by James Knapp, Esq.
TECH TIPS
Encryption Practice Pointers
Encryption covers a wide range of topics. Communications between computers
over the Internet may be encrypted while
the data is in transit. Any website that is
accessed with the near ubiquitous https://
prefix uses an encrypted link to communicate. A file, a folder (directory), or an entire hard drive may be encrypted to protect
the contents from access without the proper credentials. Likewise, an email in transit
from one computer to another may be encrypted.
This article focuses on email encryption,
however, a complete solution for protecting client information needs to address all
the elements of protecting data, both at
rest and in transit. Once you decide that
you should be encrypting emails for clientrelated matters, you need to find a solution
that fits your budget and comfort level with
technology. The good news is that many
companies have entered into the encryption arena and offer a number of solutions
for all your encryption needs.
Emails can be encrypted by a desktop
client--software that runs on your computer and may even integrate with Microsoft
Outlook if that is what you use for sending
and receiving email. There are also cloud
based solutions for Gmail and Outlook.
com mail systems. If you are using AOL or
Yahoo, it is probably time to look into a different solution for your client email. You
can get a professional solution with better
services from either Google or Microsoft
for about $50.00 per year per user, so there
is no good excuse not to be using a better
professional service than basic AOL or Yahoo. Neither of the recommended professional email Google service nor Microsoft
service is free.
If your office is a larger office with an
email server, you should consult with your
IT professionals about what types of encryption will best serve your office needs.
As an alternative to email encryption, a
most cost-effective technique uses tools
already on most computer systems where
the sender can “zip” the files to be sent
with a password. The process for using
this low cost/no cost technology starts
with downloading and installing a program
called 7-zip which is free. By selecting the
files to be transmitted and including them
in the “.zip” archive and choosing the password option, the files will be encrypted and
password protected. The encrypted “.zip”
can then be emailed. The recipient will
also have to have the 7-zip program or an
18
equivalent program that will handle (jargon
warning!) 256 bit AES encryption. The final
step is communicating the password to the
recipient, but not in the same email that includes the “.zip” file and preferably not by
email at all. The “zip” function present in
Windows 7, 8, and 10 will also encrypt and
password protect a zip file, but the technology used to encrypt is not very strong compared to the process used by 7-zip.
What follows is a quick survey of some
of the services that are available for small
offices.
Microsoft Office 365
A few years ago, Microsoft began offering Office 365 in various subscription service levels ranging from the Home and
Small office users up to enterprise level
solutions. Microsoft has packaged a collection of applications and services into
a bundle offered to businesses large and
small for a monthly fee ranging from $8.00
per month per user --for email and calendar services, online file storage, and workgroup collaboration tools (Plan E1), to a
more comprehensive selection of services for email and calendaring, online file
storage, Microsoft Office Applications like
Word and Excel, workgroup collaboration
tools and hosted email services, priced at
$20.00 per user per month (Plan E3). At
the level of Plan E3, Microsoft offers Encryption services through the Outlook
email application. See https://products.office.com/en-us/business/office-365-enterprise-e3-business-software.
Zixcorp
Zixcorp provides three solutions for encrypting email: a gateway, integration with
cloud based email solutions (Gmail and Microsoft Office Mail), and a desktop mail solution. The Zix Gateway product works in
firms that maintain their own network and
email servers, eliminating it as a solution
for most small and medium-sized firms.
If your firm is already an Office 365 Mail
user or a Google Apps for Business user,
you can integrate Zix Gateway with your
current email system and have the benefits of email encryption through your existing system. Microsoft Office 365 users will
find information here - https://www.zixcorp.com/Enhance-O365-with-Zix. If you
are a Google Apps for Business user, Zixcorp has a solution for use with the busiTHE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • SUMMER 2016
ness Gmail services called GAME, found
here - http://go.zixcorp.com/GAME.html.
Zixcorp’s third option is an email client that
runs on the