Email remains the most widely used and ubiquitous form of business communication. People in the office routinely use it for exchanging important documents and records, as well as for keeping in touch with colleagues and customers. Another common use for email is recovering forgotten login credentials for online services ranging from eCommerce to banking. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the average business (or personal) email account is a treasure trove of sensitive information, which is why they’re among the most popular targets for attackers.
By now, most businesses are aware of the need to protect their email accounts. But while any business-grade email account typically has multiple layers of security already, such as spam filtering, end-to-end encryption, and passwords, these aren’t enough. Businesses need more robust security than consumer-grade solutions can provide. Enterprise-grade email protection services don’t just improve security — they also boost productivity and reduce bandwidth use by cutting out the spam.
Here are the reasons why your business should have enterprise-grade email protection.
#1. Most cyberattacks begin by email
More than 90% of social engineering attacks begin with a phishing email. Since it costs cybercriminals little or nothing to send out emails en masse to potential targets, attackers most frequently use email to spread phishing scams designed to dupe unsuspecting victims into giving away details like login credentials and other sensitive information. Others target specific individuals within an organization, such as high-level executives who have privileged access to critical systems and data. While conventional spam filters do a good job of keeping out most of the threats, businesses have a lot more to protect.
#2. Every employee is a potential target
Chances are, everyone in your office has their own business email account that they depend on as part of their daily routines. But on the other hand, every individual account and device added to your operational environment is potentially another entry point for cyberthreats. That’s why you need a unified approach to email security that only an enterprise-grade solution can provide. That way, administrators can maintain full visibility into the flow of data via email.
#3. Spam filters aren’t enough
While consumer-grade spam filters might do a good job of keeping out common threats, you also need to remember that businesses are much more popular targets for cleverer phishing scams. Some of these are very effective in getting around spam filters. Targeted phishing scams often demonstrate personal knowledge about the intended victim, while some are sent from otherwise legitimate accounts belonging to other employees or business partners that were previously compromised. Advanced email protection will weed out these scam emails.
#4. Email is a common carrier of malware
Email remains the most popular carrier for malware, simply because it’s the most common medium that businesspeople use. While most consumer-grade email services feature built-in virus scanning, they’re not enough for businesses. Companies face threats from many different types of malware, with conventional computer viruses being in the minority. Enterprise-grade email protection will keep out all sorts of malware ranging from ransomware to malicious Office macros. It uses advanced, often AI-powered algorithms to block out suspicious behaviors rather than relying on known malware signatures alone.
#5. You need to comply with industry regulations
Certain information should never be sent out via email, especially over a service that doesn’t have adequate protection. For example, sending banking information or patient health records over email may constitute a breach of compliance. There’s also a lot of scope for human error or even deliberately malicious activity. Many enterprise-grade email protection solutions offer data loss prevention (DLP). DLP allows administrators to configure rules pertaining to what sort of information may be sent out over email. If it detects a potential breach of policy, the email will be prevented from being transmitted, and the administrator will receive an alert.
Founders Technology Group is your IT solutions partner, offering a complete extension of your company to help drive business growth and innovate without adding risk. Call us today to find out more.