What email filtering solutions work well for Google Workspace schools?

September 21, 2026 5 answers
Asked by MellowCactus47
What email filtering services are you using with Google Workspace clients, especially schools? We'd like to protect or license only staff accounts rather than every student account, but I'm unsure which vendors support that setup and how best to configure it.

Answers

RiverMango29
Google Workspace licenses are assigned per user, so students do not automatically need the same filtering license as staff. Put staff in a separate organizational unit or group and apply the mail-routing and filtering policies only to those accounts. FortiMail can also work, although administration may be more complicated.
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NimbleFox31
Proofpoint was one of the better solutions Iโ€™ve used, but verify the current licensing terms and vendor support before committing. Weโ€™ve had trouble getting responses, and older contract language suggested that every account needed to be licensed.

CedarOrbit5: Avanan has also been catching significantly more for us than Proofpoint Essentials, even though the advertised detection rates are supposed to be comparable to Enterprise.

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QuartzPilot_62
API-based services such as Avanan or INKY can filter selected users, so you may be able to route only staff mail through the service instead of licensing the entire domain.

MellowCactus47: That sounds like the direction Iโ€™ll investigate next. Thanks!

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LunarKite84
Weโ€™ve used Securence for years, but itโ€™s being discontinued. Weโ€™re evaluating SpamHero, which appears to offer similar filtering with some administration improvements. It can sync users from Active Directory, so limiting protection to a selected group of faculty or staff should be possible.
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BrightHarbor8
Avanan, now part of Check Point, seems like a straightforward fit. API-based filtering can let you target staff accounts without requiring licenses for all students.
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