Proofpoint Email Protection and Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) designed to secure your organization's email from spam, phishing attacks, malware, and other threats. However, Microsoft EOP is a basic email filtering service included with most Microsoft 365 subscriptions, while Proofpoint is a third-party, advanced email security solution. They can also be considered complementary, with Proofpoint offering a more robust layer of protection on top of EOP's foundation.
The summary above is based on 152 interviews we conducted recently with Proofpoint Email Protection and Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) users. To access the review's full transcripts, download our report.
"It offers great security against malware and other threats."
"The initial setup was easy. The configuration process is very straightforward."
"The pre-set policies and configuration analyzer are the most valuable features."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection is the accidental release of information protection capabilities. Additionally, the solution is easy to use."
"What I like most about Microsoft Exchange Online Protection is its integration with Windows, so we have one central view for all alerts and incidents."
"In general, my company is happy with Microsoft support...My company hasn't faced any stability issues with the solution."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of administration. Other solutions require complex administration, but Microsoft Exchange Online Protection is easier."
"Online Protection's most valuable feature is its admin interface."
"Proofpoint is the main tool for blocking spam because it denies the connection altogether."
"The initial implementation is pretty easy to handle."
"The anti-spam features are excellent on the email firewalls."
"As a cloud-based product, it can scale well."
"The most valuable feature is the ability to remove bad messages that were delivered, prior to being classified as unwanted."
"The solution's technical support is good. I rate the technical support a ten out of ten."
"It is a very scalable solution."
"There is no downtime."
"I think the implementation could be more streamlined."
"The price of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection could be reduced to make it more competitive."
"They should specify the difference between Defender for Office 365 and Exchange Online Protection."
"The management interface of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) could be intuitive."
"The security compliance features need to be improved. Sometimes, a client's mailbox becomes full because of retained information and not because of mail. I would like to see improvement in block rules as well."
"Online Protection has an issue in that it doesn't provide an option to stop impersonation."
"The product could be more stable. Microsoft products could be more stable because sometimes, even though they are updating some things, we cannot find those updates."
"The licensing can be on the expensive side, especially in the cloud space."
"Proofpoint has a lot of false alarms."
"The product's deployment is complex and requires technical knowledge."
"Proofpoint Email Protection could improve by reducing the price."
"I would want better spear phishing protection in the essentials package."
"The email DLP portion could be a bit easier."
"It's scalable, but the devil's in the details — you have to know your email volumes."
"The accessibility of Proofpoint Email Protection, particularly access to product trials, could be improved. It's hard to get a trial for Proofpoint Email Protection, and many customers prefer not just to do the POC or demo but try the product out."
"Proofpoint Email Protection could improve on the training. Every organization is different and to fine-tune it to block everything properly there needs to be better training. Sometimes it can block some of the information it shouldn't."
More Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) Pricing and Cost Advice →
Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is ranked 11th in Anti-Malware Tools with 34 reviews while Proofpoint Email Protection is ranked 1st in Secure Email Gateway (SEG) with 46 reviews. Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is rated 8.2, while Proofpoint Email Protection is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) writes "An effective email security solution that provides DLP, Safe Attachment, and Safe Links". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Proofpoint Email Protection writes "A reasonably priced product that offers protection to emails, along with spam filters". Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is most compared with Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Cisco Secure Email, Fortinet FortiMail, Mimecast Email Security and Barracuda Email Security Gateway, whereas Proofpoint Email Protection is most compared with Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Palo Alto Networks WildFire, Cisco Secure Email, Fortinet FortiMail and KnowBe4. See our Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs. Proofpoint Email Protection report.
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