vsZoes vs. Email gateways
The short version
DNS changes
None
Zoes
MX records point to the gateway
Gateways
If the vendor has an outage
Mail still arrives
Zoes
Mail waits until it recovers
Gateways
Mail between employees
Checked
Zoes
Usually never crosses the gateway
Gateways
Setup
Minutes
Zoes
Planned cutover
Gateways
What is actually different
Delivery
Unchanged
Gateways: Depends on the gateway
Compromised accounts
Sees phishing sent between employees
Gateways: Usually blind to internal mail
Switching on
One admin approval
Gateways: DNS change and mail-flow rules
Switching off
Revoke access; mail is untouched
Gateways: Another DNS change
Why teams move from a gateway to Zoes
Nothing in front of your mail
No MX change and no gateway in the delivery path. If a vendor has an outage, your mail still arrives.
Catches attacks from inside
Zoes checks mail between employees, so a hijacked account phishing its colleagues is caught too.
Live in minutes
Sign up and approve access. On a paid plan, a scan of mail already in your inboxes starts right away.
The attack type on every flagged email
Invoice fraud, credential phishing, impersonation - each dangerous email is labelled, so whoever handles IT knows what it was without a security analyst.
Full comparison
Gateway capabilities vary by vendor; this compares the gateway deployment model in general.
Questions
Why does a gateway need my MX records?
MX records tell the internet where to deliver your mail. Pointing them at the gateway is how it inspects every message first.
Can I keep my gateway and add Zoes?
Yes. Zoes checks what reaches the inbox after the gateway, including internal mail the gateway usually never sees.
Does API-based protection act fast enough?
Zoes checks each new message as it arrives, usually within seconds, and moves it out of the inbox if it is dangerous.
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