Extending Encryption Wednesdays
Today is the last Wednesday in August, also marking the end of our Encryption Wednesdays promotion where we gave free consultations to businesses interested in email encryption.
Or at least, it was planned to be the end. But we got such a huge response that we didn't have time to fit everyone in and we're still getting new signups. So we took it up with the top brass and we've decided to extend the service for the rest of the year. That means every Wednesday until December 29th we'll be offering free consultations on email encryption. Just use our handy form to sign up. We'll still only be allowing signups up to one month in advance at a time, mostly for our own sanity so we don't get backloaded. Of course, there are no obligations and no costs to you, so even if you're a few months away from making a decision on email encryption, it really doesn't hurt to make the call now and be prepared for later.
Thanks to everyone who participated and made Encryption Wednesdays such a big success. We're looking forward to talking to a lot more of you.
Encryption Wednesdays in August
We recently attended Hosting Con 2010 in Austin, TX., a conference which brings attendees from all over the world to discuss the current and future state of the hosted service landscape. We had a great time there both sharing and learning about all the ways that hosted email services are improving business, and had a lot of discussions on how hosting solutions have emerged to replace the time consuming and costly traditional software/appliance model. But the key topic was definitely the increased necessity of encryption over the past year.
Years ago when Greenview Data first began to offer a hosted email encryption solution, encryption was most prevalent in the health care sector due to the type of data transmitted and of course the HIPAA laws. However, in most other environments it was a frequently overlooked "best practice" due to the monumental effort involved. We recognized this need and began working with key players to produce a hosted service that was simple, cost effective, easy to implement and maintain, and satisfied all regulatory requirements.
Over the past year we have seen a tremendous increase in the demand for this service in response to the changing business landscape. Five years ago, our focus was on the large hospital market; now our email encryption customers extend to every facet of the healthcare and financial sectors, as well as many other organizations that either simply want to keep their data safe or are required to by state-wide mandates. We have added numerous encryption specialists to respond to this growing demand and to ensure we have top-notch support to cater to your needs when you need us. Today, we're extremely proud of our hosted encryption service, and especially the strong and dedicated customer support team behind it.
We understand how important, but often cumbersome and time consuming, email encryption can be. And we also believe that it's important for everyone to be well-informed on the topic and aware of all their options, because email encryption isn't just a vanity service - it's a vital step in ensuring our safety and privacy on the internet. To help with this situation, we are pleased to announce Encryption Wednesdays for the entire month of August. Each Wednesday during August, our encryption team will be available for scheduled appointments to discuss email encryption with any interested organization, with the same manner of personalized attention our customers have come to expect from Greenview Data since 1980. Best of all? We're doing this completely free of charge.
These consultations are a time where we can discuss your unique situation, determine your needs, explore possible solutions, and give you honest answers to any questions you may have. To schedule an appointment simply fill out this form with information about your environment and your available times. One of our encryption specialists will be in touch shortly to confirm your details, and finalize the appointment.
If you determine that our hosted email encryption service is a part of your encryption solution, we can initiate your setup while we're on the phone and have you up and running in under 48 hours. You may also determine that your organization doesn't have a need for email encryption at this time, or that our service just isn't the right fit (although we doubt that - we've got something for everyone). That's fine. We just think it's good for everyone to have all the facts to make an informed decision about an issue that is so important.
The Future of Encryption
The hot topic nowadays is privacy, specifically in reference to personal information and disclosure. It's become relevant for both businesses and individuals, but the situation is increasingly hairy as we push social networks and cloud services to be more and more prevalent. Can the need for secure information and the desire for publicly shared information peacefully coexist?
Currently, state governments such as those of Massachusetts and Nevada have pushed through strong regulations on email encryption and data breach notifications, and in all likelihood similar legislation will soon be passed at the federal level. At Greenview Data, we offer a hosted email encryption solution that meets these new HIPAA/HITECH & state regulations, but this is only one data security endpoint that businesses need to address. The recent case of some hospital employees losing their jobs for sharing patient information on facebook is just one example.
Which brings us to the personal side of the issue. There has been no shortage of discussion on problems with individual privacy in the midst of the explosive growth of social networks the past few years. It seems that facebook can't go a month without being in the news over privacy issues, and plenty of other sites have had their share of information leaks. Yet these social networks only continue to grow in popularity.
Yes, despite data privacy and security issues being thrust into the limelight, it's hard to see progress, especially when the government itself can't keep data properly secured but wants to increase their monitoring and control of the internet. But the seeds are there. I think the move to cloud computing will actually be a boon to increased security (I'll write a followup article on that soon). Even if there isn't yet widespread public understanding of the problems underlying information security, there is awareness now. We've reached a point where people recognize the need and benefits of data security, but there's an educational gap that must be bridged. At the same time, a balance needs to be found with respect to the openness and sharing fostered on sites like facebook and twitter.
I think data encryption will be a big part of the equation. It needs to become the default mode of operation, not the exception. We'll need cooperation from the big players on the web offering hosted services (Google took a step in the right direction recently with their encrypted search). And we'll need a better informed and educated public. But it isn't hard to imagine a near-future where all of our online interactions are through encrypted channels; where every email sent is encrypted as well as every file containing sensitive data; where the data posted on social networks that should only be seen by friends can only be seen by friends. Then all we'll have to do to enjoy a secure and social web is stop writing down our passwords on sticky notes.
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- Keep Your Information S.A.F.E. with Email Encryption http://t.co/vSLGlUI
- New blog post: Keep Your Information S.A.F.E. with Email Encryption, http://t.co/ZZATb11
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- Epsilon's list of names and email addresses possibly stolen http://ti.me/hlZPRy. Watch out for personalized phishing scams.