Why You Should Have Domain-Based Email

Countless budget obligations come into play when you manage a veterinary practice — payroll, equipment, utilities, products, licensure, marketing and so on. Unfortunately, clinics try to save money by using free email platforms. Those services, like Google, Hotmail and Yahoo, come with no upfront fees or subscription costs. However, they lack professionalism, which can hurt your brand’s credibility and expose your clinic to costly cybersecurity and efficiency landmines.

What’s best is a domain-based email platform, a set of centrally managed accounts tied to a clinic-controlled domain. Switching from free to domain-based email is a business game changer.

The Risks of Free Email

Here are seven reasons you should wean your practice off free email.

1. Limited security: Cybercriminals and threat actors target free email accounts, which are vulnerable to phishing attacks because they lack advanced authentication methods. Furthermore, free services do not offer complex spam filters, increasing the risk of malware, ransomware and scam emails. And if your platform doesn’t have end-to-end encryption, threat actors can easily intercept sensitive communications like appointment details and client records.
2. Lack of professionalism: Free email addresses often leave the provider’s name in the address field. For example, your email address might be abcvet@hotmail.com, which doesn’t have the same professional feel as info@abcvet.com. Domain-based email demonstrates a veterinary hospital’s legitimacy and creates a positive first impression among pet owners searching for a new veterinary clinic.
3. Limited storage and scalability: Free email accounts have storage limits, which, when reached, require manual deletion of emails to avoid bounced inbound traffic. Domain-based accounts offer scalability across multiple inboxes, allowing you to create role-based accounts and storage as your hospital and its needs grow.
4. Data privacy concerns: A free email provider doesn’t see your practice as a customer. Instead, you, your data and ad revenue are the product. Free email services might use data mining to scan your emails and sell advertising, putting your private information at risk.
5. No dedicated support: While most free email providers offer some technical assistance, much of your troubleshooting is relegated to best-effort service calls or, more likely, forums that you must navigate on your own. Paid services have higher uptime expectations and are more likely to provide the higher-quality support you need.
6. Greater risk of account hijacking: Without multilayered security measures such as two-factor authentication, free accounts are an easier target for hackers, especially those looking to steal data.
7. Missed business opportunities: Unlike the free services, many domain-based email providers offer additional tools for maximizing client communication. These include analytics tools and customer relationship management, which can automate follow-up communication. These features are especially vital if your practice uses email lists to manage appointments, marketing and other client outreach.

How to Get Started

OK, you decide to take the plunge and switch from a free email platform to domain-hosted email. Here’s what you need to do now.

• Choose a reliable email hosting provider: Select a service, such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, that meets your needs for storage, security and other features.
• Register a domain name: Choose and purchase a domain name that reflects your brand or business. If you already own a domain, ensure it’s set up correctly for email hosting.
• Select appropriate contact people: You must identify multiple contact roles when moving to domain email. The administrator contact should always be the business owner. (Never let someone else set up the domain under their name.) If a third party will manage the day-to-day technical aspects, make it the technical contact.
• Set up DNS records: Configure your domain name system to point to your email hosting provider. Typically, you need to update MX (mail exchange) records, which are where the traffic goes.
• Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC: Don’t ignore these more technical items. They enable email functionality and security, specifically around impersonation, which is when threat actors try to spoof you.
• Ensure backups are in place: Before migrating your practice emails, you or your IT team must back them up. Microsoft, Google and other domain-based providers only maintain the infrastructure of your email accounts.
• Migrate existing emails: Use tools provided by the hosting service or third-party software to move emails, contacts and calendars from your free platform to the new domain-based account.
• Update email clients: Configure your new account on desktop and mobile email apps, ensuring access wherever someone works.
• Inform your contacts: Notify people about your new email address. You can redirect them using an automatic reply on the old account.
• Test your setup: Send and receive sample emails to ensure everything works perfectly. Check spam folders to verify proper delivery.
• Check the backups: Test the backups at the end of the setup and migration periods. For example, certain backup functionality, including SaaS Protect, can prevent the loss of emails if an employee deleted a mailbox by accident.
• Secure your account: Implement strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication and regularly monitor for unusual activity.
• Integrate with work tools: If you use productivity tools or CRM (customer relationship management) software, link your new email account to streamline the workflow.
• Monitor: Regularly review email usage, storage and security settings to ensure a hassle-free experience.
• Use spam filters and anti-phishing solutions: With a proper domain-based email setup, you can deploy tools to protect your data and clinic from cyberattacks.

BAD ACTORS

According to IBM, threat actors are individuals or groups that intentionally cause harm to digital devices or systems. “Threat actors exploit vulnerabilities in computer systems, networks and software to perpetuate various cyberattacks, including phishing, ransomware and malware attacks,” IBM says. They are also known as cyberthreat actors or malicious actors.