As teams increasingly rely on collaborative platforms like Slack, the question often arises: should specialized topics, particularly something as critical as email security, warrant their own dedicated channels? My thoughts on this topic are shaped by observing how different teams and communities manage their communication around complex subjects.
Email security is a broad field, encompassing everything from basic authentication protocols to advanced threat detection and incident response. Simultaneously, it intersects significantly with email deliverability, yet they are not entirely synonymous. Deciding whether to create a dedicated Slack channel for email security involves weighing the benefits of focused discussion against the potential for channel proliferation and fragmentation of related conversations.
The core of the debate often hinges on how distinct email security truly is from general email deliverability or broader IT operations. Some argue that email security is a subset of deliverability, while others contend it is a separate, critical domain due to the prevalence of email-borne threats. This article will explore these perspectives to help you determine the best approach for your team or community.
The intersection of email security and deliverability
Email security and deliverability share many foundational elements. Protocols like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM are crucial for both preventing phishing and spam, and ensuring your legitimate emails reach the inbox. A misconfigured SPF record, for instance, could lead to emails being marked as spam, impacting both security (as it makes spoofing easier) and deliverability.
However, security extends beyond these authentication mechanisms. It delves into areas like email encryption (such as STARTTLS, DANE, and MTA-STS), which focus on protecting the confidentiality and integrity of email during transit. While the use of TLS for email deliverability is recommended, it's not strictly a deliverability requirement in the same way DMARC is becoming for major mailbox providers. This distinction often fuels the argument for a separate security focus.
Another area of overlap, yet also divergence, is the role of email blocklists (or blacklists). While being listed on a blocklist severely impacts deliverability, the reasons for being listed often stem from security issues, such as compromised accounts sending spam or malicious content. Addressing these requires a security-first approach to remediation, even if the immediate symptom is a deliverability problem.
Ultimately, many conversations that begin as deliverability issues often uncover underlying compliance or security problems. This interconnectedness is a key reason why some prefer to keep these discussions consolidated, facilitating a holistic view of email ecosystem health.
Key email security best practice
Implementing a robust DMARC policy with a `p=reject` or `p=quarantine` setting is crucial for both preventing email spoofing and improving deliverability. It helps mailbox providers trust your sending domain, reducing the chances of your legitimate emails being blocked or sent to spam.
Arguments for a dedicated channel
The argument for a dedicated email security channel often comes from the perspective that security is a specialized discipline with its own unique threats, technologies, and best practices that aren't always directly tied to email deliverability. For instance, discussions around Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes, which have caused billions in losses, involve forensic analysis, phishing awareness, and incident response, which differ significantly from optimizing sender reputation.
A separate channel could provide a focused space for advanced security topics, such as evaluating new authentication standards, discussing zero-day exploits impacting email, or sharing intelligence on evolving phishing tactics. This specialization could attract security professionals who might not typically participate in broader deliverability or operations discussions. According to Mimecast, a top 10 Slack security best practices involves centralizing security communication.
Furthermore, a dedicated channel allows for deeper dives into specific security tools, vendor solutions, and compliance frameworks that are solely focused on threat prevention and data protection, rather than ensuring emails land in the inbox. This could include topics like email archiving, data loss prevention (DLP), and advanced malware detection.
It also provides a clear demarcation for where certain types of information, especially sensitive security alerts or incident reports, should be shared and discussed. This helps ensure that critical security communications don't get lost in more general deliverability or technical operations threads.
Deliverability focus
Primarily concerned with ensuring emails reach the inbox without being blocked, filtered to spam, or delayed.
Arguments against a dedicated channel and alternative approaches
Despite the compelling reasons for a dedicated email security channel, there are strong arguments against it, primarily centering on the idea that too many channels can lead to fragmentation, reduced engagement, and a perception of low discussion volume. If a channel for email security sees infrequent activity, members might not feel it's a valuable resource, and important questions could go unanswered.
Many believe that the existing deliverability or operations channels are sufficient, especially with effective use of Slack's threading feature. Threads allow for in-depth discussions on specific topics without cluttering the main channel feed. This approach keeps related conversations (deliverability, security, compliance) within a broader context, helping members see the interconnectedness of these areas.
Furthermore, defining the exact scope of an email security channel can be challenging. Where does deliverability end and security begin? Is DMARC a security topic, a deliverability topic, or both? This ambiguity can lead to confusion about where to post questions, potentially resulting in important security discussions being scattered across multiple channels or simply not happening.
Ultimately, the decision often comes down to the volume and nature of security-specific discussions anticipated. If the community is small or security queries are infrequent, a dedicated channel might be overkill. Consolidating discussions in a broader deliverability or operations channel, while leveraging threads, could be a more practical and effective solution, as suggested by some security tips to protect your workspace.
Aspect
Single Channel (with threading)
Dedicated Channel
Discussion focus
Broader, encompassing deliverability, operations, and security. Threads for specifics.
Highly specialized on email security, potentially excluding related topics.
Information discoverability
Relies heavily on search and proper threading, which can be inconsistent.
Clear categorization, but requires users to know which channel to check.
Community engagement
Potentially higher overall engagement due to consolidated topics.
Risk of low activity if the niche is too specific, leading to abandonment.
Overlap and context
Facilitates understanding of how security impacts deliverability and operations.
May silo discussions, losing broader context of related email challenges.
Finding the right balance
The decision of whether email security should have its own Slack channel isn't a simple yes or no. It hinges on the specific needs, size, and activity level of your community or team. For highly active communities with a significant volume of security-specific discussions, a dedicated channel could provide the necessary focus and attract specialized expertise.
However, for smaller teams or those with less frequent security queries, leveraging existing channels with robust threading functionality may be more effective. This prevents channel clutter and keeps discussions integrated, acknowledging the inherent overlap between email security, deliverability, and overall email operations.
Ultimately, the goal is to foster clear, productive communication. Whether that's in a dedicated space or a broader channel depends on how your team best collaborates and where conversations about urgent issues need immediate communication. Regular review of channel effectiveness and user feedback can guide this decision over time.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Use threads consistently within existing channels to keep detailed discussions organized.
Consider a dedicated channel if email security topics generate substantial, regular discussion volume.
Clearly define the scope of any new channel to avoid confusion and ensure relevant content.
Common pitfalls
Creating too many niche channels can lead to low engagement and fragmented conversations.
Assuming email security is entirely separate from deliverability ignores their critical interdependencies.
Lack of clear guidelines for when to use a general versus a specialized channel.
Expert tips
Start with broader channels and only split out topics if the volume warrants it to avoid dead channels.
Regularly survey your team or community to gauge interest and effectiveness of channel organization.
Promote the use of Slack's search functionality for finding past discussions regardless of channel structure.
Marketer view
Many conversations about deliverability problems often reveal underlying compliance issues.
2022-05-19 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
While legal frameworks are important, the policies of major email providers like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft ultimately dictate email deliverability.
Google Postmaster Tools, 
Yahoo Complaint Feedback Loops (FBLs).
Microsoft 365 security features, Email Security Gateways (ESGs), Data Loss Prevention (DLP).
