Info Advantage Blog

Email is (and has been) a prime method of communication for businesses of all sizes. With email comes a whole slew of issues that are essentially synonymous with the technology; spam, information overload, phishing, and information privacy. Even Rochester small businesses that only do business locally are at risk of these issues. Personal email accounts are equally at risk. Employing proper precautions and practices whenever communicating via email is very important to prevent the risk of security compromises, monetary loss, and even legality issues.

Spam Inundation

If you've been using email for a while either professionally or personally you have almost certainly gotten email from people you don't know. Most of these emails are blatantly unwanted while others can look 'almost' legit, as if a real person is trying to contact you. Often (and unfortunately) spammers can get your email address when you put it online or use it to register for accounts on sites on the internet. The good news is standard spam protection is getting better these days, and more advanced spam protection is cost effective for businesses that need the extra layer of protection. Spam can cause a lot of harm for a business network if it isn't kept under control - spam can bog down email servers and eat up network bandwidth and plus it drastically slows down employee productivity because they need to sift through it all just to find their real email. If you and your staff are getting more than a few spam emails a day, contact us at (585) 254-8710 and ask about our anti-spam solutions.

Don't Open Attachments from Unsolicited Emails

This has been a golden rule for general email usage for a very long time. If you received an email from a stranger and there is an attachment, don't touch it. If you receive an email from a contact and there is an attachment, but anything is suspicious, don't touch it. This goes the same for links - if the email was unexpected and just seems fishy, it is possible your contact's email may have been compromised. Use your judgment on this, but remember it isn't your contact trying to trick you, they are merely the victim of a similar hoax from one of their contacts. If you have any doubt, simply reply or pick up the phone and ask them about it before continuing.

Keep your Computer Safe

Be sure to keep antivirus definitions up to date, and run scans regularly. Running adware and spyware removal software at regular intervals is important too. Be sure your Windows Updates are up to date as well. For businesses, you'll want to invest in network protection to keep external threats from leaking in. Even for small Rochester businesses, security and threat management is important to keep operations running smoothly and to prevent expensive downtime and data theft.

Don't Rely on Email for Storage

Everyone has done this at least once; you are working on a report or document on one computer and you email it to yourself in order to pull it up on another computer. That's fine as long as you mind your inbox capacity, but you shouldn't rely on email for storing files, not even as a reliable backup. Imagine having to painstakingly pick through all of your email to restore your most important files. It doesn't sound like a good idea now, does it? On top of that, email isn't any less prone to data corruption or loss than any typical storage solution, and unless the server hosting your email is backed up with a reliable solution, it could be here today and gone the next.

Encrypt Sensitive Data

If you send sensitive data to other recipients, you will want to consider email encryption. Some industries require this. Email encryption simply scrambles the message while it is being sent, and depending on what type of encryption, will descramble itself or allow your recipient to log in to a secure location to view the data. Although email encryption services vary, most of them are very cost effected especially when put beside the risks of sensitive data getting leaked and stolen. Give us a call at (585) 254-8710 to learn more about email encryption and what solution is right for your business needs.

Think about how many emails you write a day, transferring messages back and forth between coworkers, clients, partners, and anyone else you may need to share information with. Now, how many of them can you say for sure were secure and protected from the prying hands of a hacker? Many employees assume that their email is secure, and can become very comfortable with sending potentially sensitive information through their work email app. This misconception of safety can result in data leaks, unauthorized data access, and invasion of you company’s network. Here are a few tips to ensure that any and all emails being sent out are safe from unwanted intruders.

Encryption

One of the major issues with email is how it is delivered to the recipient. Even though the information might be protected by an internal server, once the email leaves that server it may be at risk while traveling the public internet. However, an encrypted email will be protected even after it leaves a secure network. Encryption works by allowing you to create an identity verification between sender and recipient. Those without an approved cipher will be unable to read the email, or know where the information is being sent from. This is one of the best ways to ensure that the only people who can access sensitive information are those who the data is intended for.

Separate Accounts

Typically, people tend to try and stick to one email account when signing up for new things. In many cases, employees may use their work email to sign up for personal accounts on the internet. As a result, their inboxes become flooded with marketing information from various websites and stores. Not only does this mean a likely increase in phishing or scamming attacks, but it also means that an attack on your email may put more than just an employee’s personal data in danger. By separating your email accounts, you will boost your security and be able to manage sensitive data much more carefully.

Stronger Passwords

While this may seem like a given, there are many email accounts that have surprisingly predictable passwords. This includes simple codes ‘123456,’ ‘qwerty,’ or even ‘password.’ Even if your password is a bit more secure, you may be surprised how easy it can be to guess the things you may think no one will know, such as a birthday or maiden name. Instead of making something easy to remember (and easy to guess,) try creating a password with a mixture of upper and lower case, letter, and symbols. Try to avoid using the exact same password for each account just in case. This will ensure your other accounts are safe if one gets hacked.

Watch Out for Email Phishing

Phishing is one of the most common types of scams, and are constantly improving in order to trick email users into giving up their personal information. A phishing scam is where a hacker sends a user an email claiming to be a representative from a well-known organization, such as Facebook or Amazon. Typically, they try to convince the user that there is an issue with the users account, and ask them to provide their login credentials to fix the issue. Remember, no company should ever ask for your password or any personal information, especially not through an unsecure email. Before responding to an email, make sure the sender is legitimate and not asking for anything that might put your information at risk.

Worried that your sensitive data might be leaked due to an unsecure network? Call Info Advantage at (585) 254-8710 to speak to a qualified security professional about how you can boost your email security.

We think that it’s safe to say that nobody enjoys their inbox receiving incredulous amounts of emails on a regular basis. Yet, the business owner must maintain their inbox every day, and if a message doesn’t strike them as important, they’ll probably either ignore it or delete it completely. Here’s how you can prevent this from happening.

Depending on who you’re addressing and the context of the email, there are a few different ways you can approach your email heading. One surefire way is to make the subject line relatable and personable.

According to Unbounce, a message with the subject line, “Steve, where are you?” achieved a 43 percent open rate, compared to a Mailchimp report citing the industry average to be 24 percent. This is due to both the personalization of the subject line, as well as the perception that, by not reading the email, the recipient will miss out in some way.

Another great way to reach your email recipient is to include a detail about their recent activities with you. You can use the subject line to catch their attention. For example, you can ask them how their experience was, and customize it to make sure that the message doesn’t get identified as spam. You can do this if someone has recently purchased a new product or service from your company. Doing so establishes a personal connection, and can inspire the recipient to take further action.

Offering a special benefit, like a limited time offer or important information, can also inspire a reader to open the email. Perhaps you could try educating them on how best to perform a certain task, or even a surprising fact. Whatever you decide to include, make sure that it’s either useful or interesting.

On the other hand, if your email is conveying bad news to the reader, it’s best to be honest at all times, as well as authoritative. If the service that you provide is disrupted, it’s best to let them know about the issue, as well as any plans that you have to resolve it.

Basically, the thing to remember is that your message, including the subject line, should be tailored to meet the expectations of the recipient. No two people are the same, and you will have varying purposes in reaching out to them. Your mission should be to make all of your recipients feel like they’re special; otherwise, they’ll suspect that you’re emailing everyone in your contacts, and assume that the message isn’t genuine. This can cause them to put your message in the back of their mind (or in the spam folder).

What are some of your favorite ways to get your emails read? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to our blog for more great technology tips and tricks.