receiving secure emails w/census info

[TPAnnie]

I don't think my M/S Office password protection will cut it anymore. Mind sharing how you receive your emailed census data securely?

[gregburst]

I don't think my M/S Office password protection will cut it anymore. Mind sharing how you receive your emailed census data securely?

YouSendIt.com works for me.

[Bill Presson]

We've used Accellion and Sharefile both with success.

[ESOP Guy]

I guess I am curious why you don't think password protecting will not cut it any more?

I ask because we use that alot.

[Dave Baker]

At the ASPPA conference I met a delightful couple who run Benefit Insights, Inc., who told me about their product called SecureFileX. I believe Janice Wegesin is using it.

It's basically a custom secure (https://) web page created for your firm, with an "upload" button. You give your client the URL of the page, the client uses its web browser to navigate to the page, the client clicks the upload button, and then the client's web browser presents the standard dialog box used to specify a file for uploading, such as a confidential Word document on the client's PC, a census data file on the PC, etc.

Once the file is uploaded to the secure server, it's available for you to download it using standard secure FTP (I think; I didn't see that part demonstrated).

benefit-insights.com

Dave

[Fredman]

Widely trusted and used in the banking industry: http://www.zixcorp.com/. We also use the web based File Upload feature of built into our admin system (Relius). Not without its flaws, but I believe it to be very secure. When all else fails, we have a secure FTP server.

As for why, I simply do not trust email. Short passwords, sharing passwords in email, password cracking services, having to rely on the other users, forwarded email, email accessed via mobile, etc. Working with census data, I'd rather be safe (as reasonably possible) than sorry.

[TPAnnie]

Thank you all for your suggestions, I'm looking into them all now.

It was actually the Benefits Insights program that made us start questioning how safe Microsoft password protection in emailing really is. I won't claim to understand it all, but in researching it, I've read that microsoft's passwording and encryption is not strong enough cracking applications are run against it. That, added to the emailing of the file, rather than uploading to a secure server, make it a weak defense.

I haven't been questioned by a client yet, but I want to be ready for the inevitable. Thank you all again!

[frizzyguy]

Thank you all for your suggestions, I'm looking into them all now.

It was actually the Benefits Insights program that made us start questioning how safe Microsoft password protection in emailing really is. I won't claim to understand it all, but in researching it, I've read that microsoft's passwording and encryption is not strong enough cracking applications are run against it. That, added to the emailing of the file, rather than uploading to a secure server, make it a weak defense.

I haven't been questioned by a client yet, but I want to be ready for the inevitable. Thank you all again!

We use a service that our clients HATE. Many can't even retrieve the information. When you are picking a service, make sure it is user friendly on the clients end. Just an FYI. Not quite sure who it is but probably a good question to ask when/if you're picking a provider.