One major worry for businesses in Manhattan related to IT Support is the security of the information they send out – via email or other means. One can never be absolutely sure as to who can access your messages.
Everybody would surely have been guilty on occasion of sending out a message to the wrong person or even by accidentally hitting the ‘reply all’. Often, such a miss-delivered communication may only have contained irrelevant noise and would have left you feeling quite embarrassed. However, the situation would be more serious if the email contained sensitive information.
Under the evolving data security norms, such a mistake would be a data breach and a violation of the terms.
The trouble with email
For all the convenience that email offers, it doesn’t offer much in terms of security. Sending emails can be (justly) compared to posting letters. One composes a message and assigns a delivery address, before handing it off to somebody else to deliver. It is our belief that the missive will end up in the right hands and that no one will read it along the way. It goes without saying that we can never be certain in this regard.
No wonder many organizations still utilize archaic fax machines. Though the technology might be incredibly outdated and inconvenient, it offers a lot more security than email. But remember, this requires both you and the other person you are dealing with both still have fax machines. You might restrict your massaging to fax machines if you already do so, but its widespread re-adoption is very well unlikely.
It’d be better if organizations opted for newer technologies that are efficient, extremely convenient and are compatible with the existing processes.
The need for encryption
Encryption is the process of securing information in a way that only approved users can access it. Organizations that routinely handle sensitive data in large volumes, such as the NHS, heavily use encrypted email. A number of email service providers, offer encryption services.
However, the technology remains cumbersome for use in email. The best practice that’s recommended is for data in transit to be encrypted by default. But most email exchanges do not require encryption and a selective process can be dauntingly difficult for many lay users.
Taking to the Cloud
The Cloud is a much better option for sharing information all round. One can upload an attachment to a folder in the Cloud and then forward a link to intended recipients. The information can be deleted once it is no longer needed.
However, the Cloud isn’t impenetrable and does not automatically keep all your information secure. It’s simply a server run by a third party who assumes responsibility for securing the information stored. Under the EU GDPR, both the organization and the cloud service provider would be liable in the event of a breach. So it’s essential that sensitive information no longer required is taken down as quickly as possible. One can also ensure that the info stays secure by encrypting the information before hosting it on the Cloud.
