Is your company’s email security enough to stop breaches? It should be because threats are every especially online.

Others are blatantly obvious like spam pop-ups or those that can easily be detected by your anti-virus. However, there are online threats that aren’t detectable – mostly done by insistent humans (hackers) themselves.

Being vulnerable online could mean all your data and other vital information – including that of your customers – could easily be retrieved by hackers and use these information in treachery.

Just lately, concerns about email security has been challenged with a data breach of email addresses and passwords. Over 773 million emails were compromised and who knows who got it and what they do with all that data!

A company email is very vital; thus, the importance of keeping it secure. Most correspondence from partners and customers go through emails. You also make third-party authorizations and accounts by linking your company email.

Is your company prepared for any form of security breach?

Here are a few tips we could give you to protect your company’s data and enhance your online security.

Create Stronger Passwords

The most obvious thing you should do to increase email security is to change and create a stronger password. Gone are the days when we create simple passwords and just complying with a password combination of upper and lower case plus numbers and symbols.

The best and strongest passwords is still a mix of all those four but it should be something that can’t be easily figured out by others. You can see these in other apps which suggests passwords or like those that the system sends you when you want to retrieve your password when you’ve forgotten them.

Another way to increase your email security is to change your password from time to time. It might be quite tedious but when security is on the line, you just got to do it.

Update Anti-Malware and Anti-Virus Protection

Sometimes, adding anti-virus or anti-malware to your PC is also a risk. You’ll never know up to what extent they could do; and we know they could only do so much.

But it’s still better safe than sorry, right? So when you choose an anti-virus or anti-malware software, look for ones you are completely confident about. Look into its features and make sure it covers everything – including email security.

Once you have your software, make sure its databases are up-to-date for optimum email security. Because we’ll never know when a new kind of threat is made to attack your security further.

E-mail Encryption

Encryption is a layer of protection in an e-mail address especially in between the exchange of e-mails. They are secure codes that makes sure that the transfer of e-mail information is sent by and to a secure and authentic e-mail address.

Several e-mail providers offers encryption. Gmail is known to have one and keeps your messages secure. Although the extent of its security may just be limited to emails exchanged between Gmail users, but they have by far the most secure e-mail encryption; and widely used, too. What makes Gmail enticing to individual users and businesses alike is that you are safe and secured when you open your email even through a mobile app or using the Chrome browser.

Other e-mails such as the Microsoft mail also have their own internal e-mail encryption, though it has issues when it comes to inter-platform access such as logging in through Outlook and their mobile app.

Two-Way Verification and Authentication

Most e-mail providers now give you an option for a two-way verification (or even more than two). This allows you to give your company email an extra boost of security.

While it’s cumbersome when you log in a new device – or when you go for a business trip and access your email – but it’s better safe than sorry.

Make use of every verification feature that your webmail has to offer. Let it send you and email and a text, even, whenever there’s a suspicious log-in attempt. It’s also better to have a secondary email in case your account is compromised and you get ‘locked out’ from it.

Also, make sure you have a secondary email where you can receive recovery details in case you are barred from logging in your account. And if your email mobile application have face recognition, go for it. There have been many instances that people’s accounts were compromised, hacked, but was saved through their phone’s face recognition feature!

Just like anything in life, it’s always good to have a back up.

Verify and Double Check Mails Your Receive

Your company’s email will receive tons of emails in a day. They have varied recipients – from clients, co-workers, to SPAM and other promotional materials.

Before you click anything on your email, make sure you verify that these are ‘real’ emails and not a trap for a scam. Look at the sender’s email if it looks legit.

Another general rule, especially on emails with links, is to never click them until you verify it is true. You can also use online tools to copy and paste the link and verify if these are not a scam.

If you receive promotional emails from clients or other companies, it’s best to verity it directly from them. Give them a call or send them a message. If it is indeed true, then it’s a good opportunity for a sales call. If not, then they’d surely appreciate your call for a heads-up.

Educate Your Employees

Company emails are used by everyone from the top-down. This means that the more employees you have, the more vulnerable your entire email system is.

Knowing all these tips would be for naught if you’d keep these to yourself. You should share what you know about email security to the rest of the company, too.

Hold a little seminar for everyone to be headed by your IT specialists in the company (since they know this better). Of course, you have to orient them to make sure they discuss everything in layman’s terms so you could all get the message across.

It would be best if everyone can do it hands-on. If not, doing a quick video tutorial would also be help.

Let everyone on the floor with an email and computer know how to fight or keep away from fraud and breaches to keep everyone safe, as well. It doesn’t mean that they have nothing to do with computer systems, data privacy, or other vital security information in your company, that their accounts could not be compromised. Everyone is a target as they are your shield.

Email Security and You

You can do all the security measures suggested here, and even go an extra mile with the use of VPNs, secured webmails, and even up to your operating system. However, the best security measure still lies in YOU.

Knowing all these tips and tricks can only do so much for your own and even your company’s email security. At the end of the day, it’s your every decision you make – every click of that email – is a split-second decision that would spell safety or doom for you.

Be keen on each email that you receive. Look into each element and see if there’s something suspicious; from subject to the sender’s email address.

The first line of protection when it comes to keeping your e-mail and date safe is with your very hands. Thus, as this list lastly suggested, letting each employee of your company be knowledgeable in e-mail security and letting them take full responsibility on every exchange of e-mail is an important feat.

After all, the best way to beat the intelligence of the bot or any automated e-mails used for scamming and breaching is human intelligence.