Overview of Avanan
Avanan is a cutting-edge email and cloud collaboration security solution designed to protect organizations from a wide range of advanced threats. Developed by Check Point, Avanan leverages artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and API integration to provide comprehensive security for cloud-based email and collaboration applications.
Key Features and Functionality
Advanced Threat Protection
Avanan offers robust protection against various threats, including phishing attacks, malware, ransomware, zero-day threats, and account takeovers. It scans emails and files in real-time, using a best-of-breed security stack that includes zero-day threat protection and malware prevention.
API-Based Inline Protection
Unlike traditional Security Email Gateways (SEGs), Avanan integrates via APIs, allowing it to scan emails and files before they reach the user’s inbox, without the need to change MX records or use proxies, appliances, or endpoint agents. This inline protection ensures that malicious content is blocked before it can cause harm.
Comprehensive Coverage
Avanan extends its protection beyond just incoming emails to include internal and outgoing traffic, as well as other cloud applications such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box. This holistic approach secures all directions of email communication and file sharing.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Avanan includes advanced DLP capabilities to identify and protect confidential files, preventing accidental sharing or leakage of sensitive information such as financial data, personally identifiable information (PII), and protected health information (PHI). It enforces granular share policies and can delete, quarantine, or encrypt files as necessary.
Business Email Compromise (BEC) and Account Takeover Prevention
Avanan monitors user behavior and correspondence patterns to detect and prevent compromised accounts. It captures historical data to create a model of each user and the organization’s custom threat profile, enabling real-time prevention, historical breach detection, and adaptive false positive filtering.
Zero-Click Attacks and Advanced Threats
Avanan is particularly effective against zero-click attacks in Outlook and business communication compromise in Microsoft Teams, using advanced AI algorithms to detect and block sophisticated threats that other solutions might miss.
User-Friendly Interface and Reporting
The solution is designed for ease of use, with a user-friendly interface that simplifies implementation and management for IT teams. It provides detailed, real-time reporting, enabling security administrators to analyze every aspect of a threat and take prompt action. Users are also informed through detailed alert messages, promoting a culture of security within the organization.
Deployment and Support
Avanan offers easy deployment directly from within the SaaS applications it secures, such as Gmail or Microsoft Office 365. It also provides continuous customer support to ensure a seamless security experience.
Modes of Protection
Avanan offers three modes of protection:
- Monitor Only: Provides visibility into cloud-hosted email with manual and automated query-based quarantines available after delivery.
- Detect and Prevent: Scans emails via journaling and takes automated policy actions to quarantine threats.
- Protect (Inline): Scans emails before delivery to the user’s inbox, ensuring threats are detected and remediated in real-time.
Overall, Avanan is a powerful and comprehensive email and cloud collaboration security solution that enhances an organization’s security posture by protecting against a wide array of advanced threats, ensuring compliance, and providing detailed visibility and control.