Harmony Email & Collaboration (Avanan)

My main use case for Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is email protection against spam, phishing, and malware, and I can give a quick, specific example of how I'm using it day-to-day.

In practice, I'm blocking threats before they reach our users, quarantining malware.

The best features Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration offers are great inline email protection, ease of setup with Microsoft 365, nice tools for searching for emails, reviewing fish alerts, and its ability to play nicely with KnowBe4 simulated phishing and other vendors of simulated phishing out of the box, along with very informative diagnostics about how Check Point categorizes any individual email I pull up.

Out of all those features, the most valuable to my team is the email protection because it effectively secures our email communication.

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration has positively impacted my organization with fewer impersonation attempts getting through and fewer invoice scams.

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration can be improved because the console is very slow to navigate, pages are not responsive, and it can be a little confusing to set up initially when you're coming from a different vendor such as Mimecast, plus it seems to let through quite a bit more unsolicited spam than we used to see with Mimecast.

The console issues mainly involve a general performance problem.

I have been using Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration for less than a year.

My experience with the configuration process is that it was pretty straightforward, and the only challenge was because we had an existing solution, which required a lot of manual IP address filtering until we ceased using the existing solution.

In my experience, Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is stable.

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration's scalability is fine; we have not needed to scale up or down, though I have mentioned that the performance is not the best.

I have found the customer support for Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration to be excellent for the setup we did, although we haven't had much experience beyond that.

I previously used Mimecast before Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, and we switched because we had many sister company peer reviews of Check Point Harmony that were glowing and also because it was less expensive.

The deployment of Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration in my environment was easy while working with their customer success team.

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration integrates with Microsoft 365 really well; it is easy to set up, manages transport rules and groups for you automatically, and you don't have to do anything manually in there.

The integration also really nicely shows me what Microsoft 365 decides about each individual email that comes in and what Check Point does afterward.

I have seen a return on investment since switching as we're probably spending close to half as much as we were on Mimecast; however, it doesn't really have an ROI because it's a security product.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration shows it was less expensive than our Mimecast licensing by quite a bit, so I found it pretty straightforward.

I evaluated other options before choosing Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, specifically Proofpoint and Mimecast.

I would rate Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration a nine out of ten.

I choose nine because the performance has some downsides and negatives that keep it from being a perfect ten.

A quick tip I would suggest is to see if you can get a demo because Check Point Harmony will do a full demo without even switching away from your old email protection.

Public Cloud

Microsoft Azure

My main use case for Check Point Harmony  Email & Collaboration is for protecting emails which are incoming and outgoing, for any attachments or malicious email, protecting from malicious email, phishing emails, and any malicious attachments coming from the emails. HEC is implemented inline and is integrated with Office 365 , protecting around 34,000 users who are behind HEC.

Additionally, the DLP  feature is implemented for the users, allowing control over whatever the users are trying to upload on the SaaS applications or anything else that can be controlled by HEC.

Check Point Harmony  Email & Collaboration has positively impacted my organization by ensuring that only clean emails are delivered to users, around 34,000 users are being protected by HEC. If HEC finds any malicious content in the email, that will be blocked, and only clean emails will be delivered, saving time from unnecessary disruptions in the network, and eventually helping the organization to grow.

I have definitely noticed a reduction in phishing mails and other malicious attachments because HEC is set inline, blocking all kinds of malicious emails and only delivering safe mail to the end users. I can say that thousands of malicious or phishing mails are getting blocked at the edge for around 34,000 users.

The best features Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration offers in my experience include integration with the sandbox HEC in the backend, which uses checkpoint sandboxing capabilities to detect zero-day attacks, and it has a unique capability of protecting password-protected files, being able to scan for password-protected attachments. Furthermore, internal scanning and impersonation are also good features about the Check Point HEC.

Administering Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is easy, as the policies are straightforward and we can simply go with the standard best practice options which are predefined. These options are easy to implement and configure, with the integration with Office 365  also being straightforward.

Currently, Check Point HEC supports only Microsoft Office 365 and Google Sheets. In today's world, some clients are using old email service provider solutions, so it would be better if HEC also provides support for third-party email service solutions, such as IBM HCL Notes , creating more opportunities.

The UI is user-friendly, which seems fine, and I don't have any additional thoughts about needed improvements.

I have been using Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration for the past two years as an administrator, and I have implemented Check Point HEC.

In my experience, Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is stable, and there are no downtimes noted.

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration scalability is good, as it allows integration with SaaS applications as well.

For customer support, I would rate it around eight, as sometimes we get delayed responses. We understand that with respect to SLA, but we expect they can go beyond SLA and provide quick support for the client.

I rate customer support at eight.

Positive

I did not previously use a different solution before Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration.

The deployment of Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration in my environment is straightforward. Initially, we have to register at the Infinity  portal, and after successful registration, we have to log in. Since it supports only Office 365, it requires only global admin credentials for integration, which is a straightforward process that can be completed within a few clicks.

The configuration process after deployment is easy, as the setup, rules, and policies are predefined, allowing us to use best practice and default settings that are simple and easy to implement.

The initial setup with Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration was straightforward without any hesitations, with configuration steps being very easy to implement.

I have seen a return on investment since implementing Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration. The time saved for around 34,000 users, protecting and delivering safe emails to users, reduces unnecessary disruption in the network, allowing users to focus on their desired tasks and helping the organization grow.

The pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration are okay; however, it might be higher compared to other vendors, but it's justifiable regarding the security features provided by Check Point.

I have no knowledge about evaluating other options before choosing Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration.

My advice for others looking into using Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is to go with the best practice, which is already predefined and to select options while configuring policies based on those suggestions.

I chose to rate Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration nine out of ten because I'm expecting some reduction in false positives, as it's AI-driven, and I understand that AI-based false positive detections happen, so I recommend improving that in the future.

My company is a partner with this vendor. I have not been offered a gift card or incentive for this review. I do not have any additional thoughts about Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration.

Public Cloud

Other

The main use case is to provide email security and implement email security for Office 365 , integrating with Microsoft Office 365  for incoming and outgoing emails, as well as for lateral movement email and east-west email traffic, which includes internal emails, allowing all these emails to be monitored and inspected by Check Point Harmony  Email & Collaboration.

Integration with Microsoft Office 365 is very straightforward, requiring just a few clicks and global admin credentials of the Microsoft Office account, enabling us to integrate Office 365 in just a few clicks, making it a straightforward process.

Check Point Harmony  Email & Collaboration offers AI-driven inspection of emails, which can scan for malicious traffic, malicious email attachments, phishing links, or phishing mails, and importantly, it provides protection against password-protected files, allowing inspection of email attachments that are password-protected due to its AI-driven features, along with sandboxing capabilities to detect zero-day attacks.

On the dashboard, I see hundreds of emails that got quarantined due to malicious content, including malicious attachments, phishing mails, or identity impersonation, and these types of malicious mails got quarantined and blocked at the edge.

By implementing Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, it has helped the organization protect against malicious emails entering the network, allowing users to browse only clean emails, which has improved the security posture and saved unnecessary time by preventing disruptions in the network, indirectly aiding the organization's growth.

I would suggest that support for other third-party email service providers would be great because coverage is currently limited to only Office 365 and Google Suite, and expanding support to other email platforms would enhance integration possibilities for Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration.

For example, some clients are using old legacy email service providers such as IBM Notes, which cannot be integrated with Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration as it currently only supports Office 365 and Google Suite, thus impacting workflow when needing integration with those other email solutions.

I have been using Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration for one year and have implemented Check Point Harmony Email security.

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is stable in my experience.

The scalability of Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is good, as it can integrate SaaS applications and Office 365 very smoothly. I estimate that around 2,000 users in the organization are protected by Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, ensuring they remain safe from phishing mails or any malicious attachments, leading to no further disruptions in the network, which is beneficial for the organization.

Customer support for Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is quite good.

I rate customer support nine out of ten because I believe there should be some improvements regarding response time from the OEM.

I did not previously use a different solution before Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration.

The initial setup with Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is straightforward and can be completed within less than 15 days, allowing us to perform its POC and get it inline the following week.

We have a business relationship with Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration as we are partners.

Money is saved because there are no business disruptions, ensuring everything runs smoothly as unwanted malicious attachments and emails are blocked at the perimeter, preventing them from being delivered to users, which allows users to safely browse their emails without problems, thus saving unnecessary time and helping the organization focus on their desired tasks.

The experience with pricing and cost is acceptable; Check Point is a little bit expensive compared to other vendors, but the cost justifies itself.

I recommend others looking into Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration to go with this good solution, keeping the settings on best practices which are already set for all policies by default, and for integration, just need global admin credentials to integrate into Office 365, which is very smooth.

I rate Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration 10 out of 10.

Public Cloud

Other

What do you like best about the product?

Harmony Email & Collaboration is your all in one hub for the teamwork bringing together email, chat, video calls and file sharing in one seamless platform. With top-tier security (think end to end encryption and anti-phishing) your conversations stay locked down and safe. Plus, AI-powered features like smart email sorting and quick reply suggestions help you work smarter, not harder and ease to implement also.

What do you dislike about the product?

While Harmany has a lot to offer, there are a few pain points to consider. Users switching from Gmail or outlook might some time to adjust, as the interface works differently. The AL tools can be hit or miss sometimes helpful, other times a little of. some of the more powerful features are locked behind higher-tier and occasional sync glitches can throw off your workflow. A handful of users also wish it played nicer with certain third-party apps compared to alternatives

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

Harmony Email & Collaboration keeps it simple emails, chats and video calls all in on secure spot. No more security worries or messy email chains. Plus, our AI handles the busywork while your team focuses on what matters. And the best part, it grows right along with your business.

My main use case for Check Point Harmony  Email & Collaboration is to protect email against all zero-day threats, compromised QR codes, other malicious account attachments, and more.

I do not have anything else to add about how I use it at present.

The best features Check Point Harmony  Email & Collaboration offers in my experience are unified quarantine, account takeover protection, and de-fishing.

Unified quarantine and de-fishing have made managing threats easier and saved our time also.

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration has positively impacted my organization, as I have noticed fewer security issues now, and that makes productivity increase also.

The productivity boost has shown itself in my day-to-day work as around a 20% boost in productivity.

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration could be improved with better integration with third-party solutions.

I do not wish for it to work better with a specific third-party tool or platform, and I do not want to add more about the needed improvements.

I have been using Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration for two years.

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is stable.

The scalability of Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is good.

The customer support for Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is good.

I would rate the customer support an eight on a scale of one to ten.

Positive

I previously used a different solution, which was Cisco, and I chose Check Point for better security.

The initial setup with Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration was a little complex.

I have seen a return on investment, as I can share relevant metrics like money saved, time saved, and fewer employees needed, all of them.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration has been all good.

I did not evaluate other options besides Cisco before choosing Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration.

My advice to others looking into using Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is to go for it. It's a good solution.

I would rate Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration an eight out of ten overall because if it was a little less complex, it would make it a ten for me.

My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

I was not offered a gift card or incentive for this review.

I do not have any additional thoughts about Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration as of now.

We use lots of other tech products such as Cisco, Fortinet, and all.

On-premises