2020 has been a testing year for every industry. The COVID-19 restrictions paved the way for new trends like the WFH culture, remote workforces, and cloud-platforms. These changes have also affected the digital communication pathways, including email communication, in various ways. As these trends continue in 2021, there is a need for ramping up email security strategies accordingly.
Some Critical Email Security Statistics
The cybersecurity statistics for 2020 are frightening.
- Email is a significant source of concern as it accounts for 94% of malware delivery.
- One in 4,200 emails is a phishing email.
- About 80% of reported security incidents are concerned with phishing.
- Studies show that there will be a ransomware attack every 11 seconds on business enterprises in 2021, and the damage costs will rise to $20 billion.
These statistics drive home the fact that email security should be on the top of every cybersecurity strategy list.
It can be challenging for an organizational network to focus its full attention on email security. Therefore, one can look at options like outsourcing email security to third-party service providers. Such decisions can have their pros and cons, and organizations should be careful when selecting the right email security service for the business domain.
Pros And Cons Of Outsourcing Email Services
Here are some benefits of outsourcing email security to third-party service providers.
- Ensures email continuity
- Eliminates email failure during outages
- Protects email from malware, phishing, viruses, and spam
- Ensures regulatory compliance
- Secures files and provides email archiving
However, one cannot ignore the risks of outsourcing email security.
- Confidential and critical information can fall into the wrong hands
- There can be rogue employees, both inside and outside the organization
- Security breaches can happen
Points To Consider When Outsourcing Email Security
The general opinion is that an email security service provider is a spam eliminator. Today, the landscape has evolved considerably, with threats like spear-phishing, BEC, and ransomware capable of causing significant losses and damaging business reputation. Hence, there is a need to have a comprehensive, multi-layered email security solution with vigilant support. Here are some questions to consider when outsourcing email security to third-party vendors.
Is the solution fast and evolving to manage sophisticated threats?
The fastest way to thwart email security breaches is to have an open-source approach. It allows enterprise networks to utilize resources beyond their borders and provide customers with real-time protection. An open-source solution’s advantages include increased security, superior quality, cost-effectiveness, and no vendor lock-in. As threats keep evolving, one can enhance one’s email security accordingly.
Is the solution fully manageable with seamless integration?
An effective email security solution quickly and seamlessly integrates into the businesses’ existing email infrastructure. Organizations should verify whether there are fully trained security professionals to manage email security. The benefit of continuous monitoring by support engineers is that the business can focus on its core activities and rest assured about email security.
Does the email security solution take a defense-in-depth approach to security?
Anti-phishing services and ransomware protection are aspects that businesses should concentrate on the most when entrusting email security to third-party service providers. Besides, a reliable solution uses complementary layered technologies to protect business emails with the maximum security level. When these layers work in unison, they are more effective in providing phishing protection than any single protection method.
Is the email security solution customizable and scalable?
As the business grows, there can be mergers and acquisitions or other expansion forms along the path. Therefore, the ideal email security solution is customizable and provides effective tenant to tenant migration capabilities. A customizable and scalable security solution can meet the needs of businesses of any size. The service providers should understand the unique requirements, such as MX Backup, email archiving, email forwarding, and email hosting. Such a solution can help businesses with their long-term goals, upgrades, and migrations.
What security philosophy does the security service provider follow?
A reputed email security service provider is one that offers the highest level of email protection available. It is better to check out if the service provider provides the following fundamental security protection measures.
- Open-sourced inbound and outbound email security hygiene, including outbound SMTP, ransomware protection, phishing protection, and MX Backup
- Encryption protection to ensure the safety of communication
- Zero-hour outbreak control that offers protection against unknown spam and malware
- Advanced security protocols, like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM to prevent email spoofing
- Behavior profiling and real-time URL filtering
Is resilient secondary protection available to MS Outlook and Gmail users?
Microsoft and Google offer email facilities but do not provide specific email security. Outages and problems are common even with these reputed servers. Microsoft has already stated that it cannot combat all email threats. Hence, it becomes necessary for organizations to have secondary protection. One of the prime qualities expected of a quality email service provider is resiliency. A cloud email security solution that runs on a platform designed to optimize the enterprise network’s security and reliability ensures reliable routing of emails indefinitely.
Finally, does the service provider provide high-quality customer support 24x7x365?
Customer support is critical. Hence, organizations should ensure that the third-party email security service provider offers the highest customer support levels, 24x7x365. Quality customer support staff helps build relationships and gives the business the customized, dedicated attention it deserves. A service provider that cares for the business’s safety and success is always preferable.
Final Words
Sophisticated threats like ransomware and spear-phishing are rampant today. Malicious actors love the email route to introduce malware into enterprise networks. Hence, it becomes essential for organizations to invest in quality email security solutions. Email security is a specialized job that is best left to professionals. Businesses should look into various aspects when entrusting email security to third-party service providers. In doing so, organizations ensure the best email security in place. Besides, it can trust that confidential data does not fall into the wrong hands.