A client portal is an electronic gateway to a collection of digital files, services, and information, accessible over the Internet through a web browser. The term is most often applied to a sharing mechanism between an organization and its clients. The organization provides a secure entry point, typically via a website, that lets its clients log into an area where they can view, download, and upload private information. Client portals are most prevalently used for the secure exchange of financial information, usually when teams are working remotely.

Privacy law Privacy law is the body of law that deals with the regulating, storing, and using of personally identifiable information, personal healthcare information, and financial information of individuals, which can be Personally identifiable information ...

s such as the

Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act The Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (GLBA), also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999, () is an act of the 106th United States Congress (1999–2001). It repealed part of the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933, removing barriers i ...

require that organizations encrypt their clients'

personally identifiable information Personal data, also known as personal information or personally identifiable information (PII), is any information related to an identifiable person. The abbreviation PII is widely accepted in the United States, but the phrase it abbreviates ha ...

that is sent online electronically. Sharing such information through email does not comply with the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act and other federal privacy laws. Client portals allow users to centralise and virtualise their organization, usually to increase efficiencies and communication. Other advantages of client portals, as distinguished from email, include increased file size limitations and self-service access to a private repository. Client portals are often used in conjunction with workflow automation and

document management A document management system (DMS) is usually a computerized system used to store, share, track and manage files or documents. Some systems include history tracking where a log of the various versions created and modified by different users is r ...

to maximize work environment efficiency.

Industries

Client portals are prevalent in many industries. Industry sectors include various commercial organisations and aren't usually specific to one industry. Owing to the nature of the industry, law firms make up a significant number of client portal users. This is because lawyers are constantly collaborating and interacting with clients, involving a significant amount of paperwork. In these cases the file sharing functionality is imperative. Some client portal features extend to invoicing, time logging and expenses tracking. These benefits lead to a number of

Small and medium enterprises Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are businesses whose personnel and revenue numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used by international organizations such as the World Bank ...

using client portals to manage their business operations.

Issues

Security has been a hot topic surrounding client portals. Many client portals feature 256 bit SSL, similar to that of online banking, but businesses with sensitive information, such as medical data, sometimes express concerns about their data being in the cloud. Businesses still wishing to use client portals usually adopt private cloud solutions and host the software on-premises.

References

{{reflist Groupware

Industries

Issues

See also

References