Intelligent SME.tech Issue 07 | Page 23

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// EDITOR ’ S QUESTION ?

MAROUN EL HASHEM , MANAGER , PUBLIC CLOUD AND ALLIANCES AT BARRACUDA

T he primary challenge for SMEs is the sheer variety of email threats that they need to protect against . For example , everybody knows about spam and phishing , but maybe they don ’ t know all the variants of phishing or scamming , account takeover , impersonation or more . SMEs needs to look for a comprehensive approach that gives them the ability to defend against all types of attacks , not just a subset . Artificial Intelligence and API-based inbox defence can address the gaps in the email gateway and help provide total email protection against attacks . Companies that take an alternate technology approach , not using APIs , can ’ t protect you against all threat types .

Then there is the element of cloud . For SMEs in particular , cloud-hosted email services such as Office 365 are especially attractive . As more SMEs move to cloud-hosted email , many are also considering cloud email security deployments as well . A cloud-based email security solution , that comprehensively addresses all email threat vectors can offer SMEs many advantages that include :
1 . A solution that scales with the needs of your business . Per-user licensing means that as your business grows , you can add users as needed . Because there ’ s no hardware to upgrade , adding users to your email security plan won ’ t cause additional strain on your IT resources .
2 . Advanced security features . As cloud email grows in popularity , email security vendors are investing more in cloud security innovation , resulting in advanced cloud email security features . With Barracuda Total Email Protection specifically , organisations benefit from Artificial Intelligence that is directly integrated with Microsoft ’ s APIs to effectively detect and remove impersonation attempts from your users ’ inboxes .
3 . Automated threat detection and response . Barracuda Total Email Protection automates the threat hunting and remediation processes , slashing the time it takes to identify and cleanup potential email incidents by 95 %. Having no hardware to maintain means that IT teams can refocus on more strategic initiatives like user awareness training .
4 . Faster deployment and system updates . SaaS solutions are quick to set up and receive continuous software and security updates with zero downtime .
5 . A predictable and transparent cost structure with no hidden costs . SaaS solutions are typically priced per-user with predictable monthly or yearly payments . Because there is no hardware , there will be no additional infrastructure investment or unplanned maintenance fees .
Finally , it ’ s important for SMEs to recognise that while Office 365 is a powerful solution that eliminates many IT management overheads , Microsoft only guarantees the availability of the service itself , and not the availability and integrity of data . In fact , the tech giant itself recommends that organisations use third-party backup for their Office 365 data . Since Office 365 is already in the cloud , it makes sense for SMEs to utilise a cloud-based backup solution that can save secure , encrypted backups in the same network as this leads to better performance and instant scalability . Barracuda ’ s cloud-tocloud backup protects businesses against data loss and also against accidental or intentional deletion of emails by employees . �

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND API-BASED INBOX DEFENCE CAN ADDRESS THE GAPS IN THE EMAIL GATEWAY AND HELP PROVIDE TOTAL EMAIL PROTECTION AGAINST ATTACKS .
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