If you run IT for an SMB or manage IT for SMB clients, you already know this:
Email is still the #1 attack vector. (Incorporated, 2022)Not ransomware kits.
Not zero-days.
Not nation-state hackers.
It’s just an email. Still, email security is often one of the first things questioned when budgets are tight.
Let’s talk about email security ROI and what SMBs actually get in return for their investment.
The Real Cost of “One Click”
When SMBs ask, “Do we really need advanced email security?”
They usually compare the license cost to the fact that nothing bad has happened yet.
That’s the wrong comparison.
Here’s the real cost of a single successful email attack:
- Account takeover cleanup (password resets, MFA resets, token revocation)
- Downtime for staff and IT
- Fraud losses (especially BEC)
- Reputation damage with clients
- Compliance and cyber insurance headaches
For many SMBs, a single incident can cost more than three to five years of email security licensing. (The Costly Reality of Cybersecurity Gaps for SMBs, 2025)That’s the return on investment right there.
ROI Is Not Just About Blocking More Emails
It’s About Reducing Business Impact
Good email security doesn’t just block spam.
It:
- Stops credential harvesting before logins happen
- Prevents malicious attachments from executing
- Detects impersonation and look-alike domains
- Catches threats after delivery when links go live later
Modern platforms like Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Proofpoint, and Mimecast focus on more than just keeping the inbox clean.
They are designed to help you avoid incidents. (Prevention & Detection in Defender for Office 365, 2025)When you avoid incidents, you see measurable ROI.
The MSP Angle: Email Security Scales Your Time
This is something MSPs understand right away.
Without strong email security:
- Tickets explode after phishing campaigns. (Cyber Attacks on Small Businesses Statistics 2025, 2025)
- Technicians spend hours cleaning up issues that could have been prevented. (Staff, 2022) Clients start to wonder why IT did not prevent the problem.”
With proper controls:
- Fewer reactive tickets
- Faster incident response
- Clear reporting you can show during QBRs
Email security doesn’t just protect the client.
It also helps protect your profit margins.
SMB ROI Formula (Simple and Honest)
You do not need a complicated spreadsheet.
Here’s the math SMBs understand: Annual email security cost
vs
Cost of one breach + downtime + recovery If email security prevents even one incident every few years, it has already paid for itself. (True Cost of Data Breaches for Small Businesses, 2025) Anything beyond that is a bonus. fit.
The Bonus ROI Most SMBs Don’t Expect
Strong email security also:
- Improves cyber insurance approval
- Supports compliance requirements
- Reduces stress on staff (“Is this email real?”)
- Makes security awareness training actually effective (The ROI of Security Awareness Training, n.d.)
When you combine security tools with trained users, the return increases significantly.
Final Thought: Email Security Is Cheap Insurance
SMBs don’t go uninsured, hoping nothing happens. Email security works the same way. The ROI isn’t hypothetical.
It’s realized the first time something bad doesn’t happen. In today’s threat landscape, that moment often comes sooner than most people expect. (The Future of Small Business: Security Trends to Watch in 2025, 2025)
Jaspreet Singh — Author at MSPinsights.ca | Founder & CEO, Accelerate IT Services Inc.
References
Incorporated, T. M. (June 22, 2022). Email Threats Spike 101%, Remains a Top Attack Vector. Trend Micro. https://www.trendmicro.com/en/about/newsroom/local-press-releases/au/2022/2022-05-23.html
(2025). The Costly Reality of Cybersecurity Gaps for SMBs. https://www.apollo-sec.com/insights/the-costly-reality-of-cybersecurity-gaps-for-smbs
(2025). Prevention & Detection in Defender for Office 365. Microsoft Corporation. https://cdn-dynmedia-1.microsoft.com/is/content/microsoftcorp/microsoft/final/en-us/microsoft-brand/documents/Prevention-Detection-in-Defender-for-Office-365.pdf
(2025). Cyber Attacks on Small Businesses Statistics 2025. Total Assure Blog. https://www.totalassure.com/blog/cyber-attacks-on-small-businesses-statistics-2025
Staff, V. (April 21, 2022). Report: Orgs spend 3,850 hours annually cleaning up email-based cyberattacks. VentureBeat. https://venturebeat.com/security/report-orgs-spend-3850-hours-annually-cleaning-up-email-based-cyberattacks/
(2025). True Cost of Data Breaches for Small Businesses. SimplCyber. https://www.simplcyber.com/blog/data-breach-cost
(n.d.). The ROI of Security Awareness Training. https://ostermanresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ORWP_0313-The-ROI-of-Security-Awareness-Training-August-2019.pdf
(2025). The Future of Small Business: Security Trends to Watch in 2025. LastPass. https://blog.lastpass.com/2025/04/the-future-of-small-business-security-trends-to-watch-in-2025