| Sending an email seems to be a safe and direct | | | | damaging, you may want to consider other solutions. |
| activity - you send a message to a specific person at | | | | Businesses in particular are concerned about the |
| a specific address, and that person receives and | | | | privacy of their internal communications, and many |
| opens the message. However, email is not private | | | | businesses are concerned about the privacy of their |
| communication. It is susceptible to all kinds of hacking | | | | clients and patients. |
| and snooping, sometimes by your own coworkers, but | | | | One serious concern for those businesses in the health |
| mostly by others outside of the company. | | | | care industry is that the HIPAA (Health Insurance |
| While email theft happens rarely, it is more common | | | | Portability and Accountability Act) requires that |
| when there is important information being relayed. In | | | | electronic exchanges regarding patient information is |
| other words, very few people want to eavesdrop | | | | encrypted and safely sent. |
| about Aunt Matilda's bunion removal - not of interest, | | | | This presents several difficulties, including the fact that |
| like most of the email transactions that go back and | | | | encryptions that use 'keys' are particularly difficult to |
| forth every day. | | | | use when you are dealing with many thousands of |
| However, there is a chance that a business that | | | | patients on thousands of different PCs. |
| allows proprietary information to be sent through a | | | | Health plans must also maintain and transmit data |
| regular, unsecure email system will have people spying | | | | electronically and allow clients to use electronic |
| on them and intercepting messages. | | | | signatures, etc., but must also protect their information. |
| The most people most likely to have a problem are | | | | For these companies who recognize that as soon as |
| those who are relaying sensitive information about | | | | a 'send' button is clicked, the security of the message |
| people, industries, politics, business practices or | | | | is lost, a secure company email security solution is a |
| investigations. There is not only a chance, but a high | | | | must. |
| chance that these people have information that is of | | | | Experts in all industries recommend finding a value |
| interest to people outside of the small circle that is | | | | oreiented provider, one that will bring peace of mind. |
| receiving the email. | | | | Find a provider that specializes in email security, not a |
| This information may even be of enough interest to | | | | third party provider which does not know how to |
| motivate someone to make the significant effort | | | | preserve privacy. |
| required to break into a system. | | | | Look for a secure email solution that will protect each |
| It is particularly important to focus on the costs of | | | | message's integrity. Find one that uses and open - |
| email being intercepted. Even if someone were to | | | | architecture solution rather than a proprietary system, |
| intercept the email about Aunt Matilda's bunions, the | | | | since the open architecture systems can stay around |
| damage that could be done with such information is | | | | for longer periods of tiem, and you are likely to be able |
| limited. However, if the information being sent through | | | | to find support for them for many years. |
| your emails is potential more inflammatory or | | | | |