Making digital communication secure and user-centric
Email communication in organisations demands the highest level of security to meet compliance requirements and protect sensitive information. Data breaches, however, are often caused not by technical failures but by human error. On this page we introduce our Outlook add-ins SecFlow and SecEdit. They act as a direct interface between the user and the S/MIME & PGP gateway mail:u Secure, actively preventing misdirected emails and seamlessly integrating the user into the security process.
Intelligent email verification
Process and functionality of the add-ins
Before an email leaves the organisation, our add-ins automatically analyse the planned dispatch in the background. Via the existing Outlook login, the client queries mail:u Secure without the actual email being sent.
The system checks the draft's sender, recipients, subject, content and attachments against the configured rules. Based on this check, the user receives direct feedback in Outlook about whether and how the message will be sent securely.
To optimally support different workflows, two specialised add-ins are available, whose differences are important for everyday use.
Real-time monitoring
SECFLOW – Security measures at a glance
SecFlow integrates unobtrusively as a flyout menu on the right-hand side of the email client. It is purely informational and gives the user a clear overview of which actions the gateway will perform when sending.
This preview is based on the centrally configured rules and the current user selection. For example, a button for secure sending can be shown to the user in Outlook so that secure dispatch is enforced.
The evaluation is performed precisely for each individual recipient address in its own row, presented in an easily understandable way using intuitive icons and a corresponding legend.
Real-time monitoring
SecEdit: Active control and influence
SecEdit goes one decisive step further:
It is displayed as a prominent overlay directly over the email window. This overlay can be enforced by the add-in configuration before sending, if an email requires special attention.
Unlike SecFlow's pure status display, SecEdit allows the user to actively adjust the email's processing.
The employee can directly influence the outcome within the actions defined by the company – for example, by explicitly enforcing or adjusting a specific encryption method.
Transparency, control and awareness
Transparency
Before sending, the user sees at a glance whether the email may be dispatched in accordance with company guidelines.
Awareness
Users are involved in the security decision without having to leave their familiar tool (Outlook) or possess in-depth cryptography knowledge.
Control options
Organisations retain strict control over the secure transmission of sensitive data, while SecEdit grants employees precisely the leeway needed for a smooth communication process.