Mimecast is a cloud-based, anti-spam, and archive filtering service for securing email accounts and communications for businesses.

But before delving deeper into its features and how it works, addressing why an organization may need the added protection of Mimecast is essential. This is because having an understanding of the cybersecurity challenges out there is the perfect backdrop to understanding why your enterprise may require the services Mimecast provides. 

In 2019, phishing attacks accounted for approximately 90% of the successful data breaches. This high success rate was due to a 269% increase in phishing attacks and the increase in Business Email Compromise strategies currently being used by hackers. Also, the fact that 42% of phishing emails pose as Microsoft and Amazon representatives plays a role in confusing many. Lastly, employee error accounted for a large percentage of successful breaches, which raises the question of how far you intend to leave email security to employee discretion?

Mimecast as an Email Security Service

Mimecast protects an enterprise’s email infrastructure from viruses, malware, phishing, and the rise of deep-fake attacks. It does this by deploying a layered cyber resilience solution that prevents email-borne infections and reduces data loss by archiving emails. This cloud-based cybersecurity solution also makes it possible to automate the recovery of archived and affected emails for continuous use.

The Mimecast approach to protecting email structures means it can predict or anticipate attacks in order to handle real-time threats. It also deals with data loss from ransomware attacks using data archiving, which eliminates the need to meet ransom demands, as well as struggle with downtime. Mimecast can also be deployed to tackle those annoyingly ‘spammy’ messages that keep cluttering inboxes. 

For those who already use any of the popular email management brands such as Microsoft Office 365, Outlook, or Google’s Gsuite, Mimecast’s cloud-based nature makes it compatible with them. It can be deployed to tackle spam, ransomware, or other cybersecurity challenges. 

How Exactly Does Mimecast Work?

Mimecast is a subscription-based service, which means that before using it, your enterprise must have accessed its email management and security requirements before choosing a plan. The subscription service is also fully-integrated, which means you will not need to purchase or use another third-party solution to handle particular security tasks. This is why it is officially billed as a unified email management enterprise.

Mimecast is compatible with the popular operating systems you are likely to use. In terms of deployment, Mimecast can be installed on individual machines or multiple user machines. The installation options available to enterprises include installing using group policy, using a system center configuration manager, or by using a click-to-run license. 

The installation process depends on the option chosen, but generally, Mimecast can be deployed by first downloading the corresponding client or executable file and running it. The setup wizard will pop-up and provide you with the installation directions needed to complete the process. If deploying it on multiple user machines or using a system configuration manager, the Mimecast executable file or application will need to be imported into the system’s database and run from there. A dialog box directing and prompting you can be used to complete the process. 

Once the process is complete, you can select the product bundle, as Mimecast calls them, that fits your enterprise’s requirements. These bundles are centered around data leak prevention, intelligent email routing, threat intelligence, and signature management. Enterprises can also choose to take more precautions by protecting URLs, attachments, internal email communications, and data recovery. 

The Benefits of Using Mimecast to Secure Email Communications

 Mimecast offers extensive security features and benefits which enterprises can take advantage of to handle the current deluge of malware running around the web. These benefits include:

• Enhanced Security – Mimecast makes use of targeted threat protection safeguards to ensure emails and communication channels are watched and protected in real-time. It also employs an automated process that flags down suspicious communications and attachments in real-time. 
• Advanced Archiving and E-discovery – Mimecast captures data and emails in real-time for every day it is deployed. It accomplishes this task through automation, which simplifies its archiving process. The e-discovery feature also makes running searches on large databases possible. 
• Secures the Migration Process – Mimecast can be used as a secure migration tool when making a move from one email management platform to another. It makes use of a dedicated cloud archive to ensure data is not lost due to downtime or any other unforeseen occurrences. 

Mimecast offers a dedicated cloud-based solution for dealing with email and communication security, and it excels at what it does. This includes applying predictive analysis and automation to deal with threats. You can learn more about protecting sensitive business communications by contacting us today.