In short: Perception Point is a cloud security platform for email, web browsers and collaboration apps such as Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive. Now owned by Fortinet and marketed as FortiMail Workspace Security, it connects without an MX change and includes a 24/7 managed incident response service with every licence.
Perception Point and Fortinet
Perception Point began as an Israeli email security company and became known for scanning every file and URL dynamically. It is now part of Fortinet: the old perception-point.io website redirects to Fortinet, and the product is marketed as FortiMail Workspace Security (formerly Perception Point). Within that suite the email component is sold as FortiMail Cloud SaaS, the browser component as FortiMail Browser Security and the collaboration component as FortiMail Collaboration Security.
For existing customers little has changed in practice: the same technology, the same managed service and, in many catalogues, the same Perception Point product names. We use both names on this page because buyers search for both.
What it protects
| Component | What it covers | Licensing detail |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Email Security | Phishing, BEC, account takeover and zero-day malware in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and other mail platforms | Licensing |
| Advanced Browser Security | A browser extension that blocks phishing pages and malicious downloads and adds data loss controls in the browsers staff already use | Licensing |
| Microsoft Collaboration Security | Files and links shared through Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive | Licensing |
| Other collaboration apps | Fortinet lists protection for apps such as Slack, Dropbox, Salesforce and Zendesk, licensed per user for each app | Ask us for a quote |
Fortinet says the components can be deployed together as one platform or separately. Evidence is shared between them, so a malicious link found in the browser can inform email detections and the other way round. The browser component is one of several approaches covered in our browser security guide.
How it works
Perception Point runs every message, file and URL through a stack of detection layers: reputation and threat intelligence, anti-virus signatures, recursive unpacking of archives and nested content, a sandbox that looks for exploit behaviour, and anti-phishing analysis of links and login pages, alongside checks for payload-free BEC.
For Microsoft 365 there are two connection methods, and neither needs an MX change:
- Inline: mail is scanned before delivery, so threats are stopped before they reach the inbox
- API: the service connects through Microsoft's API and scans in parallel with delivery, which is quicker to set up but means a malicious message could be visible briefly before it is removed
Microsoft's own protection keeps running underneath, so Perception Point works alongside Microsoft Defender for Office 365 rather than replacing it.
The included incident response service
The feature that most distinguishes Perception Point is that a fully managed, 24/7 incident response service is part of the licence rather than an extra. Fortinet's analysts act as an extension of your team: they monitor, analyse and triage flagged activity across email, browsers and collaboration apps, review incidents, tune policies, manage false positives and drive remediation.
For organisations without a security operations team, this changes the economics of advanced email security. You get detection and someone to act on it, which is the part that small IT teams often struggle to staff. It is focused on the channels Perception Point protects; for monitoring across endpoints, identity and cloud too, see managed detection and response.
Bundles and licensing
Perception Point is licensed per user. You can buy a single component or a bundle:
| Option | Includes |
|---|---|
| Advanced Email Security | Email protection on its own |
| Email and Browser Security | Email plus the browser extension |
| Email and Microsoft Collaboration Security | Email plus Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive |
| Email, Browser and Microsoft Collaboration Security | All three |
Every option includes the managed incident response service. Minimum user numbers and terms apply; we confirm them when we quote. Pricing depends on the bundle and user count, so ask us for a quote. Full licensing detail is on Perception Point licensing.
Who it suits and how we help
Perception Point suits organisations on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace that want stronger protection against targeted phishing and invoice fraud but do not have analysts to triage alerts: professional services firms, schools and academy trusts, charities and growing businesses. The browser and collaboration components make sense where staff share a lot of content externally or use many SaaS apps.
We size the licence, choose the connection method with you, connect your tenant, roll out the browser extension through your device management tool if you take it, and agree how the incident response team will contact you. Compare it with IRONSCALES, Proofpoint Essentials and the options on our email security hub.
Contact us to discuss Perception Point.
How Forever Systems helps with cloud security
We are an independent UK IT and cyber security provider. We supply and support a wide range of security platforms, so we recommend what fits your organisation rather than one vendor's answer to everything.
- Assess first: we review what you already own, especially your Microsoft 365 licences, before suggesting anything new
- Vendor-aware advice across secure access, email, identity, data protection, endpoint, MDR, cloud infrastructure, browser, AI and backup, including Cisco Secure, Check Point Harmony and Sophos
- Deployment and migration from a UK team, from tenant hardening to replacing a VPN or an endpoint product
- Ongoing support: policy tuning, alert handling, renewals and regular reviews
- People and certification too: security awareness training and Cyber Essentials
We work with businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations.
Want an independent view of your cloud security?
Tell Forever Systems what you need and we will come back to you by email with options, not a hard sell.
Contact usFrequently asked questions
Who owns Perception Point?
Fortinet. Perception Point is now part of Fortinet, which markets the product as FortiMail Workspace Security, formerly Perception Point. The perception-point.io website now redirects to Fortinet.
Is FortiMail Workspace Security the same as Perception Point?
Yes. Fortinet describes FortiMail Workspace Security as formerly Perception Point. Its email component is sold as FortiMail Cloud SaaS, alongside browser security and collaboration security.
Does Perception Point need an MX record change?
No. For Microsoft 365 it connects either inline, scanning mail before delivery, or through Microsoft's API, scanning in parallel with delivery. Neither method requires moving MX records.
What is included in Perception Point's incident response service?
A fully managed 24/7 team of analysts monitors, analyses and triages flagged activity across email, browsers and collaboration apps, reviews incidents, tunes policies, manages false positives and drives remediation. It is included in the licence rather than sold separately.
Does Perception Point protect Microsoft Teams?
Yes. Microsoft Collaboration Security scans files and links shared through Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive, and is available on its own or bundled with email and browser security.