With rapid communication at our fingertips, and so many employees working remotely in 2022, email has become a hot spot for security breaches and cyber criminal activity. Today, there are over 244 million email users in the United States alone.
Despite its role as an essential communication tool in our daily personal and business lives, email continues to be a vulnerable point for small businesses. Just one malicious email that makes it into an employee’s inbox can be the downfall of an unprepared company.
[Related: Tracking Pixels: How to Tell if Your Emails Are Tracking You]
In order to properly protect your business from potentially devastating losses, email security should be a top priority for businesses. Here are a few reasons why.
Protect Confidential Information
The most obvious reason that email security is crucial to a growing business is that it protects your company’s confidential information. Financial data and other information not meant to be seen by anyone other than the sender and recipient should never be sent through unsecured email platforms and can result in terrible consequences for your company.
Defend Against Phishing Attacks
Email phishing attacks are one of the oldest and most common types of cyberattacks, and they cause 90% of data breaches. Attackers use deceptive stories and authentic looking messages to lure an individual into clicking on a link, opening an attachment, or providing information that leads to a major cyber attack.
According to Digital in the Round, 3.4 billion phishing emails are sent out globally every single day, which is why businesses should have a multi-layered approach to their email security solution.
Email security can detect and filter out suspicious emails and block malicious attachments to protect employees from making that one fateful click.
[Related: Top Email Threats to Watch Out for in 2022]
Minimize Human Error and Mistakes
Many cyber attacks rely on human error or poor credential management for the opportunity to strike. By sharing sensitive information through an unencrypted email, clicking on a suspicious link, or simply using a weak password, employees can unintentionally cause a data breach via email. Enhanced email security paired with employee security training can prevent potentially catastrophic attacks.
Look over the following tips to make sure you’re taking the first step in protecting yourself while using email:
- Review each email you receive carefully and be aware of any suspicious details.
- Verify with the sender via another form of communication if any email seems out of the ordinary.
- Scan all attachments for viruses and verify shared links.
- Keep your OS and all anti-virus and anti-malware software patches up to date.
- Back your information frequently.
- Use strong, complex passwords.
- Never send personal information, financial information, passwords, or anything. else of importance via unencrypted email messages.
- Undergo company email security training to learn best practices.
[Related: The Simple Gmail Trick to Reveal Who’s Selling Your Data]
Connect with VemaPoint and Keep Your Email Secure
At VemaPoint we believe email security is crucial for the success and safety of your small business.
VemaMail is a full, private email exchange server not hosted by any major platform. We’ll never snoop or sell your information, so you can rest assured your emails and private communication remains secure.
Check out our website or contact us today to get started!
Featured image via Pixabay