Stop convincing email attacks before they become business problems
Most email attacks do not look dramatic. They look like a supplier chasing payment, a Microsoft 365 sign-in request, a shared file, a director asking for something quickly, or a message from someone your team already trusts.
One convincing email can lead to a stolen password, fake invoice payment, malware infection or Microsoft 365 account compromise.
Avanan, now Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, adds stronger protection around Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint. It helps block phishing, impersonation, malicious links and suspicious attachments before they reach your staff.
We help schools, SMEs and professional firms deploy it properly, understand what it is protecting, and use it as part of a practical cyber security plan covering email security, Microsoft 365 protection, account compromise risk and cyber insurance readiness.
Stop making your team the final filter for every convincing email.
Avanan / Check Point Email SecurityThe hardest phishing emails to spot are often the ones that look like normal work: a supplier invoice, a Microsoft 365 login, a shared document or a message from somebody you trust.
Avanan, now part of Check Point, adds another security layer around Microsoft 365 to help stop phishing, impersonation, malicious links, suspicious attachments and business email compromise before your people have to make the call.
The dangerous emails are often the ones that look like normal work.
Obvious spam is not the difficult bit. The difficult email is the one that arrives on a busy Tuesday morning and looks just plausible enough.
"We've changed our bank details"
A message appears to come from a supplier just before the next payment is due.
"Please review this document"
A familiar cloud-sharing message leads to a fake Microsoft 365 sign-in page.
"Your account needs attention"
A password reset, MFA or Microsoft notification creates just enough urgency to get a click.
"Can you pay this today?"
A director, headteacher or manager appears to make an urgent financial request.
Better email security means fewer dangerous emails reaching people and fewer risky decisions being made under pressure.
The most useful phishing email is the one nobody thinks looks like phishing.
"I don't need it to look dangerous. I just need it to look normal."
Glitch
A dodgy-looking attachment is easy to question. Glitch would much rather use a believable invoice, a familiar sender name, a shared document or a Microsoft 365 login page.
Something that looks routine has a much better chance of being treated as routine.
"Your people should not have to spot every convincing one."
Black SwanTraining still matters. So do good finance checks.
But a strong email security layer should help identify phishing, impersonation, suspicious links and malicious content before the message becomes somebody else's judgement call.
You have more than one way to deal with email risk.
The right answer is not automatically "buy another security product". The question is whether your current combination is reducing enough risk.
Use Microsoft 365 protection
Microsoft already provides useful email security and this may be enough for some organisations.
Sensible where existing protection is already doing the job.Rely heavily on staff awareness
Training helps people recognise suspicious messages and report problems quickly.
Valuable, but people should not have to be the only security layer.Use a traditional email gateway
Secure email gateways still have value and have protected email for many years.
Modern cloud attacks, identity abuse and post-delivery threats can create different requirements.Add cloud email security
Add a specialist protection layer around Microsoft 365 without asking users to change how they normally work.
This is where Avanan / Check Point can fit.Is Microsoft Defender for Office 365 enough?
Sometimes it is.
Microsoft 365 already includes useful security. Adding another product simply because another product exists would miss the point.
Your current Microsoft protection may be enough if:
- phishing reaching staff is rare and low risk
- MFA is properly enforced
- people report suspicious emails quickly
- you have good visibility of risky sign-ins and alerts
- backup and incident response are tested
Another layer may make sense if:
- convincing phishing still reaches people
- fake invoices or payment changes are getting through
- finance teams, senior leaders or school offices are regular targets
- mailbox compromise is a concern
- you want stronger protection without changing normal email workflows
The practical question is not "Does Microsoft provide email security?" It does. The question is: "What is still getting through?"
This is where Avanan / Check Point Email Security fits.
Avanan is now part of Check Point and is commonly referred to as Check Point Email Security or Check Point Email & Collaboration Security.
It is a cloud email security platform designed to strengthen protection around Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.
Why does API-based email security matter?
Traditional gateways inspect email as it passes through a separate filtering layer. That approach can still have value.
Avanan works closely with the cloud email platform using an API-based approach. That makes it better suited to a world of compromised accounts, cloud-sharing links, QR codes, identity attacks and messages that may need action after delivery.
Sometimes the attack is just one convincing email at the wrong moment.
Business email compromise does not always involve malware, ransomware or an obvious technical warning.
Fake supplier
A criminal claims the supplier's bank details have changed before the next payment.
Urgent payment
A message appears to come from a director, headteacher or manager asking somebody to act quickly.
Genuine compromised mailbox
An attacker sends believable messages from an account people already know and trust.
Action Fraud figures quoted by the National Crime Agency show that in September 2025, invoice fraud victims lost £3,908,086 across 83 Report Fraud cases, an average of more than £47,000 per case.
Source: National Crime Agency and NatWest invoice fraud campaign .
Check
Look for changed bank details, unusual wording or pressure to make a payment quickly.
Verify
Contact the genuine supplier using contact details you already trust.
Do not rely on the email alone
A familiar sender name is not proof that a payment request is genuine.
Email security can reduce how many fraudulent messages reach finance teams. It cannot replace a good payment verification process.
Email security is an important layer. It is not the whole answer.
A good email security product reduces the chance of a dangerous message getting through. Other controls reduce what happens if one still does.
It does not replace MFA
Stolen credentials and compromised accounts still need strong identity controls.
It does not replace domain protection
SPF, DKIM and DMARC remain important for reducing domain spoofing.
It does not replace people
Staff awareness and easy reporting still matter when something unusual reaches the inbox.
It does not replace recovery
Microsoft 365 backup and incident response still matter if an account or data is affected.
Avanan makes most sense when email is important and realistic threats are still reaching people.
A good fit when...
- you depend on Microsoft 365 email every day
- phishing, impersonation or malicious links still reach staff
- fake invoices or supplier fraud are a concern
- finance teams, school offices or senior leaders are frequent targets
- you want stronger protection without making email harder to use
- you want email security to sit alongside identity, awareness and recovery controls
Something else may need attention first when...
- your existing email protection is already doing the job well
- your main problem is Microsoft 365 account compromise rather than incoming email
- domain spoofing and DMARC are the immediate gap
- your biggest concern is recovery rather than prevention
- you simply need basic low-cost spam filtering
This is less about buying another email product and more about deciding whether too many risky messages are still being handed to your people.
School inboxes contain exactly the kind of activity criminals can hide inside.
Parents, governors, suppliers, payroll, HR, safeguarding, admissions, trips, invoices and external agencies all create legitimate email traffic.
That does not make school staff careless. It makes the environment busy, trusted and time-pressured.
Common school email risks
- fake invoices and payment changes
- Microsoft 365 sign-in scams
- headteacher and senior leader impersonation
- compromised accounts
- attacks timed around busy periods and holidays
The outcome we are looking for
Fewer dangerous emails reaching school staff, fewer risky decisions under pressure and a stronger layer around Microsoft 365 as part of the school's wider cyber resilience.
Email security should support people, not turn every member of staff into a security analyst.
Check Point Email & Collaboration Advanced Protect
Add stronger email protection without making users learn another way to send and receive email.
Volume and education discounts may be available.
The email product is only one part of making the risk manageable.
Check Point provides the email security technology. Black Swan helps make it work in the environment around it.
Review what you already have
We help work out whether another email layer is actually needed rather than assuming it is.
Configure the service
We help put the protection in place around the way your organisation already uses Microsoft 365.
Help with the exceptions
Suspicious, incorrectly blocked or unusual messages still need practical investigation and support.
Join up the wider picture
Email, identity, domain protection, staff awareness and recovery should not exist in separate silos.
Advice first. Tools second. But when email is the gap, we can supply, configure and support the technology too.
Reduce the chance of the email succeeding, then reduce the impact if it does.
Sendmarc
Help stop criminals pretending to send email from your organisation's own domain.
Huntress ITDR
Monitor Microsoft 365 accounts for suspicious identity activity and signs of compromise.
Microsoft 365 backup
Protect important Microsoft 365 data so prevention is not your only line of defence.
Security Awareness Training
Help people recognise suspicious requests without blame, fear or box-ticking.
The gaps are often between the tools. Email security, identity, domain protection, awareness and backup are stronger when somebody is joining the picture together.
Straight answers about Microsoft 365 email security.
What is Avanan called now?
Avanan is now part of Check Point and is commonly referred to as Check Point Email Security or Check Point Email & Collaboration Security.
Is Microsoft Defender for Office 365 enough?
It can be. If your current Microsoft protection is stopping the risks you are concerned about, MFA is properly enforced and you have good monitoring, awareness and recovery, you may not need another email security layer.
If realistic phishing, fake invoices, impersonation or malicious links are still reaching staff, another layer may be worth considering.
Does Avanan replace Microsoft Defender?
Not necessarily. In many environments it adds another protection layer around Microsoft 365 rather than replacing every Microsoft security feature.
Can Avanan help with business email compromise?
It can help reduce the risk by detecting phishing, impersonation, malicious links and suspicious email behaviour.
It works best alongside MFA, identity monitoring, DMARC, staff awareness and independent payment verification.
Does email security replace staff training?
No. People still need to recognise and report suspicious requests. The aim of stronger email security is to reduce the number of dangerous decisions people are forced to make in the first place.
Will Avanan change how staff use email?
The aim is to strengthen protection around Microsoft 365 without creating a clunky email workflow. Most people should simply see fewer dangerous messages reaching their inbox.
Is this suitable for schools and MATs?
Yes. Schools and MATs commonly deal with phishing, fake invoices, Microsoft 365 sign-in scams and impersonation attempts. Stronger email security can help reduce the number of risky messages reaching staff.
How much does Check Point Email Security cost?
Check Point Email & Collaboration Advanced Protect starts from £5 per mailbox per month. Volume and education discounts may be available.
What else should sit alongside email security?
Depending on the organisation, that can include MFA, conditional access, identity monitoring, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, Microsoft 365 backup, security awareness and a clear incident response process.
Are your current email controls good enough, or are your people still doing too much of the filtering?
Tell us what Microsoft 365 licensing and email protection you already have, the kinds of messages reaching your team and who is being targeted. We can help you decide whether Avanan / Check Point Email Security is the right next step.
Meet Kevin: Founder of Black Swan
Concerned about cyber security? Need advice or a tailor-made quote? Kevin is here to help you!
From actionable advice to helping you to see where you could be at risk, Kevin will help you to get your business on a path that is secure-by-design and ready for the unthinkable.
Ready to replace sleepless nights with peace of mind? It all starts with an informal chat!
Either schedule a call by selecting a suitable date and time on the calendar or by clicking the button below to send us a message.