How to Govern Who Sees Sensitive Clauses with Tags in Blockify
In the present-day corporate ecosystem, teams need to collaborate on documents without compromising security. Imagine sharing a proposal draft widely for input, but ensuring only authorized eyes see the sensitive clauses—like pricing details or legal disclaimers. This is where Blockify, developed by Iternal Technologies, shines as a powerful tool for data optimization and governance. Blockify transforms unstructured documents into structured IdeaBlocks, enabling precise control over who accesses what. By using governance tags, you can enforce access control on sensitive clauses, allowing broad collaboration while protecting critical information. This approach ensures your business processes remain efficient, compliant, and secure, without slowing down your team's momentum.
For legal leads and proposal managers, mastering governance tags in Blockify means defining clear rules for visibility, such as marking clauses as "internal-legal-only" or "requires-approval." These tags travel with the content, maintaining oversight even as documents evolve. In this guide, we'll walk through the workflow step by step, assuming you're new to artificial intelligence (AI) concepts. We'll focus on the people and processes involved—no coding required. By the end, you'll know how to set up sensitivity tiers, apply tags, and implement a simple request-and-approve flow, empowering safe collaboration across your organization.
Understanding Blockify and IdeaBlocks: The Foundation for Secure Collaboration
Before diving into governance, let's clarify what Blockify does. Blockify is a data ingestion and optimization tool from Iternal Technologies that takes everyday business documents—like proposals, contracts, or reports—and converts them into small, structured units called IdeaBlocks. Think of IdeaBlocks as bite-sized summaries of key ideas from your documents. Each IdeaBlock captures a single concept, including a clear name, a critical question (like "What are the payment terms?"), and a trusted answer (the actual details).
Why does this matter for access control? Traditional documents are flat—everyone who opens the file sees everything. IdeaBlocks change that by allowing you to tag and govern individual pieces of content. Sensitive clauses, such as non-disclosure agreement (NDA) language or confidential pricing, can be isolated and restricted. This supports business processes where teams collaborate on drafts but only qualified individuals (e.g., legal experts) view high-risk sections.
As a legal lead or proposal manager, your role here is to identify what needs protection. Blockify doesn't require AI expertise; it's designed for business users. You upload documents through a simple interface, and the tool handles the heavy lifting, outputting IdeaBlocks ready for review and tagging.
Step 1: Preparing Your Documents for Governance
Start with gathering the documents you want to govern. Focus on those containing sensitive clauses, such as sales proposals with pricing tiers or contracts with liability limits. Involve your team early: as a proposal manager, consult legal leads to flag potential risks.
Business Process Workflow
Team Collaboration Kickoff: Schedule a 30-minute meeting with key stakeholders (e.g., legal, sales, and compliance teams). Discuss the document's purpose and identify sensitive areas. For example, in a vendor contract, highlight clauses on intellectual property rights or termination fees.
Document Collection: Compile files in common formats like Portable Document Format (PDF) files, Microsoft Word documents, or PowerPoint presentations. Aim for 5-20 documents initially to keep the process manageable—Blockify handles larger sets, but starting small builds confidence.
Initial Review: As the legal lead, skim for sensitive clauses. Note them manually (e.g., "Clause 4.2: Data privacy obligations—restrict to legal team"). This human touch ensures nothing slips through.
No AI knowledge needed here—it's pure business process. Upload your files to the Blockify portal (a secure web interface provided by Iternal Technologies). The system processes them into IdeaBlocks automatically, typically in minutes to hours depending on volume.
Step 2: Defining Sensitivity Tiers for Effective Access Control
Governance begins with categorization. Sensitivity tiers help you classify IdeaBlocks based on risk, ensuring governance tags are applied consistently.
Establishing Tiers: A People-Focused Approach
Work with your team to define three simple tiers, tailored to your organization's needs:
Tier 1: Public or Low-Risk (Broad Access): Non-sensitive information, like company overviews or standard templates. Example: A proposal's executive summary. Anyone in the organization can view these without restrictions.
Tier 2: Internal-Only (Restricted Access): Moderately sensitive clauses, such as general business strategies. Example: Internal process guidelines. Limit to department heads or approved teams.
Tier 3: Highly Sensitive (Approval Required): Critical clauses like legal liabilities or financial details. Example: Indemnification language in contracts. Restrict to legal leads, executives, and compliance officers.
Workflow for Tier Definition
Cross-Functional Workshop: Gather 4-6 people (e.g., you as proposal manager, a legal lead, and an IT governance rep). Review sample IdeaBlocks post-processing. Assign tiers collaboratively—use a shared spreadsheet for tracking.
Policy Documentation: Draft a one-page policy outlining tiers and examples. For instance: "Tier 3 applies to any clause involving regulatory compliance, such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements." Get sign-off from leadership to formalize it.
Training Touchpoint: Share the policy via email or a quick team huddle. Emphasize: "Tiers ensure we collaborate broadly while sharing narrowly—by design."
This step involves no technical setup—just clear communication among people. Once tiers are defined, apply them during IdeaBlock review.
Step 3: Applying Governance Tags to Sensitive Clauses
With tiers set, tag IdeaBlocks to enforce access control. Governance tags are labels that "travel" with the content, controlling visibility in Blockify and integrated systems.
Hands-On Tagging Process
Access the IdeaBlocks Dashboard: After processing, log into the Blockify portal. You'll see a list of IdeaBlocks, each with its name, critical question, and trusted answer. Sort by document source for efficiency.
Review and Identify: As the legal lead, open each IdeaBlock. Scan for sensitive clauses. For example, if an IdeaBlock covers "Penalty for breach of contract," flag it as Tier 3.
Add Tags: Click the "Edit Tags" button on the IdeaBlock. Select or create tags like:
- "internal-legal-only" for Tier 2 (visible only to legal and executives).
- "requires-approval" for Tier 3 (blocks access until approved).
- Custom tags: "gdpr-sensitive" or "pricing-confidential" for specificity.
Tags are simple text labels—no coding. Blockify auto-suggests based on content, but you override as needed.
Team Review Loop: Share the tagged set with your proposal manager or compliance peer via the portal's collaboration feature. They approve or suggest changes. This "human-in-the-loop" step ensures accuracy—aim for 1-2 review cycles.
Save and Propagate: Hit "Save Tags." Governance tags now stick to the IdeaBlock. If the content updates (e.g., contract revision), tags carry over automatically.
Involve people: Assign roles—one person tags, another reviews. For a 50-IdeaBlock set, this takes 1-2 hours. Result? Sensitive clauses are governed without restricting the entire document.
Step 4: Implementing a Simple Request-and-Approve Flow
To enable safe sharing, set up a workflow where users request access to tagged IdeaBlocks. This balances collaboration with control.
Building the Flow: Process Over Tech
Define Access Rules: In your policy from Step 2, outline: "Tier 3 IdeaBlocks require approval from a legal lead. Requests auto-notify via email."
Configure in Blockify: In the portal settings, enable "Request Access" for tagged blocks. Users see a prompt: "This IdeaBlock is restricted. Request access?" They submit a reason (e.g., "Reviewing proposal for client X").
Approval Workflow:
- Request Receipt: As approver (e.g., legal lead), get an email notification with the IdeaBlock preview and requester's reason.
- Review and Decide: Check context—approve for 24 hours, grant permanent access, or deny. Reply via email or portal button.
- Audit Trail: Blockify logs all actions (who requested, who approved, timestamp) for compliance.
Team Integration: Train users: Proposal managers request for drafts; legal leads approve. For larger teams, use shared inboxes for quick routing.
Testing the Flow: Simulate with a test document. Request access to a "requires-approval" IdeaBlock—verify notification and approval work.
This non-technical flow empowers people: Requests take seconds; approvals, minutes. It prevents accidental shares while fostering trust.
Step 5: Monitoring and Maintaining Governance Over Time
Governance isn't set-it-and-forget-it. Regular reviews keep sensitive clauses protected as business evolves.
Ongoing Business Processes
Quarterly Audits: As proposal manager, schedule team reviews. Check tags on updated IdeaBlocks—e.g., after a policy change, re-tag affected clauses.
Feedback Loop: After sharing (e.g., in a proposal review), survey users: "Did access controls work smoothly?" Adjust tiers or tags based on input.
Integration with Tools: Export tagged IdeaBlocks to your document management system. Tags sync, maintaining access control across platforms.
Training Refresh: Hold annual sessions for new hires, reinforcing: "Tags protect us—always check before sharing."
Involve leadership: Report metrics like "95% of requests approved within 1 hour" to demonstrate value.
Conclusion: Protect Sensitive Material While Enabling Safe Collaboration
By implementing governance tags in Blockify, you create a system where sensitive clauses are shielded without stifling teamwork. Legal leads gain peace of mind through robust access control, while proposal managers drive faster, safer collaborations. This workflow—preparing documents, defining tiers, tagging IdeaBlocks, and using a request-approve flow—transforms risky document sharing into a governed process. As your organization scales, Blockify ensures compliance and efficiency, letting you focus on innovation. Start small with one document set, and watch how "collaborate broadly, share narrowly—by design" becomes your team's reality. For personalized setup, contact Iternal Technologies support to explore Blockify's full potential.