In short
Phishing protection for business is a set of layered controls that stops fraudulent emails reaching staff and limits the damage when one does: tuned Microsoft 365 or Gmail filtering, an API-based detection layer, link and attachment analysis, warning banners, a report button with automatic clean-up, phishing-resistant sign-in and staff training.
Get a quote for phishing protection
Tell us roughly how many users or sites you have and we will reply by email with options and a quote.
What phishing protection has to stop
Phishing has moved on from badly spelt lottery emails. The messages that reach staff today are usually short, plausible and built to evade filters:
- Credential phishing: a "document shared with you" or "your password expires" message leading to a convincing copy of a Microsoft 365 or Google sign-in page
- Links on trusted services: phishing pages hosted on legitimate file-sharing, form or website-building services, so the link itself has a good reputation
- QR codes: a code in the email body or a PDF that moves the victim to a phone, away from desktop protection
- Malicious attachments: documents, archives and HTML files that download malware or open a fake login form
- Spear phishing: messages researched for one person or team, using names, projects and suppliers taken from public sources
- Conversation hijacking: replies inserted into a real email thread from a compromised mailbox
- Phishing beyond email: the same lures sent through Teams chats, Slack and shared files
Some of these are covered on their own pages: BEC attack, whaling attack and email account takeover. The training side of QR code and Teams lures is covered on our sister site's pages on QR code phishing and Teams phishing.
Phishing protection methods that work together
Each method below covers a gap the others leave. Work through them in this order:
- Configure the built-in filtering. In Microsoft 365, apply the Standard or Strict preset security policies and set up anti-phishing policies; see Microsoft 365 phishing protection. In Google Workspace, switch on advanced phishing and malware protection; see Gmail security settings.
- Authenticate your own domain. SPF, DKIM and DMARC stop criminals phishing your customers and staff from your exact domain. Start with email authentication.
- Add a detection layer inside the mailbox. An integrated cloud email security product inspects mail after Microsoft's or Google's filtering, looks at language, relationships and behaviour, and sees internal mail.
- Check links at the moment of click. Rewriting or inspecting links when they are clicked catches pages that were harmless at delivery and turned malicious later.
- Detonate and sanitise attachments. Sandboxing opens unknown files in a safe environment; some products also strip risky content so a clean copy can be delivered straight away.
- Warn people in context. Banners on external, first-contact or suspicious messages give staff a reason to pause at the right moment.
- Make reporting easy and act on it. A report button that feeds an automated workflow can remove every copy of a confirmed phish, not just the reported one.
- Protect sign-ins. Phishing-resistant methods such as passkeys or FIDO2 security keys cannot be replayed from a fake page, which blunts credential phishing even when someone clicks.
- Train and test staff. Short, regular training keeps people alert to new lures; see phishing awareness training on our sister site.
Steps one and two cost nothing beyond time. Steps three to seven are where anti-phishing software earns its place.
What to compare in anti-phishing software
Phishing protection tools differ more in how they work than in their feature lists. These are the questions that separate them:
- Architecture: does it connect by API inside Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, sit in front as a gateway, or offer both? See ICES vs SEG
- Detection approach: reputation and signatures only, or also language analysis, sender relationship history, computer vision for fake login pages and QR codes?
- After delivery: can it remove a message from every mailbox automatically once it is confirmed malicious?
- User reports: does it triage reported emails, cluster similar ones and close them out, or leave every report for your team?
- Coverage: Microsoft 365, Gmail, internal mail, Teams, Slack and shared files
- Deployment mode: can it start in monitoring mode so you see what it catches before it acts?
- Operations: which console, who handles alerts, and whether a vendor-run service is available
- Licensing basis: per user, per mailbox or on usage
Phishing protection tools we supply
These are the phishing protection tools we supply, described from the vendors' own material. We do not quote catch rates or rankings, and we can help you trial one or two on your own mail.
| Tool | How it connects | Phishing features the vendor describes | Microsoft 365 | Google Workspace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Check Point Email Security | API, monitor mode to inline | Anti-phishing, impersonation and account takeover detection, sandboxing, file sanitisation, collaboration apps | Yes | Yes |
| IRONSCALES | API | AI phishing and BEC detection including QR code attacks, dynamic banners, report button, removal from every affected mailbox | Yes | Yes |
| FortiMail Workspace Security | ICES | Dynamic scanning of every file and URL, anti-phishing using URL analysis and image recognition | Yes | Yes |
| Acronis Email Security | API for Microsoft 365 | URL analysis across several reputation engines with image recognition, anti-spoofing and BEC checks | Yes | Yes |
| Vade for M365 / for Google Workspace | API | Machine learning and computer vision on emails and web pages, including logos and QR codes; auto-remediation | Yes | Yes |
| TrendAI Vision One Email and Collaboration Security | API, optional inline, or gateway | Phishing and QR code phishing detection, writing style analysis | Yes | Yes |
| Sophos Email | Gateway or API | Time-of-click URL protection, sandboxing, QR code detection, clawback | Yes | Yes |
| Proofpoint Essentials | Gateway | Spam and phishing engine, URL Defense and Attachment Defense depending on package | Yes | Confirmed at quote |
| ThreatDown Email Security | API | Adaptive AI, anomaly detection, automatic remediation | Yes | Confirmed at quote |
For a broader side-by-side, including encryption, DLP and DMARC, see email security platforms compared.
Not sure which option fits? Ask us
Tell us what you need and we will recommend the right option for your organisation, with a quote.
Why training and technology both matter
Technology reduces how many phishing emails reach people; training improves what people do with the ones that still arrive. Neither works well alone. The most useful combination is a clear report button in Outlook or Gmail, a technical layer that acts on reports quickly, and staff who know how to spot and report a suspicious message.
Our sister site covers how to report phishing, including the NCSC's Suspicious Email Reporting Service, and the awareness side in depth. On this site we focus on the controls.
How we help
We supply several phishing protection tools, so we can recommend what fits your mail platform and what you already own. We can:
- Review your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace anti-phishing settings against the vendors' own recommendations
- Look at recent phishing that reached staff and show which layer would have stopped it
- Trial an API-based product in monitoring mode alongside your existing protection, where the product supports it
- License, deploy and tune the option you choose, with package contents confirmed at quote
Ask us for a quote: Contact us about phishing protection for your business.
How Forever Systems helps with email security
We are an independent UK IT and cyber security provider. We supply several email security platforms, so we can suggest what suits your mail system, your risks and your budget rather than pushing one product.
- Start with what you have: we can review the protection already built into Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace before suggesting anything extra
- Compare like for like: API-based protection, secure email gateways, encryption and DLP from the vendors we supply, explained in plain English
- Get authentication right: we help you plan SPF, DKIM, DMARC and MTA-STS so genuine mail is delivered and spoofed mail is not
- Deployment help: connecting a platform to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, mail routing changes and policy set-up, scoped at quote
- People and backup too: security awareness training, Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration and Sophos from our specialist sites
Tell us about your mail system and we will suggest options, with pricing confirmed at quote.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best phishing protection for a business?
Layers rather than a single product: well-configured Microsoft 365 or Gmail filtering, authenticated domains, an extra detection layer that can remove mail after delivery, phishing-resistant sign-in and trained staff. Which product fits depends on your mail platform, licence and who will handle alerts.
What are anti-phishing tools?
Anti-phishing tools are products that detect and block fraudulent emails and the sites they link to. They include the protection built into Microsoft 365 and Gmail, API-based products that work inside the mailbox, secure email gateways, browser protection and report buttons for staff.
Can phishing emails get past Microsoft 365?
Yes. Microsoft's filtering stops a great deal, but some phishing still arrives, especially from compromised legitimate accounts or via links on trusted services. That is why Microsoft offers Defender for Office 365 and why many organisations add an API-based layer that can remove mail after delivery.
Does phishing protection stop QR code phishing?
Several products now analyse images and QR codes in emails and attachments, including IRONSCALES, Vade, Sophos Email and Trend Micro. Because the code is usually scanned on a phone, staff awareness still matters.
Is security awareness training enough to stop phishing?
No. Training helps people spot and report what gets through, but well-crafted phishing fools careful people. Technical controls reduce how much reaches them and limit the damage of a click, so the two work best together.
Still have a question about phishing protection?
Ask us and a member of our team will reply by email.