TABLE OF CONTENTS
It started with a normal-looking email. It came from the CEO’s address, named a real supplier and asked the finance team to update bank details before Friday’s payment.
Nobody thought twice. By Monday, the money was gone.
This kind of scam is called business email compromise, or BEC. It’s simple and it works far too often. The FBI recorded $2.77 billion in BEC losses in 2024 alone.
The scary part? The attackers didn’t hack anything. They just sent an email.
So email security isn’t only an IT issue anymore. It’s a business issue.
In this guide, you’ll find 15 simple ways to protect your company’s email, plus when it makes sense to bring in Email Security Services.
Anyone from any corner of the globe can send mail to your company via email and that is its beauty, along with its shortcomings as well.
In the past, it was simple to identify phishing mail. It had horrible spelling, strange format and unusual requests. Not so in the present! Nowadays, artificial intelligence is capable of generating beautiful phishing mails in seconds. Cybersecurity company like SlashNext reports that the volume of phishing emails has increased by a staggering 4,151%.
That is why spam filters alone are not enough to protect from phishing attacks and there has to be a good combination of different things: sound management, smart filtering, trained staff and a well-prepared recovery plan.
These are three small settings in your domain’s DNS. Together, they tell the world which servers are allowed to send email as your company. Skip them and scammers can easily pretend to be you.
They’re not optional anymore either. Gmail and Yahoo now require them for bulk senders . Start DMARC in “monitor” mode, then slowly move it to “reject.”
Passwords get stolen every day. MFA helps prevent account takeovers if your password is exposed. Microsoft says that it prevents 99.2% of account takeovers (Microsoft). The authenticator app is more secure than SMS.
Old protocols like plain basic POP and IMAP can’t support the use of MFA, which makes hackers much happier. Microsoft has switched off basic authentication on Exchange Online already (Microsoft). Make sure it is turned off everywhere else as well. It is a good way to secure your email server.
Use TLS for email messages during their transfer from one server to another. Most providers apply it by default, but it is still better to check. In case of sending highly sensitive information like contracts or medical records, make sure to use end-to-end encryption.
The necessity for Exchange server updates cannot be overstated. In 2021, unpatched vulnerabilities in ProxyLogon allowed hackers to take control of thousands of Exchange servers. Adequate email server protection requires the application of updates within a few days of their release.
Email security gateways can review all incoming emails so they can distinguish between junk, malware and phishing emails. Modern solutions can access Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace messages directly, enabling companies to recognize threats ahead of time without waiting for the regular email protection technology to catch up.
Good email security software is capable of thoroughly investigating emails to check for malicious files. Links are examined not only upon receiving the emails, but right before being clicked.
A simple “External” tag on emails from outside the company makes people slow down. Lookalike domains are another trick, like “examp1e.com” instead of “example.com.” Most email security tools spot these automatically.
Your team probably never needs .exe or .iso files by email. Block them. Microsoft now blocks macros in files from the internet by default, for the same reason.
Training works, but only if it’s regular. In one large study, 34.3% of untrained employees clicked on test phishing emails. After a year of ongoing training, that fell to 4.6%.
Make this a firm rule. Any request to change payment details gets confirmed with a phone call, using a number you already have. This one habit stops most BEC scams cold.
Add a “Report phishing” button to everyone’s inbox. When reporting is easy, people actually do it. IT can then pull the email from every mailbox in minutes.
When malicious intruders gain access to an email account, they typically create secret rules that allow emails to be redirected beyond the organisation. For this reason, automatic external forwarding should be disabled and access privileges should be held by only a select number of people.
Many organisations believe that Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace offers full backup; however, this is not true in the manner that many assume. While retention schemes are useful, a dedicated backup provides adequate protection from deletion, ransomware and errors that result from mirroring.
Needless to say, action should be taken if an account is hacked. The password should be changed, while logging out of all sessions and removing any suspicious rules.
All 15 steps sound easy. Doing them well and keeping them up to date, is harder. DMARC alone can take weeks to set up properly without blocking your own emails.
This is why many companies use Email Security Services.
An Email Security Services Provider sets everything up, watches for threats and handles problems when they happen. Many also offer complete Email Security Solutions, including filtering, encryption, backup and staff training.
When comparing Email Security Platforms, check that they:
With a local partner, you might find a significant difference when an incident occurs. A partnership with a nearby service provider, such as an email security service company in Ahmedabad or email security service company in Delhi, guarantees timely assistance in case of an incident.
No single tool makes email safe. Real protection comes from a few simple layers: a secure domain, smart filters, alert staff and a clear recovery plan.
And remember, most attacks still begin with one email. Fixing the gaps today costs far less than cleaning up after one convincing scam.
ECS can help with all of it. As a trusted Email Security Company in India, ECS offers special Email Protection Solutions built around how your business really works. As an experienced services provider, we support clients nationwide. Whether you need an Email Security Company in Ahmedabad or Delhi, help is close by.
Explore ECS Email Security Solutions and make your inbox the hardest place for attackers to get in.
It’s a solid start, but usually not enough for businesses. Dedicated Email Protection Solutions add stronger phishing detection, impersonation checks and proper backups. Most Email Security Platforms also give you clearer reporting.
An email security gateway is one type of protection. It filters emails before they reach your mail server. Email security software is the bigger umbrella, covering gateways, API-based filters, encryption and backup tools.
Look for experience with your email platform, clear response times and ongoing monitoring. A good Email Security Solutions Provider will review your current setup first, rather than jumping straight to a sales pitch.
