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Email security is no longer confined to protection, but it is also about efficiency, scalability, and modernized approach to stay ahead of threats. Today, about 3.4 billion phishing emails are sent daily, while 73% of reported cyber attacks in 2024 compromised business email attacks. 

The emerging phishing schemes, ransomware, and other malicious activities continue to exploit vulnerabilities in email systems and traditional security measures. This urges the need for advanced security solutions. That’s where Avanan email security steps in.

Avanan email security uses artificial intelligence (AI) to protect against phishing, ransomware, and other threats. In this guide, we will uncover all about Avanan and highlight why it is the future of cloud email security.

The Emerging Challenges in Email Security

Before we get deep into Avanan email security, it is important to understand what are the emerging challenges in cloud email security that businesses need to tackle.

Companies are now heavily relying on cloud-based email systems, such as Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365. Although these systems provide convenience, they also increase the attack surface. In fact, did you know that Microsoft Defender is not able to filter 18.8% of phishing emails?

Cybercriminals are getting smarter and using new tactics to bypass the standard defenses. Therefore, some of the emerging challenges in email security include:

Increased Attack Sophistication

Cybercriminals are leveraging cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), to bypass traditional defenses. For instance, phishing emails have evolved from generic scams to highly personalized attacks using AI-generated content. These tactics make it harder for standard security measures to identify malicious messages.

Cloud-Specific Vulnerabilities

The transition to cloud-based email systems introduces unique vulnerabilities:

• Reduced Visibility: Many organizations experience limited real-time visibility into email activity. This makes it harder to detect unusual behavior or threats.
• User Account Compromise: Weak credentials, poor device management, and inconsistent multifactor authentication (MFA) practices increase the risk of account takeovers.
• Supply Chain Attacks: A growing number of phishing campaigns exploit compromised accounts within an organization’s supply chain, further complicating detection.

Emerging Phishing Tactics

Phishing remains a dominant threat, but attackers are now employing advanced methods such as:

• TOAD (Telephone-Oriented Attack Delivery): Using voice cloning and SMS messages to trick victims into divulging sensitive information.
• Polymorphic Phishing: AI-generated phishing emails that change content and appearance dynamically to evade detection.

These techniques highlight the inadequacy of legacy Secure Email Gateways (SEGs) and native security tools in addressing modern threats.

Ransomware Risks

Ransomware attacks continue to exploit email systems as entry points. 59% of organizations became victims of cyberattack in 2024. Ransomware incidents have surged due to new tactics like embedding malicious payloads in legitimate-looking attachments or links. Organizations relying solely on default cloud security measures are particularly vulnerable.

Avanan Email Security: The Game-Changing AI Email Protection

Avanan email security is a cloud-native solution designed to protect your email environment from an array of sophisticated threats. Rather than traditional on-premises secure email gateways, it integrates directly with your existing cloud platforms—such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace—using secure API-based connections. This integration not only simplifies deployment but also enhances visibility across your entire communication ecosystem.

Key Features of Avanan

The key features of Avanan include:

• AI-Powered Threat Detection: It utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze email content and identify advanced threats in real-time.
• Phishing Prevention: It actively detects and blocks phishing attempts by scrutinizing sender behavior, content, and context before emails reach the inbox.
• Ransomware Defense: It intercepts ransomware attacks through multilayer scanning and real-time remediation, which prevents encryption and data loss.
• Cloud Email Security Integration: It integrates with major cloud platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace via secure API connections.
• Advanced Secure Email Gateway Capabilities: It offers post-delivery scanning and automatic threat removal for an effective, secure email gateway.
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP): It monitors and protects sensitive data by enforcing robust DLP policies across all email communications.
• Comprehensive Visibility and Control: The platform provides an intuitive dashboard for administrators to monitor threat landscapes and manage security policies efficiently.

Read more: AI-Powered Cybersecurity: How Artificial Intelligence is Reshaping Threat Detection & Response

Working Principle of Avanan

Avanan AI email protection scans messages post-delivery to catch threats that slip through initial filters. The working principle of Avanan protection includes:

1. Behavioral Analysis: Avanan monitors user interactions to detect anomalies, such as sudden spikes in forwarding rules or login attempts from suspicious locations.
2. Content Inspection: Natural Language Processing (NLP) identifies phishing language, including urgent requests for sensitive data or fake invoices.
3. Attachment Sandboxing: Suspicious files are detonated in a secure sandbox to uncover hidden ransomware payloads.
4. Link Analysis: Real-time URL scanning blocks malicious links, even those generated minutes before an attack.

This proactive framework ensures AI email protection isn’t just reactive, but it also anticipates novel attack vectors and adapts as threats evolve.

Benefits of Avanan Email Security

Organizations that have adopted Avanan report significant improvements in their overall security posture. A Fortune 500 company saw a 99.2% reduction in phishing emails getting to the inbox and a 97.8% reduction in reviews of phishing emails by the SOC.

The key benefits of Avanan secure email gateway include:

1. Reduced Incident Response Time: Continuous monitoring and real-time threat detection minimize the window of vulnerability and enable rapid containment of ransomware attacks.
2. Enhanced User Awareness: Avanan reduces the burden on employees to identify phishing attempts by filtering suspicious emails and lowering the risk of human error in cyberattacks.
3. Cost Savings: Preventing attacks before they occur saves organizations millions in potential losses.
4. Scalability and Flexibility: Avanan scales with businesses of all sizes due to cloud-native solutions. It integrates with major cloud platforms without requiring infrastructure overhauls.

Wrapping Up – Cloud Email Security: The Necessity for the Modern Enterprise

The future of email security lies in the cloud. Cloud email security solutions like Avanan provide a level of agility and responsiveness that traditional methods simply cannot offer. They allow organizations to take advantage of real-time threat intelligence, automate responses, and adapt quickly to new security challenges. This dynamic capability is essential in an environment where threats are constantly evolving and where businesses need to maintain uninterrupted operations.

At Sun IT Solutions, we recognize that every organization faces its own cybersecurity challenges. That’s why our cloud email security service is designed to offer scalable, cost-effective protection, including implementing Avanan email security. Our team of experienced cybersecurity professionals can evaluate your security needs and then help implement a robust system to safeguard against phishing, credential breaches, and financial scams—all while reducing the burden on your IT resources. 

Contact us today and let us deliver a secure email gateway that protects your sensitive information and keeps your operations running smoothly.