Zuckerman Spaeder Secures Employee Records With Biscom’s Secure File Transfer Solution

Overview

Zuckerman Spaeder LLP takes data security seriously. Its security standards apply not only to its confidential clients, cases, and practice information but also to the personal data associated with human resources activities.

“Using email to send information such as insurance and health records, compensation data and reviews can lead to complications when it comes to protecting the confidentiality of employee records and complying with the myriad of data privacy regulations including HIPAA,” says Sharon Bovelle, Chief Human Resources Officer at Zuckerman Spaeder. “No matter what your precautions, email is just not secure enough.”

With this in mind, Bovelle turned to Zuckerman Spaeder’s CIO Shawn Mitkowski to find an acceptable solution for exchanging files. After an in-depth search, the 80-attorney firm with offices in Washington, New York, Tampa, and Baltimore selected Biscom Secure File Transfer to protect their confidential files.

Security without Compromise

Biscom’s advanced security technology protects confidential data from unauthorized access and includes advanced encryption for data during both transit and storage. Strong authentication measures ensure that only authorized recipients access Biscom deliveries. Replies from external recipients are secured, creating safe bidirectional collaboration. All Biscom transactions are recorded in permanent logs for compliance and auditing purposes.  This level of security is extended to Biscom’s Outlook add-in, which makes the process of sending email attachments securely an easy task. It adds a level of security without changing user behavior or impacting staff productivity and attorney billable time.

“When I first saw Biscom, I was surprised to see how user-friendly the software is,” says Bovelle. “You can securely send whatever confidential employee data you might have —addresses, social security numbers, and compensation and benefits enrollment information —by simply clicking on a button in Outlook and pressing send. You have all your contacts and distribution lists so there’s no recreating the wheel. Biscom takes care of it for you. And Biscom sends me an email alert when the recipient accesses the delivery, eliminating any guesswork or issues regarding receipt.”

With Biscom’s Microsoft Outlook add-in, users merely drag and drop their documents and files into their email messages and Biscom sends the email securely. Recipients have to sign in to Biscom’s secure Web application to access their files. 

“We have vendors such as insurance brokers that offer us their secure delivery solutions. But I use Biscom all the time because it’s easier than the other systems,” comments Boville.

Easy Implementation

With limited IT resources, it was important to Zuckerman Spaeder’s CIO to maximize Biscom’s benefits without overtaxing its IT staff and their time. “Whenever we assess new solutions for the law firm, I take special notice of software that doesn’t bog us down on the administrative side,” said Mitkowski. “The Biscom implementation was painless. It was up and running quickly. Literally, the firm was able to set it and forget it meaning IT could concentrate on larger projects and big picture initiatives.”

The Added Bonuses: Litigation and IT Benefits

Although Biscom was primarily rolled out to human resources at Zuckerman Spaeder, it is now being used for litigation. Lawyers and litigation support specialists appreciate the added security for privileged communications.

“Prior to Biscom, lawyers would spend an inordinate amount of time breaking up large documents and emailing them in batches in order to get them in the right hands,” says Mitkowski. “But everyone knows that this process isn’t a guarantee since this often caused confusion with a recipient trying to sort through the receipt of multiple documents. When email didn’t work, the attorneys would turn to the help desk to burn CDs or set up one-off FTP sites to get these files out the door to clients or counsel. Both of these methods of transmission are not secure and would eat up a large amount of the help desk’s time. With Biscom, attorneys and staff can now easily upload and securely share large files such as e-discovery without having to rely on IT. Again, it comes back to set it and forget it and focusing on larger priorities.”

Biscom is currently available to all of Zuckerman Spaeder’s employees through a Web-based interface that, much like the Outlook add-in, is simple to use.

“We’ll soon be rolling out a formal introduction and training overviews for Biscom firm-wide,” says Mitkowski. “But honestly, almost everyone who has used it has needed little or no training at all.”