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Email Security Audit for Houston Businesses

For Houston SMBs whose phishing rate is going up, whose AP team is one wire transfer away from a bad day, and whose email security stops at the default tenant settings.

Managed IT services offer comprehensive, business-focused solutions that drive productivity, enhance security, and align technology with your strategic goals.
Managed IT Houston
Managed IT Houston

Email Security Audit

How We Run the Audit

Mail flow tested, BEC exposure ranked.

Authentication records checked: We review SPF, DKIM, and DMARC and confirm whether DMARC is actually enforced or just monitoring, because a record set to monitor still lets spoofed mail through.

Hidden mailbox rules hunted: We look for auto-forwarding and inbox rules that quietly send your mail to an attacker, the setup behind most wire fraud.

Impersonation protection tested: We check whether your tenant blocks lookalike domains and executive impersonation, which default policies rarely cover.

Legacy access found: We find legacy IMAP and POP access that bypasses modern controls and MFA, a common back door into a locked-down tenant.

Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace both: The audit covers either platform, because the gaps differ but the wire transfer at risk is the same.

Findings ranked by BEC exposure: Results are sorted by what an attacker would use first, so the forwarding rules and DMARC gaps get closed before the minor items.

A Katy-based engineer walks you through it: One engineer reviews your tenant and explains each finding, so your team understands the risk instead of getting an export.

Get an email security audit that finds what your default tenant lets through, before your AP team wires money to the wrong account.

BOOK A FREE CONSULTATION
email security audit  //  Houston SMBs

An email audit that catches what Microsoft 365 lets through.

Default Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace settings stop the obvious spam. They do not stop the wire-transfer email that looks like it came from your CEO, and that is the one that costs you.

CinchOps audits your mail flow, your authentication records, and the hidden rules attackers leave behind, then ranks what to close first by real BEC exposure.

// What CinchOps does

An email security audit reviews how your business sends, receives, and authenticates mail, and finds the gaps that let phishing and business email compromise through. CinchOps checks SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, hunts for the hidden forwarding rules attackers create, and tests whether your anti-phishing and impersonation protections are actually on. The audit works for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, and it ends with a ranked list that puts your biggest BEC exposure at the top.

$1.77B
Reported business email compromise losses in 2024

FBI IC3 2024 Internet Crime Report

1%
Of organizations experienced a business email compromise attempt

AFP 2025 Fraud and Control Survey

1 sec
Median time for a user to click a phishing link once it lands

Verizon DBIR 2025

// what the email audit covers

Five places email security quietly fails.

L1Authentication records

  • SPF, DKIM, and DMARC checked
  • DMARC enforced or only monitoring
  • Spoofing exposure measured

On paper

L2Hidden mailbox rules

  • Auto-forwarding to external addresses
  • Inbox rules that hide replies
  • The AP mailbox checked first

The exfil path

L3Anti-phishing and impersonation

  • Lookalike domain blocking
  • Executive impersonation protection
  • Default policy gaps named

BEC core

L4Legacy protocols and access

  • Legacy IMAP and POP found
  • Access that bypasses MFA
  • Old back doors closed

Back door

L5User exposure

  • Most-targeted accounts identified
  • What still reaches the inbox
  • Where technical controls must carry it

The humans

// why CinchOps runs your audit

The audit your AP team will thank you for.

CinchOps audits email for Houston and Katy SMBs in CPA practices, law firms, wealth management, and construction, where a single fraudulent wire can erase a month of profit. We have seen how BEC actually plays out, and we look for the setup before the payout.

01

We look for the attack, not just the spam filter

Most reviews check whether spam filtering is on. We look for forwarding rules, impersonation gaps, and authentication holes, the things that enable a real wire fraud.

02

Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace both

The audit covers either platform. The gaps differ, but the wire transfer at risk is the same.

03

Every finding is ranked by BEC exposure

You get a list sorted by what an attacker would use first, so the auto-forward and DMARC gaps get closed before the minor items.

04

A Katy-based engineer runs it

One engineer reviews your tenant and explains each finding, so your team understands the risk instead of getting an export.

// close the gap attackers count on

Get an email security audit that finds what your default tenant lets through, before your AP team wires money to the wrong account.


Our Services

Six Pillars of Proactive IT
On One Flat-Fee Plan

Systems Monitoring
& Maintenance

Systems Monitoring
& Maintenance

Real-time oversight and configuration management of IT infrastructure providing optimal performance, security, and efficiency

Managed IT Houston

IT Support

IT Support

Fast and responsive assistance and troubleshooting, both remotely and on-site, ensuring you can always speak with a real person for seamless and efficient business operations

Managed IT Houston

Patch Management

Patch Management

Ensuring timely and efficient updates to IT systems, safeguarding against vulnerabilities and enhancing performance

Managed IT Houston

Antivirus & Ransomware Protection

Antivirus & Ransomware Protection

Defending your devices against malware, viruses, and cyber threats, ensuring data security and system integrity

Managed IT Houston

Network Performance & Health Monitoring

Network Performance & Health Monitoring

Peak network performance and dependability through systematic monitoring and evaluation of critical network performance indicators

Managed IT Houston

Mobile Device Management

Mobile Device Management

Secures, monitors, and manages mobile devices to ensure compliance, security, and efficient functionality within your organization

Managed IT Houston

Systems Monitoring
& Maintenance

Systems Monitoring
& Maintenance

Real-time oversight and configuration management of IT infrastructure providing optimal performance, security, and efficiency

Managed IT Houston

IT Support

IT Support

Fast and responsive assistance and troubleshooting, both remotely and on-site, ensuring you can always speak with a real person for seamless and efficient business operations

Managed IT Houston

Patch Management

Patch Management

Ensuring timely and efficient updates to IT systems, safeguarding against vulnerabilities and enhancing performance

Managed IT Houston

Antivirus & Ransomware Protection

Antivirus & Ransomware Protection

Defending your devices against malware, viruses, and cyber threats, ensuring data security and system integrity

Managed IT Houston

Network Performance & Health Monitoring

Network Performance & Health Monitoring

Peak network performance and dependability through systematic monitoring and evaluation of critical network performance indicators

Managed IT Houston

Mobile Device Management

Mobile Device Management

Secures, monitors, and manages mobile devices to ensure compliance, security, and efficient functionality within your organization

Managed IT Houston

Managed IT Houston

LET’S CHAT

Managed IT Houston

Managed IT Houston
Managed IT Houston

Benefits

4 Benefits of Email Security Audit

  1. Mail-layer controls ranked by impact, not a 50-page report
  2. Priority account protection set up for execs and AP
  3. External sender warnings tested and verified
  4. Remediation handled by the team that ran the audit
FAQs

Have Questions?

What does an email security audit actually check?
The audit reviews sender authentication records, mail flow routing, anti-phishing and anti-impersonation policies, attachment and link protection, external sender warnings, priority account protection, mailbox auditing, retention and legal hold posture, and the user training layer. The output is a list of gaps ranked by impact, with a remediation order the team can run in two-week sprints.
How long does the audit take?
A typical 50-seat SMB audit runs about six business days. The first two days are tenant access setup and configuration export. The middle two days are review against the CinchOps email controls checklist. The final two days are the fix list draft, the priority account list, and the remediation roadmap discussion with the leadership team.
Does CinchOps do the remediation too?
Yes. The audit and the fix work are the same engagement family. CinchOps closes the highest-impact gaps in the first two-week sprint, then moves to the second tier of work, then loops the changes into the ongoing managed IT runbook so they stay in place. The next audit becomes a checkpoint instead of a rebuild.
What if we use Google Workspace, not Microsoft 365?
The audit framework is the same. The control names change. CinchOps audits Google Workspace tenants for sender authentication, advanced phishing and malware protection, context-aware access, mailbox audit, and the policy and training layer. The fix list looks similar in shape to the Microsoft 365 version but uses the Google admin console.
Will the audit catch business email compromise risk?
Yes, specifically. The audit reviews the controls that block payment-change spoofing and CEO impersonation, the protection on the AP and executive accounts, the external sender warnings, and the firm's wire transfer verification process. The combination is what stops the calls that almost cost a Houston firm a wire last spring.

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