(ATTENTION: Broker/Owners/Managers) How many times have you (or your sales associates) sent “sensitive” client information via e-mail that could cause you real problems if it landed in the wrong inbox? Now ask yourself how many times you have received e-mail that was not intended for you! Up until now this was a very real problem that had no simple solution.

Protecting your sensitive e-mail from prying eyes using a traditional Internet encryption standard like PKE (Public Key Encryption) is no walk in the park. It is a complicated, hassle-prone, multi-step process that doesn’t work even with AOL e-mail (just a mere 30,000,000 + user base!) If you simply must know how to do it however, just see the “For Geeks Only” box below, otherwise skip it.

Thanks to a company called EnsuredMail, there is now a much easier way to send your sensitive e-mail securely.

Stealth E-mail As Easy As 1 2 3!

EnsuredMail 2002 is an e-mail encryption software that once downloaded, easily and automatically installs itself within your e-mail software (including Outlook, Outlook Express, Lotus Notes, AOL, and most web-based e-mail systems). Here is how to use it to securely encrypt your e-mail messages and attachments:

1. Upon creating a new e-mail message (including attachments, if any) simply click the icon on the message window toolbar to open the encryption settings window;

2. Enter a password that only you and your recipient will know (more on that below);

3. Click the “Protect & Send” button to do just that.

That really is all there is to it! Your recipient only needs the agreed upon password to open and view the secure e-mail —they do not need a copy of EnsuredMail to read your encrypted messages. To see a demo on how this works for your particular e-mail system, just CLICK HERE and click the "View Demo" button at the bottom of the page. To see for yourself what EnsuredMail encrypted e-mail looks like to a recipient, just CLICK HERE.

EnsuredMail 2002 does give you the flexibility to adjust the program settings to take advantage of special features. To access these settings, just click the “My Settings” menu in the encryption settings window (mentioned in step #1 above). Here is how you might consider setting up EnsuredMail to work for you:

• Contact Information – first and last name you want your recipients to see as the sender;
• E-mail Address – the address to which you want “read receipts” sent (see below);
• E-mail From Address – the address you want the recipient to see as the sending address;
• Send Read Receipt – unlike typical e-mail “receipt request”, EnsuredMail will always send a confirmation when your recipient reads your encrypted message (without any action on their part), if you want. Recommended setting here is “First Time”;
• Message Format – suggest “Plain-Text” and the “Self-Decrypt” box checked. (NOTE: checking the “Self-Decrypt” box allows any recipient to decrypt your message without having to own a copy of EnsuredMail —as long as they are online when viewing it);
• Anti-Forward Enabled – when this box is checked, your recipient will not be able to forward your encrypted message to another recipient. How you choose to have this setting is totally up to you and your typical security requirements.

Once setup, these will become your default settings for all EnsuredMail encrypted messages. However, you can override these settings on a message-by-message basis by simply clicking on the “message settings” link at the bottom of the encryption setting window mentioned in #1 above.

Strong Enough For Banks And The Government

Ensuredmail 2002 is one of the few products that meets stringent federally certified triple DES encryption standards. And it was originally designed for banks that want to securely send account statements via e-mail. Like most of the products and services I enthusiastically speak and write about, I also use EnsuredMail within my own business. In particular for sending secure and sensitive information to my various Virtual Assistants that run my company. Keep in mind however, this product is only as secure as the password you and your recipient agree to use. Since most people pick easy to break passwords, I’ve included a short section below to help you create ones that are easy to remember yet hard to break or guess.

It Gets Better!

Since EnsuredMail is one of those incredibly neat and affordable solutions that are just so easy to get enthused about, I did something special for you. If you decide you want to try it out, just CLICK HERE to receive a 20% savings off the already affordable price of $29.95 (as of this writing) as part of Mr. Internet’s e-Bate Program!

The need for reliable e-mail security is not something that will go away. Having a way to easily encrypt your client-sensitive e-mail is critical to the long-term health of your business (and your assets). And EnsuredMail gives you that ability for a lot less than a single frantic call to your attorney!