The headlines are filled with stories touting shocking cyber breaches where business or personal information is compromised. Let's be clear: this is one situation where not all publicity is good publicity. No business wants to expose itself, its employees or its customers to any kind of cyber breach. 

95% of cyber breaches are caused by one of three things: hackers, rogue employees, or loss or theft of equipment. These are not just a threat for large corporations; small- to mid-sized businesses face an equal—if not greater—risk, and have fewer resources to effectively clean up and recover after a breach occurs.

So while we are all justifiably concerned about hackers from foreign lands, viruses and malware, and employee theft or malfeasance, how much time do we spend thinking about the security of the emails that we send? Did you know that sending confidential information through email could prove to be a risky venture? 

Email Encryption is Essential to Securing Your Data

Much of the email sent within an organization and even to and from customers and suppliers is likely innocuous, day-to-day conversation. But think about the types of information that could be sent to or received from your customers or partners that might contain sensitive information that should only be seen by the sender and the recipient. Have you ever sent emails containing any of the following?

• Medical records or PHI subject to HIPAA or HITECH
• Banking and billing information
• Credit card numbers
• Legal documents
• Customer contact lists
• Social Security numbers
• Passport numbers

All of this information could be severely damaging to you, your employees or your customers if it fell into the wrong hands. 

Luckily, there is a way to mitigate this risk through email encryption. Encryption adds code to the email that secures the information using an algorithm that can't be hacked. While opening content from an encrypted email adds another step in the process, the encryption tackles the risk of a cyber breach head-on. 

Encrypting email is relatively easy and inexpensive relative to other data security measures you likely have to take. And it is certainly easier and less expensive than the costs of repairing your reputation, paying damages, and shelling-out for regulatory fines if you suffer a breach. 

HNI Takes Your Security Seriously

HNI is no exception. We face the same cyber threats that you do. And we are passionate about conquering business risk and tackling it head-on. Keeping confidential information safe and secure is an important part of how we address the many security risks we all face, while building and maintaining trust with our clients. 

If you receive an encrypted email from HNI, it is because the email contains confidential information that we are passionate about protecting on your behalf. It is our way of saying, "We care about protecting you and thank you for your continued trust." 

Does your company send or receive information via email? Have you given serious thought to the importance of email encryption for your organization? It is one of the many wicked problems we can help you face head-on.