Free email for business – is it safe?

What is free email, and does it have drawbacks?

Free email for your small business does what it says on the tin: it’s email, and it’s free. But that comes with a largely hidden set of problems which can affect your business in ways you might not have expected.

Let’s be honest: we all love stuff that’s free. Who doesn’t like to get something for nothing? But if you’re running a business, treating it like a hobby is going to cost you more than just money. Let’s take a look at some of the ways free email could end up being worse than paying for your business email service.

You may have peace of mind by using secure email.

You might be thinking, “I use free email in my business every day and everything’s fine!” And you’re right—for now. But small business owners who don’t think about their email security may find themselves in a world of hurt down the road.

You could always go with a secure email service that charges for its services or provides some kind of premium upgrade to ensure the privacy and integrity of your messages. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can host your own email server on-site—no outsourcing required!

Regulations may require you to use secure email.

Email is a great way to communicate with clients and vendors, but in some industries it’s not enough to use free public email services like Gmail or even company-branded emails. In fact, regulations may require you to use secure email. Free business email is not secure.

No matter how much your business has grown since you started out of a garage or your parents’ basement, one thing that probably hasn’t changed is the way you communicate with clients and vendors. Email remains an integral part of the business communication landscape. But it’s not enough to use free public email services like Gmail or even company-branded emails like YourBusinessName@gmail.com.

In fact, regulations may require you to use secure email. The government and other regulatory bodies are imposing stricter guidelines on businesses. These guidelines are related to issues such as data privacy and security. They can come into play when communicating via email with customers who fall within certain industries and verticals including healthcare, financial services, governments (state/local/federal), public sector (municipalities), insurance companies, law firms, retail chains, education systems (K-12 & universities), energy companies and human resource departments at major corporations.

You can find secure email for your business.

If you’re interested in using a secure email provider, here’s what to consider:

• First, you must ask yourself if your business is the type that handles sensitive information. If so, the answer is yes. You need to be sure that you keep this information safe by investing in an email service provider with multiple layers of security features, like encryption and two-factor authentication.
• Secondly, how much space do you need? Think about how many emails per month you send or receive. Secure email providers offer various levels of storage and pricing plans based on your needs. The best way to find the right one for your business is by comparing their features side-by-side.

With just a few clicks we can help connect you with an affordable email solution for your business today! We’ll help you smoothly migrate off your free business email service.

Secure email isn’t just for big businesses. Small businesses benefit from secure email, too.

Small businesses are by no means immune to the risks of sending sensitive information over email. Indeed, many small businesses have unique needs that require secure email. For example, your clients may also be small businesses and need to send you confidential information. Free email should be reserved for personal use, not your business.

Even if you’re not a big business, you still need to ensure that your clients can trust that their data is safe with you. And if you’re regulated by HIPAA, SOX or FINRA (to name just a few), then secure email is required in order for you to send sensitive information safely and meet compliance requirements.