Should a covered entity use GoDaddy for email?

We've had some prospects and referrals come our way recently that want to use Paubox Email Suite. Here's the rub: They are Covered Entities so they must adhere to the HIPAA Privacy Rule. In addition, they have their email hosted with GoDaddy's Office 365 service.

The purpose of this post is to explain how GoDaddy's Office 365 service works and if you are a Covered Entity, what configurations you should consider to be the most secure.

Not all Office 365 Solutions are Equal

In order for Paubox Email Suite to work, we need to route your remote, outbound email through our cloud-based encryption platform. To do that, we need to setup what's known as a Smarthost in Exchange or Office 365. In Office 365, the process for integrating Paubox Email Suite is simple. The only requirement is for the customer to have access to the Office 365 Admin Center. The Office 365 Admin Center is designed for business accounts, as it provides more options and flexibility. For a deeper explanation on this, we also put together a Paubox Help Center page. Bottom line - Paubox is compatible with GoDaddy's Office 365 offering. Next, let's take a look at GoDaddy and HIPAA compliant email.

Is GoDaddy HIPAA Compliant?

The answer to this is simple: No. Out of the box, GoDaddy email is not HIPAA compliant, but it an easily be made compliant with a few tweaks. The easiest way to make your email hosted with GoDaddy HIPAA compliant is to simply integrate Paubox with your email, the benefit is you can still keep your domain name. However, if you're using Office 365 from GoDaddy, the first thing is to make sure it's at least a Business Premium account. Once that's done, be sure to sign a Business Associate Agreement. The final step is to make sure there is inbox-to-inbox encryption enabled on your Office 365 account. GoDaddy offers this as an upgrade, or you can seamlessly integrate Paubox to make HIPAA compliant email encryption as easy as regular email.

Conclusion: Take the right steps and GoDaddy Office 365 can be HIPAA Compliant Email

In conclusion, we can see that GoDaddy can be the right choice for HIPAA entities seeking Office 365 email hosting, as long as steps are taken to insure email is protected in transit with encryption providers like Paubox.

SEE ALSO: Business Associate Agreement Provisions