Leading insurance companies and agencies are quickly turning to secure, encrypted email solutions to protect themselves and clients from problems associated with email that is not secure. As technology evolves and becomes easier to use, secure email adoption is increasing rapidly.
Insurance agencies and insurance companies often have requirements that recommended sending email securely, in encrypted format, when communicating with clients, peers or vendors. Why? Oftentimes insurance policies include personal financial information and / or personal health information. When they do, sending information securely by email makes a great deal of sense.
Insurance brokers and companies are required not only to keep a verifiable record of client email communications and transactions, but to also maintain compliance with privacy laws, such as HIPPA.
Three common process areas with the highest levels of adoption by insurance agents are when personal data is included. These include:
At the industry web site https://www.independentagent.com, it is recommended that TLS (Transport Layer Security enabled) secure email be implemented wherever possible.
TLS (Transport Layer Security) is a secure open standard for email sending so that when both sending and receiving parties have TLS implemented all of the emails between the partners go securely in a manner that is transparent to the end users. The Net Atlantic Secure Message Suite automatically includes full TLS encrypted technology to protect your client interests.
Another method that agents and companies use to ensure compliance with privacy and data best practices is to use a secure web form on your web site. This way, people on your web site filling out forms and applications do so in an entirely secure and encrypted manner. Form submission data is emailed to you, the site owner, in an encrypted format once the applicant hits the form submit button.
Some agents and companies choose to deploy their own in-house IT server and network administrators to set up their email network to use TLS on outbound email. However, that does not insure that the recipient opens and reads the message securely, and that they interact with the message securely. With the Net Atlantic solution, all aspects of the email message handling process are done automatically and securely.
Net Atlantic's Secure Message Suite gives email senders the tools necessary to be in compliance and more importantly, safeguard client information which could have financial or health information.
Industry trade groups and associations in insurance include:
GLBA - The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act
ACT: Agents Council for Technology
(part of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of
America)