Findings from Gartner’s Market Guide for Email Security 2019

Gartner’s Market Guide for Email Security 2019 reaffirms that an increasing number of organizations are migrating their email platforms to the cloud. According to Gartner, “by 2021, Gartner expects 70% of public and private companies to be using cloud email services.”1 But, that access to email from anywhere and on any device means it is essential that organizations protect themselves from increasingly prevalent threats.

To combat threats most effectively, Gartner recommends that, “Security and risk management leaders must adopt a continuous adaptive risk and trust assessment mindset to protect inboxes from exposure to increasingly sophisticated threats”. Gartner states further, “Adopt a CARTA strategic approach to email security by layering inbound, outbound, and internal detection and remediation capabilities.” The CARTA inspired email security architecture is dynamic and robust. Instead of simply protecting at the perimeter, this architecture is always evaluating and detecting, and subsequently, learning and changing.

In that vein, and because email is such a prominent attack vector, Gartner specifically states that “Security professionals have known for years that, due to its importance as an attack vector, email security requires a layered approach.” We believe Cisco’s Cloud Email Security (CES) fully represents this model of protection. The foundation of the solution is Talos, a globally recognized threat research team providing real time threat intelligence. Using that telemetry, CES responds to evolving threats and keeps cloud-based email safe and productive by stopping phishing, spoofing, business email compromises and other cyber threats. Additional subscription services provide the complementary layers that create the comprehensive protection the solution provides. We believe, exemplifying Gartner’s CARTA approach, these layers address the four key areas of protection and according to Gartner, “Email security refers collectively to the prediction, prevention, detection and response framework used to provide attack protection and access protection for email.” These subscription products include multifactor authentication using Duo, Advanced Malware Protection (AMP), Advanced Phishing Protection and Domain Protection.

We believe, the CES solution mirrors Gartner’s guidance of layering inbound, outbound, and internal detection and remediation capabilities.

To help determine which combination of cloud email security products might work best for any organization, we believe, a thorough analysis of existing email security products to understand the current solution’s capabilities completely. Gartner recommends, “Leverage incumbent email security products by verifying and optimizing their capabilities and corresponding configurations. This will serve as the start of a gap analysis to determine where supplementation or replacement may be required.” The Cisco Threat Analyzer for Office 365 quickly detects security gaps in Office 365 email inboxes to provide visibility into threats that may have gone undetected and identify security vulnerabilities.

In addition, to support this growing cloud email platform user base, Cisco Email Security now has data centers with global coverage located in North America, Europe and Asia. These locations allow for local customers to satisfy data access and sovereignty requirements in their specific regions and provide the confidence that their data will remain within region. For those install base customers using an on premise or hybrid solution, this global coverage gives them the peace of mind for migrating from on premise to cloud email.

Understanding the gaps within a current system provide the clearest direction for implementing the most effective email security protections going forward. Cisco Cloud Email Security provides a method for that analysis and a robust layered solution for a comprehensive email security defense. As businesses transition to cloud, email capabilities bring new threats and opportunities that can only be addressed by a complimentary security solution from Cisco Email Security.  This layered approach of products and services shows the power of the Cisco Security portfolio.

For the full findings from Gartner, read the report here. And if you’re ready to get started with Cisco Email Security consider our free, 45-day trial.

1  “Public companies’ unstoppable march to cloud continues with almost 25% — of any size, industry and region — having moved to a cloud email platform. Application leaders can use this research to evaluate Google G Suite and Microsoft Office 365 as cloud email solutions, and to guide deployment plans.” (See “Survey Analysis: Cloud Email Adoption Growth Continues but With Large Regional/Industry Variations.”)

Gartner, Market Guide for Email Security, 6 June 2019, Peter Firstbrook, Neil Wynne

2 Cisco 2019 Email Cybersecurity Report

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