* Content scanning and encryption need to be part of any organization’s e-mail infrastructure
You’ve probably heard this before: a husband and wife who lived in Seattle were to go on vacation in Miami, but the husband went ahead the day before because of his wife’s work schedule. When he arrived at the hotel he sent his wife an e-mail, but inadvertently left one letter out of her address. The actual recipient of the message, a widow in Calgary who had just returned from her husband’s funeral, sat down to check her e-mail and fainted upon reading the following: “My darling wife, I have just arrived and am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Boy, it sure is hot down here.”
Periodically, I receive e-mails and faxes that are sent to me erroneously. Last week, for example, I received proofs of wedding invitations from the printing services department of a U.K.-based university. (However, I am already very happily married and have no need for wedding invitations.) Some time ago, I received a purchase order via fax from a large e-mail security company that was intended for another company.
The bottom line is that content scanning and encryption need to be part of any organization’s e-mail infrastructure. There are the obvious reasons for implementing some sort of content scanning system, including protecting sensitive corporate information, preventing embarrassment to e-mail senders, ensuring the timely delivery of critical communications, etc.
Easy-to-use encryption needs to be available for the same reasons, but also to comply with regulations that require the protection of confidential information, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). However, too few organizations have actually deployed these capabilities and they are at significantly greater risk because of it.
