Cloud-based document storage and sharing service provider SmartVault has released the SmartVault Plug-in for Microsoft Outlook, allowing business users and accounting professionals the ability to send, receive and manage documents securely inside of Outlook.

The SmartVault Plug-in creates secure links for sending files and embeds them in email messages, instead of attaching documents to emails. With the plug-in, accounting professionals can use email to share files securely and remain in compliance with federal Internal Revenue Code regulations and state privacy laws. The use of links also makes it easy to share large files without the use of a separate FTP service.

“We are focused on integrations that have a positive, game-changing effect on workflow efficiency—and no communication tool is more widely used in business than email,” said SmartVault founder and chief executive Eric Pulaski. “Allowing users to share and manage their documents securely without ever leaving Outlook is transformative, and potentially yields a very high rate of adoption simply because users don’t have to learn anything new.”

The SmartVault Plug-in for Microsoft Outlook was built using the SmartVault Software Developers Kit released in the fall of 2011. The new app is free to all SmartVault users and requires Microsoft Outlook 2007 or 2010.

For more information or a free trial for non-users, visit www.smartvault.com/signup.