The pervasive reliance on email for business and personal communication makes it the single biggest entry point for cyberattacks. Threat actors exploit human error to phish for passwords and sensitive financial information or disguise malware as harmless documents by mimicking real conversations. That’s why corporations are turning to cloud-based message security platforms for stronger protection against sophisticated attacks.
The Importance of Cloud Email Security for Enterprises
Cyberattacks are increasingly leveraging AI to craft convincing correspondence and fake websites, leading to a 1,200% surge in phishing incidents since the rise of generative AI in 2022. Large businesses are vulnerable due to their size and access to valuable data. Each employee with an email address represents a potential entry point for hackers.
While hosted infrastructure provides a stable framework for information protection, these environments also face more potential entry points, especially with hybrid work models, employees switching between personal and work devices, and multiple third-party integrations.
Implementing strong cloud email safeguards helps organisations:
- Defend against evolving threats
- Protect confidential data
- Maintain compliance and governance
- Ensure business continuity
- Reduce manual oversight
- Detect and respond to threats in real time
- Scale efficiently as the company grows
What Is the Best Cloud Email Security Solution for Enterprises?
IT teams can focus on more strategic priorities by using an email security solution that handles the bulk of the heavy lifting for them. Below are some of the most trusted names in the field.
1. Darktrace
Darktrace stands out as an enterprise-grade cloud email security platform built for organisations ranging from $50 million to $1 billion in revenue. It’s recognised as a 2025 Gartner Customers’ Choice, gaining a strong reputation for its self-learning AI.
Its AI recognises subtle anomalies in writing style, communication frequency and behaviour to detect when a message is illegitimate. Instead of relying only on known threat signatures, Darktrace models the pattern of life for every user and device to flag deviations in real time.
The platform includes a sandbox environment where attachments are safely detonated to assess behaviour before delivery. Administrators can lock malicious links, flatten attachments and neutralise payloads without blocking legitimate messages. Deployment is straightforward and integrates well across Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace environments.
2. Proofpoint Threat Protection
Proofpoint Threat Protection is a proven choice for large organisations that need advanced, people-centric defence. Trusted by 85 of the Fortune 100, it combines AI, machine learning and global risk intelligence to block 99.99% of known and emerging messaging attacks, including phishing, business email compromise (BEC) and malware.
While its pricing tiers place it on the higher end of the market, it remains a strong investment for companies seeking threat intelligence and forensics. It processes billions of emails and URLs daily, utilising features such as URL and Attachment Defence to rewrite malicious links and sandbox suspicious files.
It excels at blocking established and emerging threats, like phishing and BEC. However, Proofpoint’s reliance on reputation and heuristic models means that especially novel zero-day social engineering attacks may require additional behavioural analytics layers for maximum coverage.
3. Check Point Harmony Email and Collaboration
Check Point Harmony Email and Collaboration is a top-tier cloud email security solution designed for enterprises seeking robust, AI-powered protection. It delivers exceptional catch rates on zero-day threats and phishing. It also detects phishing and malware hidden within file-sharing channels, including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, OneDrive and Teams.
Its AI-powered phishing recognition inspects message headers, URLs and language context to identify potential phishing dangers. Sandboxing and file disarming capabilities help it neutralise embedded scripts.
Easy to deploy and just as simple to undeploy, it shows tangible value quickly during proof-of-concept trials. Harmony also enhances the native M365 stack, offering collaboration and security with minimal effort. Sales often include license upgrades at a low cost. Although premium-priced, it’s a trusted and feature-rich choice for comprehensive business protection.
4. Abnormal Human Behaviour AI Platform
Abnormal Human Behaviour AI Platform uses behavioural AI to map relationships between employees, vendors and customers. It detects impersonation, invoice fraud and BEC attempts that bypass traditional filters. Users often highlight its affordability and strong performance against targeted phishing.
Abnormal’s integration with Office 365 and Google Workspace is straightforward, with minimal configuration required. Once active, it evaluates sender reputation, writing tone and relationship history to determine authenticity. Many IT admins describe it as a set-it-and-forget-it solution that stops phishing when combined with good policies and awareness training.
5. Mimecast Advanced Email Security
Mimecast Advanced Email Security is trusted by over 40,000 customers worldwide because it offers a reliable and scalable defence against phishing, ransomware, BEC and malware. Using AI, machine learning and social graphing, it spots and blocks threats before they reach users while ensuring both inbound and outbound protection through features like sandboxing, Content Disarm and Reconstruction, and data loss prevention (DLP).
Mimecast’s analytics give administrators a clear view of threat types, user behaviour and policy violations. It’s especially effective for smaller organisations migrating from legacy email filters that need comprehensive protection without extensive configuration.
Quick Comparison Table
Compare the top options alongside key factors to determine which works best for your company.
| Solution | Unique Capabilities | Integration and Deployment | Best for |
| Darktrace | Strong AI for detecting subtle anomalies, sandboxing, link protection and real-time threat isolation | Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and other tools | Organisations wanting adaptive, automated email defence powered by AI |
| Proofpoint Threat Protection | Exceptional visibility and adaptive controls | Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace | Global firms with complex threat landscapes |
| Check Point Harmony Email and Collaboration | High catch rates, phishing and zero-day protection, anti-malware, DLP, and collaboration suite defence | Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, OneDrive and Teams | Companies needing unified email and collaboration protection |
| Abnormal Human Behaviour AI Platform | Identifies phishing, BEC and account takeovers, filters graymail, and automates remediation | API-based deployment with Microsoft 365 | Mid-market or corporation teams wanting strong, cost-effective AI |
| Mimecast Advanced Email Security | Phishing, ransomware and BEC detection, data leak prevention, and safe file transfer | Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace | Enterprises wanting full-suite protection and compliance-ready security |
Secure Your Cloud-Based Communication Channels
Email threats are adaptive, context-aware and automated. Defence should be the same. Cloud-based messaging security provides companies with an adaptive edge — not as an option, but as a fundamental layer of digital trust.
An enterprise’s size can be both its strength and vulnerability. It’s usually the latter when it comes to cyberattacks. Many businesses choose to layer their defences, which also means doubling costs. However, if you choose just one, it should learn from your organisation’s behaviour and let legitimate messages through while filtering out malicious ones.
