Office 365 Message Encryption
There was good news this week in terms of hosted email and exchange, as Microsoft Office 365 has decided to drop the Microsoft ID requirement for its email encryption service, meaning you no longer need a Microsoft account to be able to read messages.
Well done to Microsoft, who have finally realised how restricting it is for non-Microsoft recipients receiving encrypted messages from Office 365 accounts. Instead, people without Microsoft accounts will be able to read the messages by entering in a one-time passcode that will be sent to them in an email.
The service, originally launched last November as Exchange Hosted Encryption, was renamed back in February as ‘Office 365 Message Encryption’. But up until now, both parties (sender and recipient) had to have signed up for a Microsoft account in order for the sent message to be decrypted, causing issues for many users.
Office 365 Message Encryption has proven to be rather popular, with over one million encrypted messages having been sent since its initial launch. So, it seems Microsoft have decided to reward users with this little turnaround.
However, you should be aware that the password does only last for 15 minutes after being sent – so it’s probably not a good idea to request your passcode and then go away for a coffee and a natter.
Once you’ve received your special one-time passcode, you will be able to enter it on the Office 365 Message Encryption Portal page before being able to view your message.
Office 365 technical product manager Shobhit Sahay, said in a recent blog post (via CloudPro): “When the passcode is entered correctly, you can see the encrypted email in plain text in the familiar Outlook Web App user interface. You can then choose to reply to the message or forward it. All responses you make will be encrypted.”
All customers who use Microsoft Office 365 Message Encryption will now be able to benefit from this new capability and can now send emails to anyone they choose, knowing they will be read. It can be purchased as a standalone service under the Microsoft Azure Rights Management umbrella, or included with your Office 365 E3 subscription.
