Secure Messaging: Email Encryption Software The Proofpoint Secure Messaging™ module adds powerful, policy-based email encryption software to your deployment. Proofpoint's powerful, policy-driven encryption features help mitigate the risks associated with regulatory violations, data loss and corporate policy violations by applying encryption automatically based on customizable policies.
"Identity theft is a top concern for consumers right now, so we can't let their credit card information get into the wrong hands. Proofpoint is extremely accurate at detecting any sensitive information that's being sent out and it allows us to automatically encrypt that data so it's always safe." - Steven Romero, Systems Engineer, Outback Steakhouse
Encrypted email is commonly used to transmit sensitive or confidential information-including operational data, trade secrets, legal documents, financial information, and personal healthcare and identity information-both inside and outside the enterprise. The need to secure this confidential information—and comply with a growing body of regulations that govern the transmission of private data—have made policy-based encrypted email a "must have" feature of a complete messaging security solution. The Proofpoint Secure Messaging module meets these requirements with the industry's most powerful and flexible solution for policy-driven secure messaging. Policy-driven secure messagingTraining end-users in the proper use of encryption systems can be a significant barrier to successful deployment of traditional secure messaging solutions. But Proofpoint Secure Messaging is much easier to use and manage. Proofpoint's secure messaging solution automatically and dynamically applies encryption or decryption based on your organization's policies, right at the gateway. As a result, end-users don't need to take any special actions to take advantage of encryption features and your compliance and content security policies are consistently and accurately applied on an as-needed basis. Easy to administerUnlike alternative approaches (such as PKI) to encrypted email, Proofpoint's identity based email encryption software features provide effective protection for sensitive information without the administrative burdens and infrastructure costs typically associated with secure messaging.
Easy to useProofpoint Secure Messaging operates transparently to end-users without requiring software downloads or the installation and maintenance of desktop encryption clients. Proofpoint's encryption solution automatically encrypts and decrypts sensitive content as required, without end-users having to use and manage complicated digital certificates or encryption keys. Low total cost-of-ownershipThe Proofpoint Secure Messaging module seamlessly interfaces with other Proofpoint modules including Proofpoint Regulatory Compliance and Proofpoint Digital Asset Security. Easy deployment and minimal ongoing management requirements greatly reduce the ongoing costs associated with managing your secure messaging solution. And Proofpoint's unparalleled ease-of-use for end-users minimizes support, training and helpdesk costs. Extremely granular control of encryption policiesAs in Proofpoint's anti-spam, anti-virus and content security modules, secure messaging policies are managed and enforced on an enterprise level from a single location, using the Proofpoint Messaging Security Console. Once defined, enterprise encryption policies are applied automatically at the gateway, eliminating the risk of user error. Message encryption policies can be extremely granular—encryption can be triggered by any combination of:
Apply inbound policies to encrypted messagesEmail can also be decrypted at the gateway, allowing Proofpoint's anti-spam, anti-virus and content compliance policies to be applied to encrypted email before it is delivered to end-users, ensuring that encrypted spam, malware and non-compliant messages are properly handled. The Proofpoint Secure Messaging module is powered by Identity-Based Encryption (IBE) technology from Voltage Security. Voltage IBE is a public key cryptography system that uses common identities-such as an email address-as public keys, eliminating the need for certificates, Certificate Revocation Lists and other costly infrastructure. The result is a powerful encryption solution that is easy to implement and easy to manage, without the overhead and cost inherent in traditional security solutions. How does IBE work?Any user can communicate securely with any other user by using the recipient's email address as the encryption (or public) key. Decryption (or private) keys are generated by the Proofpoint Secure Messaging module on an as-needed basis. These keys can be recreated at any time, eliminating the need to archive or store decryption keys. These basic properties allow for a secure messaging environment where certificates are never required and users need to know nothing other than their email addresses. Summary Comparison of Secure Messaging Solutions
The table above summarizes the key differences between Proofpoint Secure Messaging and other email encryption solutions. These solutions can be differentiated along six important criteria. UsabilityProofpoint's solution eliminates the need to use certificates, certificate revocation lists and all the costly and complex infrastructure associated with PKI systems. As a result, it is substantially easier to use and offers a much lower total cost-of-ownership. ScalabilityEach type of solution scales differently because each approach requires different sorts of information to be stored. The relatively high storage requirements associated with most solutions create a variety of disaster recovery, retention and backup problems (which are not shared by Proofpoint Secure Messaging):
AuthenticationAuthentication is central to any encryption system. Proofpoint provides the widest array of options for authentication, including RSA SecureID, email answerback, question and answer, PIN/password, Active Directory, LDAP and custom adaptors. Most other solutions provide very limited integration capabilities for authentication. Ad-hoc MessagingBeing able to send secure messages to recipients with whom you have never corresponded is a key requirement. Most solutions require pre-registration or the creation of additional, redundant credentials-which cannot be backed up-before encrypted messaging can be enabled. Proofpoint Secure Messaging was designed from the ground up to simplify this scenario and requires no user pre-registration nor software download to receive messages. Disaster RecoveryMost solutions require the storage of information pertaining to certificates, credentials, users and messages in order to encrypt. With Proofpoint Secure Messaging, none of this information ever has to be centrally stored, which makes it very easy to restore after a disaster. Integration with Inbound Message Scanning ServicesProofpoint is one of the only solutions to provide complete, end-to-end, content-level encryption with the ability to scan messages for viruses, spam or content compliance and to archive messages in the clear (i.e., in their unencrypted form). Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp.Kawasaki stops spam and viruses and protects against leaks of valuable intellectual property with the Proofpoint Messaging Security Gateway. Outback SteakhouseRestaurant chain Outback Steakhouse grills spam and viruses with the Proofpoint Messaging Security Gateway anti-spam appliance. Outback also protects sensitive customer information in outbound email using Proofpoint's Regulatory Compliance and Secure Messaging modules. Meadville Medical CenterThis 1300 employee hospital uses Proofpoint Regulatory Compliance and Secure Messaging modules to ensure the security of protected health information - and HIPAA compliance - by automatically encrypting email that contains sensitive PHI before transmission. MedCentral Health SystemThis Ohio-based hospital system keeps 3000 inboxes secure against spam and HIPAA compliance violations using the Proofpoint messaging security appliance. Placer County Office of EducationCalifornia's fastest-growing school districts keep student information secure-while blocking spam and viruses-using Proofpoint's inbound & outbound email security modules. |
 Proofpoint PlatformsAppliance:Virtual Appliance:Messaging Security Gateway — Virtual Edition Software:Hosted Service:Modular DefensesDefend against inbound threats:Spam Detection Virus Protection Prevent leaks of confidential information:Content Compliance Optimize your email infrastructure:Encrypt sensitive information:
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