Managing spam emails effectively means filtering out unwanted or potentially harmful messages without accidentally blocking or losing important emails from customers, suppliers, or colleagues. For Australian small and mid-sized businesses using Microsoft 365, this balance is crucial because spam can clutter inboxes, hide critical communications, and expose your organisation to cyber risks like phishing or malware.
Why managing spam matters for your business
Spam emails are more than just annoying—they can disrupt your team's productivity by wasting time sorting through junk mail. Worse, some spam contains malicious links or attachments that can lead to data breaches or ransomware attacks, causing costly downtime and damage to your reputation. At the same time, overly aggressive spam filters might quarantine legitimate emails, delaying responses to clients or missing time-sensitive opportunities, which can erode customer trust.
A common scenario: balancing protection and access
Consider a typical Australian business with around 50 staff using Microsoft 365 email. They noticed many spam emails landing in inboxes, distracting staff and increasing risk. Their IT provider implemented Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to enhance spam filtering, but some sales inquiries were mistakenly flagged as spam and missed. To fix this, the IT partner configured customised safe sender lists and regularly reviewed quarantine reports with the business to identify and release any false positives. This ongoing tuning helped reduce spam noise while ensuring important emails reached the right people promptly.
Practical checklist for handling spam without losing important messages
- Ask your IT provider: How is spam filtering configured in your Microsoft 365 environment? Do they use tools like Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
- Review quarantine policies: Can you easily access and review quarantined emails to release any legitimate messages?
- Check safe sender and block lists: Are trusted contacts and domains added to safe lists to prevent accidental filtering?
- Monitor false positives: Does your provider regularly report on and adjust filters to reduce missed emails?
- Train staff: Are employees educated on recognising phishing attempts and reporting suspicious emails?
- Use multi-layered protection: Beyond spam filters, is there antivirus scanning and link protection on incoming emails?
- Backup email data: Are your emails regularly backed up so you can recover any lost messages?
By following these steps, you can create a more reliable email environment that minimises spam risks without sacrificing important communication.
Next steps
If spam emails are causing headaches or you're worried about missing critical messages, it's wise to discuss your current setup with a trusted managed IT provider familiar with Microsoft 365. They can assess your spam filtering policies, help fine-tune settings, and provide ongoing support to keep your email system secure and efficient.