This week, we announced the availability of email encryption from Outlook for ESU employees. Our Information Security team has developed the following "how-to" guide with frequently asked questions to help users get started.
· When would I use the encryption option?
o If you send and receive information that's considered PII, Non-directory FERPA, HIPAA, Intellectual Property or any personally important information, you should use encryption.
· Why would I use the encryption option?
o Encryption scrambles the information in your message so that it can only be read by a recipient with the correct key. Encryption ensures that your information remains safe and confidential while it's passing through the internet.
· What do I have to do to use encryption?
o It’s already available natively for some Outlook 2016 users (If you see a “permission” button where the “encryption” button should be then you need to upgrade your Office suite to enjoy seamless interaction with encrypted mail. All Outlook 2019 desktop and webmail users are able to use encryption without any additional setup.
o If you have tried sending encrypted mail with Outlook in the past you may recall how tedious the process was to setup certificates and how often the mail recipient could not open the mail you sent them. The new encryption process is much, much easier to use and, most importantly, can be used to communicate with people using Gmail, Yahoo or virtually any other email client.
· What are these options I see under the encryption button?
o There are 4 types of email classification options available to Outlook desktop users and 2 available to Outlook web users. Desktop only options are noted with an *:
§ Encrypt-Only – This is the recommended setting for sending encrypted mail. We recommend this setting over the others because it is compatible with nearly every email recipient (Gmail, Yahoo, AOL….lets just say we haven’t found an email provider that it doesn’t work with yet)
§ Do Not Forward – This option gives you a little more control over the content you email. Using this option the recipient will not be able to forward the email message to another account or individual. This would be best used when sending sensitive information that only the recipient and the recipient alone should have access to.
§ Emporia.edu – confidential* – This option, along with the next one are not recommended for use unless you’re given specific guidance to do so. No, it won’t cause harm to use this or the next setting, but it will prevent any recipient outside of the organization from viewing your email.
§ Emporia.edu – confidential View Only* – As with above, this setting is really meant for highly confidential communication within the ESU organization. If you haven’t been given instructions to use this option then you don’t need to.
· What types of attachments can I send?
o Attachments are fully supported for all Office file types, PDF and several image file types.
· I need to send email to multiple recipients; can I do that?
o Encrypted mail can be sent to multiple recipients using the “Encrypt-Only” and “Do Not Forward” options.
· I am ready to send encrypted mail; how does my recipient open the mail?
o If the recipient is using another email client, such as Gmail or Yahoo, they'll see a link that lets them either sign in to read the email message or request a one-time passcode to view the message in a web browser. The message will be read and replied to in an Outlook web interface.
Knowledge Base Links:
· How do I open a protected message?
· View encrypted messages on your Android device
· View protected messages on your iPhone or iPad
· Encrypt email messages
o https://support.office.com/en-us/article/encrypt-email-messages-373339cb-bf1a-4509-b296-802a39d801dc
Applies to: Outlook for Office 365, Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2013, Outlook 2010, & Outlook 2007
· File types supported by the Azure Information Protection client (Encrypted Mail)
