As part of ongoing efforts to protect the Purdue community from online threats, Purdue Information Technology is adopting the use of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (MDO) which will replace the current spam-filtering service Cisco IronPort (also known as Cisco Spam Filter).  

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is a security email service that protects Purdue University accounts from malicious phishing campaigns, marketing spam, malware, and more. Using Microsoft’s machine learning and Artificial Intelligence, MDO will provide greater email security and protect you from the latest email threats. 

The transition to MDO will begin after May commencement. Most faculty and staff will be switched to the new filtering tool in waves, with all faculty, staff and students being added to the service by the end of the summer term. All users will receive a notice by email about their transition to MDO, which will include links to instructions on how to add email to or remove from quarantine.  

Over the last year, Purdue IT has successfully deployed MDO to a large pilot group with positive results. Like the Cisco Spam Filter, MDO places possible malicious email in quarantine and sends a daily email that allows users to review and release messages. But MDO also allows users to control and adjust preferences to fine tune their email experience.  

To learn more about Microsoft Defender for Office, visit https://it.purdue.edu/services/microsoft-defender.php. 

Last updated: July 6, 2023