We live in a world where emails are so commonplace we don’t always pay them as much attention as we should. We don’t always spell-check them, react to them or even check properly where we’re sending them. How many times a week do you send an email and forget the attachment? Have you ever sent an email to the wrong person? And why do so many emails include disclaimers at the foot declaring that the content is confidential and meant only for the intended recipient?
All of this activity astounds me. Working in a professional environment, managing the affairs of companies and individuals, we should be absolutely sure that our communications are 100% secure. Accountants, solicitors, FAs and other professionals are dealing with intensely private data yet risk their reputations and livelihoods by using email.
This isn’t a hard sell for docSAFE, although it’s one of the reasons we created a portal where clients and professionals can exchange files and communications safely. It’s a plea for businesses to seriously consider how they send sensitive information electronically because email is absolutely not the way to go.
Email makes you vulnerable. Not only are you running the obvious risk of making genuine mistakes by using it, you’re also open to hackers, malware, viruses and all sorts of digital threats – many of which are unknown and developing all the time.
Use email for daily, non important things for sure but reconsider client communications with confidentiality, security and responsibility at the top of your list.