SEPPmail
Email Encryption Redefined

Recent events of corporate espionage and whistle-blowers coming out of their shells to highlight criticalities of insecure internal communications have led to enterprises doubting the security of their digital communication channels. And, in this hour of turmoil, when most businesses are operating remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of secure communication cannot be understated. SEPPmail—an email security solution provider—addresses this prevailing predicament by guaranteeing the protection of every email marked as confidential and its attached documents that a firm sends electronically through its integral full-package solution, “Secure Email.”

SEPPmails’ journey in the enterprise security arena began 20 years ago, when Stefan Klein, founder, and current CEO, was volunteering at a lawyer’s office in Zurich, Switzerland, and was faced with an opportunity to safeguard the communication channels of his employer. A client of the legislative firm had requested that files shared electronically between the lawyer and himself be encrypted. Klein, after a brief discussion with his employer, decided to create a centralized solution to mitigate the challenge. Through the successful development and deployment of the email protection solution, the law firm was able to service the client in a manner that was efficient to both parties by having an automated defence system for any document shared electronically.

“Since that first iteration of Secure Email, we have continuously developed our solution, and the preparation through these years has put us in a successful position to safeguard enterprise email communication,” says Günter Esch, Managing Director, SEPPmail GmbH. As hackers continue to utilize new disruptive techniques to breach enterprise cybersecurity barriers and mar dynamic business growth, SEPPmail addresses various digital communication anomalies by acting as an additional layer of absolute encrypted protection.

Future-proofing Email Communications

“Our core business is to offer a complete solution for email encryption and decryption. SEPPmail assures that no email marked as confidential will be sent without encryption,” elucidates Esch. Housed within SEPPmail’s Secure email platform are its core applications—Email Encryption and Decryption (ENC), Large File Transfer (LFT), and Email Signature.

SEPPmail’s ENC application ensures users that confidentiality is maintained for external enterprise emails, and only a sender and designated recipient can view the files. For internal electronic communication, a user can establish security by implementing the SEPPmail MS Outlook Add-on. Since the application is designed as a gateway within an enterprise’s network DMZ on the way to the internet, and right before the mail server, this feature helps prevent a breach by activating the add-on. This strategic approach is necessary as internal emails reaches and passes through the gateway. A vital element of this solution is the rule set that SEPPmail has designed for controlling its operational workflow. These pre-defined settings contain all the instructions to process an email, which encompasses 90 per cent of customers’ secure email requirements. Users can confirm that all outgoing email is efficiently secured with a security key that is unique to a recipient.

For instance, if an S/MIME key is present, then that locking mechanism is given the first choice during encryption. Alternatively, authorized personnel can use localized OpenPGP keys that are either created within their organizations or procured from their clients. In case a S/MIME key is non-existent for the external recipient, SEPPmail’s system can be programmed to check if there is an exiting OpenPGP key procured from the a users client. If a communication partner has a pre-defined secure gateway, the entire conversations are protected from both ends from the start, and with full transparency for both the internal and external users.

For emails that are sent spontaneously, and have visibility across any device without any email security, SEPPmail has developed a proprietary technology called GINA. This extension of the Secure Email system encrypts the whole email and its attachments with a calculated key designated only for the external recipient. The entry mechanism is securely stored on the gateway, and the encrypted email is sent out as a packaged container file. The send receives a one-time password that is transmitted to the external receiver. The recipient can then open the attached container where the OTP is utilized as an identification parameter. Once within the secure space, the user can create their own unique password to read, store, and reply to the sender from any device they deem fit.

With the LFT application, organizations can avoid non-secure digital file transfer techniques, especially while sending files that occupy a considerable amount of storage space. Senders can add sizable content onto the platform as downloadable encrypted files that are available to recipients for a stipulated period. To access the content, recipients must have the necessary authorization to enter the GINA portal. This gateway allows senders to add files to the LFT database, and then deliver the documents via an encrypted link for recipients to download and view the information securely. Subsequently, users may also choose to turn-off GINA entry, and in those cases, content can be moved to the LFT storage via an the Outlook add-on in a very comfortable manner. The saved data upon reaching a stipulated expiration date becomes redundant and is automatically deleted.

For clients that use Email signatures to ensure authenticity, SEPPmail’s Email Signature software allows for the automation of all certificate authorization procedures. The application lies hidden behind a firm’s IT firewall, and just in front of the mail server that substantiates and enhances the security of an organization’s local area network. Email Signature lets users define a set of administrative controls to ensure that every email contains the right authorizations and notifies the sender if an inappropriate signature is found. An unbroken email signature ensures that the content has not been manipulated in any way and guarantees the authenticity of the sender by transmission of the public key in the background.

All of SEPPmail’s applications are easily deployable and is made available as a complete suite or as standalone applications. Clients can download and install all the email security solutions from SEPPmail’s website, and begin utilizing it on their virtual IT systems immediately. The merits above and advantages have empowered SEPPmail to successfully orchestrate various collaborations, through which it has safeguarded numerous enterprise communication infrastructures for clients.

The Voice of Customers

Datev, a fintech services provider for tax advisors in Germany, approached SEPPmail to understand the best measures needed to ensure that all emails passing through their systems are secure. Before engaging with SEPPmail, the client had tried to use PDF encryption and ran into a list of new problems such as password retrieval and the need for the recipient to have a full version of a PDF reader. “With our Secure email solution, the client can change authorization codes at will and read all stored documents while also delivering a safe communication method that is future-ready,” explains Esch. Presently, over a million GINA accounts are sending millions of GINA-secured emails over their operational IT system environment, showcasing substantial benefits that the Secure Email platform can bring into practice.

"We have no investors on board, which gives us the freedom to listen to our customers and nobody else"

SEPPmail also offers its solutions as white-label products, and the utility of these solutions was showcased when Switzerland’s health information network directly integrated SEPPmail’s ENC application onto its website to be used as the mainline of communication amongst stakeholders. With more than 400 Swiss-based health organizations accessing the network, thousands of doctors and health insurance companies rely on the email protection infrastructure that is supplied by SEPPmail.

Besides organizations, SEPPmail’s email encryption systems can be deployed at universities and institutions to keep the internal communications between students and lecturers private. At the Technical University of Dresden, professors and an excess of thirty-five thousand students use the solution daily to exchange data while being assured of confidentiality. “Our clientele is very holistic, spanning across various industry verticals, service-oriented companies, patent lawyers, and so on,” comments Esch. “We have no investors on board, which gives us the freedom to listen to our customers and nobody else.”

Addressing the Need of the Hour

At the time of writing this article, the enterprise world faces a whole new challenge of securely running business operations due to the ‘COVID-19’ pandemic that has almost the total population of the globe in a lockdown situation. In view of this problem, the team at SEPPmail is focusing on finding an effective workflow that infuses a healthy work-from-home culture. Highly-protective of its workforce, the company has organized its business processes to be seamlessly operated from remote locations, thereby ensuring that staff members are safe within the comfort of their homes. As enterprises irrespective of size continue to close down their offices given the dangers associated with COVID-19, SEPPmail wants to address the problem by sharing its work-from-home strategy with its clients. “We believe in maintaining a healthy culture and have organized our business to be home-office friendly,” shares Esch.

SEPPmail’s target for the foreseeable future is to establish itself beyond the boundaries of Central Europe by venturing into other regions such as the Nordic countries, and eventually to become a global leader in the email security field. The firm upholds a customer-centric business model, all the while taking into consideration the preferences of its clientele to improve its products. When asked about the firm’s most significant achievement since inception, Esch says, “The gratitude that our customers have for us upon benefiting from our products, coupled with their consistent valuable feedback, is our greatest accomplishment so far.”