Three Reasons Your Email Setup Matters

Email remains one of the most vital communication tools for small and mid-sized businesses. Whether connecting with clients, vendors, or team members, your email reputation is crucial. But it’s also a prime target for scammers, impersonation, and technical misconfigurations that can undermine your security and hurt your business.

Cloud-based email providers like Microsoft and Google are very convenient and provide many security features, but there’s more work to be done. When you deploy an email security service, you get an extra layer between your inbox and the rest of the world. These applications send you separate notifications of quarantined or blocked emails. 

Earlier this week, I got one such alert and it contained three great examples of email security and that many SMBs face. These examples highlight the importance of both recognizing email scams and ensuring your email infrastructure is properly configured. Ignoring these risks can lead to missed opportunities, damage to your reputation, or even security breaches.

Real-World Examples

1. The Look-Alike Scam:

One email appeared to originate from a reputable company, with accurate details I verified online. It requested a seemingly harmless action, asking only for a reply if interested, but what raised suspicion was a tiny detail: two letters in the domain name were transposed. 

This scam is a classic example of a “look-alike” or “homograph” attack, where criminals register domains with minor differences. They then craft scam emails with real details about company locations or personnel hoping recipients overlook the subtle differences in sender domains. Criminals exploit this to trick recipients into sharing sensitive info or clicking malicious links.

2. A Personal Gmail Posing as a Business Contact:

Another email was from a personal Gmail account. The email contained legitimate business details: correct name, company info, and an innocuous request, but the sender was using a personal email address attempting to masquerade as an official business account. For example, instead of expected name@company.com, it was company_official@gmail.com.

3. A Genuine Contact Flagged Due to Technical Configuration:

Lastly, I received a reply from a person I had previously contacted, a legitimate networking connection I’d just met the day before. The message was flagged because his email lacked DKIM and DMARC records. Two key components that mail servers use behind the scenes to determine email authenticity. Many cloud email services don’t set these up by default, which can cause legitimate emails to go into spam or blocked entirely.

Why This Matters to Your Business

Misconfigured or insecure email setup can lead to missed opportunities, damage to your brand, security risks, and lost productivity as employees sort out why an email wasn’t received or delivered.

Many of these issues are easy to fix with proper setup and awareness. Use your tech stack to its full potential. You don’t have to put up with the wasted time of spam, scams, missed connections and other chaos caused by email issues.

Simple Steps to Improve Your Email Security and Deliverability

1. Use Paid Email Services

Use official email addresses tied to your domain, not free personal accounts. This enhances your business reputation, provides additional security features and supports business growth, even if you’re a solopreneur.

2. Use Authentication Protocols (DKIM, DMARC, SPF)

Implementing these protocols helps validate your outbound emails. Essentially, they tell email providers that your messages are genuinely from your organization.

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework) ensures your emails are sent from authorized servers.
• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds an encrypted signature to verify the sender’s identity.
• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) tells receiving email servers how to handle failed authentication and provides reports on email activity.

By setting these up correctly, your emails are less likely to be marked as spam or rejected, and you safeguard your brand from impersonation.

3. Use a Reputable Email Security Solution

Tools like Barracuda, Proofpoint, and others offer advanced features such as malware scanning, whitelisting, and attack detection beyond basic spam filtering. Regularly review quarantine folders and set alerts for suspicious activity.

DIY or Expert Help?

Whether you prefer a DIY approach or want assistance from an expert, it’s worth reviewing your email security setup. Don’t wait until the next issue impacts your business. Evaluate your current settings today, consider adding an email security service, or work with a trusted partner to ensure your email infrastructure is protected and reliable.