Advanced Email Filtering

Service Definition • Armstrong Bell • 8 August 2026

Document summary

This document sets out what's included in our Advanced Email Filtering solution.

Service desk support

Customers can raise queries directly with our dedicated support team for prompt assistance. Typical requests include releasing emails from quarantine, adjusting spam filter settings, resolving issues with blocked or missed emails, and configuring allowlists or blocklists.

The service coverage is provided in line with the customer's existing Managed IT Service support contract.

Alert management

Our team receive alerts for a variety of events relating to the platform, including:

  • Planned maintenance

  • Degraded service due to issues arising

  • Critical incidents or major outages

When one of these is received, it is initially reviewed for impact, and if appropriate, communications will be sent to customers.

Configuration changes

Our service team will complete changes requested by the customer for common requirements such as:

  • Allowlisting / blocklisting domains and/or email addresses

  • Adding additional domains into the email filtering platform (incorporating these into Office 365 / Google Workspace may require additional professional services work)

  • Adjusting filter rules to be more or less restrictive

  • Modifying message digest / daily quarantine notifications

  • Configuring individual policy or filtering settings for users or groups

Vendor escalation

Our team works closely with our preferred partner for email filtering services, with the ability to escalate incidents where required. All initial analysis and investigation is conducted internally, and specific platform or technical queries are then logged with the vendor; there is no additional cost to the customer, and our team will fully manage this process throughout.

Addition of new features

Where a new feature is introduced to the platform that would benefit a customer, the required changes are reviewed by our team to ensure they are suitable for implementation. If the change requires disruption to service, or an adjustment to core components that may alter existing functionality, this will be communicated to the customer and a route forward agreed.

For any additional functionality requiring considerable work and/or integration, these items will be scoped and discussed independently with the customer.

Onboarding

  • Initial consultation and requirements assessment

    • Discuss specific email security needs with the customer

    • Review existing email infrastructure, including mail servers and domains

  • DNS record configuration

    • Update and configure DNS records (e.g. MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) to route emails through the filtering service

  • Email filtering platform setup

    • Create and configure accounts within the chosen email filtering platform

    • Establish user and group policies for spam filtering, content scanning, and attachment security

  • User integration

    • Sync user accounts via Active Directory or CSV import for Google Workspace

    • Assign filtering rules and permissions based on organisational requirements

  • Custom policy configuration

    • Set up company-specific rules for spam thresholds, allowlisting/blocklisting, and outbound filtering

  • Test deployment

    • Perform a test run of the filtering service with non-critical email traffic

    • Monitor for false positives/negatives and fine-tune filters accordingly

  • Training and documentation

    • Provide user training to understand email quarantine, reporting spam, and accessing blocked messages

  • Go-live support

    • Switch all email traffic to route through the filtering service

    • Monitor and address any post-deployment issues

  • Ongoing monitoring and tuning

    • Implement updates and enhancements to ensure continued protection