Egress Switch makes safe data sharing easy because we have looked at the entire workflow. This means the recipient experience is easy too. Egress has provided a small, simple-to-use Switch Reader that lets authorized recipients access your information with a double click. The Switch Reader works on your behalf to enforce the settings you defined to control access to your data. It also stays in touch by reporting back logs of any activity on your secure packages. Most importantly, it’s free for the recipient.
The first time a recipient needs to access a secure package, they have a one-time set up procedure. Starting with a simple download, the Switch package Reader can be run with no special installation procedures or administrator privileges. The first time it is run, the recipient will be guided through the account creation process, using their email address as their identity.
After the first time set up, a recipient can access secure packages with a simple double click. Any Switch secure packages are associated with the Switch Reader so there is no need to keep an icon on the desktop or remember a startup sequence. Once the secure package is open, the recipient can open any of the files you have sent by double-clicking them, or exporting them to a folder location or the desktop if permitted. If you want the recipient to send any changes back, they will need to upgrade to a full Switch account and install the Switch client software.
The Switch Reader uses a set of instructions associated with your secure package to determine who can open the package and when. The recipient’s ID is compared to the names you have specified, and time limits are checked to ensure the package can’t be accessed outside the time window you have defined.
If an unauthorized recipient tries to access a secure package the request will be denied. The Switch Reader will provide an option to contact the owner and request access. This contact is handled through Egress Switch, so the details about the owner are not shown to the recipient. Security professionals consider this an important barrier to stop social engineering attacks on secure data. The request is routed back to the information owner so a new recipient can be added if needed. Once that change is made, the recipient can open the package instantly.
Switch keeps you in control of the information you share. All activity on your secure packages is reported back to the Switch servers. If an authorized recipient opens the package, a log entry is recorded so you know when and where this information was accessed. The log entry contains the Switch user name, a time stamp of when access was made, and the network address of the computer used by the recipient. Log entries are kept for unauthorized access attempts so you can know if your data is under attack.
