Email communication has been and will remain an important part of any business livelihood, but without proper email security measures, it could be just as much of a liability as an asset to your company. Email encryption helps to protect sensitive material, ensuring no one will read your message aside from the person to whom it was intended. Here are the pros and cons to some of the more popular encryption methods.

• Manual Encryption The manual method allows users to encrypt emails themselves by adding a set prefix, thus making it necessary for the reader to take extra steps in order to properly receive the message. On the plus side, manual encryption gives senders precise options in exactly what to encrypt. On the other hand, it is very vulnerable to basic human error and requires training to accomplish effectively.
• Transport Layer Security TLS encrypts on a gateway to gateway basis working through TCP/IP connections. In order for automatic encryption both sender and receiver must use machines that support the TLS platform. It will also cost money to purchase infrastructure certification certificates and can be a slow process.
• OpenPGP Open PGP allows users to send messages to any number of recipients, each using their own individual key to gain access. However, specific software is required for the process and OpenPGP does not come standard on many machines, thus making it necessary for each individual computer to be prepared to handle the security measure.

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