In recent updates to the public markets, Check Point’s Founder and Executive Chairman, Gil Shwed, has continuously mentioned email security as one of the drivers of Check Point’s continuous growth. Check Point’s email security sales have already crossed into the nine-digit revenue bracket and continue to accelerate, reflecting not only widespread adoption, but also the solution’s reputation as an industry leading platform, delivering exceptional protection against advanced email-borne threats.
To unpack the sales wins, and in further understanding the strategy and forward-looking vision that drive the product and company’s competitive edge, we asked Gil Friedrich, Check Point’s VP of Email Security, and the co-founder and CEO of Avanan, several questions.
1. How has the email security market changed and what can we expect in coming years?
[GF] The email security market has experienced a shift that was really driven by the move of customers from an on-prem exchange service to cloud-based email; primarily Microsoft 365 and Gmail. This shift introduced both new attack vectors and also new methods to secure those platforms, primarily securing email via API.
What was a niche approach when we pioneered it back in 2016 has become mainstream and a best practice in terms of how email should be secured in 2025. According to our estimates today, API-based email security accounts for about 15% of the email security market, and we expect it to be about 40%-50% of this market within the next 3-5 years. So, most of the upcoming email security market growth will be driven by API-based email security solutions.
Another major email security market transition has involved the introduction of AI and, more specifically, Large Language Models (LLMs). Back at Avanan, we identified the potential of AI and LLMs in relation to identifying phishing scams. We started deploying such models, specifically BERT, in 2019, shortly after it was introduced to open-source, by Google.
Previously, when we presented the algorithms that we used to our customers, many felt it was science fiction, but today when everyone’s using GenAI tools, telling customers that our AI can understand what the email is about – does it indicate urgency, call-to-action, writer style, etc. – everyone recognizes that AI can do the work.
Looking forward, we see how we are able to leverage generative AI as an email threat detector to perform very complex tasks. For example, instructing in human language, “if the email is selling me something, then mark it as junk”. We have experimented with such algorithms in very complex scenarios and have already been able to achieve outstanding results.
2. Could you please share a bit about the reasons as to why customers prefer Check Point’s Harmony Email & Collaboration product?
[GF] So the most basic thing is the catch rate. I would dare say that in every side-by-side comparison against other products, our solution always comes out on top. Of course, customers also look at the full suite. The two key benefits the full suite offers us are:
- Completeness of the solution
Our suite includes literally everything you’d want in an email security solution, from phishing, to advanced malware and sandboxing, to URL analysis and URL sandboxing, to CDR for threat extraction, to DLP and encryption, and to peripheral functions like archiving, awareness training and DMARC. As part of the complete package, we include security for all lines of communication; Sharepoint, OneDrive, Teams, Slack, Box, etc. We also offer integration with broader Check Point Workspace solutions, including those for endpoint, mobile and browser security. - Flexibility of deployment and the ability to clear the email before the inbox
One of the fundamental compromises customers have to make with other API solutions is that they are not able to scan emails before they reach the inbox. Traditionally, API-based solutions were only able to pull the malicious email after it hit the inbox. One of Check Point’s unique differentiators is that while we offer the modern API approach, we’re also able to scan the email in protect mode – before it ever reaches the inbox. This means that the customer does not need to choose or compromise, can enjoy both worlds and pick the mode best suited for them. It’s also not one for all – different parts of the organization can have different modes.
3. How does Harmony Email & Collaboration’s inline architecture enhance security and performance for customers and what unique advantages does it offer?
[GF] That’s a great question. If it’s malware, you just don’t want it in your end-users’ inboxes. Simply put, in-line architecture offers better security.
But there are also security capabilities that you can’t implement if you are not scanning the email inline. For example, no post-delivery solution can wrap all URLs for click-time protection, you can’t implement any enforcement for outgoing DLP, can’t run a true file emulation in a sandbox or threat-extraction (CDR) to every attachment.
So in reality, in order to provide a complete solution for email security, you must have the ability to scan emails in inline mode.
4. 2025 is almost here. Would you like to share a bit about your plans for the year ahead?
[GF] We have big plans for 2025. Too many to list in a short paragraph. But at a high level, as Check Point has experienced significant growth in email security, we plan to grow further in people and offerings.
This will help us provide the best support for our fast-growing customer base and achieve the aggressive goals we’ve set for 2025. We continue to focus on innovating and plan to introduce new features and add-ons, many of which leverage new AI technologies. For example, our upcoming awareness training release doesn’t require the admin to create campaigns or any other special configurations. Rather, it leverages GenAI, from beginning to end, to run phishing training campaigns with zero configuration. And maybe last, but definitely not least, we’re planning an MSP-focused suborganization with dedicated R&D, support, customer success, etc.; creating a company within a company to continue growing our joint business with our MSP partners.
5. For our readers who don’t yet know you – Would you like to share a bit about your background and current role at Check Point?
[GF] I’ve been in cyber security for over 20 years, coincidentally getting into this market as my first job as a software developer. I managed the R&D team for a company called ForeScout in the Network Access Control Market and then started Avanan with a group of friends, where I was the CEO and Co-Founder. After about 7 years, Check Point acquired us, and I’ve been at Check Point for the past 3 years, managing the email security team.
6. What advice would you give to a young cyber security professional who aspires to achieve your level of success?
[GF] That’s quite a broad question, as success is defined differently for different people. But I think that, across the board, the people who I’ve seen become successful are those that loved what they did and were excited about it. Being passionate about something is contagious. If you’re able to bring that to your work, it will both make your work of higher quality and also position you as a leader within the group. Finally, the devil is in the details: learn, read, expand your knowledge and develop field expertise. This is true to all fields and is very true to cyber security. The attack landscape is constantly changing and being able to stay at the forefront of those trends will help you; whether you develop cyber security products, sell products or look for fresh ideas on behalf of a new startup.
For more information about Harmony Email & Collaboration, click here or get a demo today.