Email is the most common form of business communication used today. More companies are quickly realizing the need for encrypted email as a result of regulations that require it. With an increase in highly publicized security breaches in the media, companies that do not secure their email communications are at risk of negative public relations, loss of company intellectual property, regulatory fines, and lawsuits. However, the protection of sensitive information always needs to be balanced with the transparent flow of business information. Sophisticated content filtering can prevent sensitive information from leaving an organization, but simply blocking information isn't reasonable or practical. Combining the content filtering capabilities of Symantec Messaging Gateway with the premium add-on Symantec Content Encryption for Symantec Messaging Gateway allows established secure, transparent email exchange while maintaining regulatory compliance.
The laws and regulations are clear - sensitive content in email must be encrypted. No matter what industry you are in, there are laws and regulations that affect how you handle sensitive information. For example, in the United States, the laws protecting personal health information have fines of up to $1.5 million and apply to any company that handles personal health information, not just hospitals and insurers. In addition, there are United States state laws that also require that emails be encrypted if they contain sensitive personal information. If you are in retail, then you are covered by Payment Card Industry standards that have stiff penalties for exposing credit card information.
Whether your organization is concerned about email privacy because of the need to maintain customer trust or the need to avoid regulatory fines and lawsuits, it is important for you to understand the need to secure email communications.
