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GDPR - Email Encryption

StuartBFMStuartBFM Member
in Technology & IT
I'm currently looking at options for 'ensuring' our clients data are secure.  We can use IO2 pfp for some of this, however for emailing professional connections, providers and clients that don't want to use pfp, I'd like to find a way of encrypting emails & attachments.

Having trailed a few options and got very frustrated with most of them (some don't work with any device, or any email or would just a pain for a client) I'd like something that is easy for a client/solicitor to use and works with any device and email, ideally from Outlook.  I have also asked the company we outsource our IT to and they have suggested upgrading 365 to Enterprise 3 and using Azure Information Protection but I have no idea what any of that means or whether it would help.  I'd go with what they say, but previously I've had the feeling they don't listen very well to what I'm asking for so I'd be really grateful for another opinion :smile: 

Help me Obi-wan.  You're my only hope.

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Comments

  • richallumrichallum Administrator
    Online Howwow next Wednesday is on GDPR. That would be a good place to ask this. Details out later today. 

    Paraplanner. F1, Apple, Nutella, ice cream. No trite motivational quotes. Turning a bit northern. 

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  • StuartBFMStuartBFM Member
    Thanks Richard, have been waiting on the details of that since missing the last MIFID one, caught up with the replay yesterday though.
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  • StuartBFMStuartBFM Member
    Oh and the client needs to be able to email us back using the same encryption ideally.  I'm leaning towards just sending everything by post, although first I'll need to deliver by hand a wax sealed envelope containing a cipher that will enable clients to decode our letters.
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  • benjaminfabibenjaminfabi Moderator
    StuartBFM said:
    Oh and the client needs to be able to email us back using the same encryption ideally.  I'm leaning towards just sending everything by post, although first I'll need to deliver by hand a wax sealed envelope containing a cipher that will enable clients to decode our letters.
    Quill inked on to the finest vellum
    Benjamin Fabi 
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  • StuartBFMStuartBFM Member
    So no unicorns then.
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  • frankschaferfrankschafer Member
    Best not to use email for sending documents, not really designed for it. Better to use the free WeTransfer (wetransfer.com) service for encrypted file transfer.  If you need to send very large files and want to brand/personalise your version and have pasword protection too, then you can pay £10pm for a Plus version - no limit on the quantity of use either.  Check it out, very simple to use and your clients can use it to send documents back as well.  
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  • garethgareth Administrator

    Just to jump onto this old thread, we've been working for a number of years now on our Filehaven offering which I think could solve this issue.

    It's an online client portal built around secure communications between advisers and your clients and feels very similar to whatsapp and messenger. It's simple to look at, but we don't mess around when it comes to security (as detailed on our security page here 👉https://filehaven.co.uk/security).

    I'm biased, but I think it might help?

    Web nut, coffee junkie, so-called-responsible parent & MD of codepotato. We build websites and web applications for the financial industry. 
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  • Clare_WeightClare_Weight Member

    Hi all and @StuartBFM how did you get on the the end? Did you make your IT's recommended switch? I work in a larger group business where I was not party to recent IT decisions so I don't know our situation precisely but we have just changed to Office 365 and something about Azure keeps coming up...

    Anyway, the bad news is we no longer have enough Nitro licences to go around to password protect PDFs. the good news is we have a new encrypt button under options when composing an email.

    If anyone knows what I'm on about, have your clients got the hang of the whole 'send me a token' then looking in spam for it?

    I need something that is really really easy for advisers to use. Posting here rather than a message as anyone is welcome to pitch in.

    Thanks, Clare

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  • NathanNathan Member
    I use a system called project.co to send documents to advisers. All the servers are UK based.

    You can encrypt word documents very easily, I use this if I need to communicate client sensitive data to a provider.

    Having tested Gareth’s FileHaven, I can also vouch for that.
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  • Clare_WeightClare_Weight Member

    Thanks Nathan, FileHaven is a little more expensive than IO portal. I'm hoping that the encrypt button now showing in Outlook will be sufficient according to our DPO. I have to say the experience reminds me of an unflatteringly cut video I saw of Mark Zuckerberg facing the US Senate!

    I'm yet to find out if it matters that PDF attachments don't automatically have the same protection the email, as the email itself is secure (apparently).

    Yes, I always save as PDF from Word as it makes the headings and cross references clickable and lets them open a nice sidebar menu, though probably no-one ever does! I go to far too much effort I'm sure! If we could download illustrations and reports as word or excel we would probably be covered for client comms and just need to use unipass securemail for provider comms.

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