Skip to main content

Introduction to Check Point Email Protection

Updated this week

What is it all about?

Check Point Email Protection (formerly Avanan) is a cloud-native email and collaboration security solution that connects directly to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace via API. Unlike traditional gateways, it works inside the cloud to block phishing, malware, ransomware, and business email compromise with AI-driven detection. It also offers post-delivery remediation, user reporting, and granular policy controls delivering inline protection without extra complexity or hardware.


Guardz & Check Point Email Protection Partnership

Guardz has partnered with Check Point Email Protection to bring a stronger, smarter email security directly inside the Guardz platform. This enhancement provides:

  • Industry-leading protection against phishing, malware, ransomware, and business email compromise

  • Seamless experience: everything is managed from your Guardz dashboard, no need for another console

  • Smart defaults: Guardz pre-configures policies so you’re protected from the moment you activate

  • Flexibility: admins can still customize policies, allow/block lists, and workflows


Key Differences Overview

1. Service Behavior

  • Guardz in-house: rule-based scanning, limited threat detection.
    Avanan: API-based inline protection, using AI + ML to stop threats before they reach the inbox.

2. Activities

  • Guardz: focused on basic quarantine and spam reporting

  • Avanan: full event sync into Guardz, advanced categories (phishing, malware, graymail, etc.)

3. Event Management

  • Guardz: admin can remediate a detection by deleting the email from users’ inbox

  • Avanan: email deletion is not functional

  • Guardz: Caution banner is removed as part of ‘Mark as Safe’ flow

  • Avanan: not applicable

4. Policies

  • Guardz: fewer options for policies

  • Avanan: confidence-based detection, flexible workflows (quarantine, junk folder, warnings), more allow/block lists elements (email, domains, IPs, headers, file types), setting up a phishing reporting mailbox, clean emails banner enabled, etc.

5. Customization Options

  • Guardz: email banner customization is available

  • Avanan: in the first migration phase, banner customization will not be enabled


The Main Switching Impact

Stays the same:

  • Allow and block lists will be migrated 'as is' (except for file type rules)

  • Users will continue to use the Guardz end-user portal to review emails

  • Users and admins will continue to receive Guardz email notifications

Changes:

  • Existing email banner customization will be overridden

  • ‘User Report’ feature is enabled by default (regardless of its current state)

  • Admin approval for quarantine release is enabled by default (regardless of its current state)

Completely new:

  • URL rewriting: the URLs of links found in both the email body text and attachments are changed and replaced

  • Password-protected emails: protection against malicious password-protected attachments by removing them, adding a warning banner, and requesting the password for scanning. If clean, the file is delivered to the intended recipient. Passwords aren’t stored, brute-forcing is blocked, and delivery remains secure

  • ‘Graymail’ handling (admins will be able to choose the action taken)

  • IP and header support in allow/block lists


Migration Phases per Business Case

  • Current Guardz Customers

    Current customers (using Guardz in-house email protection today) may continue using the existing solution for now, or choose to migrate to Check Point Email Protection.

    Please note: migration is recommended since Guardz email engine will be phased out down the road.

  • New Guardz Customers
    All new customers must use Check Point Email Protection. The Guardz in-house engine is no longer available for new activations.

  • Customers already using Check Point Email Protection Separately
    If your organization already has a Check Point Email Protection account outside of Guardz, you will not be able to migrate your existing policies and console into Guardz at this stage.


Activating the Service

Refer to this article to review the detailed step-by-step instructions.

Did this answer your question?