Protect Yourself Against Malware and Time-wasting Spam
Anti-spam and Email Security for Mail Servers
GFI MailEssentials is a complete email security and anti-spam solution designed for Microsoft Exchange and other SMTP mail servers. It protects organisations against email-borne threats like spam, phishing, malware, and viruses, while also providing features for email archiving, reporting, and disclaimers.
With 14 advanced anti-spam filters, 4 anti-virus engines, and built-in malware scanning, it stops threats before they reach user inboxes, reducing wasted server space and boosting productivity. Since spam makes up nearly half of all email traffic, filtering it at the gateway is critical.
Compatible with a wide range of email servers, not just Exchange, GFI MailEssentials fits seamlessly into on-premise, virtual, or cloud environments. IT administrators maintain full control over security policies, ensuring flexible deployment and comprehensive protection without disrupting existing infrastructure.
| Advanced Spam Filtering | Block spoofed emails, blacklisted DNSs, phishing links, non-RFC compliant messages, and forged senders with advanced filtering techniques that dramatically cut spam. Combines SPF, Greylisting, Directory Harvest Protection, DNS Blacklists, SpamRazor, Bayesian filtering, and language detection to achieve over 99% spam detection. Fewer wasted emails, less frustration, and more time to focus on legitimate messages. |
| Phishing Protection | Helps prevent you from falling victim to phishing scams by identifying and blocking malicious emails designed to steal credentials or sensitive information. Constantly updated phishing URL and keyword checks ensure comprehensive protection. |
| Anti-Malware Scanning | Scans incoming and outgoing emails for viruses, worms, spyware, Trojans, and other malware, preventing infections and protecting devices and the network. Each engine (Avira, BitDefender, optional Sophos and Cyren) features its own heuristics and detection methods for maximum protection. Includes Trojan/executable scanner, exploit engine, and cloud-assisted unknown attachment scanning. |
| Email Archiving | Provides a secure, searchable archive of all sent and received emails. Helps with compliance, legal discovery, and recovering accidentally deleted emails. |
| Advanced Malware Protection | Uses multiple engines and cloud connections to detect new variants of malware quickly. Ensures rapid response to emerging threats and protects against email-borne spyware and adware. |
| Email Reporting | Offers insights into email traffic, including spam trends and blocked threats. Dashboard and web-based console allow filtering by sender, recipient, subject, and more for IT administrators. |
| Email Disclaimers & Footers | Allows administrators to automatically add disclaimers or footers to outgoing emails for legal or branding purposes. Ensures consistent messaging. |
| Content Filtering & Data Leakage Prevention | Scans emails and attachments for keywords, patterns, and file types. Can enforce company policy, block sensitive data (e.g., credit card numbers, SSNs), inappropriate content, or bandwidth-wasting files. Supports advanced user/group-based filtering rules with actions like forwarding, quarantining, or stripping content. |
| User & Admin Control | Allows IT admins and users to manage quarantines, blacklists/whitelists, and customise filtering rules, giving flexible control over email security. |
| Greylisting | Temporarily rejects emails from unknown senders, forcing legitimate senders to retry, effectively reducing spam from poorly configured servers. |
| Improved Email Delivery | By filtering out spam and malware, MailEssentials helps ensure that legitimate emails are delivered reliably and without delays. |
| Reduced Risk of Threats | Overall, MailEssentials significantly reduces the risk of email-borne threats impacting your computer and the organisation’s network. |
| Recurring Revenue Stream | MailEssentials typically utilises a subscription-based model, providing a predictable and recurring revenue stream for resellers through annual or multi-year renewals. Builds a stable and sustainable business. |
| Value-Added Security Offering | Allows resellers to offer a crucial security service to their clients, enhancing their product portfolio and increasing their value proposition. Helps attract new clients and strengthen existing relationships. |
| Easy Deployment and Management | MailEssentials is generally designed for relatively straightforward deployment and management, reducing the support burden on resellers. This allows them to manage more clients efficiently. |
| Strong Security Features | Provides clients with robust protection against spam, phishing, and malware, leading to higher client satisfaction and reduced security incidents. A strong offering builds trust and credibility. |
| Compliance Assistance | The email archiving features can help clients meet various compliance requirements, a significant selling point for businesses in regulated industries. Opens up opportunities to offer compliance-related services. |
| Partner Program Support | GFI usually offers partner programs with resources, training, marketing materials, and support to help resellers succeed. Provides the necessary tools and knowledge to effectively sell and support MailEssentials. |
| Competitive Pricing | Often, MailEssentials is priced competitively, allowing resellers to offer cost-effective solutions to their clients while maintaining healthy margins. |
| Opportunity for Upselling/Cross-selling | MailEssentials can be bundled with other security or IT services offered by the reseller, increasing the value of each client engagement. For example, offering managed security services alongside MailEssentials. |
| Scalability | The licensing model typically allows resellers to easily scale the solution to accommodate clients of different sizes and complexities, from small businesses to larger organisations. Facilitates business growth. |
| Reduced Client Downtime/Productivity Loss | By effectively filtering threats, MailEssentials helps clients avoid downtime and productivity loss caused by malware infections or phishing attacks. This adds significant value for clients. |
GFI MailEssentials licensing is typically based on a per-mailbox/per-user subscription model:
- Subscription Term: You purchase a subscription for a specific period, usually 1, 2, or 3 years.
- Number of Mailboxes/Users: The license covers a specific number of active mailboxes or users within your organisation. This is the primary factor determining the cost.
- Editions: GFI offers different editions of MailEssentials with varying feature sets (e.g., a basic anti-spam edition versus a more comprehensive security and archiving edition).
- Support and Maintenance: The subscription includes access to technical support and software updates during the subscription period.
- Volume Discounts: Discounts are available for purchasing licenses for a larger number of mailboxes/users.
- Trial Period: GFI offers a free trial period, allowing potential customers to evaluate the software before committing to a purchase.
Pricing depends on the number of mailboxes, the subscription term, the specific edition chosen, and whether you purchase directly or through a reseller.
To obtain accurate pricing, please contact us and we’ll put you in touch with one of our authorised resellers.
GFI MailEssentials competes with a range of email security and anti-spam solutions. Here’s a comparison with some key competitors:
Product |
Strengths |
Weaknesses |
Target Audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| GFI MailEssentials | User-friendly interface, strong feature set for the price, good for SMBs, often a cost-effective option. | Might not have the most advanced AI-powered threat detection of some enterprise-level solutions. Can be less flexible for highly customised setups. | Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) looking for a comprehensive and affordable email security solution. |
| Proofpoint Essentials | Robust spam and phishing protection, strong reputation, good for organisations of various sizes. | Can be more expensive than some other options, potentially more complex interface for smaller businesses. | Mid-sized to larger organisations seeking enterprise-grade email security with advanced threat detection. |
| Mimecast Email Security | Enterprise-grade security, comprehensive features including archiving and continuity, strong reputation. | Can be quite expensive, may be overkill for very small businesses, can have a steeper learning curve. | Medium to large enterprises requiring a robust and feature-rich email security platform. |
| Barracuda Email Security Gateway | Strong reputation, offers a range of deployment options (appliance, virtual, cloud), comprehensive features. | Can be more complex to configure and manage compared to some cloud-based options. Pricing can vary based on deployment and features. | Organisations of various sizes seeking a flexible and powerful email security gateway, with appliance options. |
| SpamTitan Email Security | Cloud-based, easy to deploy and manage, good value for money, strong spam and phishing protection. | Might not have the same breadth of advanced features as some enterprise-level competitors. | Small to medium-sized businesses looking for a straightforward and effective cloud-based email security solution. |
| Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | Tightly integrated with Microsoft 365, good for organisations already heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. | Can be add-on costs, might not be as feature-rich as some dedicated third-party solutions in certain areas. | Organisations using Microsoft 365 that prefer a tightly integrated email security solution. |
- GFI MailEssentials is often positioned as a strong contender for SMBs looking for a comprehensive and user-friendly email security solution at a competitive price.
- Proofpoint and Mimecast are typically favoured by larger enterprises needing more advanced features and a higher level of security.
- Barracuda offers a flexible solution with various deployment options.
- SpamTitan provides a strong and easy-to-manage cloud-based alternative.
- Microsoft Defender is a natural choice for Microsoft 365 users but may require add-ons.
When choosing an email security solution, consider your organisation’s size, budget, technical expertise, specific security requirements, and existing IT infrastructure. A trial period of each product is highly recommended to determine the best fit for your needs.
Remember to consult the official websites of GFI MailEssentials and its competitors for the most current and accurate information.