Outbound Guard | Outlook add-in

Catch personal data at Send, before it leaves Outlook.

Outbound Guard checks each message and its attachments when the sender clicks Send. If a CPR number or other personal data is going to the wrong kind of recipient, Outlook pauses and asks the sender to clean the message, give a reason, or hold it back.

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A SoftBlock through Outlook Smart Alerts, not a mail-flow hard block. If the add-in does not run, the message sends. Use it alongside Microsoft 365 DLP.

Outlook | Smart AlertSeverity: Block

Personal data is going to an external recipient.

Message body: 1 CPR number
Attachment (PDF): 2 findings
Recipient: Opposing counsel

Runs at SendOutlook Smart Alerts on each message
Recipient-awarePress and opposing counsel escalate
Attachments checkedPDF and Office text, with a timeout
Body-free reportCounts and domains, no message text
EU-hosted scanCloud scan runs on OVHcloud Frankfurt

How it works

One check at the moment of Send. The sender decides.

Nothing changes while people write. The check happens when they click Send, and the prompt tells them what was found and where it is going.

01WriteThe sender writes as usual. They can run Scan message from the Guard pane at any point to see findings early.
02SendOutlook hands the draft to the add-in. Pattern detectors run on the message, and attached PDF and Office files are read and counted.
03ClassifyEach finding is checked against the recipients. A person's own email or phone number sent back to them is allowed. A CPR number always counts, because no register can prove it belongs to the recipient.
04DecideDepending on severity, Outlook warns, asks for a reason, or sends the user to Guard to clean the draft first.
05ReportCounts, categories, overrides and destination domains go to the DPO report. Message bodies and raw CPR numbers do not.

Policy

Set the rules once for the whole organization.

Admins configure Outbound Guard in Northdocs Settings. Every mailbox with the add-in picks up the same policy.

PresetsStart from Recommended, Law firm, Municipality, Finance or Custom. Onboarding mode detects without prompting, so a pilot does not interrupt mail.
Action per categoryOff, Detect only, Clean in pane, or SoftBlock on send. CPR is on by default; email, phone, IBAN and payment cards can be added.
Three severitiesWarn, Warn with a required reason, or Block, which sends the user to Guard to clean the message. Overrides are logged with their reason.
Trusted domainsBy default the check prompts only when a To, Cc or Bcc recipient is outside your trusted domains.
Correspondent directoryMark addresses and domains as citizen, client, opposing counsel, press or authority. Press and opposing counsel escalate.
Confidential intentOptional review of subject and body for leaks that are not numbers, such as unpublished pricing or credentials. With AI off for the organization, only the rule-based checks run.

Where it fits

Alongside Microsoft 365 DLP, not instead of it.

Purview DLP is the tenant-wide control for labels, encryption and policy across channels. Outbound Guard is a narrower check in Outlook that knows who the message is going to and leaves evidence a DPO can file without storing email.

What Outbound Guard does

Checks the message and its attachments at Send, with rules that depend on the type of recipient.
Lets the sender remove personal data from the draft in the Guard pane, then send.
Logs every override with a reason and builds a body-free report for the DPIA.
Gives Microsoft 365 tenants without a staffed DLP program a send-time check they can run this month.

What it does not do

It is not a hard block. On some Outlook clients, including Outlook on the web, Send Anyway can still appear, and if the add-in does not run, the message sends.
It does not replace sensitivity labels, encryption, Teams DLP or endpoint DLP.
It is not an Exchange transport rule and does not inspect mail in transit.
It does not permanently redact files. When an attachment has to be cleaned, that is a job for Northdocs Cases.

DPO report

Evidence for the DPIA, without the emails.

The accountability pack shows what Outbound Guard caught and what senders did about it. It is built from counts and metadata, so a DPO can share it with an auditor or management without exposing message content.

In the report

Scans, findings by category and SoftBlocks
Overrides with their reasons, and sends that would have leaked
Attachments inspected and attachments left unscanned
Destination domains and mailboxes that need coaching

Never in the report

Message bodies
Raw CPR numbers
Attachment text

With cloud scan on, compose text is processed in Northdocs in the EU to find personal data. That is detection, not storage of the message.

Accountability pack | ExampleLast 30 days

External scans: 1,284
Findings: 213
SoftBlocks: 41
Overrides with reason: 9
Attachments unscanned: 3
Message bodies stored: None
Raw CPR stored: None

Sample numbers. Export as a DPIA attachment.

Pricing

On its own, or added to document review.

Priced per named mailbox user. Every plan includes Outbound Guard during the 30-day trial, with no card required.

Outlook only

Outbound Guard

10 €/user/mo

For teams that need send-time checks in Outlook without the document workcell.

Per named mailbox user
Outlook Outbound Guard add-in
Warns or SoftBlocks at send time when Guard can run
Local scan + optional cloud sanitize
Prompt Guard (clipboard)
EU data residency
No document page allowance (email-only)

Try Outbound Guard

Add-on

With Cases

10 €/user/mo

Add Outbound Guard to a Starter, Pro, or Firm workspace from Billing, per named user at the same list price.

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Enterprise

Included

Part of Enterprise, alongside SSO, connectors, ethical walls and invoice billing.

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Rollout

Pilot one mailbox, then deploy to the organization.

Read the setup guide

Step 1Try without adminDownload the manifest from Outbound Guard Setup and add it to one mailbox. The trial package checks CPR numbers only.
Step 2Onboarding modeRun the Recommended detectors with send prompts off, and see what would have been caught before anyone is interrupted.
Step 3Org-wide deployUpload the deployment package in Microsoft 365 admin center under Integrated apps. Your organization's cloud scan is included in that package.

Questions

What IT and the DPO ask first

What happens if the add-in does not load?

The message sends. Outbound Guard is a SoftBlock through Outlook Smart Alerts, not an Exchange transport rule. If you need a guaranteed stop, keep a mail-flow or Purview DLP policy in place as well.

Does Northdocs store our emails?

No. With cloud scan on, compose text is processed in Northdocs in the EU to find personal data. Telemetry keeps the mailbox, finding counts, destination class and domains, not message bodies or raw CPR numbers.

Can senders override a prompt?

Yes, by design. Warn offers Send Anyway. Warn with reason asks for a reason first. Block sends the user to Guard to clean the message, though some Outlook clients, including Outlook on the web, can still show Send Anyway. Every override is logged.

Do we need Northdocs Cases?

No. The Outbound Guard plan covers Outlook and Prompt Guard on its own. Cases is the product for disclosure packs and permanent file redaction.

Does it use AI?

Pattern detection for CPR, email, phone, IBAN and payment cards runs without AI. On-device name detection is optional and off by default. AI name detection and confidential intent review run on OVHcloud AI Endpoints in the EU, and stop when an admin turns AI off for the organization.

Email is one exit. Disclosure packs are another.

Northdocs Cases prepares FOI, DSAR and litigation packs with Fast Track and fail-closed verification. Outbound Guard covers what leaves by email.

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How the outbound email job works Document redaction use cases