How to Choose a Reliable Email Security Provider

Email has emerged as the number one means of communication for many businesses today. It is, therefore, important to safeguard your biggest correspondence channel with stringent security measures. But with so many companies offering email security, how can you be sure which one is right for your business?

Fortunately, by doing your homework and satisfying a few basic criteria, you can ensure that your business is thoroughly protected going forward- especially when it comes to email communications.

Here are our top 5 factors to consider when choosing a reliable email security provider:

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   Ensure your needs are addressed

Often, businesses go in search of a new solutions provider without first assessing their own needs. And while many reputable firms will offer advice on the best technologies available, it is much better to be in a position to dictate your requirements.

Therefore, before you even consider looking for a security provider you have to carry out an in-house analysis to ultimately define what your fundamental business needs are. Only then can you begin to search the market for a suitable partner.

Think about any regulatory or compliance requirements you might have in terms of financial information, client protection or general stability. Furthermore, consider is whether you should opt for a provider who uses more traditional physical servers or a more robust cloud solution such as Mimecast cloud email security.

2. Reputation

It may sound obvious, but you want to ensure that any security provider you’re considering has a solid reputation in their field. After all, it would be a disastrous waste of time and money if you chose a provider who ceased to exist a few months down the line.

Check out what each company has to offer and look at who they boast are their ‘happy clients’. You can even take this a step further and contact their existing clients (if appropriate) to see exactly what they think of the service they are receiving.

3. Professional service level agreements

Service level agreements or SLAs are designed to protect both your business and your new security partner. They outline every aspect of the contract that you’ll have inevitably signed and can be referred to in the event of a discrepancy. Moreover, SLAs stipulate the response times you can expect to see from your provider and the intended service restoration times in the event that you experience an outage for whatever reason.

4. Accurate and real-time reporting

Security providers who can supply you with reporting that is both accurate and real-time are worth their weight in gold. In today’s fast-paced business environment, the ability to produce real-time reports is an absolute necessity.

Detailed reports not only show how your provider is doing in terms of your service contract but they are also essential for highlighting to senior executives the ROI of their latest investment. Be sure that any security provider you are considering has the ability to produce reports that are accurate and real-time.

5. Scalability

Your company’s needs in five years’ time are almost certainly not going to be the same as they are today. Therefore, it is important to ensure that your chosen security provider offers a scalable service that you can increase/decrease in the future.

Fortunately, most providers who leverage cloud technology provide this as standard, but you should still check beforehand to be absolutely sure as scalability is something that every business stands to benefit from.