SecureMail: Sending and Receiving Encrypted Emails

Overview

SecureMail is an end-to-end encrypted email service provided to all college staff. This service ensures that sensitive communications are protected at the highest level of security, enabling college staff to safely and securely send and receive emails containing confidential or personally identifiable information ("PII").

When you send an email through SecureMail, it is encrypted on your device and remains encrypted until it is opened by the intended recipient. This prevents unauthorized access, ensuring that only the sender and recipient can view the email's content.

Key Features

  • End-to-End Encryption: All emails sent through SecureMail are encrypted from the sender to the recipient, ensuring that only the intended parties can access the content.

  • Seamless Integration: SecureMail integrates directly with the college's main email system, allowing staff to use SecureMail's added security features with their existing college email addresses.

  • User-Friendly Interface: SecureMail is designed with simplicity in mind, ensuring that all college staff can easily send and receive secure emails regardless of technical expertise.

  • Compliance: SecureMail meets all regulatory requirements for data protection, including FERPA, HIPAA, and other relevant standards.

When to Use SecureMail

Using SecureMail is essential when handling any communications that involve sensitive information such as student records, employee records, banking and financial information, or other confidential data that could potentially be stolen and misused for fraudulent purposes. Regular email services (i.e., Outlook, Gmail, etc.) do not provide the same level of security that SecureMail does, leaving such information vulnerable to interception or unauthorized access.

Accessing SecureMail

To start using SecureMail:

  1. Open a supported web browser (i.e. Microsoft Edge).

  2. Go to securemail.cpcc.edu/encrypt.

  3. Log in with your employee account credentials.

Once you have logged in, your SecureMail inbox will be visible. You can also draft and send a new SecureMail message by clicking the blue "New Message" button located above your SecureMail inbox.

Entities outside of Central Piedmont who wish to send or receive encrypted emails from college staff will first need to create a SecureMail account. A full, detailed explanation of this process is available in this Knowledge Base article: Setting Up a SecureMail Account with an External Email Address

Receiving and Reading Secure Emails

When you receive an email via SecureMail, you will receive a notification in your regular employee inbox prompting you to click a link to view the SecureMail message. After clicking the link, you will be prompted to sign in with your employee network account credentials; after doing so, you will then be able to read the encrypted email.

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External recipients must create a Proofpoint SecureMail account in order to open and respond to encrypted emails sent by Central Piedmont staff. This article explains how to create and activate your SecureMail account.