How do I send a confidential email from Outlook using Secure Exchanges?

How do I send a secure, confidential email from Outlook?

This article explains how to send a secure email with Secure Exchanges in Microsoft Outlook, as well as the options available before sending.

Prerequisites

Secure Exchanges must be installed and activated in Outlook. See How do I install and activate Secure Exchanges for Outlook?

When Secure Exchanges is correctly installed in Microsoft Outlook, a Secure Exchanges menu appears in the Outlook ribbon. When active, the button is green with a checkmark, indicating that the protection is ready to be used.



Step 1: compose the email

Compose a new email in Outlook.

Step 2: add your attachments

Add your attachments as usual (if necessary).

Step 3: send the email

When your email is ready, click "Send".

Step 4: set the security options

A Secure Exchanges pop-up window appears automatically before sending. Set your security options, then click "Send with Secure Exchanges".

Details of the options available in the pop-up window


A) Security options: what do you want to protect?

  • The entire message: protects both the email text and the attachments. *Recommended if the message content contains sensitive information (password, SIN, bank details, etc.).*
  • Attachments only: protects only the attached files; the email text remains readable. *Recommended if the message content does not contain sensitive information. This gives context to your recipients.*

B) Additional security options (optional)

The "Secure with" section lets you add extra authentication to access the secure email or the attachments. These options are optional and should be used according to your risk management level.

  • Password: when you select the "Password" option, you must set a password in the field provided. *The password must be sent to the recipient by a means other than email (for example, phone, SMS, instant messaging, in person). This prevents a third party with access to the mailbox from also accessing the secure content.*
  • Automatically generated SMS code: when you select the "Automatically generated SMS code" option, you must enter your recipient's mobile phone number. *The SMS code is sent automatically to your recipient's mobile phone when they open your message.*

C) Opening options

You can control how long the message stays accessible to your recipient. The shorter this period, the lower the risk. These options should therefore be used according to your risk management level.

  • Number of openings: maximum number of views allowed. *You can set up to a maximum of 99 times.*
  • Message expiry: delay before automatic destruction. *You can set up to a maximum of 30 days.*

D) Communication options

  • Message language: choose the language in which the secure email instructions will be displayed to your recipient.

Need help?

Our team is available to assist you. Write to us at support@secure-exchanges.com