Steps to an Effective Email Security Strategy

Email inboxes are very attractive to cybercriminals. As an easy point of access with an abundance of valuable information, they can be your company's most vulnerable point of attack.

Since most breaches happen due to poor email security practices, your company's email security strategy should be given high priority in your network security plan.

​Steps to an Effective Email Security Strategy

First on the list: your email security strategy should include a company email policy. Make it easy to understand so that you get employee buy-in and follow-though. Then train employees on the importance of the policy and how staying vigilent will benefit them and the company in the long run.

Below are important considerations and best practices for an email security strategy:​

• Regularly update all antivirus, malware and web filtering software
• Ensure that all emails are scanned for viruses and malware
• Use email encryption to ensure the security of confidential data
• Use two-step authentication*
• Establish clear rules about email usage

*(2-Step verification is usually done by requesting the user’s account password as well as a randomly generated verification sent to a trusted device)

Employees should follow these email security tips:

• Use strong passwords and change them often
• Hover over links to see if they are legitimate
• Before clicking, type the link address into another browser
• Learn to recognize phishing emails and never respond to them
• Never open unexpected attachments without scanning
• Never use public WiFi to access company emails
• Never click the “unsubscribe” link in spam emails
• Remember that reputable businesses will not ask for sensitive information

To ensure that your organization is protected after your email security plan is in place, regularly train your employees on email security so that they understand how important it is. By teaching employees the risks of clicking on suspicious links and not using unique passwords, your company's email will be better protected and less vulnerable to hackers.

Today, every business uses email for the majority of its communications. But the security of those emails could be easily compromised without the proper strategy in place. Through email safe practices, you can rest easy that your network is safer too.