We’re excited to announce that starting the week of July 28, Open Tier Systems will begin transitioning client email security from Barracuda Email Gateway Defense to Avanan, a modern, AI-powered platform built natively for Microsoft 365. This transition had been previously announced to clients in end of year 2024 communications.
Why the Switch?
Barracuda has served us well, but Avanan offers a more advanced, seamless, and secure experience:
- Native Microsoft 365 Integration: Avanan operates directly within your Microsoft 365 environment, eliminating the need to reroute email through external gateways.
- AI-Powered Threat Detection: Avanan uses machine learning to detect phishing, malware, and account takeovers with greater precision.
- Selective Encryption: Automatically encrypts sensitive content based on keywords or policies.
- Improved User Experience: No more separate quarantine portals—manage everything right from Outlook.
What to Expect
- Zero Downtime: The transition will be seamless. You won’t experience any email interruptions.
- Learning Mode: Avanan will run in parallel with Barracuda for a short period to learn your environment and fine-tune its filters.
- MX Record Cutover: Once learning is complete, we’ll switch your email routing to directly to Microsoft, bypassing Barracuda. We’ll also remove the Barracuda connectors and rules from your 365.
- Invoices: On the August invoice, the line item for Barracuda will be replaced by Avanan. If you currently have Barracuda Total Email Protection (TEP), you’ll see the TEP line item broken out into both Avanan and DropSuite.
How to Use Avanan
From an end-user perspective, here’s what you need to know:
- Guarantee your email is encrypted: Simply add [secure] or [encrypt] to the subject line of your email (with the brackets) to send an encrypted email message.
- Junk handling: Your SPAM messages are now moved straight to the Junk folder rather than being trapped and needing to be released. Can’t find that email? Just check the junk folder.
- Malicious Email Handling: When a suspected or verified malicious email is identified, Avanan will remove the message from your emailbox and replace it with a note that allows you to request inspection and release if desired.
- Minimal Disruption: You’ll continue using email as usual, with enhanced protection running quietly in the background.
Want to learn more?
Interested to learn more about Avanan?
Avanan (A Checkpoint Company) – About Avanan
Avanan – Terms of Service
Gartner – Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration Reviews, Ratings & Features 2025 | Gartner Peer Insights
Questions?
We’re here to help. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our team:
📧 Email: support@opentiersystems.com
📞 Phone: 484-535-3600