In short: Echoworx Email Encryption is a cloud service that encrypts sensitive email automatically by policy. Standard delivers securely by TLS or a secure web portal. Advanced adds encrypted PDF, encrypted attachments and S/MIME or PGP certificate encryption. Both work with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace and are licensed per user, monthly or annually.
What Echoworx Email Encryption is
Echoworx Email Encryption is a hosted service that encrypts outgoing email, and secures some incoming email, according to rules you set. It connects to your existing email system rather than replacing it, so staff keep using Outlook or Gmail and recipients keep using whatever they already have.
There are two ways a message gets encrypted:
- Automatically by policy: outgoing and incoming mail is checked against encryption rules you create, for example by recipient domain or attachment, and messages flagged by your data loss prevention tool or gateway can be encrypted without the sender doing anything
- On demand: the sender chooses to encrypt using the Outlook add-in or Gmail add-on
Echoworx then delivers the message using a method that suits the recipient. If TLS is the preferred method and the recipient's server does not support it, Echoworx falls back automatically to a secure alternative such as the web portal or an encrypted PDF, so a sensitive message is not sent unprotected.
Standard and Advanced compared
| Capability | Standard | Advanced |
|---|---|---|
| Rule-based encryption policies, including by domain or attachment | Yes | Yes |
| TLS delivery | Yes | Yes |
| Secure web portal with secure reply | Yes | Yes |
| Inbound secure messages via the portal | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-language, multi-brand message templates | Yes | Yes |
| Encrypted PDF (message body and attachments in one PDF) | No | Yes |
| Encrypted attachments (body readable, documents protected) | No | Yes |
| S/MIME and PGP certificate encryption | No | Yes |
| Works with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace | Yes | Yes |
| Portal branding (name, logo, company web address) | Separate one-off item | Separate one-off item |
Standard suits organisations whose main need is to send sensitive information to clients, patients or suppliers without asking them to install anything. Advanced suits firms sending documents such as statements or contracts, particularly from systems that generate them in bulk, and organisations dealing with recipients who already use S/MIME or PGP. We confirm the current edition contents with Echoworx when we quote.
The delivery methods explained
- TLS: the message travels over an encrypted connection between mail servers and arrives in the recipient's inbox like any other email. It is the least effort for recipients, but depends on their server supporting TLS.
- Secure web portal: the recipient gets a notification and reads the message in a portal, where they can reply securely. Recipients can sign in in several ways, including with an existing Microsoft 365 or Google account, a passkey, or self-registered credentials with a text message or authenticator app code as a second step. Senders get read receipts, with message audit and recall where applicable.
- Encrypted PDF (Advanced): the body and attachments are wrapped in a single protected PDF that the recipient unlocks with a password or code.
- Encrypted attachments (Advanced): the body stays readable and only the documents are encrypted, which suits automated statements and notices.
- S/MIME and PGP (Advanced): for recipients with their own certificates or keys, with certificate and key management handled in the Echoworx cloud.
Encrypted messages and portal pages can be presented in many languages and branded per business unit, so recipients can see the message genuinely comes from you.
How Echoworx Email Encryption is licensed
| Option | How it works |
|---|---|
| Per user | Each member of staff who sends encrypted email needs a licence; recipients do not |
| Monthly term | Billed monthly on your Forever Systems invoice, with users added as you grow |
| Annual term | A 12-month commitment, usually better value if your numbers are stable |
| Minimum users | Echoworx sets a minimum user count for these editions, confirmed on your quote |
| Portal branding | A separate one-off item, best ordered and configured with the service |
| Edition changes | Ask us to move from Standard to Advanced when your needs grow |
Prices depend on edition, user numbers and term, so ask us for a quote.
Deployment with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace
Echoworx is fully hosted, so there is nothing to install on a server:
- Choose the hosting region: Echoworx has data centres in the UK, the US, Canada, Ireland and Germany.
- Connect your mail system: in Microsoft 365, a simple Exchange rule sends only outbound mail to Echoworx, with no MX record change and no Microsoft 365 API integration. Google Workspace and common secure email gateways are also supported, and Echoworx routes mail back to your gateway for final delivery.
- Set your policies: we build encryption rules around your data, recipients and any data loss prevention flags.
- Deploy the add-ins: the Outlook add-in is web-based and works in Outlook on Windows, Mac and the web; the Gmail add-on works on the web, iOS and Android and can be installed for the whole organisation from the Google Workspace Marketplace.
Most deployments are piloted with a small group before rules are switched on for everyone.
Who it suits and how we help
Echoworx suits UK organisations that regularly send personal or confidential information outside the business: accountants, solicitors, financial advisers, healthcare providers, HR and payroll teams, and public sector bodies. Policy-based encryption helps meet UK GDPR's security requirements without relying on every sender to remember.
We recommend the right edition, set up the connection, policies and branding, roll out the add-ins and brief your staff. Licences, user changes and renewals then sit on your Forever Systems invoice. For other approaches, see email encryption. Contact us for a quote.
How Forever Systems supplies your software licences
Forever Systems Ltd supplies business software subscriptions to UK organisations from one account, with one monthly invoice and a UK team who know the products.
- The right edition first time: we check what you need before you buy, so you are not paying for features you will never use
- Monthly or annual terms where the vendor offers them, and help timing renewals and commitments
- Licence changes handled for you: add or remove users, upgrade editions and true-up without starting a new contract
- Deployment and support from engineers who run these products every day, not just a reseller account
- Consolidated billing and renewal reminders so nothing lapses unexpectedly
We work with businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations of all sizes.
Need a licence quote or a second opinion on your renewal?
Tell Forever Systems what you need and we will come back to you by email with options, not a hard sell.
Contact usFrequently asked questions
Can Echoworx encrypt email automatically?
Yes. Mail is checked against the encryption rules you create, for example by recipient domain or attachment, and messages flagged by your data loss prevention tool or gateway can be encrypted without the sender doing anything. Senders can also encrypt on demand from Outlook or Gmail.
Which Echoworx edition includes encrypted PDF?
Advanced. It adds encrypted PDF, encrypted attachments and S/MIME and PGP certificate encryption to the TLS and secure portal delivery included in Standard.
Do I need to change my MX records for Echoworx?
No. With Microsoft 365, an Exchange rule sends outbound mail to Echoworx for encryption, so your MX records stay as they are and inbound mail flow is unchanged.
Can recipients reply securely?
Yes. Recipients using the secure web portal can reply securely from the portal, so the conversation stays encrypted in both directions.
Can Echoworx be monthly?
Yes. Both Standard and Advanced are available on monthly or annual terms, licensed per user. A minimum user count applies, which we confirm on your quote.