The ability to communicate in a secure manner with your customers is a primary part of your goal to keep your business, your business. But where do you start? This guide is designed to help you understand the differences between Microsoft Office 365 encryption capabilities, known as Microsoft Office Advanced Message Encryption (OME), and the Echoworx Email Encryption Platform.

Email encryption for a growing digital world

As more businesses, organizations and industries continue their shift to all things digital, they continue to open their doors to an ever-complicated new digital world – a world where secure communication isn’t just a need, it’s a core business necessity.

As a Microsoft Trusted Root Member, Echoworx recognizes the power and value of Office 365 for effective communication with customers. Yet, while many organizations choose Microsoft Office 365 due to its streamlined ability to work in tandem with other Microsoft applications, its out-of-the-box OME features do not necessarily meet every unique business requirement.

Who uses Echoworx Email Encryption?

Large banks operating under stringent international rules and regulations, like the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or Payment Card Industry (PCI) security standards, to massive manufacturers, with plants, factories and offices across the world. Corporations operating across different borders and under different brands to governments requiring secure communication lines to reach their constituencies. Extensive healthcare systems, still relying on fax machines and paper bills. Echoworx specializes in helping large enterprise organizations effectively and consistently communicate with their customers, clients and colleagues regardless of circumstance.

For existing Office 365 users, Echoworx easily integrates into the Microsoft ecosystem – extending message encryption to external users in more user-friendly ways. Echoworx enhancements can help take your encryption capabilities to an enterprise level for more flexibility, more deliverability and more optimized message experiences.

Why Organizations Choose Echoworx Email Encryption Over Office 365 OME

1. More secure ways to protect email in transit

With eight secure delivery options, Echoworx offers more ways for organizations to communicate with customers and clients – ensuring no message is sent in the clear or not able to be delivered. Our email data protection solutions, which easily integrate with existing Office 365 systems, feature both push and pull encryption delivery options: Web Portal, S/MIME, PGP, Encrypted PDF, Encrypted Attachments (PDF, Office Documents and ZIP) and TLS with fallback.

Although other email encryption systems might offer different secure delivery methods, without proper fallback or realistic alternatives, these secure communications methods can be somewhat inflexible under different circumstances. Legacy encryption methods like on-premises PGP Universal Server, for example, must still be supported or made available. Or when a TLS connection is not available, a full array of similar seamless fallback options must be provided – online, offline and from any device.

2. More extensive branding features

Large organizations often operate across international borders, in multiple languages and under different brands – and they need secure communications which reflect this. And true brand customization is more than just slapping on a logo and changing the colour within specific defined spaces.

Echoworx’s extensive branding features allow organizations to apply their unique brand elements automatically, on a message-by-message basis – with support for 27 languages, including right-to-left reading. This ensures your customers can instantly recognize your brand, giving them more trust in knowing that the email or documents are from your organization and not a look-a-like intended to phish or spam them. And, unlike other email encryption providers, Echoworx multi-branding features are available out-of-the-box with the Echoworx Email Encryption platform – without requiring expensive supplementary security additions.

3. More message visibility

Detailed tracking is important part for many secure communications plans. Echoworx Secure Web Portal provides more transparency over message delivery – with audit features like whether a secure message was opened or recalled. Echoworx recall features are easily available to both sender and admins – not requiring additional operational interventions, reasons for recalling or special access.

Other email data protection systems might only offer message audit and recall features in a limited capacity or under certain circumstances. Message recall, for example, might require additional steps and PowerShell admin approval, which is not practical for messages which are sent en masse or time sensitive. With Echoworx, Administrators and senders can easily track and/or revoke email at any time.

4. More adjustable authentication

Not every customer is the same and neither are the messages and documents that you send them. Echoworx offers full customization over how an organization authenticates their secure communications – from high-security authentication measures, like Two-Step Verification or Biometrics, to Shared Secret Passphrase, where customers can access a secure with a set per message known word, number or random sequence without additional steps, like a registration process. Eliminating registration reduces friction in the communication process, frees up resources and makes the process faster for all.

While other email encryption systems may be set up to feature relatively seamless authentication experiences for specific types of users, user experiences may not be consistent. Depending on how a secure message is sent, for example, a recipient not using a correct device might be forced to go through an alternative login process requiring more steps for authentication..