What is Exchange Online Protection?

Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is Microsoft’s cloud-based email filtering service integrated with Office 365 and Exchange Online. It provides foundational defenses against spam, malware, and basic phishing by scanning inbound/outbound messages for known threats using signature-based detection and blacklists. Available in Microsoft 365 plans or as a standalone subscription for on-premises setups, EOP handles anti-spam, anti-malware, and policy compliance but lacks advanced behavioral analysis. For hybrid environments, it routes traffic through Microsoft’s secure gateways. While effective for basic hygiene, analyst reports (e.g., Gartner) note gaps in zero-day threat handling.