| ion | | | | Compliance and Liability |
| | | | State and federal regulations targeting financial and |
| This is the last of a five-part series on Maximizing | | | | personal data affect almost every enterprise, with |
| Email Security ROI. | | | | mandates to protect and secure all forms of |
| Throughout the ages, people have encrypted | | | | information. While these regulations rarely explicitly |
| communications to suit their information security needs. | | | | mention email, the laws are broadly written and |
| In the 1st century B.C., Julius Caesar didn’t trust | | | | generally interpreted to cover email and other forms of |
| the couriers who carried his messages to trusted | | | | electronic communication. |
| acquaintances. So, he replaced every A with a D, | | | | Publicly traded enterprises, particularly those in the |
| every B with an E, and so on, all the way through the | | | | banking and healthcare industries, must guarantee |
| alphabet. Only those who knew Caesar’s | | | | privacy and security of customer or patient information |
| shift-by-three rule could decipher his messages. Over | | | | in email by encrypting the message and monitoring |
| 2000 years later, we’re still trying to protect our | | | | outbound email for unencrypted or inappropriate patient |
| messages from prying eyes (If you have not read | | | | or customer information. In addition to protecting private |
| CipherTrust's white paper on Privacy Architecture, you | | | | information through policy enforcement, companies are |
| can download it free here). | | | | responsible for protecting private information while in |
| In the Information Age, email is the primary method of | | | | transit across the Internet. |
| communication for businesses around the world. While | | | | Failure to encrypt confidential information that results in |
| email has become a mission-critical application, it also | | | | a violation of regulatory policy can lead to steep |
| raises important privacy and security concerns. | | | | corporate fines as well as possible criminal charges, |
| Sensitive personal and business communications are | | | | fines and jail time for company executives. In addition, |
| vulnerable to the prying eyes of hackers, industrial | | | | the company faces likely lawsuits from customers and |
| spies and others who would love to have access to | | | | patients whose confidential information is |
| information not intended for them. Because of these | | | | compromised. |
| risks, businesses are realizing the value of encrypting | | | | To help ensure security of confidential information and |
| their email communications to protect vital information | | | | compliance with regulations, businesses must ensure |
| while in transit from origin to destination. | | | | that: |
| Asset/IP protection | | | | Email messages containing confidential information are |
| Enterprises that fail to adequately protect information in | | | | kept secure when transmitted over an unprotected link |
| transit across the Internet risk revealing their most vital | | | | Email systems and users are properly authenticated |
| secrets. Each unencrypted email exposes sensitive | | | | so that confidential information does not get into the |
| data — from confidential financial and product | | | | wrong hands |
| information to legal contracts to files that include | | | | Email servers and message stores where confidential |
| personally identifying information such as Social | | | | information may be stored are protected |
| Security numbers, birthdates, credit card numbers and | | | | Make Sure it’s Greek to Them |
| bank account numbers. | | | | A comprehensive email security approach including |
| Failure to encrypt email communication is akin to | | | | encryption is the most effective defense against all |
| sending a digital postcard into cyberspace. Sure, | | | | external and internal threats. For more information on |
| there’s a chance that it will reach its destination | | | | how to encrypt information entering and leaving your |
| without crossing a snooping pair of eyes, but | | | | enterprise email network, download CipherTrust's |
| there’s also a chance that it won’t. You | | | | FREE whitepaper, "Protecting Email Privacy: Overview |
| wouldn’t send a postcard with your vital trade | | | | of IronMail Privacy Architecture". |
| secrets, financial data and customer information on it, | | | | CipherTrust and The IronMail Insider wish you and |
| so why would you send an unencrypted email | | | | yours a safe and happy holiday season and all the |
| containing the same? | | | | best for a prosperous 2005! |