In short: Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, formerly Avanan and now officially Check Point Email Security, protects Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and collaboration apps by API. It is licensed per user in Advanced Protect or Complete Protect, for Email Only or Email & Apps coverage, with optional add-ons such as archiving and DMARC, billed monthly.
What it is, and what happened to Avanan
Avanan was an early email security product that connected to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace by API rather than sitting in front of them as a gateway. Check Point acquired Avanan in 2021, sold it as Harmony Email & Office and then Harmony Email & Collaboration, and in March 2026 Check Point announced its new official name, Check Point Email Security. Many IT teams still call it Avanan, and older contracts may too.
It inspects mail after Microsoft's or Google's own filtering and before it reaches the inbox, so there is no MX record change and internal mail is protected as well as inbound. It covers phishing, business email compromise and impersonation, account takeover, malicious links and attachments, zero-day malware through sandboxing, and risky document content through file sanitisation. Our specialist site explains the technology in Harmony Email and Collaboration and the history in Avanan email security.
Plans: coverage and security tier
You choose one coverage option and one security tier, giving four combinations:
| Advanced Protect | Complete Protect | |
|---|---|---|
| Email Only: Microsoft 365 mail and Gmail | Full threat protection for email | Threat protection plus DLP for email |
| Email & Apps: mail plus collaboration apps such as OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Google Drive, Slack, Box, Dropbox and ShareFile | Full threat protection across mail and apps | Threat protection plus DLP across mail and apps |
Both tiers include the same threat engines: anti-phishing, anti-malware, click-time URL protection, account takeover detection, shadow IT discovery, sandboxing and attachment sanitisation. Complete Protect adds data loss prevention for email and shared files. If an older contract uses Avanan-era package names, we map it to one of these plans at renewal.
Add-ons
These are licensed per user alongside your plan. You do not need all of them; we usually suggest adding the ones that replace a tool you already pay for.
| Add-on | What it does |
|---|---|
| Email Archiving | Keeps a searchable archive of mail for a retention period you set, with filtering and bulk export |
| Incident Response as a Service | Check Point analysts handle users' phishing reports and requests to release quarantined mail |
| Security Awareness Training | Training and phishing simulations run from the same console |
| DMARC Management | Hosted DMARC reporting and help moving your domains safely to a quarantine or reject policy |
| SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) | Finds risky settings and third-party app access in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace |
| SSPM Premium | A higher SSPM tier; we confirm the apps and checks it covers on your quote |
| Leaked Credentials | Scans deep and dark web sources for your users' compromised credentials, raises a security event for each and can trigger a password reset |
If you want a broader programme than the built-in training, see our sister site on security awareness training.
How it is licensed
Harmony Email & Collaboration is a per-user subscription: you license the users whose mailboxes and accounts you protect, at one plan across the tenant, plus any add-ons. Through Forever Systems it sits in your own Check Point Portal tenant and is billed monthly on the users protected, so leavers drop off without a contract change. If you would rather fix a number of users for a year, ask us and we will set out the options.
Check Point offers UK and EU data residency for Email Security tenants; we confirm the region before we create yours. See per-user vs per-device licensing for how to count shared and service mailboxes before you buy.
Requirements, deployment and who it suits
You need Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace and an administrator who can grant the app's API consent. Deployment is quick: connect the tenant, start in monitor mode to see what it finds, then switch to prevention, either inline before delivery or by removing threats after delivery. Mail flow stays with Microsoft or Google throughout.
It suits organisations on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace that want stronger phishing and account takeover protection without running a gateway, and those whose staff share files in Teams, SharePoint or Slack every day, where Email & Apps coverage closes a gap. Choose Complete Protect if you send personal or financial data by email. We scope users and apps, run a trial in monitor mode, configure policies and handle changes and renewals. Compare alternatives on our email security page.
How Forever Systems supplies your software licences
Forever Systems Ltd supplies business software subscriptions to UK organisations from one account, with one monthly invoice and a UK team who know the products.
- The right edition first time: we check what you need before you buy, so you are not paying for features you will never use
- Monthly or annual terms where the vendor offers them, and help timing renewals and commitments
- Licence changes handled for you: add or remove users, upgrade editions and true-up without starting a new contract
- Deployment and support from engineers who run these products every day, not just a reseller account
- Consolidated billing and renewal reminders so nothing lapses unexpectedly
We work with businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations of all sizes.
Need a licence quote or a second opinion on your renewal?
Tell Forever Systems what you need and we will come back to you by email with options, not a hard sell.
Contact usFrequently asked questions
Is Avanan the same as Harmony Email & Collaboration?
Yes. Harmony Email & Collaboration is the Avanan product under Check Point branding, and in March 2026 Check Point renamed it Check Point Email Security. The API-based protection is the same.
How is Harmony Email & Collaboration licensed?
Per user, on one plan across the tenant: Email Only or Email & Apps coverage, in Advanced Protect or Complete Protect. Add-ons are licensed per user on top. We bill it monthly on the users protected.
What is the difference between Advanced Protect and Complete Protect?
Both include the same threat protection, including anti-phishing, sandboxing, URL protection and account takeover detection. Complete Protect adds data loss prevention for email and shared files.
Do I need to change my MX records?
No. It connects to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace by API, so mail flow stays with Microsoft or Google. Protection can run inline before delivery or remove threats after delivery.
Is archiving included?
No. Email Archiving is an add-on, as are DMARC Management, Incident Response as a Service, Security Awareness Training, SSPM and Leaked Credentials.