7 Security Leaders Explain Why They Replaced the SEG

Secure email gateways were designed to defend against basic attacks that rely on known indicators of compromise—attacks that are high in volume but low in impact. But in today’s threat landscape, these solutions regularly miss advanced attacks, like business email compromise (BEC), invoice fraud, account takeovers, and more. They also fail to detect emerging threats that go beyond email into adjacent channels like collaboration applications.

For years, there was little that could be done to stop modern attacks, but that is no longer the case. Abnormal looks at email security differently, using machine learning and artificial intelligence to create a known baseline of good behavior and using that baseline to detect anomalous activity and block malicious emails. And by combining it with the power of native Microsoft security functionality, organizations no longer have to rely ‌on a third-party SEG to stop email attacks—both known and emerging types.

But you don’t have to take our word for it! Here are seven security leaders who share why they opted to replace the SEG and the advantages they’ve experienced since making the switch. From improved visibility into network traffic to reduced operational costs, of Abnormal.

1. Spend Less Time and Budget on Email Security

“We had two SEGs inline and both were still missing stuff that needed additional analysis. They kept missing attacks like those asking for updated W-2 information and ones with lookalike domains asking for payment on fake invoices. It took a lot of time to evaluate these and ensure they were fraudulent–both from our business side and security side. (After replacing our SEG), we reduced our email security cost by 40%. Abnormal really helped my team streamline the investigation process.” — Florida Crystals Corporation

2. Prevent Modern Attacks

“We've employed cutting-edge technologies such as Abnormal Security because we found that the legacy security email gateways don't always keep up with the evolution and the advanced techniques employed by the bad threat actors.” — Kroenke Sports & Entertainment

3. Leverage AI/ML to Better Understand Threats

“Abnormal is definitely an A-level player, because the artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the user interface is very simplistic. It gives you reasons why things have happened, where normal, old-school secure email gateways don't do that.” — Rubicon

4. Deploy and See Value Quickly

“The realization of value was almost immediate—real-time visibility into attacks going on in the environment that are bypassing the traditional defenses. That context allowed ADT to start identifying threat trends while blocking them from employee inboxes.” — ADT

5. Gain Eye-Opening Insights into Their Email Environment

“Abnormal provides a new level of precision with insights on email categorization based on the language in the email, whether it’s someone we’ve worked with before, and the request they’re making. It’s been eye-opening compared to the static methods a lot of SEG vendors use.” — Saskatoon Public Schools

6. Improve Employee Productivity and User Experience

“Our secure email gateway delivered a digest every six hours. In some cases, employees needed to get one-time passwords via email to access systems in the field. Those passwords are usually only good for a short time and there was no way to release those messages faster. Now, they can manage that access themselves, so it’s a better, more efficient experience.” — Elara Caring

7. Protect More While Spending Less with Technology Consolidation

“I didn’t see the value that a SEG would provide on top of [our enterprise email] and Abnormal Security. We haven’t noticed any loss by not having a SEG, we just noticed gain. So I basically redeployed the budget I used to spend on the SEG to Abnormal Security.” — Global Technology Services Director, Commodities Sector

It’s clear that legacy solutions just aren’t cutting it anymore, because advanced threats require advanced protection. Abnormal's native email security capabilities provide extensive protection and make your cloud email architecture easier to manage.

We know transitioning from the SEG can be a daunting challenge for security teams. To make the move smoother, Abnormal has a straightforward migration process that comes with guidance from experts and comprehensive documentation. Customers who migrate to Abnormal will receive help at every step of the way.

Interested in seeing if you can replace your SEG? Learn more in our Displace Your Secure Email Gateway Data Sheet here or schedule a demo below!