cards, and more efficiently manages usage rights through Active Directory. In addition, RMS no longer requires a connection to the Internet or dependency on a third party like Microsoft.

While a final release of RMS SP1 isn't expected until mid-2005, customers can request the SP1 beta by e-mailing [email protected].