Why Use SecureMail?

As described on the service overview, SecureMail is in use by Boston University faculty and administrators who need to ensure that specific messages they send go out with the highest level of encryption. This is important in complying with Boston University’s Data Protection Standards, specifically when dealing with Restricted Use data. SecureMail encrypts e-mails while in transit and while in storage in the mailbox, a requirement for Restricted Use data.

When Should I Use SecureMail?

As described above, SecureMail is currently the only approved e-mail solution for sending Restricted Use data. Common examples of Restricted Use data include Social Security Numbers, Credit Card Numbers, or HIPAA regulated data. If you are unsure if your data is classified as Restricted Use, please review the Data Protection Standards, or feel free to ask for help at ithelp@bu.edu. Data that is not considered Restricted Use (Confidential, Internal, and Private classifications) can be sent from your standard Office 365 account, though it is still recommended to use SecureMail for any e-mail you consider sensitive.

Getting Started

To set up a SecureMail account, you will need to click on the link supplied to you in a notifying message. (If you do not have a notifying message, please click the “Help” icon to request that one be generated for you.)

Once you have clicked on the supplied link and are in the SecureMail system, you will need to create a password for the account. NOTE: Passwords expire every 180 days, and you will be prompted to change it upon login. The password complexity rules are:

  • A minimum length of 10 characters
  • At least 1 number
  • At least 1 letter
  • At least 1 special character (e.g., @#$&%^)

How to Use SecureMail

To learn how to use SecureMail, you should review the detailed DataMotion SecureMail User Manual.

NOTE: The SecureMail system has a mailbox quota of 500 MB and a mail retention period of two years, after which time your email will be automatically deleted.

Send SecureMail via the Web Portal

You can use SecureMail from a web browser. Simply log in to the secure email system to create and send mail.

Send SecureMail via the Microsoft Outlook Client

If you use Microsoft Outlook with Exchange, you can compose and edit a message from within Outlook and send it via SecureMail using a single button click.  To get started, install the “SecureMail for Outlook” client and a Send Secure button will be added to Outlook.  When you click this button instead of the regular Send button, your email will be sent securely using SecureMail without having to log in to the DataMotion web portal. Additional information on this and other SecureMail features is available.

NOTE: The “SecureMail for Outlook” client is not available for Mac or Linux.  

To download and install SecureMail for Outlook:

  1. If you are upgrading to a newer version of the button, please begin by uninstalling your current version.
  2. Make sure that you have chosen File-Exit or File-Quit in Outlook to make sure the Outlook application is not running.
  3. Download the button from https://ssl.datamotion.com/button/downloadcenter.aspx and follow the provided steps to install it.
  4. Once the button is installed, you can launch Outlook again to begin using it.

Using your SecureMail Account for SecureFTP

Your SecureMail account can also be used sending large files via Secure FTP. Learn more in the related instructions.