We, as Internet users, really need a solid encryption process. And as practicing accountants, the need is even greater. We have a huge problem in trying to communicate with other professionals and with clients while maintaining appropriate controls on who sees what, when. The problem is exacerbated somewhat by technology platform differences and materially by huge variances in "user ability". Unfortunately, much new technology depends on adaptation --- and that adaptation is a "least common denominator" process.
Last year I wrote here about my failed experiment with digital signatures. The software is here and freely available. It works just fine IF you're using a recently updated, compliant email client. Many aren't and when they receive my "modern" message is appears garbled. Sort of like the digital vs. analog television conundrum ---- or, the chicken and the egg. It seems as though until we ALL move, NONE can move. I gave up using my digital signature because I got so many calls, questions, returned emails that I was finally worn down.
Last month I talked with Ray Zambroski, CEO of Essential Security Software, and we talked in depth
about the concept of email encryption and control. I was quite impressed with his knowledge and his product. TACEO is a email and document security product. It integrates into Outlook beautifully and is reasonably priced at $35 a year. A TACEO user sends a message in a secure digital "envelope" which ensures that only the recipient will see it. The sender controls the ability to print or forward the message and can even direct the message to expire (i.e. disappear from the recipients system!) at a certain time. Very impressive, indeed.
But (you KNEW there was a "but", right?) in order for those impressive functions to work the RECIPIENT must download and install a small, free client from TACEO. It's rather like sending someone a PDF file and directing them to Adobe if they need to download the reader. But (here's the but, really!) Essential Security Software isn't Adobe and TACEO isn't Acrobal Reader. Tech saavy users will resist the client because they don't want to download files they're not sure about. Tech-challanged users will resist out of fear of doing something wrong. Bottom line here is, in my opinion, that encryption schemes, like their sister digital signatures, need mass adotion to survive. Unfortunately it appears that only Microsoft can engineer such a feat.
Hopefully Vista will do so.
gll
practices such as installing the latest security updates from Microsoft on a regular basis --- a combination I often call "practicing safe computing". [It usually gets a laugh, and so I look for ways to work it into my presentations.]
