Email Security Intelligence - Buyer's Guide to Microsoft 365 & Workspace Email Security

Google Workspaces and Microsoft 365 security have various built-in security features that are inadequate in ensuring platform protection. These weaknesses can leave companies with exposed web and email security risks that can permit sophisticated attacks to enter during a breach.

The primitive, single-layered defenses on Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are ineffective in preventing phishing and other email threats from damaging a company. Forty percent of Microsoft 365 users have experienced credential theft.

Utilizing Google and Microsoft for a business requires a layered supplementary email security solution that can close dangerous gaps in default cloud email protection. This article will discuss multi-layered security, its essential characteristics, and a few questions to remember when deciding on a platform.

What is Multi-Layered Security?

Multi-layered security refers to cybersecurity platforms that compile a variety of security defenses that work together to combat all email threats that head your business’s way. This type of email protection software can patch vulnerabilities in your server before they become an issue, which could lead to detrimental email security breaches.

What Are the Key Elements of Multi-Layered Cybersecurity?

This security has three main layers, and they help oversee every aspect of your digital work environment. Here are descriptions of each one:

1. Network security: Protect your organization’s integrity as well as your data with firewalls, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), and Virtual Private Networks (VPN). A firewall can block access to your network, whether it is malicious traffic or unauthorized individuals. IDS and IPS identify suspicious activity and mitigate the risks before they cause severe harm. VPNs make business networks private so that only the Internet can reach users, making it more difficult for cybercriminals to acquire your data.
2. Endpoint security: Prevent evolving email attack types that cybercriminals utilize when entering through endpoints to steal data and files. Since misconfigurations in these areas typically lead to email security issues, Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) technologies and patches can do the setup for you to avoid human errors interfering with the effectiveness of a solution.
3. Identity Security: Detect credential theft attacks that threat actors utilize to access compromised accounts that can permit Business Email Compromise and account takeovers. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to safeguard against various email threats that focus on obtaining this information through multiple types of ransomware or supply chain attacks.

What Characteristics Make Up a Multi-Layered Security Strategy?

Powerful Anti-Phishing Capabilities

Phishing is one of the most prevalent, sophisticated, and versatile threats businesses face. Over ninety percent of email security issues result from phishing attacks. To make matters worse, about thirty percent of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace users still open phishing attempts unknowingly. Companies must utilize phishing prevention techniques that can safeguard their servers against stealthy and highly targeted phishing attacks. Consider an AI-based solution to identify and quarantine emails before they reach a user's inbox. Phishing attacks implement email spoofing, malware links, and stolen credentials to instigate harmful email security breaches.

Use SPF, DKIM, and DMARC email authentication methods to validate sender identities, prevent sender fraud, and avoid data loss. Installing a malware URL scanner can boost security even more by permitting you to ensure all links and attachments are secure. These procedures that analyze all email attributes can prevent domain spoofing issues that modify email headers and signatures to trick users.

Predictive Spam & Virus Protection

Spam emails can be detrimental to a business since they typically contain malicious links and attachments to steal data, infect systems with malware, and install viruses that can lead to data loss, financial issues, significant downtime, and reputational damage. The spam filtering techniques servers offer are insufficient in providing protection against social engineering techniques that can evade these preventative measures. Complex polymorphic viruses can modify themselves to avoid signature-based antivirus software detection.

Secure email with proactive, real-time supplementary defenses that focus on advanced threat protection, detection, and prevention, which can implement email filters that adapt to new email security risks with predictive spam and virus testing. Heuristics analysis scans messages for characteristics and behaviors unique to spam email to stop an issue in its tracks. Consider spam filtering frameworks like Spamassassin for email protection.

Fully-Managed Email Security Services 

Improve security posture and cost-efficiency with ongoing expert system monitoring, maintenance, and support that can provide a rapid Return on Investment (ROI). Select an email security solution that houses fully managed services, where experts work with your team to understand your business's security needs, identify employees likely to face an attack and monitor your server for email threats. Prevent dangerous misconfigurations and set up vulnerabilities that can leave Microsoft 365 and Workspace susceptible to an attack by employing cybersecurity experts to strengthen your system.

Complete Visibility into Your Email Security

Select an open-source email security software to bolster Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 security defenses. Open-source technology's widespread, deep analysis has permitted its coding to achieve higher levels of security that focus on preventing phishing and stopping Zero-Day email attacks. User developers oversee new open-source models frequently to ensure all email filtering and cloud security frameworks block malicious emails immediately. Once security professionals analyze the system for patterns, issues, and testing setbacks, cybersecurity platforms utilize this insight to strengthen security posture and provide real-time updates that prove the server can discover and protect against phishing campaigns.

Consider Guardian Digital EnGarde Cloud Email Security, a solution that focuses on prioritizing the security needs of a business while providing complete visibility on their platform through an accessible, user-friendly Dashboard administrative portal. Such transparency permits better cybersecurity planning, increased security posture, enforced company email security policies, and minimized system risks.

What Should I Think About When Deciding on a Solution?

While there are various aspects to consider when picking email security software for your business, there are specific questions you must pay attention to when approaching your research. We have compiled a list of email security questions that are relevant and valuable to your decision-making process:

• Does it provide multi-layered real-time phishing protection?
• Can it seamlessly integrate with and effectively complement existing Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace protection?
• Does it offer malicious URL protection, sender authentication, and complete analysis of every aspect of email communications?
• Would it include predictive spam filtering and virus detection using heuristics analysis?
• Does it have expert-managed services and accessible support?
• Will it maintain a secure open-source foundation and ongoing community support?
• Does it give complete visibility into your email security via an accessible real-time Dashboard?

Keep Learning About Multi-Layered Email Protection

Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace users risk attacks frequently since there are rarely effective built-in security defenses. Therefore, to secure email, businesses must select an email security software that can fill the gaps in default cloud email defenses while providing additional protection services. Detect and block email security breaches with spam filtering techniques, malware URL scanners, and antivirus software on a multi-layered plan. These email attack types become more damaging daily, so you must implement a solution immediately. Ready to reap the benefits of Microsoft 365 without the risk? Learn about a threat-ready, fully-supported solution to make Microsoft 365 email safe for business. Get a Demo>>