To properly understand the IRM system, it is necessary to be familiar with several key concepts and terms which are covered in detail in the following sections.
Note: Every screenshot in this guide is accompanied by a description, which can be found directly below the screenshot. These descriptions are written in Bold Blue for easy reference.
Overview
The new IRM is a fully web-based product -- 100% of the user interface is via web pages that the IRM user can access using any browser on any suitable device. Note: "Suitable" devices are those equipped with adequate RAM and screen size/resolution to support the current full-featured web client. For now, we recommend that you run the app on a computer, as testing on other devices has not yet begun. However, the application is still very feature-rich, to the point that it very much resembles a desktop application put in the browser.
The new IRM is sold in two forms:
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS): Hosted on servers controlled by Planet Associates.
Installable Application Suite: Can be deployed on customer-controlled servers (on-premises version).
Any new IRM installation, whether provided as SaaS or on-premises, has a set of web servers.
The number of servers varies based on the customer's requirements, ranging from as few as two to potentially dozens
There is always one Global Console server, which is the starting point for using IRM. The Global Console allows ordinary IRM users to start up the web client for any of the installation’s Sites, and allows administrators to accomplish various tasks such as creating Sites, adding IRM Users, and setting permissions and Policies.
A Site in IRM is a self-contained unit responsible for administration and data storage. It closely aligns with an IRM Windows Desktop dataset and can accommodate a significant amount of data, such as that for an entire campus with multiple buildings. Each Site has its dedicated Site Master server and may include additional servers to support user and data scaling. Hence, the most basic IRM installation comprises one Global Console server and one Site Master server. For users, the journey typically starts at the Global Console, from where they navigate through the system.
To properly understand the IRM system, it is necessary to be familiar with several key concepts and terms which are covered in detail in the next section. We advise the reader to take the time to read those sections, as they provide background information that is critical to understanding the rest of the IRM documentation.
