Emails are a source of big risk to any business. The kind of sensitive information that is sent via email ranges from name and addresses to bank details in some instances alongside dates of birth.
The great assumption is that emails are private, you are sending person to person, but in reality, an email travels through several severs to reach its destination and although the security of that journey is getting better, it certainly isn’t risk free.
Most people are familiar with secure websites now, you can recognise them by the small black padlock icon in the address bar, this means that the connection between the laptop and website is secure via Transport Layer Security (TLS). Emails are playing catch-up; most are now delivered using TLS Email which increases security significantly by not allowing the servers in the middle to access the email itself. However, TLS Email doesn’t keep the email secure in inboxes or sent item folders.
What about free email providers?
Free email providers, such as Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook Mail and Zoho etc are all free for a reason. You get free, fully functioning email and the provider gets access to your emails, content, attachments… the whole lot.
So, in reality free email isn’t free at all, you’re paying for it with your privacy.
And, if you only use business accounts?
Luckily the service provider doesn’t get access to your emails from a business account, however your employer does. This is probably OK if you’re running your own business, but if you’re an employee it is less than ideal.
Should anyone worry about their email account?
In some instances, it’s actually a good thing to have the information you sign up for, the things you buy and what you look at available to providers. This means you get targeted advertising for products and services you may actually be interested in rather than random ones.
Mostly though, it’s not nice to share your personal information with anyone. For example, if you’re sending copies of a CV, signing up to agencies or services or receiving medical information.
Worst case scenario is for hackers to access your email accounts, from inside your account a hacker can blackmail you and / or your friends and family, intercept conversations you’re having and request for money to be sent to the wrong bank accounts.
As we mentioned before, emails aren’t just stored by you, they are also in the recipient’s inbox or sent items. No matter how secure your business email could be, if you’re sending details to someone’s free account then that data is exposed.
How to make emails secure
Simply using a service like StayPrivate from Zest4 will make sure your emails are delivered and responded to safely, without security risk and totally compliant with any international laws.
At Zest4 we strongly recommend our Partners are using StayPrivate for contract signing with their customers and encourage their customers to use the same service for complete peace of mind with their end-users.
To know more about StayPrivate and to add this revenue-rich product to your portfolio talk to your Channel Manager for more information, take a look at our webpage here, or drop us a line and we’ll get back to you with all you need to know.