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IRONSCALES: Revolutionizing Integrated Cloud Email Security With AI and User-Centric Design
In our email security SoftwareReviews quadrant, IRONSCALES stands out as a leader with its integrated cloud email security (ICES) solution, now often called integrated cloud workspace security (ICWS), when addressing security across multiple workspace environments like email, video, voice, collab channels, etc. I had an analyst briefing with IRONSCALES to explore their role in this domain, its innovative approach to email security challenges, and how its solutions complement the cybersecurity ecosystem with security awareness training (SAT) and phishing simulation testing (PST).
Source: SoftwareReviews, ICES Data Quadrant (2024)
IRONSCALES’ Role in ICES/ICWS
IRONSCALES has been at the forefront of the ICES/ICWS movement, pioneered by its CEO Eyal Benishti. The transition from ICES to ICWS reflects the broadening scope of IRONSCALES’ solutions beyond just email, aiming to secure entire cloud applications against phishing, impersonation, and other advanced threats.
Source: IRONSCALES, Analyst Briefing Deck (2024)
Complementary SAT and PST Solutions
IRONSCALES integrates its email security platform with its own SAT and PST offerings. This integration ensures that users are not only protected but also educated. Grant from IRONSCALES emphasized this unified approach, where training and simulation are directly informed by the threats detected, creating a feedback loop that enhances both user awareness and system efficacy.
Source: IRONSCALES, Analyst Briefing Deck (2024)
Sales Approach
IRONSCALES adopts a channel-based sales strategy. They engage customers directly but always involve a value-added reseller (VAR) to complete the transaction, reflecting a 100% channel sales model. This approach not only broadens their reach but also leverages local expertise and support networks.
Core Use Cases
- Protect: IRONSCALES shields organizations from sophisticated phishing attempts, including business email compromise (BEC), account takeover (ATO), and emerging threats like voice email compromise (VEC) and AI-generated phishing emails.
- Simplify: By automating threat detection and response, IRONSCALES significantly reduces the operational overhead for security teams.
- Empower: Through integrated training modules, IRONSCALES turns every employee into a line of defense against phishing attacks.
Deployment Model
The most common deployment for IRONSCALES is the ICES model, which focuses on augmenting existing email security setups, particularly Microsoft EOP, without the need for a separate secure email gateway (SEG). This deployment emphasizes quick integration and leverages API-based solutions for seamless operation and pre-execution protection, i.e. prior to a message being journaled and rendered.
Source: Info-Tech, Modern Email Security Architecture (2024)
Maturity and Effectiveness
The evolution from ICES v1 to v2 underscores a significant leap in AI maturity. ICES v1 relied on static AI, whereas ICES v2, or IRONSCALES’ current approach, employs adaptive AI that learns from real-time user interactions and a community of 25,000+ SOC analysts (and growing), making it far more dynamic in combating new threats.
Source: Info-Tech (Adapted from IRONSCALES briefing deck), Modern Email Security Architecture (2024)
Customer Proof Points
IRONSCALES shared some customer proof points with me that showcased their ways of integration and effectiveness:
- Webhelp/Concentrix: Achieved a dramatic reduction in phishing incidents from roughly eight per day to less than one per month, highlighting the effectiveness of IRONSCALES in catching phish and reducing IT workload.
- Minecast Replacement: A case where IRONSCALES not only replaced an existing SEG but also integrated PSAT and SAT, leading to improved employee awareness by 43% and reduced malicious actions by 29%.
Source: IRONSCALES, Analyst Briefing Deck (2024)
Innovative use of AI Technology
IRONSCALES uses "Themis Copilot," a Gen AI feature integrated into Microsoft Outlook, allowing users to interact with AI for real-time email threat assessment. This interaction not only improves employee education and reduces IT administrator workload, but it also aids in decision-making and continuously trains the AI on new threats.
Source: IRONSCALES, Analyst Briefing Deck (2024)
Handling of Compressed and Encrypted Files
IRONSCALES can scan compressed files, even prompting for passwords in case of protected files, ensuring comprehensive security checks.
Dealing With Very Attacked Persons
For individuals frequently targeted, IRONSCALES’ solution integrates insights from real attacks into personalized training and simulation campaigns, preparing these users specifically against their attack vectors.
Implementation of the Abuse Mailbox
The system automates the handling of reported emails, with AI resolving most cases, and human analysts stepping in for complex decisions, refining AI learning in the process.
VIP Account Security
VIP accounts receive heightened scrutiny with tailored security rules and thresholds, recognizing their critical importance to the organization.
IRONSCALES Banners
IRONSCALES uses banners in emails to flag potential risks, providing immediate context and allowing users to engage with Themis AI for further clarification or action, enhancing user education on the fly.
Quarantine Management
IRONSCALES offers a user-friendly interface for managing quarantined emails, ensuring that threats are isolated effectively while still allowing for user interaction and feedback.
Differentiation From Traditional SEG
By focusing on AI-driven insights rather than static rules, IRONSCALES provides a more adaptive and user-centric approach to email security, reducing false positives and enhancing user engagement.
Source: IRONSCALES, Analyst Briefing Deck (2024)
Gen AI-Powered Phishing Simulation Campaigns
The IRONSCALES platform allows for highly customized phishing simulations, using generative AI to create relevant and dynamic training scenarios that evolve with the threat landscape.
Source: IRONSCALES, Analyst Briefing Deck (2024)
Sources:
IRONSCALES – Email Security Analyst Briefing, 10/9/24
SoftwareReviews – IRONSCALES product report, 6/4/24
Our Take
IRONSCALES stands out in the email security landscape by leveraging an innovative blend of AI technology and human intelligence. Here are the key takeaways and differentiators from my briefing:
- AI and Human Synergy: IRONSCALES’ adaptive AI model thrives on continuous learning, enhanced by human insights from its users and a vast community of 25,000+ SOC analysts across its 15,000+ customers. This approach not only detects known threats but evolves to identify new, sophisticated attacks like BEC, VEC, and ATO.
- Seamless Integration: The platform’s integration with Microsoft Defender and other cloud email services like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace demonstrates IRONSCALES’ commitment to enhancing existing security infrastructure rather than replacing it, offering a layered defense strategy.
- End-User Empowerment: Through features like Themis Copilot and phishing simulations powered by generative AI, IRONSCALES both protects and educates users. This dual approach significantly enhances user engagement with security practices, reducing the incidence of successful phishing attacks.
- Operational Efficiency: By automating much of the threat detection and remediation process, IRONSCALES reduces the workload on IT and security teams, allowing them to focus on strategic tasks rather than being bogged down by manual threat management.
- Customer-Centric Innovation: The case studies, like those of Webhelp/Concentrix and the Mimecast replacement, illustrate tangible benefits in terms of reduced phishing incidents, improved employee awareness, and overall security posture. These real-world applications underscore IRONSCALES’ practical impact on enterprise security.
- Market Positioning: While competitors like Proofpoint, Perception Point, and Abnormal Security offer robust solutions, IRONSCALES differentiates itself with its Adaptive AI model and seamless integration with user training and engagement. Its deployment model, being API-based and inbox-resident, provides flexibility and ease of integration.
In conclusion, IRONSCALES doesn’t just provide another layer of security; it helps redefine email security through an ecosystem where technology, community, and education converge to create a resilient defense against cyberthreats. Their commitment to simplifying the security landscape while empowering users positions them uniquely in the market, making it an exemplary case study for any organization looking to enhance their email security framework with AI-driven solutions.
Want to Know More?
Improve Email Security | Info-Tech Research Group (infotech.com)