The Top 5 Features Of Email Encryption Software For DD Boards

Confidentiality is the cornerstone of any organization’s ability to do business. Especially when HIPAA compliance is a factor, both employees and those supported by a Developmental Disability (DD) Board’s services expect the organization to maintain the privacy of their affairs and information, no matter what.

Unfortunately, it has never been more difficult to do so. Data breaches are more common than ever before – that’s why you need email encryption. Email is the primary method of communication amongst your staff members and your community, so if you’re not encrypting email, you’re leaving all sorts of sensitive information open to unauthorized access.

Non-profits — such as those in the Ohio Association of County Boards of DD (OACB) — struggle with many challenges that traditional enterprise-based corporations do not, given that they often operate on the bare minimum of resources, staff, and volunteers.

Concerns like cybersecurity, compliance and email encryption are often last on the list when it comes to DD Boards. The resources needed simply aren’t that easy to come by when the organization is dependent on volunteer labor and has a small budget. There are just so many places for which the DD Board needs their funds — and personnel — to go. Unfortunately, technology is sometimes the last things to be considered when it comes to committing finances.

What Are The 3 Main Reasons That DD Boards Need Email Encryption?

Some may assume that because they’re not a government organization dealing with top secret info, or even a law firm trying to protect their clients’ confidentiality, that they don’t need security measures like email encryption.

The truth? DD Boards need it just as badly as anyone else:

1. Loss of Privacy: Email is your best means of communicating with your clients and employees, but if you’re questioning the security measures in place, how can you feel comfortable sharing private and valuable information? Worrying about who will read your email every time you send one is no way to do business.
2. Untrustworthy Reputation: Community members rarely continue to work with businesses after they’ve been hacked. Would you expect your current business partners to continue to communicate with you via email if they were unsure of its safety? Protection for your email further protects your DD Board’s integrity and reputation in the local community.
3. Risk Of Non-Compliance: No need to be long-winded about this one – everyone knows HIPAA compliance can be as frustrating as it is necessary. Ensuring emails are properly encrypted is just one part of that compliance.

Why Do DD Boards Struggle With Email Encryption?

This isn’t limited to DD Boards – the fact is that everyone has trouble with email encryption (and a host of other security solutions). Why? Because they’re often needlessly complicated.

Often the case with security software, the first concern is the effect and not the user experience. As important as it is to ensure that a solution actually does what it’s supposed to, the fact is that it won’t amount to anything if users don’t know how to use it.

Too often, email encryption solutions require complicated, difficult to remember steps to be followed in order to work properly. Can you really blame the average user for forgetting to put “[secure]” or “[encrypt]” at the beginning of an email subject, when they’re sending hundreds of emails a day?

What Are The 5 Must-Have Features of Email Encryption?

If the bottom line is the user experience, then the key to finding the right email encryption solution is to make sure it’s easy to use. Be sure to find one that offers the following:

1. One-Click email encryption measures that are easy to use and ensure that the user’s communication is secured against unwelcome readers while in transit.
2. Mobile Device capability that allows users to read and send encrypted messages from the mobile platform without having to store the message locally, or any unnecessary battery or bandwidth usage.
3. Powerful encryption to ensure compliance with many industry regulations.
4. Additional features that include delivery slip production, registered mail options, centralized management, large file encryption, and more.
5. Full functionality that allows for compatibility with Microsoft Outlook, Windows, and Mac operating systems, as well as browsers and Microsoft Office 365

Yes, admittedly this is a lot to consider. But – you don’t have to do it on your own. VC3 is proud to provide a range of email solutions (including email encryption) for DD Boards – we can help you too.