Last year the National Security Agency (NSA) created quite a buzz when the world found out that the agency was spying on people through their email. While the average American doesn’t share any information by email that the NSA has any reason to care about, Americans nationwide don’t appreciate being spied on, and they made their complaints known.
On Thursday, March 20, 2014, Google announced that it, too, was fighting back. For years, Google has given users the option to use an encrypted HTTPS connection to send their emails. Now, Google is increasing security by sending all emails across an encrypted HTTPS connection, both as they move between Google and personal computers as well as while they move between Google’s data centers.
This increased security is designed to keep every Google user’s emails safe from prying eyes, no matter where the message is sent or received and no matter where it travels in the meantime. Gmail users can feel safe knowing that their emails aren’t just kept from the NSA, but from hackers and people sharing the same Internet connection as well. Of course, the NSA does still have the right to compel Google to release emails in order to protect national security, but the average person’s emails are now safe from prying eyes.
While this heightened security should help ease worried minds, there are additional measures that Gmail users should take to keep their accounts safe and secure. These measures include choosing a secure password that is difficult to guess, changing their password frequently, and not using the same password across all of their accounts. Users should enable two-step verification for additional account security, and they must always remember to log out after using a public or shared computer.
In the same announcement, Google also shared the site’s excellent track record for being up and running without downtime. In 2013, Gmail For Business and Google Apps For Business was available 99.978 percent of the time. This equals less than two hours of disruption per year for each user. In other words, Google is a company that people can trust to not only keep their information safe, but also to be available when they need it.
With the new heightened security, the impressive availability and all of the great features that Google offers its users, it is no surprise that Gmail and SEO services in Phoenix are such a popular email choice for business owners and individuals alike.