Curtain e-locker Review 2026: Zone-Based DLP That Stops Insider Data Leaks Without False Positives
Most DLP tools drown security teams in false alerts. Curtain e-locker by CoworkShop Solutions flips the model: instead of scanning content, it locks data inside a protected zone. Here is our full analysis of features, integrations, pricing and who it actually fits.
⭐ READ OUR FULL REVIEWFeatures, pricing and our honest verdict →
Quick Verdict
Curtain e-locker is an enterprise Data Loss Prevention (DLP) system from Hong Kong-based CoworkShop Solutions Ltd. Its defining idea is zone-based protection: instead of pattern-matching content like traditional DLP, it secures data by where it lives. Anything pulled from a protected system (finance shares, ERP, PLM, CCTV) stays inside a defined protected zone on the workstation, so it cannot be emailed, copied out, printed or screenshotted without authorization.
Best For
- Manufacturing and engineering firms running PDM/PLM systems like SolidWorks EPDM
- Companies with ERP, DMS or self-developed systems holding confidential data
- Organizations burned by DLP alert fatigue and false positives
- Businesses that must control printing, USB and screen capture of sensitive files
Not For
- One-person shops that just need basic antivirus or password hygiene
- Teams expecting a fully cloud-hosted, SaaS-only DLP with zero on-prem components
- Organizations that want to protect only email and web traffic, not file workflows
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Zone-based design eliminates the false-positive treadmill of content-based DLP
- Users keep working normally inside the protected zone with zero friction
- Deep integration with PDM/PLM, ERP, DMS, SharePoint and even CCTV systems
- Granular controls: save, copy, print, Print Screen, copy-paste, USB transfer
- Self-defined on-screen watermarks deter photo-of-screen leaks
- Active Directory integration, MSI bulk deployment and uninstall password
- Approval workflow lets managers authorize outbound files instead of hard blocks
- Secure PDF generation and housekeeping of downloaded files close side channels
❌ Cons
- Pricing is quote-based; no public price list on the website
- Requires a client installed on every protected workstation (on-prem architecture)
- Best value emerges when you pair it with LogTrace and MonGuard (separate products)
- Documentation and support skew toward business hours in the Asia Pacific region
- Not a substitute for endpoint antivirus or cloud CASB coverage
What Is Curtain e-locker?
Curtain e-locker is a comprehensive Data Loss Prevention system built around a Curtain Policy Server plus a lightweight Curtain Client on each workstation. Administrators declare which systems are sensitive: shared drives, web systems, ERP, PLM/PDM, DMS, CCTV archives. When a user accesses those systems, files automatically become confined to a Protected Zone that combines the protected server areas with a secure local folder created during client installation.
Inside the zone, employees read, edit and analyze data exactly as before. The control happens at the boundary: files cannot be saved to unauthorized locations, attached to email, uploaded, printed or copied out without management approval. Because the rule is enforced by location rather than by scanning text for keywords, there are no false positives and no alert fatigue.
How It Works: 5 Steps
- Designate protected systems on the Curtain Policy Server (share drives, ERP, PLM, CCTV, web systems).
- Install the Curtain Client on user workstations; it creates a Local Protected Directory automatically.
- Define policies per user or user group: what they may read, edit, print, export or approve.
- Users work normally inside the zone; any attempt to move data out is blocked or routed to an approval request.
- Audit and refine: every blocked or approved action is logged, so security stays visible without interrupting work.
Key Features We Analyzed
Zone-Based Protection With Zero False Positives
Traditional content-based DLP flags emails because they contain a customer name or phone number. Curtain e-locker never scans content; it treats the protected source itself as the boundary. Data from a controlled source simply cannot leave the zone, which removes the alert-fatigue problem that makes teams disable other DLP tools.
Control Over Every Outgoing Channel
Save to unauthorized folders, email attachments, USB drives, network shares, printers and screen capture are all controllable per user and per group. Print can be limited to specific approved printers and specific approvers, and secure PDF generation lets you share redacted output safely.
500+ Application Coverage
CoworkShop states support for over 500 applications, and the list keeps growing. Coverage extends beyond Office-style tools into engineering, design and surveillance software that generic DLP never sees.
PLM / PDM / ERP / DMS Integration
This is where Curtain e-locker stands out. Documented integrations include SolidWorks EPDM, Microsoft SharePoint, IBM Lotus Domino Document Manager, Windows File Server and CCTV systems. Self-developed systems can be protected through a documented integration route, which is rare for enterprise DLP.
On-Screen Watermarks & Self-Protection
Administrators can enforce self-defined screen watermarks containing login user info, computer name or IP address for specific applications or conditions, deterring photo-of-screen leaks. The client also has an uninstall password and self-protection so users cannot silently disable it.
Deployment & Directory Friendliness
Active Directory integration, MSI bulk installation and central policy management make rollout practical for hundreds or thousands of seats, and housekeeping of downloaded files closes a classic leak path.
Who Is CoworkShop Solutions?
CoworkShop Solutions Ltd was founded in 2001 and officially established in 2002. Headquartered in Hong Kong, the company describes itself as a leading provider of Data Loss Prevention solutions in the Asia Pacific region, with a customer base that includes large enterprises and government bodies. Its public track record shows a steady program of security webinars, trade-show appearances (including Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre events and SOLIDWORKS Innovation Days across Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Dongguan) and a focus on use cases most DLP vendors ignore, such as protecting CCTV footage and engineering CAD data.
The company also maintains a product family rather than a single tool: Curtain e-locker for active leak prevention, Curtain LogTrace for file activity monitoring and compliance reporting, and Curtain MonGuard for screen watermarking. That matters when you plan a rollout, because the three products are designed to complement each other inside the same policy server ecosystem.
Pricing & Plans
| Product | Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Curtain e-locker | Quote-based license | Per-seat commercial license; contact sales for pricing |
| Curtain LogTrace | Quote-based license | File activity monitoring add-on or standalone |
| Curtain MonGuard | Free & Paid | Free version: full-screen & app watermarks, computer name, date/time; paid adds username/IP + central administration |
Verification note: CoworkShop does not publish a public price list, and the purchase pages on the official site returned errors during our research. Exact per-seat pricing must be confirmed via the free trial or a sales quote. A trial copy, demo meeting or pricing information can be requested through the official trial form.
Curtain e-locker vs. Competitors
| Solution | Detection Model | Best Fit |
|---|---|---|
| Curtain e-locker | Zone-based (location) | PLM/ERP/DMS-heavy companies wanting zero false positives |
| Microsoft Purview DLP | Content + cloud | Microsoft 365 shops needing native email/Teams/SharePoint rules |
| Forcepoint DLP | Content + behavior | Large enterprises with compliance-heavy regulatory needs |
| Digital Guardian | Content + endpoint | Defense and IP-heavy industries requiring data classification |
| Teramind | Behavior + content | Teams wanting insider-threat analytics and productivity insight |
Verdict: mainstream DLP vendors sell powerful content-scanning engines, but they demand heavy tuning to control false positives. Curtain e-locker trades that complexity for a simpler, location-based rule: sensitive data stays inside the zone, period. If your risk profile is about design files, drawings, ERP exports and CCTV footage rather than email keywords, the zone model is refreshingly direct.
Curtain e-locker in the Wider Security Stack
No single DLP tool covers every channel, and CoworkShop is realistic about that. Curtain e-locker handles the file-centric channels: copying, saving, printing, USB transfer and screen capture. For visibility, Curtain LogTrace records file creation, copying, moving, renaming, deletion, printing and USB insert/remove events into a centralized audit database (MySQL or MS SQL supported), giving IT a readable alternative to raw Windows logs and a cheaper alternative to full SIEM platforms. For deterrence, Curtain MonGuard overlays user-identifying watermarks on screens, which is particularly useful for CCTV viewing stations and remote workers on VPN.
The honest framing is that these three tools together form a pragmatic insider-risk program for a company whose crown jewels live in files, vaults and surveillance archives. You would still pair them with endpoint protection, backup and access control; DLP is the enforcement layer, not the whole security department.
Who Should Use Curtain e-locker
✅ Manufacturers & Engineering Firms
SolidWorks EPDM and similar PLM/PDM integrations mean CAD teams can collaborate inside the zone while drawings never leave the company.
✅ Organizations With ERP or Self-Developed Systems
Financial reports, bill-of-materials and internal tools are protected without rewriting the applications themselves.
✅ Security Teams Tired of False Positives
If your current DLP is effectively a logging tool because alert fatigue forced blocking off, the zone model restores enforceable protection.
✅ CCTV / Surveillance Operators
Footage exports to USB and screen-capture of live views can be watermarked, logged and controlled.
Who Should Skip It
❌ Fully Cloud / SaaS-First Teams
If your data never touches a company-managed workstation, the client-based zone model adds little.
❌ Tiny Teams Without an IT Admin
Policy server setup, client deployment and policy tuning assume someone owns the infrastructure.
❌ Buyers Needing Instant Transparent Pricing
Quote-based sales means a procurement conversation before you know the number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Zone-based DLP secures data based on where it is stored rather than scanning its content. Files from protected systems are confined to an allowed zone on the workstation, so they cannot be copied, emailed or printed out. This avoids the false positives of keyword-matching DLP.
Yes. CoworkShop documents Curtain e-locker integrations with SolidWorks EPDM (including setup walkthroughs) and other PDM/PLM systems, so engineering teams can collaborate while design files stay protected.
It is an on-premises architecture: a Curtain Policy Server in your environment plus Curtain Client software on each protected workstation. There is no requirement to send data to a third-party cloud.
CoworkShop does not publish public pricing; licenses are quoted by sales. You can request pricing information, a demo meeting or a trial copy through the official trial form on coworkshop.com.
Curtain LogTrace provides centralized file activity monitoring and compliance reporting, while Curtain MonGuard is a screen-watermarking tool with a free version and a paid tier that adds username/IP watermarks and central administration.
Yes, that is the core design goal. Users work inside the protected zone normally; only outbound actions like copying, emailing, printing or screenshoting protected data are blocked or routed to an approval workflow.
Final Verdict
Curtain e-locker is a genuinely different take on data loss prevention. By anchoring security to location instead of content, CoworkShop Solutions avoids the false-positive spiral that neuters most DLP deployments, while its PLM, ERP, DMS and CCTV integrations cover the systems where engineering and manufacturing companies actually hold their crown-jewel data. It is not a SaaS product and pricing requires a sales conversation, but for organizations that live in file servers, CAD vaults and ERP exports, the zone model is one of the most practical DLP approaches we have analyzed this year. Our analysis is based on vendor documentation, product pages and demo materials; we recommend requesting a trial copy to validate behavior in your own environment.
Read next
Travel Hacks Guide Editorial Standards & Testing Methodology
At Travel Hacks Guide, we independently evaluate car rentals, international eSIMs, flight booking engines, and travel insurance. We never accept payment for ranking or recommendations. When you book via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.