Inline Email Security Deployment

Inline Email Security Deployment is a method of deploying email security where incoming and outgoing messages are routed by the email provider's mail flow rules and connectors to a security gateway for filtering and threat prevention before reaching the recipient’s inbox. This deployment model seamlessly integrates inline with existing email infrastructure, such as Microsoft 365, without requiring changes to DNS MX records.

• Inbound and Outbound Protection: Scans and filters both incoming and outgoing emails to ensure compliance and block threats.
• No DNS Changes Required: Avoids the need to modify MX records, simplifying deployment.
• Enhanced Security: Prevents malicious emails from reaching inboxes while reducing attackers’ reconnaissance capabilities.

Inbound Email Routing:

• Configures Microsoft 365 mail flow rules and connectors to route incoming emails through Barracuda’s infrastructure.
• Emails are scanned for threats and filtered according to organizational policies.
• Filtered messages are delivered back to Microsoft 365 for final delivery to recipients.

Outbound Email Processing:

• Outbound emails are routed through Barracuda using a Microsoft 365 send connector.
• Ensures compliance with organizational policies and scans for sensitive data or threats before delivery to external recipients.

Inline deployment offers numerous advantages for organizations that want gateway-level protection without needing to change DNS records.

By leveraging Microsoft 365 mail flow infrastructure, inline deployment ensures seamless integration and smooth implementation with minimal operational disruption.

Inline deployment avoids the complexity of modifying MX records, which is particularly beneficial for organizations with distributed teams managing various aspects of email infrastructure.

Inline deployment also enhances privacy by avoiding the exposure of vendor-based MX records. Without this visibility, attackers can’t easily determine your security posture during initial reconnaissance, forcing them to resort to more generic attacks which are more likely to be blocked.

MX Record-Based Deployment:

• How it works: Emails are routed by DNS MX records to a security gateway for filtering before being delivered to the inbox.
• Benefits: Provides full control over inbound and outbound traffic; effectively stops volumetric spam and malware attacks; offers outbound encryption and spooling for continuity.
• Limitations: Requires DNS updates, which can be complex and risk misconfigurations.

API-Based Deployment:

• How it works: Emails are processed post-delivery in real time by a cloud-based security solution that integrates with the email provider via API.
• Benefits: Protects inboxes against targeted email threats like business email compromise and account takeover.
• Limitations: Not designed to handle volumetric or attachment based threats; performance depends on the availability and speed of the API; does not provide outbound encryption or spooling.

Inline Deployment:

• How it works: Emails are routed by the email provider's mail flow rules and connectors to a security gateway for filtering before being delivered to the inbox.
• Benefits: Offers seamless email gateway integration with Microsoft 365 without requiring DNS changes; reduces attackers' DNS reconnaissance value; provides outbound encryption.
• Limitations:  Lacks continuity features like spooling.

• Organizations seeking to enhance email security without altering DNS records.
• Environments with IT teams already proficient in managing Microsoft 365 connectors and mail flow rules.
• Businesses prioritizing minimal user disruption during security implementation.

How Barracuda can help

Barracuda offers best-value, feature-rich, one-stop email security solutions that protect against a wide range of threat vectors — all backed by complete, award-winning customer service. Because you are working with one vendor, you benefit from reduced complexity, increased effectiveness and lower total cost of ownership.

Hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide count on Barracuda to protect their email, networks, applications and data. Schedule your Email Protection demo today and discover why so many are making the switch.