Secure E-Mail 

Federal regulations like HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) are creating a change in the process and architectural design of E-Mail Services. To comply with federal regulations, we must design new work-flow processes and make use of different tool sets than those we used in the past.

One such new design involves the creation of an E-Mail Encryption Service, as an easy and cost-effective way to help UC and our affiliates ensure HIPAA compliance. The UCit E-Mail Service team has decided to implement an in-line e-mail encryption appliance manufactured by the Zix Corporation.

Please note that the following does not apply to e-mail sent from UConnect. Only mail sent via the UCMAIL Exchange servers will be evaluated for encryption. E-mail sent from a POP3 client directly to the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server will be evaluated for encryption.

E-mail to partners, UC Physicians and Health Alliance, is automatically encrypted because we all are using the ZIX Corporation solution.

Here's how it works:

1. A user creates an e-mail message and clicks on send.
2. Exchange hands off e-mail messages to the ZixVPM (Virtual Private Messenger) device.
3. Zix examines the e-mail.
   1. First it looks at the subject line. If the first word is encrypt followed by a space, Zix will encrypt the message.
   2. Next it looks at the recipient address. If it is an address that the UC box recognizes as belonging to an entity that has its own ZixVPM device deployed, Zix encrypts the message.
   3. If neither of the above in true, Zix hands the device to the Internet mail router and the e-mail is sent unencrypted.

The encrypted e-mail is sent.

1. If the recipient e-mail system has a ZixVPM, the UC ZixVPM will send the encrypted e-mail directly to the recipient ZixVPM. The e-mail will be decrypted and delivered to the recipient’s in-box.
2. If the recipient e-mail system does not have a ZixVPM box, the encrypted e-mail will be sent to a secure portal, https:// securemail.uc.edu.

Using the UC Secure Portal Training Presentation

ZIXPort documentation from the vendor