SECURE FILE

SHARING & E-SIGNATURE



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No one wakes up and thinks about file sharing. It’s not until the middle of tax season that file sharing bottlenecks are most evident when everything needs to be moving as smoothly as possible. There’s nothing worse than taking a 10-minute phone call to walk your client through the process of opening up a document. If they would just read the email you sent them containing the password then there wouldn’t be any problems, right?




WHAT IS SECURE FILE SHARING?

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Secure Information

Despite your client’s difficulties, you need to secure their information. It’s a huge responsibility to handle the data involved with an accounting workflow and accountants face this task on a daily basis. The amount of data and security breaches, hacked emails, and stolen identities has increased 50% or more, every year, for the past four years. Before you think that you’re too small to be targeted, understand that hackers attack weakness, not size. They know that you don’t have the budget or resources to constantly have an entire IT team monitoring your technological security and infrastructure. Even if your server is encrypted, once you send emails externally, they are out in the open and vulnerable just like every other email.

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Designed for all

You might already have a client portal that came with your tax software or the company that created your website. If you’re like the majority of accounting and finance firms we talk to, then you’re having difficulty with clients actually adopting the portal. Some clients will love their client portal account and will use it all the time, but those are rare. ImagineShare was created to satisfy every type of client, not just the tech-savvy ones.

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It's the Law

At the end of the day, it’s the law. You have to secure your client’s information when sending to them. Even if they say it’s ok and you get the written permission of your client to send it unsecured, you’re still breaking the law. If you haven’t been securing information in the past and you’ve never had a data breach, then you’ve simply been lucky so far. Even if you’ve never been robbed, you still lock your doors at night. We’re at a point in modern technology where security is not a “nice to have”, it’s not something that you just do for the good of your clients, it’s a necessity for running a lawful and ethical business.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE STATUS QUO


The secret’s out, clients don’t like to use client portals. Your tax software told you that their client portal will be a great way to send and receive files with your clients, but it turns out that none of them actually use it! A handful of clients will like using a portal, but the majority of them would rather get their files through email, in person, or in their mailbox.


If you are emailing PII (Personally Identifiable Information), it needs to be secured by law. Most firms we talk to are password protecting the documents they send out which provides security, but only a minimal amount, and clients still have trouble opening the documents.


Does this sound familiar? You send them their password protected file, then send a second email or give them a call to let them know what the password is. Then they reply to your email or give you a call and tell you that they don’t know what their password is. This happens to every accounting firm, and it’s a result of a system that is built around the accountant, not around the client. Whether you’re sending the file through your client portal or through a password protected PDF, they still have to find out what the password is. That barrier to entry will stop your clients from adopting the technology you purchased and keeps your firm in the dark age.


Firms with paper-based methods (meeting in person, using the mail system) are stuck in the process for two reasons; it’s what you’ve always done and you haven’t offered anything easy enough for your clients to actually use. Very few firms are actually “paperless”, but most firms are looking to reduce the paper in their office. Making the transition from paper to digital happens gradually and requires effort on your part. Clients need to be reminded and trained with regularity, but you need to offer something that isn’t a pain to use at the same time.


Getting your client to sign their e-file authorization form is every accountant’s favorite pastime. The amount of follow-up calls and follow-up emails required to get documents signed and returned is ludicrous. There are more important things you or your staff can be doing instead. Getting client documents signed is difficult because it requires the client to meet up in person, mail things back to you, or have a printer/scanner/fax machine. All of those processes are very easy for your client to put off “until tomorrow”.

LEARN MORE ABOUT IMAGINESHARE

To learn more about ImagineShare and ImagineTime’s other practice management software features, contact sales and schedule your free demo with us today.

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WHY DOES SECURE FILE SHARING MATTER?

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Put your name on it, not ours.

ImagineShare’s private label customization feature lets you apply your firm’s name, colors, and logo to the interface, so your clients are interacting with your custom branding, not ours.

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Workflows

ImagineShare was designed around your workflow AND the client’s workflow. If you have tech-savvy clients who love the idea of a client portal for accountants, we provide that for you. If you have clients that have trouble with usernames and passwords, we provide a process that they can actually use. When it comes to clients and technology, one size does not fit all. ImagineShare has a blended approach to client file sharing that allows you to cater to different types of clients in a secure way. Getting documents signed through our e-signature platform expedites the entire process, saving you time and money.

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Software that works the way you work.

Save time and streamline your workflow by enabling clients to receive and send secure files to and from your organization without changing the way you operate. ImagineShare is a file sharing solution that is easy to use without compromising on data security.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT IMAGINESHARE:

  • How do I share a secure document?

    If you are sharing a document with PII (Personal Identifiable Information -name, address, social security number or other identifying number or code, telephone number, email address, etc.) then that document needs to be secured. It is recommended to use an encryption service, such as ImagineShare, to send these types of documents for a secure file transfer. If you or the person you’re sending the document to would not want anyone else seeing the email, encrypt it.

  • Is Dropbox file sharing secure?

    Dropbox was originally introduced into the consumer space. College kids would upload files to send music and videos over the platform. As more consumers starting using Dropbox, they brought their personal accounts into the workplace. Given that Dropbox is downloaded on individual computers and synced across connected accounts, there are a lot of security flaws when dealing with business information. Dropbox has also had multiple documented data breaches where millions of accounts were compromised. It is recommended to use an encryption service exclusively built for businesses when sending sensitive information.

  • What’s the safest way to share files using cloud services?

    When using a private cloud service to send sensitive information, using a platform that requires users to login or verify their identity is mandatory.

  • What is the most secure way to send?

    Sending information using methods that require a login or identity verification will provide the most secure way to send or receive files.

  • Is file sharing safe?

    File transfers and sharing can be safe if the correct precautions are taken. Sending an email with a file attached is not a safe way to send files. There is an entire market of secure file sharing options with various security features that allow you to send files securely. Using these private file sharing platforms will give you a safe way to optimize your efficiency without compromising security.

  • What is the best way to send confidential documents?

    Confidential documents need to be sent differently than regular documents. These documents need to be secured with a login, password, or identity verification requirement to achieve compliant file sharing.

  • What is the safest way to send sensitive documents?

    Using a secure file sharing portal or encrypted email platform.

  • What is the safest way to send confidential information?

    Using a secure client portal or encrypted email platform.

  • How do I send a secure PDF?

    Using a secure client portal or encrypted email platform.

  • Which is the best way to share sensitive data with colleagues?

    Sending documents internally is just as vulnerable as sending externally. You are still using public email servers to send documents. To ensure those documents are secured properly, use an email encryption or client portal tool to deliver the information.

  • How do I protect my sensitive files on my computer?

    Make sure your computer is password protected and any sensitive folders should require an additional password to access them. Backup any files you have on your computer using an encrypted cloud service.

  • How do I send files securely over the Internet?

    Do not use regular email for securely sharing your files and folders. Make sure you have an encrypted email or client portal platform to share securely online.

  • Is Dropbox safe for confidential files?

    Dropbox encrypts documents when sending, but has trouble with accounts being hacked consistently. Even if the file is sent securely, it can very easily go into the wrong hands because of Dropbox’s consumer environment.

  • What is the best file sharing service?

    IMAGINESHARE. IMAGINESHARE. IMAGINESHARE. - is the best file sharing software!

  • How do I verify an electronic signature?

    Digital signatures work by leveraging an encrypted system that is based on a standard technological framework called the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).

  • What is dynamic knowledge based authentication?

    Static KBA methods allow users to select security questions and provide answers that are stored by a company and accessed later, usually when a password needs to be retrieved or reset. Dynamic KBA, on the other hand, goes a step further by generating questions that apply only to the intended end user and do not require a previous relationship with the customer. These types of questions have also been called “out-of-wallet” as the content is generated from information within a person’s credit history or public records.

  • How are KBA questions generated?

    The questions are generated from the user's credit history or public records. Many regulatory bodies, including the IRS, require that e-signature users be authenticated using dynamic KBA.

  • What makes an electronic signature valid?

    To qualify as an enforceable electronic signature, there must be evidence of the signer's intent to execute or accept the agreement. This is typically accomplished by requiring the signer to take affirmative action, like typing their name or drawing their signature using a mouse or touchscreen.

  • What is the difference between a digital signature and an electronic signature?

    Electronic Signature is a digital form of a wet link signature which is legally binding and secure. Digital Signature is a secured signature which works with Electronic signature and rely on Public key infrastructure.

  • Can an electronic signature be notarized?

    Today, electronic notarization is legally authorized in all states by E-SIGN and/or UETA. However, as of October 2020, only 29 states have laws that enable their notaries to conduct remote notarizations. The states that have implemented Remote Online Notarization (“RON”) statutes include: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota4, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

  • Is typing your name an electronic signature?

    To qualify as an enforceable electronic signature, there must be evidence of the signer's intent to execute or accept the agreement. This is typically accomplished by requiring the signer to take affirmative action, like typing their name or drawing their signature using a mouse or touchscreen.

WHAT IS AN ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE?

The Electronic Signature & Records Association (“ESRA”) defines an electronic signature as: “an electronic sound, symbol or process that is attached to or logically associated with a record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record.” In layman’s terms, an electronic signature a string of virtual fingerprints that are used to verify the identity of a signer and intent to sign the document.

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Simple & fast

Build client signature requests into a streamlined workflow using ImagineTime’s e-signature module. Verify signer identity with Knowledge-Based Authentication (“KBA”), capture a legally binding signature, and securely store completed documents — all at the push of a button.

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Upload & send

We are all familiar with the old-fashioned way of requesting client signatures: Print. Sign. Scan. Repeat. After all of the hard work preparing the required forms, this seemingly simple process can lead to agonizing delays. With ImagineTime’s e-signature module, you can get documents signed by your clients at anytime and from anywhere. You just upload the document and it is delivered to your client to sign instantly.

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Legally binding

The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (“UETA”) and the Electronic Signature in Global and National Commerce Act (“ESIGN”) provide legal guidelines for ensuring the validity of electronic records and documents signed online. Electronic signatures are legally binding if the following requirements are met:

The signer’s identity can be confirmed or authenticated using a digital marker, like an IP address.


The parameters of the transaction are communicated and the signer undeniably intended to undergo the method of signing.


The signature associated with the document is verifiable and has evidentiary documentation.


ImagineTime provides a digital audit trail that compiles the following unique identifying information so you can validate the identity of a signer and prevent tampering:

-IP addresses
-OS and browser information
-Geographic coordinates
-Time and date stamps

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