4 Ways to Increase Security with Outbound Email Filtering
In this article, we discuss how you can improve the cybersecurity of your organization but implementing secure Outbound Email filtering. Know why it is necessary and how you can go about doing it.
Business emails not only just include useful information to support agent productivity and efficiency. The messages you send can also feature sensitive and private information. That's why, no matter what we send in our enterprise emails today, we need to ensure that only the correct people see the contents of our sensitive messages. Unfortunately, there are many criminals out there that see email as an opportunity to steal private information, expose businesses to fraud, and destroy your company with potential scams. Something as simple as the wrong email reaching one of your customers could be enough to destroy your business reputation and put you at risk of significant security and compliance fines. An outgoing email filter could be one of the most valuable ways for businesses to protect themselves, their clients, and anyone else they interact with via email. Protecting Inbound and Outbound Emails
There are two main kinds of email in a business space. Inbound emails are the messages received by your employees by senders outside of your domain. Outbound messages, on the other hand, are the messages that your employees sent to stakeholders, colleagues, and customers alike. On average, employees send around 40 emails every day. Multiply this number to cover all of the employees in your organization, and it's easy to see how an improperly handled outbound email strategy could become a significant risk. Cybercriminals can gain access to the SMTP server that delivers your emails to external parties. When this happens, your company suddenly needs to deal with a range of threats, including:Using Outbound Filtering to Improve Security
Using outbound email filtering helps to keep your email secure while ensuring messages actually reach the correct people intended for. With the right filtering solution, you can remain compliant with the security standards in your industry and reduce your risk of spam issues leading to lost information in your organization. Here's how you can use outbound email filtering to improve security. Use it as Part of a Cybersecurity Plan
An outbound filtering strategy is a valuable way to make sure that your outbound messages remain as secure as possible. However, outbound filtering is only one aspect of running a secure business. You also need a comprehensive plan that considers other cybersecurity solutions based on the risks that you face every day. Think about whether you need to implement inbound filtering systems as well as outbound solutions to protect your staff members from messages that are from external criminals. You can also look into things like monitoring services and reporting tools that could be useful in improving compliance when you're working on maintaining your brand reputation. Implement the Right Policies
Once you have a plan for what kind of tools you're going to use alongside outbound spam filtering, make sure that you have a strategy and set of guidelines for your employees to follow too. For instance, you might create documentation for your team members that advises them of the kind of information they should be on the look-out for when reading team messages. Cybersecurity awareness training, complete with guidance on how to use secure passwords online and what your employees can do to detect and respond to phishing emails could save you a lot of time and money in the long-term. You can even include information on the bottom of your authentic emails to customers to help them identify which emails are definitely from you, and which could be from pretenders leveraging your SMTP server. Use Data to Your Advantage
One of the best things about modern filtering tools is that they don't just help to block dangerous emails from reaching your people, they can also give you valuable information that you can use to enhance your security strategy. Your service can scan for trends in the kind of attacks that people attempt to use when they try to access your outbound server, so you know which threats you should be most aware of. You can also collect data from email filtering reports that give you insights into the kind of employees that are most commonly victims to attacks. This could make it easier to determine which of your employees need additional training and guidance to stay safe in any business environment. Stay Vigilant
While many organizations tend to focus most on the threats of inbound spam in the email environment, it's important to remember that outbound issues can be just as dangerous. Infected emails reaching your employees or customers can have a direct impact on your productivity, security, and your business reputation. Staying vigilant with a strategy that examines all of the potential doorways for criminals in your organization is essential to maintain a strong level of protection. Remember to build on the knowledge that you gain from your spam filter with information that you can access elsewhere. For instance, you can check your other communication security systems to see whether you're exposed to any other attacks, and listen to customer feedback for information on the kind of emails they're most concerned about. Keep Outbound Emails Safe
The best security strategies are the ones that deal with every aspect of your business landscape, whether you're filtering through dangerous emails sent to employees, or you're protecting your brand from reputation problems.
