CipherTrust keeps e-mail safe from prying eyes

E-mail security is something that everybody says they need, but many fewer actually implement.

Secure messaging tends to be more expensive and often makes the use of e-mail more difficult for senders and recipients. However, to stop sensitive data from being read illegitimately and to meet government-mandated security requirements like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, secure messaging is increasingly becoming a requirement in organizations of all types.

To accommodate this growing requirement for secure e-mail, CipherTrust has announced its IronMail Privacy Architecture (IPA), a multi-tiered security architecture that provides varying levels of secure e-mail delivery.

The basic security level offered in IPA uses the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol that provides server-to-server encryption of e-mail messages, the default capability in the company’s IronMail appliance. Enhanced, end-to-end encryption capabilities are also available in IPA through CipherTrust’s partnerships with Voltage and PostX. Voltage’s IBE Server offers certificate-free secure messaging with end-to-end encryption either through a Web interface or through the recipient’s mail client. The PostX Envelope Server is aimed at high-volume providers of secure information using a push model that does not require key management or a software download.

Why is this important? First, as noted above, secure messaging will become increasingly important for government-mandated protection of confidential information. For example, even for organizations outside the healthcare industry, benefits information must be protected and so secure delivery of this information will be a must.

Secondly, there are pockets of users within the typical organization – corporate counsel, human resources, senior management, etc. – that really should have secure messaging even if most users don’t need it. Our research has shown that about one in six users in the typical organization have a frequent need to send secure messages.

In short, secure messaging will become a necessity – making it easy to use and flexible will help to promote its use in organizations large and small.