Clear Path step · Business · Your industry's rules and risks
Move client documents off email and into a secure portal
Why it matters: Mailboxes get breached and attachments sit there for years. A portal limits exposure and gives clients one place to expect real requests from you.
On your path if you picked “Financial services” for “What's your industry?”.
Do it
- Choose an encrypted portal or file-sharing service and turn on MFA for staff.
- Tell clients you'll only request documents through it.
- Set files to expire or be archived after the engagement.
- Clear old sensitive attachments from mailboxes according to your retention schedule.
Check it worked: Clients send and receive tax returns, statements and IDs through an encrypted portal or file-sharing service, and email attachments with sensitive data stop.
Simply put
Emailing tax returns is like leaving them in an unsealed envelope that sits on the doormat for years. A secure portal is a locked mailbox, and clients learn it's the only place you'll ask.
In detail
Telling clients 'we only ask through the portal' is a contact policy that also protects them from fake document requests in your name.
Points toward the Long View: one trusted place for client documents, so fake requests stand out.