Today’s email threats are getting faster, more convincing and harder to stop. Because of this, they remain the most common way that scammers attack small businesses. Stolen credentials, like those that bad actors steal through phishing emails, were the leading cause of data breaches for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) last year, according to Verizon’s DBIR report. So, it’s no wonder that managed service providers (MSPs) responsible for protecting these SMBs are feeling the growing pressure.
Customers trust their MSPs to stop phishing, impersonation, email fraud and business email compromise (BEC). But as SMBs increasingly rely on Microsoft 365 for productivity and protection, they lack the tools or expertise to secure it properly. And the challenge isn’t just protection, it’s scale. MSPs are expected to deliver fast, reliable email security across dozens or even hundreds of clients, without creating delays or adding operational overhead.
That’s where email security integrated through Microsoft’s Graph API can make a difference. It offers a new approach built for speed and efficiency that’s well suited to MSP workflows, which is why we’ve made it available now for Proofpoint Essentials.
Threat actors set their sights on small businesses
Phishing is still the No. 1 most common cyberattack facing businesses, according to the FBI, and it’s evolving fast. Threat actors are leaning into increasingly deceptive social engineering tactics to trick victims into sharing credentials, rerouting payments or clicking malicious links. They’re using AI to write more convincing lures, strategically compromising accounts to impersonate trusted vendors, and expanding their channels to include texting, messaging apps and more.
Though enterprise breaches make headlines, SMBs are more frequently targeted. The Verizon DBIR report found that SMBs were targeted with cyberattacks 4X more often than larger organizations. This is specifically because they have less infrastructure and fewer resources to defend themselves.
Some recent trends in the small business threat landscape:
- 1 in 3 small businesses experienced a cyberattack last year, each costing more than $250K on average
- Less than 30% of SMBs have dedicated in house security resources
- 1 in 5 SMBs report they could not financially survive a major cyberattack
SMBs rely on MSPs to be their first line of defense. Yet scaling protection across numerous unique customer environments—each with its own setup and challenges—is no small task. When email security tools aren’t built with SMBs in mind, they can be slow to deploy and time-consuming to support.
6 reasons API-deployed email security makes sense for MSPs
API-deployed email security for Microsoft 365 offers many advantages for MSPs who are looking to reduce admin overhead and scale effectively for their SMB clients.
1: No MX changes, no downtime
Email security tools deployed through secure API connections integrate directly with Microsoft 365. That means no DNS changes, little to no email downtime due to mail rerouting, and no need to coordinate IT with the customer.
2: Faster onboarding
API deployment supports more customers with less effort by enabling onboarding of new tenants in just a few clicks. Without touching their mail flow, set up is as simple as connect, configure and protect.
3: Better customer experience
Faster deployment means faster protection. Clients see immediate results, which helps build foundational trust and improve retention.
4: Lower operational overhead
With fewer configurations and moving parts, API-deployed security can be less complex. This means fewer support tickets over the life of the solution and less burden on MSP teams.
5: Grows revenue potential
As a natural extension for Microsoft 365 clients, API-based deployment turns email security into a simple add-on. It helps MSPs grow margins with fast, scalable upsells.
6: Easier trials with higher conversion
Deploying a trial becomes a low-risk, low-effort process. MSPs can demonstrate the value of enhanced email security without requiring infrastructure changes that slow the sales cycle.
New: Proofpoint Essentials, now available with API-based Integrated Deployment
New from Proofpoint Essentials, our API-based Integrated Deployment offers powerful protection for end-users against advanced email threats, at the speed that MSPs need to be successful.
Spend less than five minutes onboarding new customers with easy Microsoft 365 integration that automatically discovers and configures the platform. It eliminates the time spent changing MX records while still delivering all the benefits of Proofpoint’s world-class, AI-driven threat protection.
This new deployment model allows MSPs to:
- Deliver advanced protection without changing DNS or mail routing
- Effectively reduce the widest variety of email threats that target users
- Deploy new clients in minutes and reduce onboarding costs
- Quickly demonstrate results and improve customer retention and outcomes
MSPs have trusted Proofpoint Essentials as a secure email gateway to defend their SMB customers for over a decade. Now you can offer Proofpoint email security to any customer in the way that works best for their organization: through traditional MX-based onboarding or the new API-based Integrated Deployment.
This freedom of choice coupled with out-of-the-box configurations provide a truly “set it and forget it” experience for MSPs—one backed by the same protection that secures more than 85% of Fortune 100 companies.
Building a stronger, more scalable email security offering
For many MSPs, email security is a foundational service, but it can become a burden when onboarding slows down and support tickets pile up. We designed our new deployment approach specifically with MSPs in mind to alleviate those issues and position you to grow your client base more efficiently.
Ready to try a more flexible way to protect your SMB clients from email-based threats like phishing, business email compromise, ransomware and more? See it in action by scheduling a demo or learn more on our dedicated MSP partner page.
