It’s no secret that emails have become a bit of a culture – or necessary evil – for the modern-day business. And with data revealing that there are around 124 billion business emails sent and received each day, it’s vital your IT infrastructure is supporting this wave of digital correspondence.

From IT solutions which enhance email operations, to general employee best practice on how to deal with that never-ending inbox, there are many ways to improve the way your SME manages its e-communications.

Here we cover both the technical and organisational side of things, to help keep your company’s email strategy as streamlined and stress-free as possible…

Consider the cloud

Firstly, given the large volume of emails coming in and leaving your employees’ inboxes every day, it’s crucial you have a robust and secure method of storing them.

At Q2Q, we’re big fans of cloud-based email solutions – ranging from Microsoft Office 365, to Hosted Exchange – because they’re storage-savvy, secure and affordable. Not to mention completely flexible to a business’s size and growth plans.

Therefore, the cloud dispels any concerns around depleting disk space – the virtual hub is fully scalable to your evolving needs – mail servers and back-up costs.

Gain peace of mind with anti-spam

These days, too many emails – approximately over half in fact – contain spam or malicious content such as viruses or malware. And as a result, cyber-crime is an issue which isn’t going away any time soon.

That’s why it’s crucial that anti-spam filters are installed on your SME’s systems.

Yet, while it’s true that many devices come equipped with conventional anti-spam protection, employees can often still access phishing emails and viruses by simply clicking on a link.

We’re believers that a solution should prevent email threats from making their way into the business in the first place – working together with comprehensive anti-virus software to keep harmful spam away for good.

Think about archiving

For organisations where data and/or documents need to be preserved for long periods of time, it might be time to discover the art of archiving.

This option is great for content which isn’t needed on a day-to-day basis, as this can not only improve overall storage capacity and IT productivity – as there are no distractions with sluggish systems – but it is often required for regulatory compliance.

Get some cyber-awareness training booked in

Now, let’s have a look at the people-facing side of things.

For SMEs, your employees are your biggest asset, but did you know they’re also one of your greatest risk factors when it comes to cyber-security?

It’s vital that your team are up to date with the latest cyber-threat tactics, so they’re less likely to fall victim to attempted cyber-attacks – such as those found in phishing emails. And while hackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in this area, there are some tell-tale warning signs your workforce should be looking out for, to help keep your business and its data safe.

Establish a routine and don’t overwhelm yourself

On a much more basic level, it’s equally important to keep on top of the general mechanics and organisation of your inbox, as this will help all of the above.

It’s all too easy to frantically open multiple emails in an attempt to get the unread number down to zero, but this isn’t really sustainable – or indeed productive. And this can sometimes be the inlet for preying cyber-attackers.

Care and consideration surrounding the sender’s details and content within the email is paramount for ensuring no silly mistakes are made. For example, clicking a link without vetting the source or inputting details into a form which, at first glance, has come from an employee, only to look and see the email address is wrong, could be detrimental in compromising data security.

If you have any questions or would like to find out more about our hosted business email solutions, we’re always on hand to lend an ear or two! Simply give us a call on 01524 581690.

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    Technical IT Support illustration at Q2Q HQ Lancaster, Lancashire and the North West