Security in Email Invoicing and Online Invoicing
When you receive statements online, these will have been sent using email invoicing or online invoicing.
Email invoicing being the sending of your invoice in an email; online invoicing being the sending of an email containing a link to you invoice or statement. Although these have their own security issues, online and email invoicing offer improved security over fax or post as invoice sending methods.
Online invoicing versus email invoicing
By sending a statement as email content, email invoicing risks that statement being accessed by an email account hacker. It is therefore important, if using email invoicing, to use a reputable email provider such as hotmail, and change your password frequently. You should quickly save your email invoice to your computer and delete the email in which it is contained. It should be noted that companies will rarely use email invoicing for sending sensitive information.
Online invoicing offers more security as you must verify your identity to view your invoice. The security issue for online invoicing (and email invoicing) is then how you store your invoice. Paper storage is an option, and a necessity with fax or post, but electronic storage is more secure, easier, and more convenient. Methods of secure document storage can be discussed with Corcentric, who advise large businesses in email invoicing, online invoicing, and document storage.
Online invoicing, email invoicing, post and fax – a comparative look at security issues
Security in document sending: Email and online invoicing send documents via email. Therefore, they travel directly to you, and are only accessible with secure entry to your email account. Postal invoicing risks loss and interception as a paper document is vulnerable. Online and email invoicing only provides a paper copy if you want one.
Similarly, fax requires paper usage, and risks your invoice being exposed to a third party if your fax machine is not held in a secure location. Fax is also less popular than online and email invoicing because fewer people own fax machines than have internet. Using the internet makes email and online invoicing more generally accessible.
Security in document preparation: Email and online invoicing create documents automatically by mail merging the frame of an invoice with your personal details. These are then sent automatically. Documents sent by post offer less security than online and email invoicing because they must be physically fed into a machine, meaning they can be viewed and intercepted more easily.