Digital Mail

The Digital Mail Process:

On normal business days (M-F), on-site mailroom staff will collect mail from the Newark U.S. Post Office at approximately 8:00am and will return to the NJIT mailroom to pre-sort the mail.

Excluded Mail is pulled and physically delivered as usual based on the following criteria:

• Mail that is clearly marked on the envelope as:  PERSONAL, PRIVATE, CONFIDENTIAL or DO_NOT_OPEN is removed and physically delivered as usual.
• Magazines and catalogs addressed to individuals are removed and delivered.  Note that these items that are not specifically addressed to someone is considered “junk mail” and will be discarded.
• Mail addressed to individuals or departments who are pre-approved for special handling (not to be scanned) is removed and physically delivered.  Note that this limited pre-approval is for special case situations and requires VP level authorization.

The remaining mail is bundled and shipped to the TMG operated digital mail facility located in Piscataway, NJ by approximately 10:00am where it will be opened, scanned and delivered via NJIT email as follows:

• The envelope is scanned and will be retained in the system as confirmation that the mail was processed.  This envelope scan will also be displayed in the body of the email.
• Digital mail staff will open and scan all mail content that is contained within the envelope.  This content scan will be attached to the email as a pdf file.  Note that the content pdf scan file is deleted from the digital mail system on a nightly basis and will NOT be retrievable.
• The physical mail is then reassembled and securely stored in the Piscataway facility for 30 days. 
               -  Recipients can specify via a return email that they want the physical mail to be delivered to them at NJIT.  In this case, the physical mail will be retrieved, sealed and shipped back to the NJIT mailroom for physical delivery within 2 business days of the request.
               -  Note that mail containing checks will automatically be shipped back to NJIT for delivery.
               -  Physical mail that is not delivered back to NJIT will be security destroyed after 30 days.

After scanning, the recipient will receive an e-mail with the envelope image within the e-mail body along with a PDF attachment of the content of the envelope.

• The system uses the email from address of digitalmail@njit.edu.
• The recipient may reply to the email requesting that the physical mail be delivered to them.  In this case, the physical mail will be retrieved, sealed and shipped back to the NJIT mailroom for physical delivery within 2 business days of the request.

Digitizing Details:

Below are details of the digitizing process:

• Our high-speed scanners are capable of 150 page-per-minute scanning.  Two sided and odd shaped items are easily accommodated. 
• ​The system uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to determine the recipient’s name match from the directory. If OCR does not identify a match, the system places the item into a review folder for the staff to manually route the document.
• The employee database contains employee email addresses and is updated on a nightly basis.  This database is security transferred to the system via SFTP (secure file transfer protocol).

Email Details:

Below are details regarding the email that is sent to recipients:

• The system uses an NJIT email address (digitalmail@njit.edu) so that emails are not automatically blocked. 
• The digital email will be sent the same day that the mail was collected from the US post office.
• The scan of the mail envelope is in the email body and is saved in the TMG database for reporting purposes.
• The scan of the mail content is attached to the email as a pdf file.  This file is deleted from the TMG database nightly and will NOT be retrievable.
• Email within the NJIT email system is governed by the “Acceptable Use Policy for Cyber Resources” which is located on the NJIT Catalog of Official University Policies web page.
• On the rare occasion that someone receives digital mail that is not theirs, they should reply to the email that “this is not my mail” and then delete the email.  In this situation, the digital mail team will determine the appropriate recipient and will re-route the email to them.  We will also let the correct recipient know about the miscommunication.  Our goal is transparency in this situation.

Legality:

Federal law prohibits the obstruction of mail delivery. However, according to the U.S. Postal Service, mail is delivered when it reaches the workplace. Accordingly, employers do not violate federal law if they open personal mail addressed to employees or departments. NJIT mailroom management encourages faculty, staff, students and affiliates to NOT have personal mail sent to the NJIT mailroom as this mail is opened and scanned.   

Confidentiality and Security:

Confidentiality and security of your digital mail is our highest priority:

• TMG employees on campus and at the Piscataway digitizing facility are trained to keep your mail confidential and secure.
• TMG employees have all signed confidentiality agreements binding them to confidentiality.
• The process and high speed scanning equipment is designed so that TMG employees have minimal contact time with your mail’s content.
• Scanning personnel are in highly visible work areas and are under constant supervision.
• TMG is bonded and insured against breaches of data.
• The process is HIPAA compliant (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)
• The process is PII protective (Personally Identifiable Information)
• The TMG facility is HITRUST certified (Health Information Trust Alliance).  This certifications sets the global standard for HIPAA and PII compliance and shows TMG’s commitment to safeguarding data.

“Opt Out” Option:

There may be certain rare situations where an employee or department need to be excluded from the digital mail system/process.  This exclusion will require the support of your department head and your division Vice President.  If you feel that you or your department have such a situation, please contact Robert Gjini, AVP of Facilities Systems at 973-642-4487 or by emailing him at robert.gjini@njit.edu. 

“Envelope Only” Scan Option:

We realize that some recipients may have a fundamental objection to their mail content being automatically digitized and that having all of their mail marked as “confidential” may not be achievable.  As such, the following special case “Envelope Only” scan option is being made available on a limited basis.  To request this special-case “envelope only” option, please email the mailroom supervisor, Tyesha Craighead at tc58@njit.edu

• The “Envelope Only” option will initially scan the envelope of the mail only and the mail will not be opened.  The email that is sent to the recipient will contain the envelope scan only. 
• It will be up to the recipient to reply to the email indicating that they want the mail to remain un-opened and to be physically delivered, or if they want the mail contents to be opened, digitized and emailed. 
• If the recipient does not reply within 5 business days, the mail will be opened and scanned as usual.
• Please realize that choosing this option may significantly delay the delivery of your mail if you do not promptly reply to each system email.