iPhone gets Microsoft Office app

As an increasing number of businesses move their email systems to the cloud, platforms like Office 365's Outlook are often selected because users already know how to use the program. It also fits in well with existing systems and is generally secure. In order to keep inboxes clear of spam, Microsoft relies on Microsoft Exchange Online Protection.

This article is an overview of Microsoft's Exchange Online Protection (EOP).

What exactly is EOP?
EOP is an online, hosted email security solution. Its job is to filter out spam and remove malicious software and malware from emails. It costs USD$1.00 per user/account per month, and is included for free in Exchange Online and Office 365 for business subscription packages.

This cloud based service can be accessed and administered through a Web-based console - the Exchange Administration Centre - which allows you to manage filters, manage tasks and add or delete users. Administrators can also access reports and manage quarantined files.

How EOP works
Think of EOP as an extra layer of email based security. It sits before your network and scans emails, deleting viruses and spam before they actually enter your network and can potentially damage your systems. It will also scan emails that go out of the organization for malicious content before they reach other inboxes or networks.

Three major benefits of EOP
Using an email security solution like EOP can provide businesses of all sizes with many benefits. Here are three:

1. Enhanced security - According to Microsoft, EOP can detect 100% of known viruses and up to 99% of known spam, which translates to a system that is almost fully secure from a wide variety of email threats.
2. Easy to manage - Because this is a cloud-based solution, users can access administration panels from their browser. Of course, if you work with an IT partner, it's even easier to manage, as they can manage this for you.
3. Predictability & reliability - As with most other cloud solutions, the cost is either built into your Office 365 subscription or is USD$1.00 per account per month. This means there are no unpredictable costs. Beyond that, Microsoft states there is a near 100% uptime of this program, so you know it is always working.

Of course, if you work with an IT partner, they should take care of managing EOP for you, so all you have to do is look at the monthly reports and maybe check the quarantine fields, which makes this a nearly effortless solution. If you would like to learn more about EOP, or other email security solutions, why not contact us? We may have a program that meets your needs.