Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations must be followed by any software used in the healthcare industry that manages electronic patient health information (ePHI). Federal law outlines requirements to guarantee that private patient health information is not disclosed without the subject's consent.
If patient data is handled, regardless of whether your company creates a mobile app, web app, or any other IoT system, the software must comply with HIPAA requirements. Testing healthcare applications is crucial for this reason. HIPAA compliance violations can result in severe fines and patient data theft.
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are used to connect software applications, allowing them to share data and functionality. APIs are an essential part of modern software development, enabling developers to create more powerful and complex applications. However, APIs can also pose a security risk if they are not properly secured. In this article, we will discuss API security and the best practices developers can use to secure their APIs.
Why Should Developers Prioritize API Security?
Protecting sensitive data: APIs often transmit and receive sensitive data, such as personally identifiable information (PII), payment card details, and health records. A security breach can lead to data theft, fraud, and identity theft, causing significant harm to individuals and organizations.
Compliance and regulatory requirements: Many industries, such as finance, healthcare, and government, have strict regulatory requirements for data security and privacy. Developers must ensure that their APIs comply with these standards, such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS, to avoid legal and financial penalties.
Reputation and brand image:A security breach can lead to negative publicity, loss of customer trust, and damage to the brand’s reputation. Consumers expect for their data to be secure when they use an organization’s services, and a security incident can quickly erode that trust.
Financial losses: Security incidents can result in financial losses due to data theft, fraud, and legal fees. Organizations can also incur costs associated with remediation and recovery efforts.
Cyber threats are on the rise: Cyber threats are evolving and becoming more sophisticated every day. Developers must stay vigilant and adopt best practices to prevent cyberattacks and data breaches.
15 Best Practices
Developing secure APIs is crucial for protecting the data and resources of the API. Here is a checklist for developers that includes recommendations for securely developing APIs:
The fax machine itself represents a bygone era. It was the go-to device for sending documents in its heyday, but today, it’s been replaced by more modern technologies. However, that doesn’t mean that faxing itself has become obsolete.
Email is the most popular form of business communication, and e-signature services are transforming document sharing and storage. But even in today’s modern world, faxing is still the go-to solution for securely sending sensitive information. In fact, faxing grows in popularity every year because of its end-to-end encryption, high-level security, and convenience.
But without the fax machine, sending faxes requires wireless faxing. This article will explain how to fax wirelessly in six simple steps.
The 12 Best Online Fax Services for Sending Faxes Wirelessly
Individual online fax services serve various purposes, and the one that works best for you will depend on the industry you’re in and the type of faxing you plan to do. Whether you need a single line for occasional use or dozens of lines for sensitive daily operations, our list of the best online fax services has the right option for you.
Before doing anything, you need to choose the right online faxing service for your needs.
Sending faxes online offers numerous benefits:
Greater Accessibility: Online faxing is just as functional as older fax machines, but with some added benefits. Online fax applications are available on mobile devices and computers, so you can access your faxes from anywhere. In addition to the features you’d expect in an old-fashioned machine, like document sharing and multi-user functionality, some also offer new time-saving features like electronic signatures and cloud storage integration.
Security: Online faxing is much more secure than traditional methods, as it uses end-to-end encryption to protect your data from prying eyes. This makes online faxing the preferred choice for sending sensitive information over the internet.
Online faxing services like RingCentral offer additional security features to keep your documents safe.
Cost savings: Paper costs, maintenance fees, and ink all add up quickly if you’re using a traditional fax machine. Online faxing eliminates all these costs, as you only pay for the service itself and not any of the extra expenses associated with physical machines. Plus, you only need an internet connection to set it up and successfully send someone a fax.
Convenience: Traditional fax machines often require separate phone lines dedicated to the machine, but that’s not the case with online faxing. You can use your existing internet connection for the setup and sending process instead of having to invest in an additional landline or phone line. This means that you can send faxes on the go from wherever you are, even if you’re abroad.
That said, before sending a fax, you need to evaluate your business (or individual) needs to ensure that you choose the right online fax service.
To narrow down your options, ask yourself the following questions:
What industry are you in?
Depending on your industry, you’ll need to look for a service that meets your sector’s specific regulations and requirements. For example, if your company operates in healthcare or finance, you should choose a fax service that complies with HIPAA regulations.
RingCentral supports multiple industries, including healthcare, financial services, legal, and real estate.
Do you need to send faxes regularly or only occasionally?
The frequency of your faxing will determine the type of service you need. If you’re only sending a few pages here and there, then go for a service with pay-as-you-go plans or limited monthly packages.
On the other hand, if you’ll frequently be faxing, consider an unlimited plan that won’t limit your transmissions or a company that offers volume discounts.
Do you have multiple users who will be sending/receiving faxes?
If you’re working with multiple users, consider choosing a service offering additional accounts or multi-user plans. Some services also offer group dashboards for monitoring and managing faxes from one central location.
What is the volume of faxes I need to send?
Like the frequency of your faxing, the volume of documents you need to send will determine which service is right for you. If you plan to send hundreds of pages per month, there may be better options than a pay-per-page plan.
Do I need any extra features, like cloud storage integration?
Not all fax services offer bundled features like cloud storage integration or electronic signature options. If you need any extra features, look for a company that offers more than just online faxing.
Do I already have a VoIP phone service set up?
If you use VoIP phone services, you can use them for your online faxing needs as well. Some providers offer this online service out of the box at no extra cost. Others may require you to purchase an additional plan in order to use their VoIP services.
Step 2: Set up the service and get a fax number
Once you’ve evaluated your options, narrowed them down, and chosen one, the next step is to set up your service and get a fax number.
To begin, you’ll need to register with the provider of your choice and fill in any necessary details or paperwork. You’ll also be required to provide payment information either upfront or at the time of registration.
Once this is done, you will receive a dedicated fax number that you can use to send and receive documents. If you’re using a VoIP phone service, this fax number may be associated with your existing phone line.
The process for doing this will vary from company to company, but if you choose one of the twelve on our list, the setup will be straightforward and shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. Of course, this depends on how many users you need to set up and the type of service you’re signing up for.
Step 3: Compose your fax document
After you (and your team, if you have one) are set up with an online faxing service provider, you can start to compose your documents.
There are a few ways you can go about composing a document to send:
Branded Company Documents: Enterprises and large companies usually prefer to keep everything uniform, which is why they often use branded documents. Templates with pre-set fonts, colors, and logos are great for keeping your branding consistent across all platforms.
Free Text Entry: For smaller jobs or quick transmissions, you can simply type in the document contents in the fax service’s online platform before sending it out. This method is fast, easy, and cost-effective.
Upload Documents: Uploading a document from your computer is the most straightforward way of sending an online fax. All you need to do is attach the file that contains all the information you want included in the fax and click send!
Online Document Templates: If you have a general document you need to fax (e.g., healthcare forms, invoices, NDAs, etc.), you can use pre-made document templates to fill in the necessary information quickly. This is especially useful for businesses that frequently send out the same types of documents. And there are templated documents for just about everything—all you have to do is Google them.
Manual Document Generation: If you are sending out a one-of-a-kind document (e.g., a medical record, a legal contract, or a custom sales proposal), most services offer a manual document generation feature. This lets you create and send documents while also entering in any necessary information or signatures.
Before loading your documents and sending them, make sure to double-check that all the fields are correctly filled in. This is especially critical when sending out legal documents or contracts, as even the slightest mistake can have serious consequences.
Step 4: Send and receive your faxes
Once you’ve composed your document(s) and double-checked that everything is correct, you’re ready to send them out.
An online fax machine functions similarly to a physical one, as you will have a specific fax number tied to your account. You can choose to have a national presence by selecting a toll-free 800 number or keep it local with an area code that reflects the community in which your business is based.
When you’re ready to send, you can either send faxes using your computer or a mobile device.
Send and receive faxes from any device with RingCentral.
You don’t need paper, a clunky machine, or even a physical phone line when you use an online fax service from your computer. You can quickly and easily send out your documents from the comfort of your own home or office.
Using a service like RingCentral, you can usually receive faxes right to your email inbox, just as you would with regular emails. You can even use your email inbox to send and receive your documents.
Using your phone, the process is equally straightforward.
You can use a mobile app that charges per fax or page if you don’t need to fax regularly. If you need to fax more often, you’ll usually save money with a subscription service.
Using a mobile app, you can send faxes from anywhere in the world with just a few touches and strokes on your smartphone (as long as you have reception).
Step 5: Manage sent faxes and store records
Once your faxes are sent, you’ll need to track and manage them. This is especially important when dealing with legally binding documents like invoices and contracts.
You should keep a copy of the faxed document and the recipient’s confirmation details when tracking a document. You may also want to store records of all documents you send out for future reference.
Most online fax services come with storage systems to store your sent faxes and access them anywhere. This is especially helpful if you need to change a document after it has been sent.
Periodically, you should back up your sent faxes to an external hard drive or cloud storage service like Dropbox. Not only will this help you protect your data, but it will also make it easier to find and access the records when needed.
Step 6: Terminate your online fax service when needed
Once you no longer need to use an online fax service, you can terminate it easily. Just make sure that all the documents and records are properly backed up before doing so.
Most services will also provide a way to export the data if needed, and many even offer discounts or credits for early termination.
Final Thoughts About Sending Wireless Faxes
Whether you realized it or not, faxing has remained one of the easiest ways to send documents over long distances quickly. And with the advent of online fax services, sending and receiving faxes wirelessly is even easier.
You can save time and money using an online service while still getting your message across securely and reliably.
Just remember to double-check all your fields before sending, store records of your sent faxes, and back up all data before terminating the service.
With the rising adoption of healthcare apps and wearable devices that gather medical data, the importance of data privacy for HealthTech companies is greater than ever. Companies that work with PHI must ensure they’re HIPAA-compliant, lest they face fines, lawsuits, or closures.
If you’re a developer or architect in the HealthTech field, you know that HIPAA is only a starting point if you want to provide truly robust privacy protections for your users.
With the explosive growth of cloud computing over the last decade, unprecedented volumes of data — customer data, product data, statistics, financials, and so on — are being shared between organizations every day. While it would be great if there were a universal API that could guarantee secure and accurate transfer of data, the reality is much more primitive.
Most data that is being shared between companies these days is contained in CSV (comma-separated values) files. While CSVs are generally easy to create, they’re notoriously difficult to secure.
Because of this, the exchange of CSV files has the potential to cause serious problems for companies. And when it comes to user security and privacy, companies can’t afford to gamble on such liability.
How To Create A Secure Data Importer For Your Clients
TechRepublic recently published the findings from a KPMG report regarding data privacy. 64% of respondents said that they don’t believe that companies do much in the way of securing and protecting the data that’s been shared with them.
We know what the solution to this is and how to reduce those justifiable concerns. The first piece is to handle customer data responsibly and be transparent about what you’re doing with it. Regulations like GDPR and HIPAA provide the framework for this.
The other solution is to use technology that prioritizes user security. Just as you’d only add secure data handling features to your digital product — like contact forms, payment processors, and so on — the same applies to your data importer.
CSV importers are already a step in the right direction when it comes to security. Rather than sending email files back and forth over insecure email platforms, companies pass their data through CSV importers. The trick is to build or use a data importer that prioritizes security.
Next, you can find some things your importer will need in order for that to be true.
Protect Your Data With A Secure Infrastructure
When you build a website or app, there are certain measures you take to secure it. One of the most important measures is choosing a hosting provider with the proper infrastructure to support, stabilize and secure your digital product and the data that moves through it.
If you’re building your own data importer, then your product hosting will serve as the underlying infrastructure for it. Just make sure that it is capable of protecting the integrity of your product as well as securing the data transmissions that take place through your importer.
If you’re going to use a pre-built data importer solution, then spend some time reviewing the technology and systems that power it. Your users — and their customers — won’t be too happy if a data breach occurs and you try to put the blame on an external solution.
Here are some things that a secure data importer needs in terms of infrastructure:
Built In The Cloud
Cloud hosting offers a high degree of protection. When reviewing data importer options, take a look under the hood of each to confirm that they’re running in the cloud.
For instance, Flatfile’s servers are built on Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud infrastructure. As a result, data that passes through Flatfile’s systems is fully encrypted using the AES-256 block cipher. This encryption protects data while it passes through the data importer as well as once it’s stored.
Security Testing And Monitoring
You and your clients aren’t the only ones who should be keeping an eye on what’s going on with your data importer. The company that devised the solution should be doing so, too.
There are a number of ways to ensure that the data importer and its infrastructure haven’t been compromised:
Application monitoring;
Continuous logging;
User action tracing;
Penetration testing;
Malicious activity monitoring;
Automated blocking.
It’s also important to find a data importer solution and provider that will be transparent about detected issues and alert you to any they’ve found.
Resource Management
Application performance goes hand-in-hand with security. This is critical for companies like EmployUS who promise users that their data will be secured, compliant and available.
In addition to reviewing your data importer solution for security features, also look for what it’s doing to optimize performance and uptime.
Load balancing and resource scaling are two things to look for. Another thing you should do is check out the company’s “Status” page. Here’s an example of what the “Status” page looks like for Flatfile:
If there are issues with any aspect of the data importer technology, you’ll find proof of it on this page. Users can also subscribe for real-time updates. Having this level of visibility and transparency is essential when you outsource a critical piece of your application to another provider’s solution.
Ensure Regulatory And Legal Compliance
Different types of digital products have to maintain certain levels of compliance. This can be due to the types of data they handle (like in the medical and financial industries) or because of where they or their users are located in the world.
Whether you’re building your own importer or using a pre-built solution, your technology and data handling processes need to be compliant with all relevant security and privacy regulations.
For example, Flatfile’s solution maintains compliance with the following:
GDPR Although this data security and privacy regulation was passed to protect EU citizens’ personal data, it has far-reaching effects. Because many businesses these days serve customers all around the world, GDPR compliance is essential for anyone doing business online.
AICPA SOC 2 (Types I and II) The Association of International Certified Professional Accountants has its own regulations related to data privacy and protection. SOC and SOC 2 refer to the audit that service providers must pass in order to ensure they’re securely handling employee and customer data.
EU/U.S. Privacy Shield The U.S. Department of Commerce put together this framework in conjunction with the European Commission and the Swiss Administration. It provides companies that conduct transatlantic commerce with a set of data protection requirements to follow when transferring data.
HIPAA HIPAA is a U.S. law concerned with the protection of sensitive patient data. It ensures that their health information is private and secure. It also gives patients more control over how their information is used and to whom it is disclosed.
With so many regulations to stay on top of, a data importer can become a huge chore to maintain and update. This is why many developers and companies choose to use a pre-built data importer solution.
Osmind, for instance, not only streamlined its data transfer process with Flatfile Workspaces, but it enabled them to achieve HIPAA compliance — something that’s critical when working with sensitive health records.
Bottom line: By finding a data importer that maintains various regulatory compliances, you won’t have to spend time down the road looking for alternative solutions to fill in the missing gaps. Plus, a provider that keeps its systems updated as regulations and standards change will greatly reduce the risk of your data importer falling out of compliance.
Prevent Your Importer From Breaking So Easily
Whether you are populating databases for a warehouse catalog, an ERP, or just a list of every town in which you operate, your importer needs to be strong.
For instance, let’s say a user ignores your file preparation instructions and rushes to import the files they have. Before it even gets to the point of cleaning up the data, you want to make sure the importer is able to process it without breaking down.
A broken data importer can leave users with a bad impression of the product they’re using and the company behind it. It doesn’t matter if it’s their fault for not reading the instructions or for poorly formatting their file. Encountering a broken feature is frustrating and can quickly lead to concerns with regard to security and privacy.
“What happened?” “Did my data even go through?” “Should I try it again, or is it too risky?”
With how advanced technology has gotten today, users will likely wonder why you hadn’t anticipated these kinds of issues and sorted them out already. So, in order to prevent end users from encountering a broken data importer, it will need to be smart and flexible.
This means using a data importer that:
Provides no more than a few guidelines so that users don’t have to read an entire manual in order to prepare their files;
Moves massive amounts of files with thousands of rows of data without erroring out;
Accepts files just as the customer has prepared them;
Easily maps and validates data no matter how inconsistent or varied the formats are;
Detects and notifies you (or your users) of serious errors before uploading.
An importer that breaks down all the time is going to cause issues for everyone involved. So too will one that brings tons of garbled data into your system — especially when that data is mission-critical.
By creating or using a strong and agile data importer, you can reduce the frequency with which errors occur. This will make your data importer more reliable and valuable to your users and help them instill greater trust in their own customers.
Wrapping Up
User security — as well as the perception of how secure the products are that they use — should matter a good deal to companies who collect data from their customers. That’s why it’s essential for developers to use CSV importers that they trust and that won’t put their clients or their end users in harm’s way.
As for whether you should build or buy a data importer, that decision is yours to make. However, if security and compliance are top priorities, then purchasing a pre-built importer like Flatfile would be the more economical and practical choice.
As a small business, keeping your data secure is an ongoing battle, especially when you must send sensitive information via email.
When you want to make certain that an unintended person does not intercept this information, you can encrypt your email messages.
Use the following steps to encrypt your email, whether you are using an email hosting provider or you are sending messages from your hosting domain’s email address through Gmail.
The Top Email Hosting Providers to Encrypt Email
For small businesses and entrepreneurs, using an email hosting provider is a great way to create an email address with your own domain name in it. You may be able to encrypt the messages through your email host, or you can link your Gmail address to your email host and encrypt the messages through Gmail (if you are using Google Workspace).
DreamHost — Best All-Around Email Hosting Provider
Even when using an email hosting provider, you can send messages through your Gmail account using your business domain’s email address by linking them together. We will focus on discussing how to encrypt email through Gmail for this reason, rather than explaining the encryption steps required for each individual email hosting provider.
We would not call the process of encrypting email particularly easy, as it requires multiple steps to make the process work. But it does offer quite a few benefits.
Assured protection: When you can send important information via an encrypted email, you can be certain that the information will not fall into the wrong hands. Once you work through the process of encrypting your email messages, having sensitive information fully protected through email encryption can give your organization significant peace of mind.
No tampering: With an encrypted email, you can be confident that no hacker intercepted the message en route to you or to your recipient and changed the information in the message.
Repeated success: Once you are able to send an encrypted email to a particular recipient successfully, you can continue to have success with that recipient. You do not have to change multiple settings each time you send a message using encryption to the same recipient.
Verified senders: When you are receiving an encrypted email message, you can be confident that the person or organization sending the message is who they claim to be.
Compliance with regulations: If your organization works in an industry where you must follow certain regulations, such as privacy through HIPAA, you will need to use encrypted email messages any time you are sending potentially sensitive data. Failing to encrypt these messages could leave your organization in violation of the regulation or standards.
The Difficult Parts of Encrypting Email
Although the process of encrypting email messages has quite a few benefits, it can be such a time-consuming hassle that some people simply choose not to use it.
Extensive setup: You can’t just click a button and magically have encrypted emails. You need to perform multiple steps on your end to enable the encryption method that your email hosting provider supports. You also need the recipient to be able to accept the encrypted email. This can be a significant challenge.
Incompatibilities: Some email clients’ encryption methods are not compatible with each other. For example, Gmail’s use of S/MIME for encryption may cause error messages in other email clients. If you are using Gmail’s S/MIME encryption method, and the recipient is not, you may need to deploy time-consuming troubleshooting work.
Lost data potential: If the recipient loses the key to unlock the encrypted data or never receives the key as intended, the information in the email is not available to them. When sending time-sensitive data that needs an immediate reply, this can be disastrous.
To be able to use Gmail to encrypt the emails you are sending through your email hosting provider, you first must create an email address that uses your business domain name with your provider. We will use DreamHost as the email hosting provider for this example.
Create an Email Address in DreamHost
As a DreamHost subscriber, you can create an email address that matches your domain. (You first will have to add a domain that you own to DreamHost.)
Using a domain name in your email address provides a more professional look for your business or organization versus using a generic Gmail address. Rather than sending emails from AllStarPlumbing76543@gmail.com, you can send emails from JoeSmith@AllStarPlumbing.com.
After adding your domain to DreamHost, click Mail along the left side of the DreamHost screen. In the expanded menu, click Manage Email to begin setting up your email address. Then click the Create New Mail Address button.
Select Your Email Settings
In the next DreamHost window, add the information for your email address, including the alias name you want to use, along with your domain name. You also can decide the maximum number of messages to save in your Inbox, how frequently to remove old messages, and other items.
After entering all the information, click the Create Address button. If you entered everything correctly, DreamHost should give you a message that shows you were successful. However, you may need to wait a few hours to begin sending and receiving messages. (Understand that it can take up to six hours for the new mail address to be ready to use, especially if this is the first email address alias you created under that domain name.)
Step 2: Add Your Domain Email Address to Gmail
When you create an email address for your domain at DreamHost, you have the ability to add this address to your Gmail account. You then can send messages in the Gmail client, while making use of your domain name at DreamHost as the sender, rather than using your Gmail account as the sender.
You will need to make sure your Gmail client is properly configured before you can begin sending messages with encryption. You need to change the outgoing server name in Gmail to smtp.dreamhost.com rather than setting it to your business domain name. This is a change in Gmail that occurred a couple of years ago.
Work in Gmail to Add the Email Address
Start by logging into your Gmail account through a web browser. On the Gmail screen, click the gear icon in the upper right corner of the screen. In the drop-down menu, click on the See All Settings button. Click the Accounts and Import link across the top of the page.
Scroll down the page until you reach the Send Mail As section. In this section, click on the Add Another Email Address link.
Enter the Domain Email Address Information
In the popup window, you can begin entering information about your domain name and email address. Some of the information you will need to enter includes:
Your name
Domain email address
SMTP server (which we mentioned at the start of this step)
Port number (usually 465)
Your DreamHost email password
You then will need to click the button to use SSL. Finally, click the Add Account button.
Verify the Added Email Address in Gmail
Gmail will send an email message with a verification code to your domain email address. You will need to return to DreamHost to view this message and to retrieve the code. Enter the code in the text box and click the Verify button.
Then return to the Accounts and Import link in the Settings window. Scroll down to the Send Mail As section again. Now you should see your domain email address listed.
If you want to use this address as the sender address in a Gmail message, click the Compose button in Gmail. In the From area, click the down arrow. Then select the domain name email address that you want to use. Compose your message and click the Send button, and Gmail will send the message with your domain email address listed as the sender.
Step 3: Protect Your Messages in Gmail
Google makes use of two different options for protecting email messages in Gmail, depending on whether you are using the free version of Gmail or the subscription version of Google Workspace.
Encrypted Gmail With Google Workspace
As a subscriber to Google Workspace, you can encrypt your emails sent through Gmail with S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions).
To enable S/MIME within Google Workspace, open your Google Admin console. Click Apps, followed by Google Workspace. Then click Gmail, followed by User Settings.
Along the left side of the screen, click Organizations to expand this menu. Click on the organization or domain name that you want to use with S/MIME.
On the right side of the screen, scroll down to the S/MIME section. Click the pencil icon on the right side of the S/MIME section to open the edit window for S/MIME.
Add a checkmark in the Enable S/MIME Encryption for Sending and Receiving Email checkbox. To allow non-Google Workspace users to receive encrypted emails, you will need to add a checkmark in the Allow Users to Upload Their Own Certificates checkbox. Click Save at the bottom of the window.
You then need to return to the Settings window in Gmail by clicking the gear icon. Click Accounts along the top of the window. In the Send Mail As section of the window, click edit info. You then will need to add your S/MIME certificates.
Once you finish adding these certificates, you should be able to begin sending and receiving encrypted messages through Gmail, using your DreamHost domain name email address.
Gmail Confidential Mode
In the free version of Gmail, you will use Confidential mode to protect your email messages. This is not quite the same as sending an encrypted email, but it does protect the contents of the message so that only the recipient can see the message.
Confidential mode places the email message on a Google server. The recipient will receive a link to the message, along with a passcode. By clicking the link, the recipient can view the message on the Google server. The recipient cannot forward or download the message. As the sender, you also have the ability to revoke the recipient’s access to the message after a certain amount of time.
Start by clicking the Compose button to create a message in Gmail. Be sure to select your domain name email address as the sender in the From area.
At the bottom of the New Message window, you will see a series of icons. Select the second icon from the right, marked with a clock and a lock. In the Confidential Mode window, you can select an expiration date for your message.
In the Passcode area, you can click SMS Passcode to have the passcode sent via text message to the recipient. (You will need to enter the recipient’s phone number for the text message.)
Click No SMS Passcode to avoid sending a code via text message. Under No SMS Passcode, recipients using Gmail will not need to enter a passcode to view the message. Non-Gmail users will receive a passcode via email.
Bonus Step: Adding Let’s Encrypt to DreamHost
If you would prefer to send encrypted emails directly through your email hosting provider, you will need to follow the specific steps for that provider.
With DreamHost, for example, you will need to make use of a free open certificate authority (CA) called Let’s Encrypt. When you add a domain name to DreamHost, which you will need to do before you can create a domain email address name in DreamHost, you can use Let’s Encrypt for free.
Understand that Let’s Encrypt doesn’t fully encrypt a message until it reaches the intended recipient. Instead, Let’s Encrypt will encrypt the data as it travels from your device to the Let’s Encrypt server. The connection contains encryption, rather than the message itself.
Primarily, Let’s Encrypt focuses on securing your domain through SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security). These are high-level security standards that allow websites to make use of HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). In other words, when you are using Let’s Encrypt with your website in DreamHost, you can use HTTPS with your website.
When you add a Let’s Encrypt certificate to DreamHost, it will secure your domain’s website and it will secure the connection for your emails. Each domain you are using in DreamHost must have a different Let’s Encrypt certificate.
Setting Up Let’s Encrypt
You need to have the DNS of your domain entered in DreamHost before you can use Let’s Encrypt. The authentication of the Let’s Encrypt certificate requires allowing Let’s Encrypt to create a folder at your site.
If Let’s Encrypt cannot create the folder for the certificate, you will see the error message pictured above.
Add the Secure Certificate
To select your Let’s Encrypt certificate, click Websites along the left side of the DreamHost screen. After expanding the menu, click Secure Certificates.
You then should see a list of your domain names available in DreamHost. Find the domain name from which you want to send emails through Let’s Encrypt (and the domain with which you want to use HTTPS). Click the Add button to the right of the domain name listed.
You’ll then see a list of certificates from which you can choose. The Let’s Encrypt certificate is free to use, so you can click on its Select This Certificate button to make use of Let’s Encrypt.
You should see a message that verifies that you now have the certificate. This means that Let’s Encrypt will encrypt the connection across which the email message travels.
A great developer tool takes a painful task that would normally be a developer’s entire job, and makes it a pleasure to do. As a personal example, I’ve needed to build an image uploading experience many times in the past. I’ve hand-coded them and experienced far too much pain doing that. Then I used Filestack and it made everything not only much easier, but better.
You know what’s way harder than image uploads? Spreadsheet imports. Why? Because when users are uploading a spreadsheet, they aren’t just hosting the file — they are importing the data inside the spreadsheet, and that is a much trickier project. Fields need to get mapped to the right place. Bad data needs to be fixed in the back end. And everything needs to be fast and intuitive. Enter Flatfile. With their core product, Portal, you’ll never have to build your own spreadsheet importer again, thank god.
Allow me to walk you though this.
Your user has some data.
Let’s say you’re building a web software product that does some super useful thing. Who knows, say, it helps with automated marketing emails or something. Your customers want to import some of their customer data into your app so they can get started using it. They might have this data in a spreadsheet (e.g. a .csv or .xls file) because spreadsheets are a universal data transfer format (e.g. maybe the customer exported their data from another product).
You need to build an import experience.
Your web app won’t be nearly as useful and valuable to your customers if they can’t move their data into it quickly and easily. So you set out to build an intuitive import experience. You’re a developer, so you can do this. You build a file upload component. You build a file parser. You write docs about how it all works and your importer’s data expectations. Well, that’s how it could go, but you’re looking at weeks if not longer of development time, and the end result will be (I promise) lackluster. It probably won’t have robust error handling. It won’t have a polished UI. It won’t have countless hours of UX refinements from testing the complete experience.
Time to outsource it.
What if, instead of all that work, we could just write…
<FileImporter config={config} />
That’s basically what Flatfile does! Here’s a demo right here, that’s got enough complexity for you to really see what it’s capable of:
Before you ask… is it secure? Yes. GDPR compliant? Yes. SOC 2 Type 1? Yes. HIPAA? Yes. Can you run it on your own boxes? Yes.
Here’s an elegant import experience.
The user clicks a button and they get a full-page import experience where they can import their spreadsheet or manually enter data.
Your app will have requirements for what kind of data it is expecting, which you’ll configure. This importer will then look at the format of the customer’s data, and allow them to map over the fields you need, correctly, the first time.
Uh oh! There is some missing data. Flatfile does a wonderful job of highlighting exactly what that is. The customer has the option to fix it during an import. No need to re-import their CSV file. Users really have an intuitive opportunity to clean up the data and understand exactly what is going on. This would be extremely non-trivial to build yourself.
They can fix the problems, or just discard the bad data and proceed with importing.
And you’ll get nice clean JSON data out of that interaction for your app to use.
Build vs. buy?
You always gotta weigh these things when you’re building software products. In my experience, you better be really damn sure when you pick build instead of buy. I heavily weigh toward buy, particularly when what I’m buying is secondary to what I’m building. I feel that way because I made the mistake of building far too many times.
Most of us aren’t building uploader apps — we’re building some app that just needs customers to import data. I’d much rather let someone else get that part right while I get my part right. Me? I’d use Flatfile for spreadsheet importing in a heartbeat.
Earlier this year Sendbird debuted voice and video functionality for its in-app chat feature, today the company is announcing that the same APIs that make this possible are now HIPAA compliant. Additionally, Sendbird Desk, the company’s embeddable support feature for chat, social, and video has also achieved compliance.
In the ever-connected era, cloud computing is altering the way medics, nurses, and hospitals deliver quality, cost-effective services to their patients. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a law in the US published to protect the privacy of patient’s medical records and health-related information provided by/to patients, also known as PHI (Personal Health Information).
HIPAA applies to “covered entities” and “business associates” including doctors, hospitals, health-related providers, clearinghouses, and health insurance providers. HIPAA is also applied to countries, all companies which are providing services related to health or they are handling or storing patient’s health information.
You’ve been tasked with utilizing a HIPAA compliant fax API for your company or client. You understand what fax is, but how do you make it HIPAA compliant? If you Google search HIPAA compliance you will see things like needing a BAA, cover pages, disclaimers, and massive fines for HIPAA violations. It’s a lot to take in and it may seem overwhelming.
Want to jump straight to the answer? The best video conferencing service for most people isVonage.
Video conferencing software has to work perfectly, or it doesn’t really work at all. If there’s any lag in the video, it’s nearly impossible to have a conversation. If someone doesn’t get the invite, you may have to reschedule.
Below you’ll find my top picks for video conferencing services. These are affordable, reliable, secure options your business can depend on.
The 9 Best Video Conferencing Services
Best of 2023: Vonage, Ooma, ClickMeeting, Zoho Meeting, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, GoTo Meeting, and RingCentral.
All of the video conferencing solutions that I reviewed in this guide are quality options. But these are my three favorite that stand out above the rest:
ClickMeeting — Best video conferencing software for webinars
These video conferencing services are not ranked— all have pros and cons. Use the in-depth reviews below to compare them, and find the one that works best for your needs.
Vonage offers a complete unified communications suite to businesses of all shapes and sizes. But one area where it really shines above the crowd is its dedicated healthcare solutions.
With so many healthcare practices offering virtual appointments and consultations, the ability to keep patient data safe is more important than ever before.
Vonage makes it easy to consult with patient’s from anywhere while keeping their data safe.
Vonage’s video conferencing is HIPAA-compliant and PCI-compliant. The software also has a HITRUST CSF certification, which is one of the most widely adopted security frameworks for healthcare companies in the US.
In addition to basic video conferencing, Vonage has advanced communication APIs. This lets you fully personalize the patient experience in a way that works best for your practice. So whether you’re running a small therapist’s office, a large hospital, or something in between, Vonage can be customized to fit your needs.
Beyond the ability to meet with patients through a video call, healthcare organizations can use Vonage to collaborate internally as well. So if a primary care physician wants to consult with a surgeon about a patient, they can do so without having to be in the same building.
Basic Vonage plans start at $17.99 per month per line. To access video conferencing, you’ll need a Premium plan, which starts at $27.99 per month per line.
Consult with a Vonage expert if you’re interested in a dedicated healthcare solution and video API. They’ll guide you in the right direction for your unique needs.
Ooma is a popular phone solution for small businesses. It’s a great way for smaller offices to get all communications needs under one roof—including voice, video, text messaging, virtual fax, and video conferencing.
All Ooma business phone plans come with over 50 standard features.
In terms of video conferencing, Ooma has one of the most unique features on the market. You can simultaneously share screens with another person on a video call.
Simultaneous screen sharing on Ooma is an excellent way to collaborate during meetings.
I love this feature, and it’s something I wish was available on other business phone systems. It’s a great way to compare notes and share information in a way that’s more collaborative than a single screen share. This can also be used for collaborative presentations.
Meeting hosts have the ability to mute participants and add password protection to calls. Ooma also supports unlimited meeting recordings and storage for three months.
I also love that Ooma is compatible with traditional office phones in addition to its mobile and desktop app. This is perfect if part of your team works in a traditional office setting.
Here’s a quick overview of Ooma’s plans and pricing:
ClickMeeting is a bit different compared to some of the other video conferencing services. This platform has a unique feature: webinars.
It’s a great option for anyone who wants to hold large online events, market products with video demonstrations, and host online courses or training sessions with live video.
ClickMeeting also offers traditional video conferencing solutions for team meetings and business collaboration. However, if that’s all you need, I’d look at other options on this list.
Pricing is complicated too. There are two plans, and each offers different levels and costs depending on how many attendees you have.
Here’s an overview of those price points per month for each plan:
Live
Up to 25 — $30
Up to 50 — $45
Up to 100 — $79
Up to 200 — $149
Up to 500 — $179
Up to 1,000 — $309
Automated
Up to 25 — $45
Up to 50 — $55
Up to 100 — $95
Up to 200 — $179
Up to 500 — $229
Up to 1,000 — $359
For video conferences with more than 1,000 attendees, contact the ClickMeeting sales team for a custom enterprise solution.
You can try ClickMeeting free for 30 days and run webinars with up to 25 attendees to try it out. Save up to 20% with annual billing instead of a month-to-month contract.
The Automated plan is your best option for broadcasting professional video webinars. This plan comes with advanced features like auto-streaming to Facebook or YouTube, automated follow-up emails to attendees, Google Analytics integration, and certificates of attendance.
ClickMeeting is definitely pricey compared to the other options on our list, which is why I wouldn’t recommend it for just basic video conferencing use. But the price is worth it if you’re planning to use the webinar features.
More Great Video Conferencing Software
Zoho Meeting – Most Affordable Video Conferencing Service With Basic Features
Zoho Meeting is arguably the most straightforward video conferencing solution on the market today. There aren’t a bunch of bells and whistles.
Some of Zoho’s top features include:
RSVP scheduling
Screen sharing
Moderator controls
Embed meeting links
In-session chat
Lock meetings
You’ll also have the ability to switch a presenter, give someone control, and remove users from a video conference.
As expected, Zoho Meeting integrates seamlessly with Zoho CRM. So if you’re already using a Zoho product, this will be a top option for you to consider.
This isn’t the most feature-rich video conferencing software out there. But it’s a quality solution for small business owners who just need basic features and already utilize Zoho products.
Pricing is tiered based on the number of participants in a meeting, and charged per host per month. Here’s a breakdown of what that looks like:
10 participants — $3 per host per month
25 participants — $6 per host per month
50 participants — $9 per host per month
100 participants — $12 per host per month
150 participants — $14 per host per month
200 participants — $16 per host per month
250 participants — $18 per host per month
There’s also a free forever plan with limited features that supports 100 meeting participants and 100 webinar attendees.
Microsoft Teams is an instant messaging service with chat, audio, and video capability. The platform is designed specifically for internal comms in the workplace.
With the ability to support group sizes of 10 or 10,000, MS Teams is the ultimate in-house communication solution.
MS Teams shines over competitors like Slack with its superior technology and video conferencing features. But the setup, usage, and onboarding are a bit more complex compared to other options on the market.
MS Teams is best when it’s accessed from a desktop device or web app. Your team can also take advantage of the mobile app version of the software, but it’s not as easy to navigate as the web version.
Let’s take a quick look at the plans and pricing options:
Microsoft Teams — Free
Microsoft Teams Essentials — $4 per user per month
Microsoft 365 Business Basic — $6 per user per month
Microsoft 365 Business Standard — $12.50 user per month
Microsoft 365 Business Premium — $22 per user per month
All paid plans are only available with an annual contract.
You’ll still have access to quite a few features with the free version, including video calls. But you’ll need Office 365 Business Premium to get the most out of this software.
Paid plans have 140+ app integrations, 1 TB of storage, scheduled meetings, meeting recordings, and administrative support. Our in-depth Microsoft Teams review covers its features and capabilities in greater detail.
Aside from its complexity, MS Teams does have some limitations. It’s not really a true video conferencing service. Instead, it’s better for one-on-one video meetings or smaller groups.
If you want to host large-scale video conferences and make presentations to clients, you should look elsewhere for a more suitable solution.
Since launching in 2011, Zoom has quickly become an industry leader in the video conferencing space. The software is trusted by large businesses like Ticketmaster, Uber, Pandora, and GoDaddy, just to name a few.
Zoom shines with its simplicity, which is highlighted in our full Zoom review. There’s a plan for businesses of any shape and size, including a free-forever option.
Zoom has video conferencing capabilities with up to 1,000 participants, and up to 49 videos on the screen simultaneously.
Zoom helps connect entire organizations with video conferencing.
The platform is secure and has role-based user security options, password protection, and waiting rooms. Zoom makes it easy for your team to collaborate with screen sharing, filing sharing, and other interactive features.
Zoom is modern, so naturally, the service can also be accessed from a mobile app. This is perfect for participants who are on the go and unable to reach a computer for a meeting.
Here’s an overview of Zoom’s pricing model:
Basic — Free
Unlimited one-on-one meetings
Up to 100 participants
40-minute limit on group meetings
Unlimited number of meetings
Pro — $14.99 per month per host
All basic features
24-hour meeting limit
User management tools
Admin feature controls
Reporting tools
1 GB of cloud recording
Business — $19.99 per month per host
All of the Pro features
Up to 10 hosts
Up to 300 participants
Dedicated phone support
Company branding
Cloud recording transcripts
Admin dashboard
Enterprise — $19.99 per month per host
All of the Business features
Up to 50 hosts
Up to 1,000 participants
Unlimited cloud storage
Dedicated customer support manager
Executive business reviews
Bundle discounts available for Zoom Rooms and webinars
As you can see, there is a plan for everyone. The free option is an excellent choice for a small team or freelancer who only needs to video chat once in a while for brief meetings.
Beyond personal use, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro or Business plans to get the most out of Zoom. Fortunately, Zoom makes it easy for you to scale to another plan as your company grows.
Just be aware that your plan will impact the level of customer support you receive. To get premium support, you’ll need to upgrade.
Webex – Best Video Conferencing Service For Cloud Collaboration
Cisco is a brand name that’s synonymous with superior business technology. So it should be no surprise that Cisco Webex ranks so highly on our list for video conferencing software.
With Webex, you can host massive virtual events with up to 100,000 participants and run an interactive webinar for 3,000-person audiences.
Webex is perfect if you need to run on-demand training lessons for large groups as well. This is a great tool for onboarding employees at scale throughout multiple locations.
You can use webex to join or host video conferences from your computer or mobile app.
The Webex mobile app is another standout feature of the platform. Hosting and joining meetings are both simple and accessible from anywhere.
Arguably the best part about this video conferencing software is the cloud collaboration features. It’s easy to share files and screens with other meeting participants to stay organized and make the conference more interactive. That’s what makes them great for teams.
Cisco offers four different plans for you to choose from, including a basic free option.
Free — $0 per month
Up to 50 participants
40-minute limit on meetings
Unlimited meetings
1 GB of cloud storage
Starter — $16.95 per month per host
Up to 50 participants
Unlimited meeting duration
5 GB of cloud storage
Recording transcriptions
User management
Application and file sharing
Plus — $22.95 per month per host
Up to 100 participants
Assign alternate hosts
Allow others to schedule meetings for the host
Customizable Webex URL
Admin portal
24/7 customer support
Business — $32.95 per month per host
Up to 200 participants
10 GB of cloud storage
Branding and custom options
Single sign-on
Active Directory sync
Minimum five licenses per month
At first glance, the Webex prices appear to be higher than Zoom. However, you can save 20% per month with an annual contract.
It’s also worth noting that the Webex Plus plan doesn’t have any host minimums, and the business plan has just a five-license minimum. Zoom has a 10- and 50-host minimum for their plans at similar price points.
So Webex will be a better option if you want those business or enterprise-level features for a smaller team.
GoTo Meeting – Best Video Conferencing Service For Small Businesses
GoTo Meeting makes it easy for you to turn any video conference into a highly collaborative workspace.
It’s a fantastic choice for remote workers from sales managers to business owners to IT teams.
Why? GoTo Meeting easily integrates with the systems your business is currently using.
It also offers an all-in-one hardware and software kit for those of you who want to transform your physical conference room into a digital one. This hardware is more advanced than the built-in cameras, microphones, and speakers on your current devices.
Some other top features and benefits of using GoTo Meeting for video conferencing include:
Cloud collaboration
Automatic bandwidth adjustments
Available on Mac, PC, iOS, and Android
Single-click start and join sessions
Multi-channel support
Integrated scheduling
GoTo Meeting offers three plans to choose from:
Professional – $12 per organizer per month billed annually
Business – $16 per organizer per month billed annually
Enterprise – Contact sales to request a quote
The Professional and Business plans are very similar. You get unlimited meetings and unlimited meeting durations with either plan. You’ll also benefit from Salesforce integration, Slack meeting launcher, and an admin center with both plans.
The significant difference is the Professional plan can host up to 150 participants while the Business plan supports up to 250 participants. In addition, the Business plan also offers extra video meeting features like transcripts, keyboard and mouse sharing, unlimited cloud storage, drawing tools, meeting lock, note taking, and mobile cloud recording.
I think signing up for the Business option instead of Professional is a no-brainer. The added benefits are worth the extra $4 per month.
GoTo Meeting also offers enterprise-grade plans for up to 3,000 participants. But those prices aren’t available online. You’ll need to speak to a sales rep for a custom quote.
Save 16% on your GoTo Meeting plan with an annual contract.
You can get rid of your traditional phone plan, too. RingCentral provides video conferencing features as an added bonus.
You can always purchase RingCentral Meetings as a standalone product. Those plans are below:
Free — $0 per month
Up to 100 participants
Unlimited one-on-one meetings
40-minute limit on group meetings
Essentials — $14.99 per month per user
Up to 100 participants
Unlimited group meetings
24/7 phone support
1,000 call minutes per license
Advanced — $19.99 per month per user
Up to 100 participants
2,500 call minutes
Real-time usage dashboard
SLA available
The free plan is decent if you compare it to others on the list. The meetings cap at 40 minutes each, but you can still have up to 100 participants.
Paid plans are also limited to just 100 participants, which is low compared to the competition. However, you can add on larger meeting options to your plan for an upcharge.
RingCentral also has great enterprise solutions. You’ll need to contact their sales team to get a custom quote. But you can save some money by bundling RingCentral Meetings with a VoIP business phone.
Now that you’ve had a chance to review the top solutions on the market, how can you find the best option for your unique situation? This is the methodology that I used to come up with this guide.
I’ve identified each feature set that matters the most and why you need to take it into consideration when you’re evaluating prospective platforms.
Conference Size
In the world of work-from-home and distributed teams, video conferencing sizes are a very important consideration.
Make sure you choose a service and plan that can accommodate the number of people you need for your video conferences. You don’t want to overpay for a plan that has participant limits that you’ll never reach. But more importantly, you don’t want to be in a situation where your participant list is too large for your platform and plan.
Meeting Length
With the global pandemic putting a ton of people into remote work, businesses and schools need to be able to take as long as they need for certain calls.
That’s why we took a close look at how long each plan allows you to meet when determining this list. Often, they had to be counterbalanced with how many participants are allowed in a plan as well.
After all, a plan that offers unlimited time but with only a dozen participants might not be helpful for larger teams.
Scheduling Options
Good video conferencing tools allow you to schedule easily and across a wide breadth of calendar apps.
When looking at scheduling options, see if they integrate with common planning and calendar services such as Google Calendar, iCal, and Office 365.
Video Streams
You might be able to have a large number of participants in a conference, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that every user will be able to broadcast a video stream.
For example, RingCentral plans have up to 100 participants per meeting, but limit you to just ten simultaneous video streams.
So don’t be swayed by the participant limits alone. Always check to see how many users can actually stream a video at the same time.
Collaboration Tools
Collaboration tools are crucial for groups and teams.
Features like screen sharing, built-in chat, file sharing, and cloud collaboration are very useful for presentations and group projects. It’s also helpful when a video conferencing service integrates with existing tools and platforms that you’re already using to run a business. You can look for features like Salesforce integration or Google Analytics integration.
The Top Video Conferencing Services in Summary
Video conferencing software has become the new normal for business use, especially with remote work and dispersed teams trending upward. For daily standups, interviews with prospective hires, and quick calls to prevent long email chains, video conferencing improves efficiency in the workplace.
It’s worth noting that your internet connection will impact the quality of your video conferencing calls. So you should always test your connection or sign up for a free trial to see how the quality holds up.
Compare Quotes From The Best Video Conferencing Services
Get matched up with a video conferencing service that fits your specific needs.
We cannot talk about information security without talking about HIPAA. The information security standard has been governing how information is managed in the healthcare industry since 1996. Considering how sensitive patients’ information and personal details are — and the growing number of cyberattacks targeting healthcare institutions — the HIPAA Security Rule is considered to be among the most extensive across the globe.
Don’t get me wrong, HIPAA compliance is far from enough in terms of data protection. As with other compliance standards, the HIPAA Security Rule is only meant to set a standard and define best practices for the healthcare industry to follow. A lot of healthcare institutions go one or two steps further in order to fully protect the safety of their patients’ information.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a landmark piece of US legislation that was introduced in 1996, in order to safeguard and secure patient information and transmittal. Covered entities (CE) and Business Associates (BA) should comply with HIPAA regulations. Healthcare providers, health insurance plans and healthcare clearinghouses fall under CE whereas Business Associates can be a person or an entity that provides third party services and activities for covered entities, which involve accessing protected health information (PHI). Any information about the health status, provision of healthcare or payment of healthcare services that is created, collected or transmitted by a covered entity and linked with individually identifiable information is considered PHI under US law.
Healthcare organizations have been embracing cloud to cut costs and improve the quality of care. While cloud adoption is a crucial stride for a healthcare entity, it is equally significant to adhere to HIPAA regulations. Ensuring valuable benefits for caregivers and consumers alike, HIPAA establishes standards for the secure handling of PHI.
