Email Security 101: A Guide to Protecting Your Business
Communication is the backbone of every successful business, and email has become one of the most common forms of communication across organizations. However, email security remains a significant concern for companies in the modern era. With email being a popular target for malicious actors, it’s critical to implement strategies to protect your organization against threats. In this beginner’s guide, we outline some practical tips to help businesses secure their email systems.
Section 1: The Importance of Email Security
In today’s world, email security is essential for businesses of all sizes. Organizations rely on email for various communication purposes, including exchanging critical information, interacting with customers, and for personal and confidential correspondence. Unfortunately, email has also become a launchpad for cyberattacks, making it a significant cause of concern for organizations. Therefore, email security must be a priority in every company’s cybersecurity strategy.
Section 2: Examining Next-Generation Security Techniques
Passwords are the most common method of email security, and they have been for a long time. However, passwords have significant flaws, and they are easily compromised. Employees may also find it challenging to create strong passwords, often getting frustrated with the complexity and frequency required. A better solution would be to remove passwords entirely and transition to using authenticator apps. These apps provide a one-time code that employees enter while logging in, increasing security. However, companies must provide training and assist employees to enable the transition. Despite the hurdles, it’s a worthwhile investment that companies can consider.
Section 3: Reviewing Spam Filters
Spam is one of the most common means for fraudulent actors to infiltrate company email systems. Email clients typically have strong anti-spam filters, but they’re not sufficient to block all spam emails. Unknown senders can still pass through these filters and find their way into the company’s inbox. Therefore, one way of reducing harmful emails that enter your system is to prevent spam emails from getting in. Implementing an external tool that asks senders to verify if they know the receiver, and if they don’t, donate to charity, is an excellent way to minimize malicious emails from unknown sources. While some organizations may find such tools excessive, background tools that monitor inbox activity can also prevent malicious emails from entering your network.
Section 4: Using Takeover Protection Tools
Artificial intelligence (AI) has made it easier for hackers to infiltrate systems and avoid traditional security tools. Email security is no exception. For companies to combat such sophisticated methods of attack, AI-driven takeover prevention tools are a game-changer. These tools monitor employee email activity and prevent suspicious activity before it results in significant damage. Additionally, they have the capability of preventing malicious insider attacks, which is notoriously difficult to detect. By analyzing trends in employees’ messaging patterns, these tools can detect anomalous behavior and prevent breaches from occurring.
Conclusion
In conclusion, email security is an essential aspect of any company’s needs. It’s necessary to implement strategies to protect your organization against threats. By examining next-generation security techniques, reviewing spam filters, and using takeover protection tools, you’ll reduce the likelihood of cyberattack across your company. Email remains one of the most common ways malicious actors attempt to infiltrate company systems. Therefore, companies must prioritize email security when devising and implementing their cybersecurity strategy.
