The Slow Decline of S/MIME

Once heralded as the gold standard of email encryption, S/MIME arrived with grand promises of protecting sensitive communications. It was a knight in digital armor, offering certificates and encryption keys as its trusty sword and shield. But as time marched on, this brave defender began to show its age. The complexities of certificate management, the struggles with scalability, and the sheer frustration it inflicted on users were too much to bear. What was once a promised beacon of security became a relic—clunky, cumbersome, and hopelessly out of touch with the fast-paced world of modern data protection. 

S/MIME’s decades-long decline is more than just a matter of inconvenience; it’s a systemic issue that has left too many organizations without a viable solution for email encryption. According to Gartner, only 40% of organizations have adopted enhanced email security¹, largely due to the burdensome nature of solutions like S/MIME. In light of these shortcomings, Gartner recommends that organizations adopt more effective outbound email security solutions² like Virtru, which offer seamless implementation, scalability, and—most importantly—ease of use.

S/MIME’s time has come and gone. As security demands become more effortless and scalable, S/MIME simply can’t keep up. It’s time to bid adieu to the old guard and embrace a better way.

Challenges with S/MIME

S/MIME was designed to encrypt the content of email messages, but beneath its armor lies a host of significant vulnerabilities:

1. Cumbersome Implementation: S/MIME requires certificates for every user involved in the email communication process. These certificates must be purchased, distributed, and managed continuously, often becoming a resource drain for IT teams.
2. Usability Issues: For both senders and recipients, S/MIME is more of a puzzle than a protector. Users must ensure their certificate is valid and installed on every device they use for email. Meanwhile, recipients have little recourse if their systems aren’t properly configured. It’s a bit like sending a letter by horseback, only to find the recipient doesn’t own a stable.
3. Lack of Scalability: As organizations grow, S/MIME’s need for per-user certificate management becomes a bottleneck. For large enterprises, scaling encryption across thousands of employees, while ensuring each certificate is properly installed and managed, is not only costly but introduces significant operational risk. In environments with frequent employee turnover, maintaining up-to-date certificates becomes nearly impossible without massive administrative overhead.

The Shift to More Usable and Scalable Solutions: Virtru’s Approach

Virtru offers a fresh approach, providing security, ease of use, and scalability—armor that actually fits.

Seamless User Experience

Unlike S/MIME, Virtru’s encryption integrates directly into existing workflows. For example, with Virtru for Gmail or Microsoft Outlook, sending an encrypted message is as simple as clicking a button. There is no need for complicated certificate management. The recipient doesn’t need to install software or manage encryption keys—they simply authenticate their identity using familiar processes, ensuring a smooth, user-friendly experience​​.

End-to-End Encryption

Virtru’s email protection offers true end-to-end encryption by encrypting the email body, and attachments, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information at every stage of its journey. This extends to compliance with regulatory requirements such as CMMC, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI, etc​​.

Ease of Implementation and Day-Forward Management

One of the key differentiators for Virtru is the ease with which it can be implemented across organizations of any size. With no need for complex certificate infrastructure, deployment is swift. To illustrate, check out this side-by-side comparison – Google Gmail S/MIME vs Virtru for Gmail. With Virtru, administrators can enforce encryption security rules, revoke access, and adjust permissions with a few simple clicks—no need for elaborate rituals

Scalability and Centralized Management

For organizations that need to manage encryption across thousands of users, Virtru provides a centralized platform where administrators can easily configure access controls, monitor encrypted communications, and enforce data protection policies. This scalability allows businesses to secure all email communications without the logistical nightmares that S/MIME presents. Granular controls ensure encrypted content is accessible only to authorized users, aligning with Zero Trust principles.​

Simplified Compliance

With the growing complexity of compliance mandates, organizations require solutions that help meet regulatory obligations without adding operational burden. Virtru not only ensures that sensitive data is encrypted but also provides auditing capabilities so organizations can verify compliance at any time​​.

A Farewell to S/MIME

Today, we bid a fond (or perhaps not-so-fond) farewell to S/MIME, a once-promising solution that, like many technologies of its time, has seen its day. Born in an era when email encryption was a fledgling idea, S/MIME worked hard to protect our emails, battling certificates and user frustration alike. But alas, as the digital landscape evolved, so too did modern security demands. S/MIME, with its cumbersome setup and relentless certificate management, simply couldn’t keep up. It now joins the ranks of well-intentioned tech that fell victim to progress. In its place, solutions like Virtru have stepped in—elegant, scalable, and user-friendly—showing us that security doesn’t have to be such a headache. Rest in peace, S/MIME. You fought the good fight, but it’s time we move on.

¹ Gartner: Market Guide for Email Security, 2023 

² Gartner: 4 Tenets to Address Advanced Email Security Threats, 2024