How I Secured a Small Business’s Email in Under 24 Hours

From spoofed emails to peace of mind—how one business owner turned a frustrating mess into a secure inbox (and became a client in the process).

I received a call last week from a small business owner who was completely over their email issues.

Their clients were receiving strange emails that looked like they came from them—but didn’t. Worse, some legitimate emails were landing in spam folders, and others weren’t showing up at all.

This wasn’t just an inconvenience—it was affecting client relationships and day-to-day operations.

They weren’t a client (yet)—just someone reaching out for help. And I’m so glad they did.

🔍 What We Found

After a quick review of their Microsoft 365 tenant, we discovered:

• ❌ No SPF, DKIM, or DMARC set up

• ❌ An incomplete SPF record

• ❌ External auto-forwarding was allowed

• ❌ No phishing or impersonation protection

• ❌ MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) wasn’t enforced

In short: their email setup was leaving the door wide open for attackers.

✅ What We Did

We got to work right away and locked it down:

• ✅ Properly configured SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

• ✅ Enabled Microsoft’s anti-phishing and impersonation protection

• ✅ Blocked external forwarding

• ✅ Cleaned up risky or unused mail flow rules

• ✅ Enforced MFA across all users

• ✅ Upgraded their Microsoft 365 licensing to include additional security tools

• ✅ Set them up in Microsoft Defender for Office 365 for real-time protection from phishing, malware, and zero-day attacks

🚀 The Results Within 24 hours:

• Spoofed emails were getting rejected or flagged

• Legit business emails were landing exactly where they should

• The client could breathe easy again knowing their communications were protected

Even better? They decided to keep working with us—and are now officially a client. 🙌

💡 Why This Matters

Email issues aren’t just annoying—they’re a sign that something could be seriously wrong behind the scenes. Microsoft 365 is powerful, but only if it’s configured properly.

If your email has been acting up—or you’re not 100% confident that your Microsoft 365 environment is secure—don’t wait until something breaks.

Need help locking down your Microsoft 365 setup?📩 reach out today.