The service will automatically encrypted all the answers and forwarded messages. Microsoft representatives point out that regardless of the destination, users can send sensitive information in encrypted messages, which will get an extra level of security against unauthorized access.

It is expected that the new option will be available during the first quarter of next year, and will be free to users of version E3 and E4 of Office 365. It will also be included in the Windows Azure Rights Management, with no additional cost.

[Ed – It looks like the impact of their (alleged) cooperation with the NSA is motivating Microsoft to make some changes. The problem with this is that, according to leaked information, the NSA hold the keys to the encryption used by Microsoft. This means that despite the fact that they might be using encryption it will still not make their service more secure.]

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