Enhanced security of document delivery with Safe4 version 3.5

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At Safe4 we are constantly seeking ways to improve the security and quality of the experience of using our document delivery and storage service.

One of the important changes we are making relates to the way in which email notifications are delivered when new documents are uploaded to the service, or when a user wishes to send a message regarding a document already stored in the system.

Remember that we never send documents as email attachments.  This is inherently insecure, and can potentially lead to regulatory and compliance problems.  However, we use emails for notification of new file uploads or messages relating to already-stored documents.

Some important improvements have been made to the email notification process:

  • Email notifications no longer carry hyperlinks to the documents stored within Safe4, but by clicking on a new link in the message, the user will be directed to a login page.  After login and authentication, the user will be presented with a new Notifications page.  This will carry live links to the files in question, and will also provide links to the folder or subfolder where the files are held.
  • An email link to the originator of the message, should the user wish to respond.
  • A Notifications Summary page will also be available, with a record of all of the Notifications that the user has received.

Security of the system has been enhanced, with a new facility for entering a PIN code.  If the user or their provider has chosen to use a PIN, this will be entered using an on-screen keypad to select the numbers.  This removes the possibility of keyboard loggers being used to capture user authentication data.

The invitation process for new users has also changed, and upon receiving an invitation the invited user will be offered a clear choice between using their existing account, and creating a new account. For users that have access to more than one Safe4 vault or provider account, this will simplify the process and speed up user registration.

Version 3.0 of Safe4 streamlines secure document delivery platform

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The Safe4service is undergoing constant improvement, and we have now completed some significant changes that are being made available in a specific new release, Safe4 version 3.0.  Many of these will give the service provider greater control over how the system is used by their clients, and there are a number of helpful user features that will improve the experience of using Safe4.  The latest Safe4 Administration Manual can be accessed by clicking here.

Your clients’ users will receive a separate email directing them to a different Release Blog.  For your information, this can be accessed by clicking here.

The key changes to the system are:

  • The ability to place a time limitation on a client’s vault.  This is primarily to support the new Safe4 concept of Instant Document Delivery, but it is applicable to many situations in which a provider may wish to withdraw a vault from client access after a set time period.
  • Enhanced permission control is available on some of the standard sections of the Safe4 folder structure, including the ability to manage access to the existing My Folder Tree and Common Folders.
  • A number of field labels for the definition of client vaults are now configurable by the provider.
  • Additional controls have been added to the way in which permission groups are set up.
  • Extended controls have been added to the process of sending email notifications when new files are added to a client’s vault.  Service providers can now choose to override a user’s preference not to receive emails, if they deem it essential for efficient communications.
  • The client user interface has been simplified to make it easier for providers to engage with clients.

Client users of the system also see improvements

  • The upload process for adding new documents to the system has been improved, with changes to the way in which the actions are carried out.
  • User feedback during file upload has been improved, with a percentage counter and enhanced status bar.
  • It is now possible for Safe4 vaults to be time-limited under certain circumstances.  Your service provider will inform you if this applies to your use of Safe4.
  • Service providers can now choose to override a user’s preference not to receive emails, if they deem it essential for efficient communications.

Safe4 launches version 2 of their unique secure document delivery solution

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Safe4 are very excited to announce the immediate availability of Version 2 of their unique solution to support professionals communicating documents to their clients with complete security.

There have been some new developments to the Safe4 Secure Vault service, with specific enhancements to the administration of the system.  It is now possible for Safe4 provider users to exercise greater control over the way in which both your own users and your clients’ users are managed.  These are described in detail in the latest Safe4 Administration Manual, which can be accessed by clicking here.

Your clients’ users will receive a separate email directing them to a different Release Blog.  For your information, this can be accessed by clicking here.

The key changes to the system for providers are:

  • Incorporation of a Personal Identification Number (PIN) into the user login process. This provides an extra level of security and is optional. It is applied by the provider system administrator on a client-by-client basis.
  • Changes to the way in which Safe4 groups are managed.  More detailed definition of user capabilities has been provided, so that users can be granted more specific access rights and restrictions.
  • The ability to assign groups to provider users as well as client users.
  • Enhanced control over users.  Certain administration rights can now be added to each provider user’s profile, allowing some aspects of system administration to be delegated.
  • The ability for provider users to receive email notification when new files are added to a Safe4 vault, whether by a provider or client user.
  • The ability for provider users to opt out of the receipt of email notifications for new files.

Client users will also see some substantial benefits from new features that make it easier for them to access documents.

  • Your Safe4 provider may now require the use of a Personal Identification Number (PIN) which will need to be used when you login to the system. This is to add extra security to the Vault.
  • The section of the Safe4 File and Folders page that shows the list of files contained within a folder has changed.  You now have the ability to select files for specific actions, dependent upon the rights of access you have been granted.
  • Some of the functions on the Safe4 screen displaying the files contained within a folder have changed, and some buttons have been repositioned.

How secure are your Email transmissions?

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Email has become, over the last two decades, the accepted means by which communication between businesses takes place.  We all use it every day, perhaps without thinking in many cases.  But is it the right way to send confidential or secure information?  And how do we control what happens when it gets to the recipient’s inbox?  Will our confidential information be forwarded in error, deleted, misfiled, or simply ignored?

This raises some important questions:

  • Do we trust email for the transfer of confidential information?  In this age of spamming, phishing, banking scams, and sundry other criminal activities based on email, are we happy to entrust private, mission-critical information to this medium?
  • Even if we were to find a completely secure, encrypted email transmission and receipt service that everybody we might want to communicate with was happy to use, are we still sure that attachments are handled correctly at the other end?
  • And what if you are travelling, and can’t get access to your desktop email client with encryption keys, does everything stop and wait for you?

At Safe4, we believe that there is a better way of achieving complete security of information transfer.  With the Information Commissioner announcing fines of up to £500,000 for breaches of information security, this is not a good time to ignore this issue.

The UK’s legal professional makes use of insecure email constantly.  Most legal professionals instinctively use email to send highly confidential information as attachments.  Perhaps better alternatives can now be considered?

Managing Critical Documents in Difficult Economic Times

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The life of the Independent Financial Adviser is difficult enough in these times of tight regulation and tough economic circumstances for many people.  A perfect time, in fact, to make sure that every possible effort is made to reduce costs, enhance productivity and improve client service.  By paying attention to their business processes, IFAs can take significant steps towards ensuring that their business is in the best possible shape when economic conditions are more favourable.

That is why Alan Mills, Managing Director of Barnsley-based Pennine Financial Planning, has chosen this time to implement the Safe4 secure online document delivery and storage service on behalf of his clients.  Using Safe4 will indeed save money and improve client service, but crucially it will also allow Pennine to increase the efficiency of their business processes, making sure that they can handle the increased volumes of activity when the market has fully recovered without increasing their overhead costs.

Alan Mills has a very clear view of the current situation:  “As one of a relatively small number of fully qualified Chartered Financial Planners in Yorkshire, I need to make sure that when business activity does improve again that Pennine is able to expand its level of business without threatening client service or our ability to stay fully compliant with the demanding regulatory environment in which we operate.  Using Safe4 to handle all of our document delivery and storage will enable us to do this at the same time as adding real value to our client relationships.”

Reducing Costs and Improving Efficiency

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One of the great challenges of doing a cost / benefit analysis is quantifying how much is saved, and to what extent efficiency is improved.  When applying this analysis to the implementation of Safe4, there is a range of variables that need to be taken into account to be able to monetise the benefit that will be achieved by the business.  And to complicate matters, each business sector is different, and individual firms with each sector will have a different approach.

Some of the key questions will be:

  • To what extent is the business dependent on the use of paper, and the distribution of hard copy to clients?
  • How many requests for information retrieval are received, and what level of admin effort is needed to deal with them?
  • Can clients receive documents by email?  Is the security of public email systems sufficient to meet regulatory requirements?
  • Are there any issues in meeting compliance requirements?  Is it a big effort to prepare for a compliance audit?
  • How much staff time is spent sending out documents to clients by email or post, and is it necessary to follow up to ensure safe receipt?

Establishing clear models that can be used to identify and quantify cost savings can be a huge boost to a business.  It would be great to get some feedback on any specific approaches that are applicable in the professional practitioner environment.