MessageLabs Top Tips - Email Security


THE INS AND OUTS OF EMAIL SECURITY : TOP TIPS


Email is a fast, easy and cheap way to get your message out to customers and partners – but it’s a two way street and unless you control incoming and outgoing traffic, you risk the spread of the dangerous hidden payloads in spam or unintended viral infections which can:

  • damage or bring down your network
  • drive down productivity
  • interrupt to business continuity
  • cause the loss of confidential information
  • expose your organisation to legal and compliance risks.

To secure your network and ensure that email works for and not against your business, it’s essential to:

  1. Protect your business at every level – on each desktop where shared devices can spread malware, on your network and at Internet level, either through your ISP or a hosted service to eliminate risks before they reach your network.

  2. Educate your users – accidental misuse or intentional abuse are both costly and damaging to corporate reputation. A clear and well publicised Acceptable Usage Policy should set out restrictions, cover personal use and be backed up with training.

  3. Enforce your policies – because employers can be held responsible for employee’s email content, a reliable system to seamlessly and automatically enforce your usage policies protects you from security and legal risks.

  4. Monitor and control – software or services can scan each incoming and outgoing email to block inappropriate or offensive content and images, and the best solutions provide protection without impacting on email speed.

  5. Get proactive – email threats are always evolving and patching for yesterday’s virus provides no protection against tomorrow’s malware. A hosted email security service provides proactive protection against new and unknown threats.

MessageLabs Hosted Email Security Services make email a safe and productive business-critical tool by providing access to a cost-effective set of on-demand services to protect, control and encrypt email communications – ensuring that:

  • spam and malware is removed before it enters your network, eliminating the risk of downtime
  • security settings can be fully customised to seamless enforce your policies
  • all email traffic is monitored and inappropriate emails blocked, without slowing or interrupting email service
  • productivity improves for end users and your IT staff are not bogged down by spam and viruses.

To find out more, contact a security specialist or go to the hosted email security overview page.