In short: Perception Point Advanced Email Security, now sold by Fortinet as FortiMail Cloud SaaS, is an integrated cloud email security service for Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and other mail platforms. It stops phishing, BEC, account takeover and zero-day malware using seven detection layers, includes 24/7 managed incident response and is licensed per user.
What Advanced Email Security is
Advanced Email Security is Perception Point's core product: an integrated cloud email security (ICES) service that sits alongside Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or another mail platform and inspects mail before or as it reaches users. Fortinet now markets it as FortiMail Cloud SaaS within FortiMail Workspace Security, but it is still widely licensed under the Perception Point name.
The approach is to scan everything dynamically rather than sampling. Each message passes through a stack of detection layers in seconds, so users do not notice delays, and anything that slips through and is later found to be malicious can be removed from every inbox.
Detection layers and what is included
Fortinet describes seven layers of protection on one platform:
| Layer | What it catches |
|---|---|
| Spam filter | Reputation and anti-spam checks on incoming mail |
| Threat intelligence | Known malicious URLs and files from multiple intelligence sources |
| Static signatures | Known malware, using signature-based anti-virus engines |
| Recursive unpacker | Hidden content inside archives, documents and nested links, unpacked to defeat evasion |
| Hardware-assisted sandbox | Zero-day exploits, stopped at the exploit stage before malware is released |
| Anti-phishing | Impersonation and fake login pages, using URL analysis and image recognition |
| Anti-BEC and ATO | Payload-free social engineering and compromised Microsoft 365 accounts |
The service also includes VIP protection, email disclaimers, reporting, unlimited protected domains and 24/7 support. Inbound protection is the standard option and outbound monitoring can be configured. Internal email scanning, which inspects mail between your own users and helps contain a compromised account, is an add-on to inbound protection or part of Fortinet's fuller email bundles.
How it is licensed
Advanced Email Security is licensed per user. Fortinet bills on the number of active mailboxes the organisation declares and validates that number, so shared and unused mailboxes are worth reviewing before you order.
- Standalone or bundled: buy email on its own, or with Advanced Browser Security, Microsoft Collaboration Security, or both, in one bundle.
- Incident response included: the managed 24/7 service is part of the licence, not an extra.
- Tiers: Fortinet's published tiers start at 25 users; we confirm the minimum and term for your order.
Prices depend on the bundle and user count, so ask us for a quote. For background on user-based licensing see per-user vs per-device licensing.
Deployment and requirements
You need a Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace tenant and an administrator to authorise the connection. For Microsoft 365, Perception Point offers two connection methods:
| Method | How it works | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Inline | Mail is scanned before delivery; set up with a DNS TXT record and an onboarding script | Prevention: threats never reach the inbox |
| Microsoft API | Uses the Microsoft Graph API and scans in parallel with delivery | Quicker to connect, but a malicious message may be visible briefly before removal |
Neither method requires moving your MX records. With the inline method, mail still passes through Exchange Online Protection first and is then routed to Perception Point by connectors and rules, so Microsoft's own filtering keeps running. The inline method also supports hybrid Exchange Online and on-premises Exchange set-ups, while the API method suits organisations that only want to protect some domains or users. The service is administered from a cloud console with forensic detail on every incident.
Who it suits and how we help
Advanced Email Security suits organisations on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace that want stronger protection against targeted phishing and invoice fraud but do not have a security operations team to triage alerts. Because Perception Point's analysts handle incidents around the clock, it works well for schools, charities and firms of 25 users upwards.
We size the licence, connect your tenant, choose the right connection method and explain how the incident response team will contact you. Licence changes and renewals sit on your Forever Systems account. Compare it with Proofpoint Essentials and other email security products, and pair it with security awareness training so staff recognise the attacks that do get through.
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 Perception Point Advanced Email Security the same as FortiMail Cloud SaaS?
Yes. Since Fortinet's acquisition the email product is marketed as FortiMail Cloud SaaS within FortiMail Workspace Security. It is still licensed under the Perception Point name in many catalogues.
Does it work with Google Workspace?
Yes. It protects Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and other cloud or on-premises email services.
What is the difference between the inline and API connection?
Inline scans mail before delivery, so threats never reach users. The Microsoft API method scans in parallel with delivery and removes threats afterwards, which is quicker to set up but can leave a malicious message briefly visible.
Is internal email scanned?
Inbound mail is scanned as standard. Internal email scanning, which checks messages between your own users, is an add-on or included in the fuller email bundles. We confirm what your bundle covers when we quote.