I'm currently working at a managed service provider (MSP) that utilizes AppRiver/Zix for email spam filtering, but honestly, it's pretty frustrating. The settings feel too rigid, with no real options for customization or exclusions. I've had experience with Barracuda in the past, which I found to be excellent. On the other hand, I tried Mimecast and really disliked it. I'm looking for a solution that is easy to use and simple enough to teach end users about. It's also important that the filter can handle both incoming and outgoing mail, and it would be great if users could whitelist emails themselves instead of just making requests that go unseen.
2 Answers
I suggest looking into Avanan, but honestly, I've had a bad experience with it. It tends to claw back emails after they’ve hit the inbox, allowing users to accidentally open phishing emails, which is a huge concern.
I've dealt with AppRiver too, and I totally agree—its lack of granular control is a hassle for managing multiple clients. Barracuda ESS is a solid choice for MSPs; the per-user quarantine and self-service whitelist are great features for end users, so they don’t have to submit tickets every time a legitimate email gets flagged. You might also want to check out Proofpoint Essentials for more flexibility, although it does have a bit of a learning curve. Just remember to ensure your DMARC setup is tight on the backend, as a good spam filter is helpful, but can’t replace proper email authentication. We recently switched to Suped for monitoring, and it has really simplified catching misconfigurations across domains.
I've looked into Proofpoint and I get that no spam filter is perfect, but it’s frustrating how much junk AppRiver lets through. You would think basic protections would prevent obvious spam from getting into users’ inboxes.
I would steer clear of Avanan for that reason. It's better to have a filter that stops the spam before it gets to users, rather than trying to fix things after the fact.