Saturday 20 June 2009

Business Private Email Network: Is it Possible?

By Amy Nutt

When you know the possible corruption and infiltration in an email system, you may wonder if it is possible to have a business private email network. The fact is, it is possible, and in fact, it is absolutely necessary.

For those who are concerned about internet and email security, there is reason for worry. With some persistence, it is possible for anyone to break into private emails, especially at open wi-fi spots, and read, and even potentially change, the contents of an email.

The hijacker can impersonate the true author, or the thief can simply retrieve the proprietary information from the email and send it on, unaltered, to its final destination with no indication that the message has been stolen.

There are other concerns for businesses and email security services, particularly those businesses that are in the health care industry. These businesses are required to comply with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), and there are provisions in the act that not only require them to provide medical information to the patient through electronic means, but also a requirement that they keep that information secure and unavailable to anyone else who may have an interest in the info.

This presents a huge problem for some businesses, who may be stymied by how to provide the access to electronically maintained records using an electronic signature system as required by HIPAA, but still keeping the information completely secure, also required by law.

For all companies, it's important to choose a secure email client that will protect the information in each email message as it is sent. The best idea is to use an open architecture system that will be supported well into the future, rather than relying on a proprietary system that may not last more than a few years.

While companies with the means to do so can maintain a strict email security system within the IT department, for thousands of mid-size to small companies, such a solution is difficult.

Many companies are unable to afford the overhead in IT, software and tech support such a system.

Many, then, are turning to turnkey systems that are able to make secure email easy and affordable. They encrypt each email message in a way that makes it unreadable to any recipient that does not have a key to interpret the the messages.

There are systems that can provide for encrypted emails by the hundreds are thousands as necessary, with thousands of secure email certificates. There is one secure certificate for each employee and each email address that is in the company.

The best systems have an easy to manage program that can administer all of the digital certificates used in an organization and release them as needed.

Using an 'out of the box' email security solution saves hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars for a business, and still provides them with an outstanding level of email security to protect themselves and their clients. This can provide trust and peace of mind for businesses and the clients who converse with those businesses.

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