Email Platform Security: What SaaS Companies Should Know

Your email platform holds sensitive customer data: email addresses, names, behavior patterns, and often billing information. Security matters not just for compliance, but for protecting your customers and your reputation. This guide covers the security considerations SaaS companies should evaluate.

Data Protection Fundamentals

Data at Rest

How is stored data protected?

• Encryption: Data should be encrypted at rest (AES-256 is standard)
• Access controls: Who can access the data within the platform?
• Data isolation: How is your data separated from other customers?
• Backup encryption: Are backups also encrypted?

Data in Transit

How is data protected while moving?

• TLS encryption: All connections should use TLS 1.2+
• API security: HTTPS required, no HTTP fallback
• Email transmission: TLS opportunistic or enforced

Data Retention

What happens to data over time?

• Retention policies: How long is data kept?
• Deletion: Can you delete data? Is it truly purged?
• Export: Can you get your data out?

Compliance Certifications

SOC 2

The most relevant certification for SaaS email platforms:

• Type I: Point-in-time assessment of controls
• Type II: Ongoing assessment over 6-12 months (stronger)
• Covers security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, privacy

Many enterprise customers require SOC 2 Type II from vendors. If you're selling to enterprise, your email platform needs this.

GDPR

If you have European users:

• Platform must support data subject rights (access, deletion, portability)
• Data Processing Agreement (DPA) required
• Data location considerations (EU hosting or adequate protections)
• Consent tracking capabilities

CCPA/CPRA

California privacy requirements:

• Right to know what data is collected
• Right to delete data
• Right to opt out of data sale
• Platform should support these requests

HIPAA

Healthcare data requirements:

• Business Associate Agreement (BAA) required
• Additional security controls
• Audit trail requirements
• Most email platforms are NOT HIPAA compliant by default

Authentication and Access Control

User Authentication

How do users log in to the platform?

• Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Should be available, ideally required
• SSO support: SAML or OIDC for enterprise identity management
• Password policies: Minimum requirements, breach detection
• Session management: Timeout, concurrent session limits

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Who can do what within the platform?

• Admin roles: Full access to settings and data
• Editor roles: Create and send email
• Viewer roles: Read-only access to reports
• Custom roles: Fine-grained permission control

API Security

How is API access controlled?

• API keys: Secure generation and rotation
• Rate limiting: Protect against abuse
• Scoped permissions: API keys with limited access
• Audit logging: Track API usage

Email-Specific Security

Sending Authentication

Prove emails come from you:

• SPF: Authorize sending servers
• DKIM: Cryptographically sign emails
• DMARC: Policy for failed authentication

Good platforms make authentication setup easy and guide you through DNS configuration.

Phishing Prevention

Protect your brand from being spoofed:

• DMARC with enforcement prevents spoofing
• BIMI for visual brand authentication
• Monitoring for unauthorized use of your domain

Content Security

Protect email content:

• Link wrapping with safe redirect
• Attachment scanning (if applicable)
• Template injection prevention

Infrastructure Security

Hosting and Data Location

Where does your data live?

• Cloud provider security (AWS, GCP, Azure)
• Geographic location options
• Data residency for compliance

Network Security

• DDoS protection
• Web application firewall (WAF)
• Intrusion detection
• Network segmentation

Incident Response

What happens when something goes wrong?

• Incident response plan
• Breach notification procedures
• Communication timeline
• Past incident history (check for transparency)

Evaluating Platform Security

Questions to Ask

• Do you have SOC 2 Type II certification?
• Where is data stored geographically?
• How is data encrypted (at rest and in transit)?
• What authentication options are available?
• Can you provide a Data Processing Agreement?
• What is your incident response procedure?
• How do you handle data deletion requests?

Documentation to Request

• SOC 2 report (may require NDA)
• Security whitepaper
• Data Processing Agreement
• Privacy policy
• Subprocessor list

Security by Platform Type

Enterprise Platforms

Braze, Iterable, HubSpot

• Typically SOC 2 Type II certified
• SSO and advanced RBAC
• Dedicated security teams
• Enterprise-grade SLAs

SaaS-Focused Platforms

Sequenzy, Customer.io, Loops

• Growing security maturity
• Core certifications (SOC 2, GDPR)
• MFA and basic RBAC
• Responsive to security inquiries

Developer Platforms

SendGrid, Postmark, Resend

• Focus on API security
• Major platforms well-certified
• Transactional focus limits data exposure

Building Security Into Your Email Operations

Your Responsibilities

Platform security is only part of the picture:

• Use strong, unique passwords
• Enable MFA for all team members
• Regularly review access permissions
• Rotate API keys periodically
• Monitor for unusual activity
• Train team on security practices

Regular Audits

Periodically review:

• Who has access to the platform
• What integrations are connected
• API key usage and necessity
• Data retention settings

Choosing a Secure Platform

Security should be a factor in platform selection, not an afterthought. Sequenzy takes security seriously with encryption, authentication options, and compliance support appropriate for SaaS companies.

For enterprise requirements, ensure your chosen platform can provide the certifications and controls your customers require.