SSL Encrypted Email
Any of our clients who have email hosting through WEO Media can rest assured: all email accounts come automatically equipped with SSL encryption. This means that the contents of your email — including sensitive details such as login credentials and personal data — cannot be intercepted or viewed by any unintended third party that wants to view your information.
However, encrypted email is not considered HIPAA complaint. This is because as an email uses various servers to get to its final destination, a server administrator on on any of those servers can capture and view the email. Emails may also be intercepted if an email must be decrypted and then re-encrypted to successfully transfer between servers. Because end-to-end encryption cannot be guaranteed, SSL encrypted emails are not considered "secure" for the sake of HIPAA compliance.
HIPAA Compliant Secure Email
HIPAA compliant secure email is usually provided by a third party that sits on top of your normal email. This is usually implemented using a plug-in via Microsoft Outlook. Prior to sending an email, you may select whether the email is sent normally (that is, with SSL encryption for WEO Media email hosting), or as a HIPAA complaint secure email.
When a HIPAA compliant secure email is sent, it is stored on a secure server until the recipient retrieves it. The recipient will receive a normal email informing them that they have a secure email waiting on the secure server. They can then access the secure email with 1) login information provided by the office or 2) a permanent account used to access this and future secure emails.
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