In short: Hornetsecurity Spam and Malware Protection is a cloud email filter that checks inbound and outbound mail for spam, malware and phishing before it reaches your users. It adds content and compliance rules, live email tracking, outbound filtering and short daily quarantine reports. It is licensed per user and is the base of every 365 Total Protection plan.
What Spam and Malware Protection is
Spam and Malware Protection is Hornetsecurity's core email filtering service. It is a hosted filter, so mail is checked in Hornetsecurity's cloud before it reaches Microsoft 365 or your own mail server, and outbound mail is checked on the way out to stop a compromised account sending malware or spam in your name.
It is the foundation of every 365 Total Protection plan, and can also be bought on its own for organisations that only need better filtering, including those not on Microsoft 365.
What is included
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Spam, malware and phishing filter | Multi-layer filtering of inbound mail with self-updating filters |
| Content control | Policy-based attachment filtering, including inspection of nested archives, and size limits |
| Compliance filter | A rules engine for custom inbound and outbound mail workflows |
| Email Live Tracking | Real-time view of mail flow with search, so you can answer "did it arrive?" quickly |
| Email categorisation | AI-based sorting of legitimate mail and threats |
| Infomail filter | Holds newsletters and bulk information mail for later rather than in the inbox |
| Quarantine reports | Short spam reports at intervals users choose, with one-click release |
| Outbound filtering | Stops malware and spam leaving your domain |
| Bounce management | Filters fake bounces caused by spam using your address |
| Secure Links | Rewrites links so they pass through Hornetsecurity's secure web gateway |
| Central signature management | Maintains email footers from one place |
| Audit logs | Indelible record of logins and changes in the control panel |
If your mail server is unavailable, incoming mail is held for up to seven days and delivered when it comes back. Advanced routing sends mail to different mail servers by user, group or domain, which helps groups with subsidiaries on different systems.
How it is licensed
Spam and Malware Protection is licensed per user. Hornetsecurity designs it to be extended: other services, such as Email Encryption, Email Archiving or the Email Continuity Service, can be added to the same account later.
| Option | Includes |
|---|---|
| Spam and Malware Protection | Filtering only |
| 365 Total Protection Plan 1 | Filtering, Email Encryption and Email Signature and Disclaimer |
| 365 Total Protection Plan 2 | Plan 1 plus Advanced Threat Protection, archiving and continuity |
If you are on Microsoft 365, it is worth comparing the standalone filter with Plan 1 or Plan 2, so we normally quote more than one option.
Requirements and deployment
Setup is straightforward: add your domain, adjust the default settings if needed and point your MX records at Hornetsecurity. User data can be synchronised from your directory (LDAP or Active Directory) so mailboxes are recognised automatically. On Microsoft 365, the email security services can also run in API or Hybrid mode, which adds post-delivery scanning.
Hornetsecurity publishes a service level agreement for availability and filter performance in its service description, which we can provide with your quote.
Who it suits and how we help
It suits organisations that find Microsoft 365's built-in filtering lets too much through, or that run their own mail server and want a hosted filter in front of it. If targeted phishing and malicious attachments are the concern, add Advanced Threat Protection. Compare other options in email security.
We add your domains, sync users from your directory, set quarantine report schedules and switch your MX records over at a time that suits you. Ask us for a quote for the filter on its own and as part of a plan.
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
Does Hornetsecurity Spam and Malware Protection work with Microsoft 365?
Yes. It filters mail before it reaches Exchange Online when your MX records point to Hornetsecurity, and as part of 365 Total Protection it can also run in Hybrid mode, which adds post-delivery scanning.
What happens to email if our mail server goes down?
Incoming email is held for up to seven days and delivered once the server is available again. For access to email during an outage, add the Email Continuity Service.
Can users release emails from quarantine themselves?
Yes. Users receive quarantine reports at intervals they choose and can release a message with one click.
Does it scan outbound email?
Yes. Outbound filtering stops malware and spam being sent or forwarded from your domain, which protects your reputation if an account is compromised.