Application Review - Secure Email

I recently went to a conference concerning secure email, and found the ZixCorp (http://www.zixcorp.com/) solution to be really interesting.

From a health care perspective, its becoming increasingly apparent that more emails between payors (eg: Blue Cross/Blue Shield; Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Tufts Health Plan) to providers & providers to patients should be sent via a secure methodology that is not a hindrance to people receiving or sending emails.

The ZixCorp solution uses two different methodologies to send secure emails:

The Pull Method (ZixPort secure portal) requires the recipient who doesn't use zix to log onto the Zix secure email servers to retrieve messages.


BENEFITS
1. No client software to download
2. Automated authentication process
3. Secure reply capabilities


The Push Method - (ZixDirect) assumes the email is being sent to a zix member, and will encrypt the email over the internet, then decrypt it automatically when loading the message into your email application.

BENEFITS

1. Internal/outboard encryption
2. Encryption of message body & attachments
3. Integrated with Outlook versions
4. Sent/received emails are stored encrypted

A final note, there are also other secure email vendors like Tumbleweed (http://www.tumbleweed.com/), I will check into as well.

Intro - Diving Into the Deep End

I'm not certain exactly where to start, so how about we take a dive in the deep end of the river and follow the current.

You may ask why am I discussing health care or better yet what was I thinking when deciding to go into this as a career.

The answer to the first question is simple; I should have died in June of 1986, but for the diligent work by some tenacious doctors/nurses am here to celebrate my 4 year old son's and 15 months old daughter's birthday. Since recovering from my illness I've promised myself to do something/anything in the health care field.

After coming out of coma, I realized:
A) I'm incredibly lucky (That's what my wife thinks).
B) Having health care should be important to all of us.
C) Some day we will all partake from the fountain called "health care" in some form.


(Hey Love, a list that I created on my own, maybe you’re rubbing off on me! (NOT, just kidding))


Now onto more serious thoughts, as a reasonably sane person, who has a brother, sisters, nephews & nieces all who at some given point in the future may require health care services, we should always be striving as a society to provide low cost QUALITY health care to all of our citizens.


I decided to go into health care I.T. as a profession because I'm what you would call a "cool geek" and let's leave it at that. Please note I've been called a "geek/nerd" before and forced to retaliate in a totally I.T. kind of fashion. I leave the rest up to your imagination.
:)

This may be a little long winded but now you'll never have to ask the question as to why/what be him thinking.
So, going forward I will endeavor to add a weekly posting discussing I.T. solutions or critiques of things I've encountered or read.