Email is the primary means of communication for many businesses, which makes it a highly targeted entry point for cyber criminals who are attempting to gain access to sensitive customer data, company files, and even hardware. Using Office 365 as your email provider does offer some protection through default security settings. However, if you would like to step up your Utah email security services in Office 365, here are some additional precautions you can take.
Require Two-Factor Authentication
Two factor authentication is one of the easiest ways to drastically increase the security of your team members’ email accounts. Any managed services provider (MSP) that offers Office 365 services in Utah should recommend this added layer of security.
This blog post explains how two-factor authentication works in more detail, but essentially, an employee must have access to a secondary account or device to verify their identity. This is often done via a code sent to a secondary email email account or phone number. The additional layer of identity verification reduces the chances that a criminal can use stolen credentials to access the account. When employees are properly educated about common phishing tactics and the importance of keeping their mobile devices secure, this method will block almost 100% of account attacks.
Encrypt Your Emails
If your team members often use email to share potentially sensitive information, which is the case in many offices, there is a high likelihood that an email could fall into the wrong hands. Office 365’s encryption feature can be used to create password-protected emails and limit access to sensitive emails outside of the workplace. Your Utah Microsoft Office 365 provider can help you get started.
Disable auto-forwarding
Many professionals like to forward work emails to a personal email address so they can access the information when it is convenient to them. Unfortunately, this can open your company up to security issues. Once the email is sent to an external domain, it is no longer protected by your security settings. The sensitive information in the email may be much easier to access, especially if the employee’s mobile device is lost or stolen.
There’s an easy way to avoid this issue: disable auto-forwarding company wide. Remote employees can access their company email account using a VPN or a secure home WiFi connection, so it is unnecessary to forward anything to their personal email account. This may sound complicated, but it’s an easy fix when working with a skilled MSP. In fact, Utah network and computer security services in Utah regularly make use of this technology to keep remote workers’ devices and data secure, so you may already be using a VPN.
If you need assistance with your UT Office 365 security, contact INTELITECHS. Our Utah Microsoft Office 365 support & consulting services will help you identify all the ways you can keep your company’s emails better protected.
