From the legal world to the finance sector, email remains the primary communication tool for most organizations. This poses a challenge for your data security as email is the most common cause of data leaks — according to ICO data. Their most recent study found that nearly one in five reported security incidents resulted from users emailing data to the wrong recipient. The high incidence of data leaks underscores the need for robust protection through integrated email security platforms.
While email security seems costly, the reality is that these systems offer substantial long-term savings. This is because failing to guard against data breaches is often significantly more expensive than paying for protection.
The high cost of complacency
Data breaches are expensive. According to a recent IBM report, the global average cost of a data breach is $4.45 million — and that number only increases every year. In addition, data protection regulations like GDPR in the EU, and CCPA in California impose hefty fines on companies with poor data security. While news headlines have focused on the fines imposed on large corporations like Meta and Amazon, small construction firms, charities, and even private individuals have been fined under GDPR.
Data breaches also impact client trust and sales prospecting, particularly in sensitive sectors like legal and finance, where data handling and privacy are key customer concerns. After all, it takes a lifetime to build up your company’s reputation and a single data breach to destroy it. Even if a data breach hasn’t occurred, clients increasingly want their partners to have robust security measures in place.
Implementing an advanced email security solution showcases your commitment to data privacy. This enhances your competitive edge by demonstrating to clients and partners your dedication to safeguarding sensitive information.
Considering these factors, investing in email protection is a small price to pay to secure your competitive edge, and prevent fines and reputational damage. More good news: the right email protection tool can also drive efficiency.
How integrated email security improves productivity
Integrating email security directly within email platforms eliminates the need for — and inefficiency of — using multiple systems. Security tools like Zivver, for instance, replace file-sharing software by enabling you to securely share files up to 5TB over email. Built-in multifactor authentication and e-signature support further eliminate the need for verification and e-signing services. Automated audit trails further enhance efficiency by making it easy to track and access all email communications.
As these features can be accessed directly from your email client, teams don’t need to switch between platforms. This saves time and reduces the complexity of managing communications and data security across multiple platforms. Many email security tools also integrate directly into platforms like Gmail, M365 and Outlook, document management systems such as NetDocuments and iManage, and CRM systems such as Salesforce. This means you can improve data security and access additional value-add features like file-sharing, without changing your email workflow.
The long-term financial rewards of adopting integrated email security
Implementing integrated email security platforms is a key step towards protecting your and your client’s sensitive data. Along with providing peace of mind and evidence of due diligence, email security addresses several critical areas:
- Mitigating direct financial losses associated with breach management
- Avoiding legal fines, especially under GDPR-like regulations
- Reducing increased insurance premiums
- Preventing long-term reputational damage that affects client trust
- Avoiding the loss of potential clients due to perceived security inadequacies
- Minimizing operational disruptions during and after breach resolution
If you’re considering implementing email security, the first step is to see how different solutions meet your needs. Get a personalized demo to see how Zivver can help protect their company from costly data leaks while enhancing your efficiency and competitive advantage.
