How it works
How is the email encryption service provided?
• We provide you with a Secure-mail hub, which is a small box which encrypts your emails for you.
What do I need to use Secure-mail?
• You need to have your own email server in-house and it must send and receive email using SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) – this is the Internet standard.
• You must be able to connect the Secure-mail hub between your email server and your Internet connection.
Do the people I’m emailing have to have the service?
• The secure-mail hub automatically encrypts emails passing between secure-mail users. If the recipient is not a Secure-mail user (full or lite), then the email will not be encrypted.
• Subscribers can invite others to join as users either as a full subscriber or as a user of our free software, Secure-mail:lite.
What’s Secure-mail:lite?
• Secure-mail:lite is a piece of software which enables people without a Secure-mail hub to encrypt and decrypt messages.
• It’s quick to install, easy to use and completely free.
How can I invite someone to use Secure-mail:lite?
• Call us and we’ll do it for you.
• We’ll send them an email with a link to download the software.
Getting it
What type of "contract" do I sign?
• There’s no contract to sign.
• There’s no minimum period.
• There’s no notice period needed to terminate.
• All we ask is that you look after the hub, and keep your Direct Debit payment up to date.
• If you decide to end your subscription at any time, just return the hub to us and we’ll refund you any unused subscription payment.
When does my free trial period start?
• The free trial period starts 3 days after the Secure-mail hub has been delivered to you.
• This ensures that you have sufficient time to install the service.
What if there is a delay in installing the hub?
• Please contact us to request an extension to your free trial period.
Installing it
How do I install it?
• We’ll send you a USB key and a Secure-mail hub.
• You just power up the hub and plug the USB key in the back.
• Leave it for 5 minutes and then remove the USB key – keep it safe.
• Plug it into your Internet connection (usually an ADSL router).
• That’s it – job done!
• Should you need it, the Installation guide can be found here.
Will the hub work with my firewall?
• In almost all cases, yes. The Secure-mail hub must be able to make outbound connections to the Internet on port 25 – the normal email port.
• If the hub is between your firewall and your Internet router, then that should not be a problem.
• If the hub is behind your firewall (because you use a firewall router) and your firewall has been configured to restrict outgoing access on port 25, it would need to be re-configured. This would be a very unusual configuration.
What if I run Small Business Server?
• The Secure-mail hub simply needs to be connected between your Internet router and your Small Business Server for the service to work.
What if my mail server is directly connected to the Internet using a USB modem?
• The service cannot work unless the Secure-mail hub can be connected between your mail server and your Internet connection.
• It is possible to assist you in reconfiguring your connection. Please call our Customer Care Team to find out more.
Do I have to register the email addresses of all my email users?
• No, we just need to know the email domain name(s) that you use. You can add or delete domain names at any time.
Do I have to register the email addresses of all the people I email?
• No, the secure-mail hub automatically encrypts emails passing between Secure-mail users.
Paying for it
Why do I need to provide a direct debit for a free trial?
• Our Secure-mail hub and equipment is provided to you in good faith for the duration of your trial period.
• Collecting Bank Details for the purpose of future Direct Debit payments is protected by banks and building societies Direct Debit Safeguards and Guarantees.
• No money is taken from your account unless you decide to continue with the service. We will email you 7 days prior to the end of your free trial to confirm your subscription details and pricing.
• Administration processes and costs are minimised by collecting all business details at the commencement of a trial period.
What do I do in the event of my business details changing (address, bank account etc)?
• Call us with any changes on 0800 324 7788.
• Core changes to bank account and customer details can only be made by the authorised contact.
I have recommended your service to a number of people. What do I need to do to receive my incentive for this??
• You can complete a referral online or via our Customer Care team.
• Once they are registered and have completed their first quarterly subscription, you will receive a referral credit to your account.
• We will keep you informed through the referral process via email.
When do I start paying and how?
• Your trial period is free of charge for 30 days.
• We will email you 7 days before the end of the free trial period to remind you that it’s coming to an end. We’ll also let you know the number of email users and attach your first invoice.
• The invoice will be in respect of the part of the month after the end of the free trial period and for the next 3 months in advance.
• If you don’t want to proceed with the service, just let us know and we’ll send you packaging to return the hub. The invoice will be cancelled.
• We’ll collect the amount invoiced by direct debit 14 days after we send you the invoice.
• If you decide to cancel your subscription at any time, just let us know and we’ll send you packaging to return the hub. We’ll credit you with any unused period and refund any excess monies to your bank account.
What if the number of my external email users changes?
• Each quarter, when we invoice you, we will make an adjustment for any change in the number of external email users during any month in the previous quarter. We will add a charge in respect of any additional users during any month and similarly credit you in respect of any reduction in users.
Technical
Can Securecoms read my emails?
• The encryption key that you use is created during the installation process. It is kept on the hub and also backed up onto the USB key. We never receive a copy of any private key and cannot decrypt the emails of any Secure-mail users.
• The only information that we receive from the hub are reports of any error conditions experienced by the hub and a monthly report of the number of external email users for billing purposes.
What’s so special about Secure-mail?
• Secure-mail provides you with top quality encryption services without the need to install and maintain complex software or hardware products.
• There’s no long term commitment and no capital investment.
How do I know the encryption works?
• Secure-mail uses tried and tested encryption technology.
Will my attachments be encrypted?
• Secure-mail encrypts the entire email, including any attachments. Whether they're documents, spreadsheets, pictures, files or any kind of attachment, if the email is encrypted then the attachment will be too.
Will I need to perform any upgrades on the hub?
• No, any software upgrades are will be applied automatically without interruption to you.
Does it work if I am out of the office on my laptop?
• The encryption/decryption process happens between your email server and the internet connection and so does not affect the retrieval of your email remotely.
• Our service protects your emails as they travel between your mail server and the mail server of the recipient. It does not affect the way you communicate with your own email server.
• You should always ensure that your connections to your own email server are conducted securely. This is something that should be set up by the administrator of your email server.
Does Secure-mail work with other encryption systems?
• No, Secure-mail only works between Secure-mail users (full or lite).
What happens if the Secure-mail hub stops working?
• There are no moving parts in the hub and so it is unlikely to fail.
• If the hub does fail you should disconnect it in order to continue to send and receive email.
• You will not be able to encrypt or decrypt email until you replace/reinstall the hub.
• As soon as you let us know, we will send you a replacement hub by 9:00 am the next working day.
• If you wish you can pay a small additional subscription and keep a backup hub which can be installed within 5 minutes.
• Alternatively we can provide you with a version of Secure-mail:lite software which will enable you to manually use the service until the hub is replaced.
What if there’s a power cut?
• As soon as the power is restored the Secure-mail hub will restart itself – it will be fully functional within less than a minute.
Do you have access to my private key?
• No, unlike some encryption services, we do not hold or store a copy of your private key.
• Your private key is created during the installation process.
• Your private key is only stored on the Secure-mail hub itself and also backed up onto your USB key.
What if I lose my USB key?
• Please call Customer Care so that we can issue you with a replacement. You will have to insert it into the Secure-mail hub so that it can take a back up of your encryption key.
If you can't find the answer to your particular question, please email it to questions@securecoms.com or phone our Customer Care Specialists on 0800 324 7788 who will be able to help you.
020 8238 7878
020 8238 7878