Patent Publication Number: US-11030345-B2

Title: Sharing regulated content stored on non-regulated storage platforms

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/230,142, filed Aug. 5, 2016, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/201,498, “Content Integrity Verification for Regulated Content Stored on a Non-regulated Content Platform,” filed Aug. 5, 2015 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/276,224, “Systems and Methods for Sharing Content Between Non-regulated and Regulated Platforms,” filed Jan. 7, 2016. The subject matter of each of the foregoing is incorporated herein by reference in its respective entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Field of Disclosure 
     This application relates generally to managing regulated content (e.g., FDA regulated content) on non-regulated storage platforms. In particular, the application relates to sharing regulated content stored on non-regulated storage platforms. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Today, regulated content such as FDA regulated documents and files, are heavily regulated, including specific regulations around how such documents can be stored and how they can be accessed by users within an organization. This regulated content is typically required to be stored on validated systems in order to meet all of these regulations. This limits the ability of organizations to store their regulated content, and often requires expensive subscriptions by these organizations to regulated storage services that have gone through the procedures to meet and maintain their ability to store regulated content. These regulated storage platforms are more limited in storage capacity and capability, and are commonly a high expense for organizations for regulated content. Typically, cloud content management services or public cloud storage platforms are not validated to meet various requirements such as data integrity, data control, change and release management, and user acceptance testing requirements imposed by FDA regulations. Accordingly, while these non-regulated storage platforms are easy to use, often free, and provide a large amount of storage capacity, these storage platforms cannot be used for managing regulated documents and files. 
     Another inconvenience for companies with regulated content is that these companies often have to use multiple storage platforms for managing regulated and non-regulated content to meet their business needs and to comply with regulations. This is because specialized regulated document management systems are not designed for managing non-regulated business content and are typically not economically viable for managing both types of content. Managing multiple storage platforms can increase operational costs and reduce operational efficiency. Using multiple storage platforms to manage regulated and non-regulated content can impede company-wide collaboration and may also prevent the companies from viewing content from a holistic perspective as distinct from a functional or process perspective. 
     SUMMARY 
     One embodiment of the computer-implemented method for storing and managing regulated content items on a non-regulated storage platform includes creating a representation of a regulated content item representing content of the regulated content item. The content of the regulated content item is subject to one or more regulations and the regulated content item is stored on the non-regulated storage platform. The computer-implemented method provides the representation of the regulated content item to the non-regulated storage platform for storage. The representation of the regulated content item is configured to be accessible on the non-regulated storage platform. The computer-implemented method receives a request to access the regulated content item using the representation of the regulated content item. The computer-implemented method retrieves the regulated content item from the non-regulated storage platform in response to the received request. 
     One embodiment of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions for storing and managing regulated content items on a non-regulated storage platform includes instructions for creating a representation of a regulated content item representing content of the regulated content item. The content of the regulated content item is subject to one or more regulations and the regulated content item is stored on the non-regulated storage platform. The computer program instructions include instructions for providing the representation of the regulated content item to the non-regulated storage platform for storage. The representation of the regulated content item is configured to be accessible on the non-regulated storage platform. The computer program instructions include instructions for receiving a request to access the regulated content item using the representation of the regulated content item. The computer program instructions include instructions for retrieving the regulated content item from the non-regulated storage platform in response to the received request. 
     One embodiment of a system for storing and managing regulated content items, comprises a processor for executing computer program instructions and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer program instructions executable by the processor. The computer program instructions comprise instructions for creating a representation of a regulated content item representing content of the regulated content item. The content of the regulated content item is subject to one or more regulations and the regulated content item is stored on the non-regulated storage platform. The computer program instructions include instructions for providing the representation of the regulated content item to the non-regulated storage platform for storage. The representation of the regulated content item is configured to be accessible on the non-regulated storage platform. The computer program instructions include instructions for receiving a request to access the regulated content item using the representation of the regulated content item. The computer program instructions include instructions for retrieving the regulated content item from the non-regulated storage platform in response to the received request. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a computing environment for managing regulated content, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a high-level block diagram illustrating a detailed view of modules within an example regulated content management system, according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 3A  is a flow chart illustrating an example process of creating and storing a regulated content item, according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 3B  illustrates an example of a user creating and storing a regulated content item. 
         FIG. 4A  is a flow chart illustrating an example process of retrieving a regulated content item, according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 4B  illustrates an example of a user retrieving a regulated content item. 
         FIG. 5A  is a flow chart illustrating an example process of using representations of regulated content items to facilitate content sharing between a regulated content management system and a storage platform. 
         FIG. 5B  illustrates an example of a user accessing a regulated content item on the storage platform. 
         FIG. 6  is a high-level block diagram illustrating an example computer for implementing the entities shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The Figures (FIGS.) and the following description describe certain embodiments by way of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles described herein. Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures. It is noted that wherever practicable similar or like reference numbers may be used in the figures and may indicate similar or like functionality. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a computing environment  100  for managing regulated content, according to an embodiment. The environment includes entities such as enterprises  110 , users  120 , a storage platform  130 , a regulated content management system  140 , and a network  150 . The network  150  connects the enterprises  110 , the users  120 , the storage platform  130  and the regulated content management system  140 . In the illustrated example, only one storage platform and only one regulated content management system are shown, but there may be multiple instances of the storage platform and multiple instances of the regulate content management system. 
     The enterprises  110  receive regulated content management services provided by the regulated content management system  140 . Examples of enterprises  110  include corporations, organizations, government agencies, universities and the like. In one embodiment throughout the description herein, enterprises include pharmaceutical companies, organizations, and other similar entities. The enterprises  110  and associated users (e.g., employees, officers, contractors, etc.) may interact with the regulated content management  140  in at least the same ways as the users  120  as further described below, for example, through a website hosted by the regulated content management system  140  or via dedicated applications installed on user devices. Enterprises  110  may also interact in different ways. For example, a dedicated enterprise-wide application of the regulated content management system  140  may be installed to facilitate interaction between one or more users  120  that are associated with the enterprises  110  and the regulated content management system  140 . Alternately, some or all of the regulated content management system  140  may be hosted by an enterprise  110 . 
     The users  120  receive regulated content management services provided by the regulated content management system  140 . The users  120 , via various user devices (not shown), create, access, edit, and review regulated content items from the regulated content management system  140 . As described herein, regulated content items are electronic files that include regulated content subject to various regulations. That is, creation, modification, maintenance, archive, retrieval, and transmission of regulated content items are required to comply with one or more regulations such as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. Only particular users are permitted to access regulated content items. Creation, editing, and removal of regulated content items are subject to approval by particular users. Examples of electronic files include Microsoft Word documents, Adobe PDF documents, Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, image files, video files and other file types containing regulated content. As one example, a regulated content item is Standard Operating Procedure of a pharmaceutical company. Creation, modification, maintenance, archive, retrieval, and transmission of regulated content items are required to comply with the regulations, such as the FDA regulations. It is appreciated, however, that in other embodiments, a regulated content item alternatively and/or additionally includes other forms of regulated content subject to other regulations such as financial (e.g., banking), energy (e.g., oil or gas), aviation, construction, and the like. 
     The users  120  may interact with the regulated content management system  140  by visiting a website hosted by the regulated content management system  140 . As an alternative to accessing the regulated content management system  140  through a web browser, the users  120  may download and install a dedicated application of the regulated content management system  140  that is designed to interact with the regulated content management system  140 . In various embodiments, multiple users  120  are associated with an enterprise  110 . Users  120  associated with an enterprise  110  are employees, officers, contractors, or otherwise associated with the enterprise  110 . 
     User devices of the users  120  are computing devices such as mobile devices (e.g., smartphones or tablets with operating systems such as ANDROID or APPLE IOS), laptop computers, desktop computers, electronic stereos in automobiles or other vehicles, or any other type of network-enabled device that accesses and edits regulated content such as files and documents. A user device typically includes hardware and software to connect to the network  150  (e.g., via Wi-Fi and/or Long Term Evolution (LTE) or other wireless telecommunication standards), and to receive input from the users  120 . In addition to enabling a user to interact with regulated content items from the regulated content management system  140 , user devices may also provide the regulated content management system  140  with data about the status and use of user devices, such as their network identifiers and geographic locations. 
     A storage platform  130  provides data storage services. The storage platform  130  stores data for the enterprises  110  and the users  120 . For example, the storage platform  130  may be a cloud content management service (e.g., DROPBOX™, BOX™, etc.) or a public cloud storage platform (e.g., AMAZON™, MICROSOFT™, etc.). In addition, the storage platform  130  may be a hosted storage platform infrastructure that the enterprises  110  or the users  120  use to store different content. The storage platform  130  may also be a storage platform infrastructure at an enterprise  110 &#39;s premise. Enterprises  110  may create enterprise accounts at the storage platform  130 . Users  120  may create user accounts at the storage platform  130 . The storage platform  130  stores regulated and non-regulated content items for enterprises  110  and users  120 . The storage platform  130  may store regulated content items in storage locations (e.g., directories) under a master account for the regulated content management system  140 . The storage platform  130  may store non-regulated content items for enterprises  110  and users  120  in storage locations (e.g., directories) under accounts for the enterprises  110  and users  120 . 
     The regulated content management system  140  provides regulated content management services for enterprises  110  and users  120 . The regulated content management system  140  validates and maintains content items to comply with regulations for enterprises  110  and users  120 . The regulated content management system  140  interacts with the storage platform  130  to create and to control regulated content items. The regulated content management system  140  provides users  120  with accesses to create, to retrieve, to edit, and to approve regulated content items. The regulated content management system  140  validates regulated content items created on the regulated content management system  140  and stored on the storage platform  130 . The regulated content management system  140  also validates regulated content items that are brought into the storage platform  130 . 
     The network  150  provides a communication infrastructure between the enterprises  110 , the users  120 , the storage platform  130 , and the regulated content management system  140 . In one embodiment, the network  150  uses standard communications technologies and/or protocols and can include the Internet. Thus, the network  150  can include links using technologies such as Ethernet, 802.11, InfiniBand, PCI Express Advanced Switching, etc. Similarly, the networking protocols used on the network  150  can include multiprotocol label switching (MPLS), transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) and secure hypertext transport protocol (HTTPS), simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), file transfer protocol (FTP), etc. The data exchanged over the network  150  can be represented using technologies and/or formats including image data in binary form (e.g., Portable Network Graphics (PNG)), hypertext markup language (HTML), extensible markup language (XML), etc. In addition, all or some of the links can be encrypted using conventional encryption technologies such as secure sockets layer (SSL), transport layer security (TLS), virtual private networks (VPNs), Internet Protocol security (IPsec), etc. In another embodiment, the entities on the network  150  can use custom and/or dedicated data communications technologies instead of, or in addition to, the ones described above. 
     Regulated Content Management System 
     The regulated content management system  140  is now described in more detail with respect to  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  is a high-level block diagram illustrating a detailed view of modules within an example regulated content management system  140 , according to one embodiment. Some embodiments of the regulated content management system  140  have different modules than those described here. Similarly, the functions can be distributed among the modules in a different manner than is described here. The components of the regulated content management system  140  include an integrity record data store  202 , a content items data store  204 , an integrity record creation and maintenance module  206 , an integrity verification module  208 , a storage platform interface module  210 , and a user interface module  212 . 
     The integrity record data store  202  stores integrity records associated with regulated content items. An integrity record is associated with a regulated content item that is stored on the storage platform  130  and provides integrity information of the particular integrity record. When a copy of a regulated content item stored on the storage platform  130  is retrieved from the storage platform  130 , the integrity information can be used to verify whether the content has been modified without being approved since the last review of the integrity record. In other words, the integrity record associated with a regulated content item can be used to verify whether a regulated content item has been modified to any degree while being stored on the storage platform  130 . Each integrity record is identified by a content item ID that is unique to the regulated content item. An integrity record includes various metadata associated with a regulated content item, such as a content item name, a storage location in the storage platform  130  where a regulated content item is stored, an integrity check, and other metadata specific to the regulated content item (e.g. Standard Operating Procedure, clinical trial protocol, case report forms, etc.) An integrity check can involve use of a checksum, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), a digital signature or watermark, and other data verification measures. 
     The content items data store  204  temporarily stores various copies of regulated content items. For example, the content items data store  204  temporarily stores a copy of a regulated content item when creating the regulated content item and storing the regulated content item in the storage platform  130 . As another example, the content items data store  204  temporarily stores a copy of a regulated content item upon retrieving the copy of the regulated content item stored in the storage platform  130 . 
     The integrity record creation and maintenance module  206  creates and maintains integrity records associated with regulated content items. When receiving a request from a user to create a new regulated content item, the integrity record creation and maintenance module  206  creates an integrity record associated with the regulated content item. For example, the integrity record includes metadata of the regulated content item such as the content item ID, content item name, storage location and the like. The integrity record creation and maintenance module  206  may determine a unique value based on the content of the regulated content item. For example, a checksum may be calculated using one or more hash functions such as MD5 algorithm. The integrity record creation and maintenance module  206  further updates the integrity record for the regulated content item. For example, responsive to detecting a change in content in the regulated content item, the integrity record creation and maintenance module  206  updates the integrity check associated with the regulated content item. As another example, responsive to detecting a file name change, the integrity record creation and maintenance module  206  updates the content item name in the integrity record associated with the regulated content item. 
     The integrity verification module  208  verifies the integrity of regulated content items. The integrity verification module  208  verifies whether a regulated content item stored in the storage platform  130  retains its integrity when being stored in and/or retrieved from the storage platform  130 . For example, when receiving a request from a user to create a regulated content item, the integrity verification module  208  verifies the integrity of the regulated content item to ensure that the regulated content item is not modified and complies with FDA regulations during the process of storing the regulated content item into the storage platform  130 . As another example, when receiving a request from a user to retrieve a regulated content item, the integrity verification module  208  verifies the integrity of the regulated content item to ensure that the regulated content item is not modified and complies with FDA regulations during the process of retrieving the regulated content item from the storage platform  130 . 
     The storage platform interface module  210  interacts with the storage platform  130  to provide regulated content for storage or to retrieve regulated content from storage. The storage platform interface module  210  receives regulated content items from or provides regulated content items to one or more other modules of the regulated content management system  140 . For example, the storage platform interface module  210  visits a storage location of the storage platform  130  to obtain a copy of a regulated content item. The storage platform interface module  210  may provide the obtained copy to the content items data store  204  for storage. The storage platform interface module may also provide the obtained copy to the integrity verification module  208  for analysis. As another example, the storage platform interface module  210  provides a copy of the regulated content item to the user device interface module  212 , with which a user device can interact to receive the copy of the regulated content item. The storage platform interface module  210  also obtains storage locations at the storage platform  130  where regulated content items are stored. The storage platform interface module  210  provides the obtained information to other modules of the regulated content management system  140  for use. For example, the storage platform interface module  210  provides a storage location obtained from the storage platform  130  to the integrity record creation and maintenance module  206  for creation of an integrity record. 
     The client interface module  212  interacts with user devices to provide regulated content items or to receive instructions. For example, the client interface module  212  a regulated content item retrieved from the storage platform to a user device of a user who requested the particular regulated content item. As another example, the client interface module  212  provides a regulated content item to a user device of a user for approval. The client interface module  212  receives various instructions such as a request to create a regulated content item, a request to retrieve a regulated content item, a request to edit a regulated content item, an approval of a regulated content item. 
       FIG. 3A  is a flow chart illustrating an example process of creating and storing a regulated content item, according to one embodiment. In other examples, some steps may not be included, may be modified, or may be in different orders, and the same is true for all flow charts described below. The regulated content management system  140  receives  302  a request to create a regulated content item. As one example, a user may request to create a new regulated content item using a template. As another example, a user may request to upload an existing file to create a new regulated content item using the existing file. 
     The regulated content management system  140  creates  304  the regulated content item in response to the request. For instance, the regulated content management system  140  may call an application such as text editor (e.g., MICROSOFT WORD™) to create the regulated content item as requested. The regulated content management system  140  provides the created regulated content item to one or more users for approval. The user who creates the content item may identify the one or more users who should approve the created regulated content item. In some cases, the regulated content item management system  140  may determine a list of approvers for the user to choose from based on a type of the created regulate content item and provide the list to the user. The regulated content management system  140  may store a copy of the created regulated content item, for example, temporarily in the content items data store  204 . 
     The regulated content management system  140  creates  306  an integrity record associated with the regulated content item. The integrity record associated with the regulated content item is identified by a unique integrity record ID. The regulated content management system  140  determines an integrity check based on the content of the regulated content item and stores the determined integrity check in the integrity record associated with the regulated content item. The regulated content management system  140  may further store metadata of a regulated content item in the integrity record associated with the regulated content item. Example metadata of a regulated content item includes a file name, storage location, file size, owner, department, document type, and the like. 
     The regulated content management system  140  provides  308  the regulated content item to the storage platform  130  for storage. The regulated content management system  140  may provide the regulated content item to the storage platform  130  for storage responsive to receiving an approval. In some embodiments, the regulated content management system may generate and provide a representation of the regulated content item as further described with reference to  FIGS. 5A-5B . Provision of the regulated content item to the storage platform  130  for storage may be performed periodically while the user is editing the regulated content item, responsive to a user&#39;s instruction to save the regulated content item, or responsive to detecting the user has completed editing the regulated content item. The regulated content management system  140  may provide a copy of the regulated content item to the storage platform  130  for storage. The regulated content management system  140  receives a file name and a storage location of the regulated content item from the storage platform  130 . For example, the storage platform interface module  210  interacts with the storage platform  130  to obtain the storage location of the regulated content item. The storage location may be a link to a directory where the regulated content item is stored, such as a location of the regulated content item in the folder hierarchy. The file name may be used to identify the storage location of the regulated content item on the storage platform  130 . The regulated content management system  140  updates the integrity record created to include the file name and/or storage location of the content item stored on the storage platform  130 . 
     In addition, the regulated content management system  140  synchronizes the copy of the regulated content item that is locally stored on the regulated content management system  140  and the copy of the regulated content item that is stored on the storage platform  130 . That is, after the regulated content item is created and stored on the storage platform  130 , the user may edit the regulated content item via the regulated content management system  140 . The regulated content management system  140  synchronizes the edits between the regulated content management system  140  and the storage platform  130 . For example, the storage platform interface module  210  interfaces with an Application Program Interface (API) of the storage platform  130  to synchronize the edits between the two copies. 
     The regulated content management system  140  verifies  310  the integrity of the regulated content item using the integrity record. Regulated content items may be tampered with when stored on the storage platform  130  by various factors, for example, computer viruses, software bugs, media failures, communication errors, and the like. The regulated content management system  140  retrieves a copy of the regulated content item stored on the storage platform  130 . For example, the storage platform interface module  210  can retrieve the copy of the regulated content item using the file name and/or storage location of the regulated content item. The retrieved copy may be stored in the content items data store  204 . The regulated content management system  140  determines a second integrity check using the retrieved copy of the regulated content item using the same mechanism used to generate the integrity check of the integrity record associated with the regulated content item. 
     The regulated content management system  140  compares the determined integrity check to the integrity check of the integrity record associated with the regulated content item. Responsive to determining that the two integrity checks are identical, the regulated content management system  140  confirms the integrity of the regulated content item stored on the storage platform  130 . The regulated content management system  140  may remove the copies of the regulated content stored in the content items data store  204 . The regulated content management system  140  may further notify the user  120  that the regulated content item is stored successfully on the storage platform  130 . Responsive to determining that the two integrity checks are different, the regulated content management  130  determines that the integrity verification of the stored regulated content item has failed. The regulated content management system  140  interacts with the storage platform  130  to prevent the regulated content item stored on the storage platform  130  from being used. The regulated content item may be removed from or locked on the storage platform  130 . In addition, the regulated content management system  140  may further remove the copies of the regulated content stored in the content items data store  204 . The regulated content management system  140  may notify the user that the regulated content item is not stored successfully. 
       FIG. 3B  illustrates an example of a user Alice creating and storing a regulated content item. Alice  120  interacts with the regulated content management system  140  to create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document. The regulated content management system  140  creates the SOP  301 A responsive to Alice&#39;s request and provides the SOP  301 A to another user Elaine for approval. In addition, the regulated content management system  140  creates an integrity record  302  associated with the created SOP  301 A. The integrity record  302  includes an integrity check calculated based on the content of the SOP  301 A. The regulated content management system  140  provides  304  a copy  301 B of the created SOP  301 A to the storage platform  130  for storage. The storage platform stores the received copy SOP  301 B in directories under the master account  310  for the regulated content management system  140 . The regulated content management system  140  receives  305  the file name and the storage location of the SOP  301 B that is stored on the storage platform  130 . The regulated content management system  140  updates the integrity record  302  associated with the SOP  301 A to include the file name and the storage location. 
     Subsequently, the regulated content management system  140  verifies the integrity of the SOP  301 B stored on the storage platform  130 . The regulated content management system  140  uses the file name and/or the storage location included in the integrity record  302  to retrieve a copy of the SOP  301 B. The regulated content management system  140  stores the retrieved copy of the SOP  301 C in the content items data store  204 . The regulated content management system  140  calculates an integrity check using the retrieved copy of the SOP  301 C and compares the calculated integrity check to the integrity check of the integrity record  302 . Responsive to determining that the two integrity checks are identical, the regulated content management system  140  verifies the integrity of the SOP  301 B and informs Alice  120  that the SOP is created and stored successfully. The regulated content management system  140  removes the copies of the SOP  301 A,  301 C from the content items data store  204 . Responsive to determining that the two integrity checks are not identical, the regulated content management system  140  determines that the SOP  301 B fails the integrity verification and informs Alice  120  accordingly. The regulated content management system  140  removes the copies of the SOP  301 A,  301 C from the content items data store  204  and also removes the copy of the SOP  301 B from the storage platform  130 . 
       FIG. 4A  is a flow chart illustrating an example process of retrieving a regulated content item, according to one embodiment. The regulated content management system  140  receives  402  a request to retrieve a regulated content item. For example, the client interface module  212  receives a request from a user to retrieve a regulated content item. The user may request to retrieve a regulated content item using the particular content item&#39;s name. The user may also search for content items that match a search term and selects to retrieve a particular content item using a link directed to the content item. The regulated content management system  140  identifies  404  an integrity record associated with the regulated content item. For example, the regulated content management system  140  queries all integrity records using the regulated content item ID to locate the integrity record associated with the particular regulated content item that is requested by the user. 
     The regulated content management system  140  retrieves  406  a copy of the regulated content item from the storage platform  130 , based on the integrity record. As the integrity record includes the storage location of the regulated content item being stored in the storage platform  130 , the regulated content management system  140  uses the storage location to retrieve a copy of the regulated content item requested by the user. The regulated content management system  140  may store the retrieved copy temporarily. 
     The regulated content management system  140  verifies  408  the integrity of the retrieved regulated content item using the integrity record. The regulated content management system  140  determines an integrity check using the retrieved regulated content item and compares the determined integrity check to the integrity check of the integrity record associated with the regulated content item. Responsive to determining that the two integrity checks are identical, the regulated content management system  140  confirms the integrity of the stored regulated content item. The regulated content management system  140  provides  410  the retrieved regulated content item to the user. The regulated content management system  140  may remove the retrieved copy of the regulated content that is on the regulated content management system  140 . Responsive to determining that the two integrity checks are different, the regulated content management system  140  determines the integrity verification of the retrieved regulate content has failed. The regulated content management system  140  notifies the user accordingly that the regulated content item was not retrieved successfully. The regulated content management system  140  removes the retrieved copy of the regulated content item. 
       FIG. 4B  illustrates an example of a user Alice retrieving a regulated content item. Continuing with the example illustrated in  FIG. 3B , Alice  120  now requests to retrieve the SOP that is created and stored on the storage platform  130 . Alice  120  may provide the storage location of the SOP  301 B on the storage platform  130  to the regulated content management system  140 . Alternatively, Alice  120  may provide the content item ID of the storage location of the SOP  301 B to the regulated content management system  140 , which identifies the storage location stored in the integrity record  302  associated with the SOP. The regulated content management system  140  retrieves  406  a copy of the SOP  301 B from the storage platform  130  using the storage location. The regulated content management system  140  stores the retrieved copy of the SOP  301 D in the content items data store  204 . The regulated content management system  140  verifies the integrity of the retrieved copy of the SOP  301 D. The regulated content management system  140  calculates an integrity check using the retrieved copy of the SOP  301 D and compares the calculated integrity check to the integrity check of the integrity record  302 . Responsive to determining that the two integrity checks are identical, the regulated content management system  140  verifies the integrity of the SOP  301 D and informs Alice  120  that the SOP is retrieved successfully. The regulated content management system  140  provides  404  the retrieved copy of the SOP  301 D to Alice  120 . The regulated content management system  140  removes the copy of the SOP  301 D from the content items data store  204 . Responsive to determining that the two integrity checks are not identical, the regulated content management system  140  determines that the SOP  301 B has failed the integrity verification and informs Alice  120  that the integrity of the SOP fails to be verified. The regulated content management system  140  removes the copy of the SOP  301 D from the content items data store  204 . 
     In many cases, enterprises  110  and users  120  use the storage platform  130  to store both regulated and non-regulated content items. To facilitate ease of use in accessing and managing both regulated and non-regulated content items, the regulated content management system  140  creates and provides representations of the regulated content items to the storage platform  130 . As such, users may search for regulated content items stored on the storage platform  130 , for example, using a search engine native to the storage platform  130 . In addition, users may be directed to the regulated content management system  140  to access the regulated content items to ensure that the regulated content items are managed according to regulations. Accordingly, enterprises and users have the flexibility and convenience of managing both regulated and non-regulated content items using the storage platform  130  as all files are stored on the storage platform  130 . It is also convenient and cheaper for those enterprises and users that currently use the storage platform  130  but not yet the regulated content management system  140  to start using the regulated content management system  140  to facilitate managing regulated content items without complicated data and system migrations. 
       FIG. 5A  is a flow chart illustrating an example process of using representations of regulated content items to facilitate content sharing between the regulated content management system  140  and the storage platform  130 . The regulated content management system  140  generates  502  a representation of a regulated content item. The representation of the regulated content item represents content of the regulated content item without revealing the actual content. The representation may include one or more keywords and/or phrases based on the content of the regulated content item, such as a scope, title, vendor, or date. The keywords and/or phrases can be extracted from the content of the regulated content item. The keywords and/or phrases may also be extracted from a log associated with the regulated content item. The representation may include a description of the content of the regulated content item, such as a topic, a structure (e.g., number of pages, sections, table of contents, etc.), a name or information about the creator, authorization information such as users authorized to access or edit the document, certain codes or identifiers of the document, and the like. For example, a description includes a name of a pharmaceutical drug that is a topic of a document, a table of contents of the document, and the user ID of the user who created the document. In one embodiment, representations of regulated content items include an image of the regulated content item. The image includes a portion of the content of the regulated content item that is permitted by various regulations to be accessed by users on the storage platform  130 . The image is associated with metadata such as keywords and phrases generated based on the content of the regulated content item. In one embodiment, representations of regulated content items may further include links to the regulated content items. 
     The regulated content management system  140  may create the representation of the regulated content item based on a particular user&#39;s access control to the regulated content item. For a particular content item, different representations may be created for different users because they may have different access controls. For example, a first user Bob is permitted to view and edit part A of a regulated form, a second user Clara is permitted to view and edit part B of the regulated form, and a third user Doug is permitted to view and edit the entire regulated form. The representations of the regulated form created for Bob and Clara include keywords extracted from the parts A and B of the regulated form, respectively. The representation of the regulated form created for Doug includes keywords extracted from the entire regulated form. The regulated content item management system  140  may generate the representation responsive to receiving an approval from a user  120 . 
     The regulated content management system  140  provides  504  the representation to the storage platform  130  for storage. The regulated content item and the representation may be stored at different directories on the storage platform  130 . For example, the regulated content item is stored at a directory under the master account for the regulated content management system  140 , and the representation is stored at a directory under the user&#39;s account. Because the representation of the regulated content item includes descriptions generated based on the regulated content item, a user can search for the regulated content item on the storage platform  130  using the representation of the regulated content item. The storage platform  130  queries the search term received from the user and provides the representation of the regulated content item to the user responsive to determining that one or more keywords included in the representation match the search term. The user may use the link included in the representation to request access the regulated content item. 
     The regulated content management system  140  receives the user&#39;s request to access the regulated content item using the representation. For example, the storage platform interface module  210  interfaces with the API of the storage platform  130  and receives the request to access the regulated content item responsive to the link being referenced. The regulated content item retrieves  508  the regulated content item, as described with respect to  FIGS. 4A-4B . 
       FIG. 5B  illustrates an example of a user Alice accessing a regulated content item on the storage platform  130 . Continuing with the examples illustrated in  FIGS. 3B and 4B , when Elaine approves the SOP  301 A, the regulated content management system  140  creates a representation  501  of the SOP  301 A. The representation  501  of the SOP  301 A includes a link  502  to the SOP  301 A. The regulated content management system  140  provides  508  the representation  501  of the SOP  301 A to the storage platform  130  for storage. The representation  501  is stored at a directory under Alice&#39;s account  520  on the storage platform  130 . Under the master account  310  for the storage regulated content management system  140 , there are many directories for storing regulated content items for various users. A directory that stores regulated content items for a particular user may be shared with the user&#39;s account on the storage platform such that links to the regulated content items can be used but the regulated content items cannot be accessed on the storage platform  130 . Users can search for a particular content item and determine an existence of the particular content item being stored on the storage platform  130  but users cannot access the particular content item on the storage platform  130 . 
     Alice  120  may search for SOP  301 B on the storage platform  130 . The storage platform  130  provides  510  the representation  501  of the SOP to Alice  120  for review. Alice  120  can request to retrieve the SOP  301 B by clicking on the link  502 . Responsive to receiving the request, the regulated content management system  140  retrieves  406  a copy  301 D of the SOP  301 B, validates the integrity of the copy  301 D of the SOP  301 B, and provides the retrieved copy  301 D to Alice  120  for review and access. The regulated content management system  140  may prompt Alice  120  to log into the regulated content management system  140  responsive to determining that Alice  120  is not logged in. 
     Turning now to a discussion of the implementation the regulated content management system  140 ,  FIG. 6  is a high-level block diagram illustrating an example computer  600  for implementing the entities shown in  FIG. 1 . The computer  600  includes at least one processor  602  coupled to a chipset  604 . The chipset  604  includes a memory controller hub  620  and an input/output (I/O) controller hub  622 . A memory  606  and a graphics adapter  612  are coupled to the memory controller hub  620 , and a display  618  is coupled to the graphics adapter  612 . A storage device  608 , an input device  614 , and network adapter  616  are coupled to the I/O controller hub  622 . Other embodiments of the computer  600  have different architectures. 
     The storage device  608  is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as a hard drive, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), DVD, or a solid-state memory device. The memory  606  holds instructions and data used by the processor  602 . The input interface  614  is a touch-screen interface, a mouse, track ball, or other type of pointing device, a keyboard, or some combination thereof, and is used to input data into the computer  600 . In some embodiments, the computer  600  may be configured to receive input (e.g., commands) from the input interface  614  via gestures from the user. The graphics adapter  612  displays images and other information on the display  618 . The network adapter  616  couples the computer  600  to one or more computer networks. 
     The computer  600  is adapted to execute computer program modules for providing functionality described herein. As used herein, the term “module” refers to computer program logic used to provide the specified functionality. Thus, a module can be implemented in hardware, firmware, and/or software. In one embodiment, program modules are stored on the storage device  608 , loaded into the memory  606 , and executed by the processor  602 . 
     The types of computers  600  used by the entities of  FIG. 1  can vary depending upon the embodiment and the processing power required by the entity. For example, the regulated content item management system  140  can run in a single computer  600  or multiple computers  600  communicating with each other through a network such as in a server farm. The computers  600  can lack some of the components described above, such as graphics adapters  612 , and displays  618 . 
     Other Considerations 
     Some portions of the above description describe the embodiments in terms of algorithmic processes or operations. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are commonly used by those skilled in the data processing arts to convey the substance of their work effectively to others skilled in the art. These operations, while described functionally, computationally, or logically, are understood to be implemented by computer programs comprising instructions for execution by a processor or equivalent electrical circuits, microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient at times, to refer to these arrangements of functional operations as modules, without loss of generality. The described operations and their associated modules may be embodied in software, firmware, hardware, or any combinations thereof. 
     As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. 
     Some embodiments may be described using the expression “coupled” and “connected” along with their derivatives. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. For example, some embodiments may be described using the term “connected” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. In another example, some embodiments may be described using the term “coupled” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. The term “coupled,” however, may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. The embodiments are not limited in this context. 
     As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present). 
     In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the disclosure. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise. 
     Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will appreciate still additional alternative structural and functional designs for a system and a process for storing and managing regulated content items on non-regulated storage platforms. Thus, while particular embodiments and applications have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the described subject matter is not limited to the precise construction and components disclosed herein and that various modifications, changes and variations which will be apparent to those skilled in the art may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the method and apparatus disclosed herein.