Email encryption technology is used to transform and secure information travelling through an email server. These tools ensure data-in-transit remains secure until the authorized party is identified. Email encryption can be useful in any industry, but is a requirement for others. Medical records and government data are both examples of information that must be encrypted before being shared.
Email encryption tools use a variety of encryption methods to mask information, but they all provide some level of encryption capabilities to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive business information. Transport-level-encryption will ensure no eavesdropping occurs and that information remains private until delivered to the target network. End-to-end encryption adds further factors keep data encrypted longer. For example, an email can be encrypted from the point of creation and remain encrypted until only approved devices directly associated with the target user.
Some secure email gateway software possesses encryption capabilities, but those tools also have additional features for comprehensive spam filtering, malware protection and information archiving.
To qualify for inclusion in the Email Encryption category, a product must:
Encrypt content being delivered via email
Require some level of authentication for access
Facilitate industry-related communication compliance
