Both Microsoft Defender (Office 365) and Proofpoint Email Protection are email security solutions, but they cater to slightly different needs. Microsoft Defender is a built-in email security solution included in various Office 365 subscriptions which our reviewers found very convenient. Proofpoint is a standalone product offering advanced email security features. In the reviews, Proofpoint is praised for its robust threat detection capabilities, customizable email filtering, while Microsoft Defender stands out for its advanced threat protection, URL detonation, and safe attachment features. Defender is a cost-effective, basic email security solution suitable for small businesses or Microsoft 365 users, while Proofpoint offers comprehensive features ideal for organizations requiring robust email security.
The summary above is based on 146 interviews we conducted recently with Proofpoint Email Protection and Microsoft Defender users. To access the review's full transcripts, download our report.
"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is a stable solution."
"The good part is that you don't have to configure it, which is very convenient."
"Microsoft Defender for Office 365's most valuable feature is its performance."
"The initial setup was easy."
"Defender helps us prioritize threats across our organization."
"I would say that 90% of the spam and phishing attack emails get blocked right off the bat."
"At the moment we are satisfied with this product. It's a stable, scalable, and resilient solution for us."
"It gives us visibility into threats and, for endpoints, it helps us to prioritize threats. We used to have a lack of visibility, but now our time to detect and respond has decreased."
"The tool has improved our workflow by ensuring people receive only the emails they need for work rather than being inundated with hundreds or thousands of unnecessary emails daily."
"It's a mature product. It does a good job in detection."
"It's detection of true positives are great, as it's cloud based it's very scalable and stable."
"Proofpoint Email Protection is a good product, and its most beneficial feature is the Threat Response Auto-Pull. I also like that it's an integrated email security solution."
"The solution scales quite well."
"The most valuable features are the business email compromise protection and targeted attack prevention."
"It is a very scalable solution."
"The stability is very good."
"It would be better if it were more scalable. It depends on the architecture, but we would like to make it more scalable for both data centers."
"One area for improvement is support, in terms of being able to reach them and, especially, technical support for configuration."
"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 must improve the overall management style, including the GUI. It also needs to change the filters so that it is easy to whitelist and blacklist data."
"The pre-sales cost calculations could be more transparent."
"Microsoft should provide more documentation for users so they can self-educate. I would like to see more documentation for advanced security features."
"They have moved features from one console to another. Things have been moved around in the interface and it takes me time to find where certain features are."
"The only thing they should improve is the licensing model. They should stop changing it. A year ago, the five features I mentioned were included in one product. Now, three of them are bundled into one product, and you have to pay extra for the other two. I don't mind paying extra, but I don't want them to change it every year or every six months. I need to know what I'm looking at and not worry about it next year."
"Configuration requires going to a lot of places rather than just accessing one tab."
"The largest complaint that we hear from our customers is that there is no local support."
"The scalability can be improved, and the solution can be optimized."
"Proofpoint Email Protection is an expensive solution."
"The price could be improved."
"Integration and filtering out who you want and don't want to have integrated ID could be improved."
"Some use cases haven't been dealt with yet."
"You only receive one model in Proofpoint Email Protection and the other ones you have to purchase at a high price. There should be more available with the solution and additional models should be less expensive."
"The false positives are an issue."
More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Pricing and Cost Advice →
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is ranked 1st in Email Security with 41 reviews while Proofpoint Email Protection is ranked 1st in Secure Email Gateway (SEG) with 46 reviews. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is rated 8.4, while Proofpoint Email Protection is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 writes "Allows for easy reporting of problems, valuable anti-phishing, and anti-malware support". 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 Defender for Office 365 is most compared with Mimecast Email Security, Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP), Cisco Secure Email, Barracuda Email Security Gateway and Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, whereas Proofpoint Email Protection is most compared with Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP), Palo Alto Networks WildFire, Cisco Secure Email, Fortinet FortiMail and Barracuda Email Security Gateway. See our Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs. Proofpoint Email Protection report.
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If you're looking for Managed Email Security, it can be hard to decide between Microsoft Defender for Office 365 and Proofpoint Email Protection. It's like choosing between two delicious flavors of ice cream — both are good, but what flavor do you prefer?
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is managed by Microsoft’s Security & Compliance Center and provides managed email security for Office 365 customers. It offers comprehensive protection against malicious emails, phishing attacks, and other advanced threats. On the other hand, Proofpoint Email Protection is managed by a third-party provider and provides managed email security for businesses of all sizes. While it doesn't have as many features as Defender, Proofpoint still offers robust protection against malicious emails, phishing attacks, and other advanced threats.
In the end, it comes down to personal preference. Do you prefer managed email security managed by Microsoft or a third party? It all depends on your individual needs. Whichever solution you choose, make sure that managed email security meets all of your requirements!