Paradigm Blog
Many people mistakenly believe that email is a secure, private, means of communication – that no one but the sender and recipient will be able to see the contents. The reality is much to the contrary. Email has been aptly described as "public as a post card". While on its way to the intended recipient, email passes through multiple servers that act as relays. Mail can be intercepted at anyone of these points, and could be read by anyone with administrator access, or by anyone who may have compromised the security of that particular system. In addition to the possibility of technical security breaches, many people leave email software open on their computer desktop throughout the day, which enables prying eyes to access email that might be of a confidential nature.
So does that mean we can never communicate to clients via electronic means? No, email and other methods of electronic communication are here to stay, however a few simple steps can greatly increase security and limit your liability.
Normal email communication should not contain personal information such as Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, medical information, or credit card numbers. Additionally, attorneys need to consider if discussions being conducted via email contain strategic information that would put their client at a disadvantage if intercepted or exposed.
Any communication that includes information of a personal or confidential nature should be handled through an encrypted email system. This type of system encrypts the email with a key, only accessible to the sender and recipient. Anyone intercepting the message in transit without the key will get a block of undecipherable characters.
This type of system usually requires the recipient to log into a secure website and establish a username and password the first time they get a message. The recipient can then safely log into the email portal to read and reply to the message and review any attachments. This is done through the use of SSL encryption, similar to what you see when you access your bank online.
One system we particularly like is ziptr.com. We have been testing it for several weeks and found its feature set to be robust, and the best part is there is nothing to setup or install, and it is free to get started. From a law office perspective, the other thing we like about ziptr, is how it handles documents. The ziptr.com service not only provides secure communications, it also provides secure cloud based file storage. While there are other cloud based file storage options, none integrate the file storage with secure email services. The other thing we like about ziptr, is that the email communication is stored in a conversational format, which can include multiple parties.
Another option, if you host an email server internally and are using Paradigm's email security package for spam filtering, is to add the encryption option to this service. This allows you to send secure email directly from your desktop without the need to log into a portal, as it is integrated with your mail server. The recipient will receive an email letting them know that there is an encrypted email waiting for them. Then, they will then log into the portal to retrieve it.
If you have any questions about email encryption or would like more information about how to secure your email, please feel free to email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
We often talk about the need to back up your data, but did you know that it is also a best practice to back up your hardware? Backing up your hardware works differently than data backup; whereas data backup involves network devices and a cloud, backing up your hardware is a simple matter of having extra computer components on your premise.
Isn't it nice to have everything prepared for you? Of course it is. Whether it's having your dinner made for you when you get home, or having your car turned over to you fueled up and cleaned out, everybody appreciates having everything taken care of. In the world of technology, we take care of everything with our turnkey business management solutions.
Servers have always been one of the more expensive yet crucial pieces of your IT infrastructure. A new development in servers is the microserver, which is a stripped down version of a server. The appeal is that they can be designed to handle one task efficiently, and therefore, use fewer resources while costing less to purchase and maintain.
Do you feel tied down by your phone system? Traditional phone plans can be expensive and your phone bill will grow if you try to do more, like add lines and use extra features. One of the ways that the Internet can help your business save money and grow is by replacing expensive phone plans with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
