Avanan vs Barracuda Email Security Gateway comparison

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Microsoft Logo
12,736 views|10,031 comparisons
97% willing to recommend
Avanan Logo
3,147 views|1,958 comparisons
100% willing to recommend
Barracuda Networks Logo
1,600 views|1,072 comparisons
91% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Sep 7, 2023

We compared Avanan and Barracuda Email Security Gateway across several parameters based on our users' reviews. After reading the collected data, you can find our conclusion below:

  • Features: Avanan is highly praised for its customizability as well as its consistent advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Barracuda Email Security Gateway’s stand-out features include sandboxing, diverse customization options, and a cloud environment.

  • Room for Improvement: Avanan can enhance its alert clearance speed, decrease false positives, and improve scanning and backup options. Barracuda Email Security Gateway users say the solution should add DomainKeys functionality, enhance anti-phishing measures, and introduce the ability to add multiple domains. 

  • Service and Support: Avanan's customer service is consistently commended for its exceptional quality, efficiency, and expertise. Customers have praised the customer service of Barracuda Email Security Gateway for its professionalism, responsiveness, and availability, rating it as good and reliable.

  • Ease of Deployment: Users like Avanan's trouble-free setup and easy updates. The setup process for Barracuda Email Security Gateway is described as simple and intuitive, requiring a few hours or a day to complete.

  • Pricing: Avanan offers affordable, transparent SaaS-based pricing. Users find it cost-effective, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. Users say Barracuda Email Security Gateway is competitively priced.

  • ROI: Avanan has consistently provided positive results by enhancing email network security and contributing to revenue growth. Barracuda Email Security Gateway benefits users by minimizing business disruptions and reducing costs.

Comparison Results: Avanan is praised for its ease of implementation, adaptability, and cost-effectiveness. Users say Avanan could improve by reducing false positives and providing better documentation. Barracuda offers a wide range of capabilities, customizable options, and excellent customer support. Suggestions for improvement are more prevalent for Barracuda, including better pricing, automation, and user interface. Opinions on pricing vary for both products, with some users considering Barracuda to be more affordable.

To learn more, read our detailed Avanan vs. Barracuda Email Security Gateway Report (Updated: January 2024).
772,679 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The solution is very easy to use. All you have to do is to assign the license to the end-user and it's done. The customer will only have the feature activated, and the solution will monitor the emails to determine if they are a threat or not.""Microsoft Defender for Office 365 helps people to work remotely. It is a secure solution. We don't need to use our company's computers or get VPN connections to the networks. I can control how they share screens and what they send to the devices. It keeps our organizations confidential and sensitive information safe.""The email protection is excellent, especially in terms of anti-phishing policies.""Defender enables us to secure all 365-related activity from a single place. It gives us visibility into everything happening in Outlook, protecting us against phishing and other email-based threats. Defender helps us detect any suspicious behaviors.""Microsoft Defender has a feature to protect each and every attachment. Even if it's an encrypted attachment, it will check for any potential threats.""Threat Explorer is one of the features that I very much like because it is a real-time report that allows you to identify, analyze, and trace security attacks.""Since we have started using the solution, there have been fewer compromises.""The two main features that prove most beneficial for us are URL scanning and attachment scanning."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Pros →

"The program has reduced the dangers related to phishing, malware, ransomware, and other vulnerabilities.""It can retract unsafe emails and remove them from the entire communication channel.""It is simple to deploy this platform and interact with the set features.""I highly recommend this solution to any prospective buyer.""I like Avanan's SmartDLP module. It's seamless, and the administrative overhead is low. We aren't a very sophisticated operation. We just want to reduce our exposure, so we find ThreatCloud helpful. Avanan's acquisition by Check Point was beneficial for them.""The ease of installation and the AI capacity of the product are valuable.""When we don't understand some functionalities, the customer support staff responds fast to our calls and provides immediate action.""The integration with all our existing and new applications is great."

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"The feature that sets Barracuda apart from other solutions is the Office 365 cloud-to-cloud backup.""The most valuable feature is the Antispam services, which are the basic services of spam device""It is lightweight, and we can filter all of our inbound and outbound emails. We have controls for rate control, quarantine, and tagging. We can see whether an email is a spam email or a phishing email.""Barracuda Email Security Gateway has features like identify the spam source, rules to avoid some specific spams and then reschedule. And there are some other features like the email continuity, the email server and gateway site, which can relay the mail kit. The solution is user-friendly.These kind of features are the most valuable.""This product is powerful and quite simple to use.""Barracuda Email Security Gateway is very simple to use.""Eliminating inbox clutter creates an opportunity to be more productive instead of wasting time manually sorting through spam.""The security protection is the best and it's GUI is user-friendly."

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Cons
"The certification training for Defender for 365 needs to be deeper and incorporate Sentinel. I took all the security courses except one, and Sentinel isn't included.""There needs to be an improvement in integrating the product to work across multiple operating systems, and to have better support for non-Microsoft file types.""Too many false positives and lacks an accurate capability to detect malicious SharePoint sites.""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.""I'd like some additional features any product can give me to protect our environment in a better way.""In some situations, it has not been able to pick impersonated emails having no attachments. Technical support definitely has a scope for improvement.""Microsoft wants its well-paying customers to finish testing some of its half-baked products, find bugs, and report bugs back to Microsoft's team, which is a little frustrating for those who have to manage it and roll it up to thousands of people across the organization.""The XDR dashboard has room for improvement."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Cons →

"The customer service team could come up with clear tutorials on how to use this platform to help new teams.""It should reduce the amount of time needed for thorough scanning.""The user experience must be improved.""The overall user interface is not attractive. It needs some improvement.""Familiarization with performance for new teams may take a long time.""The unified dashboard that it displays needs some improvements in terms of the KPIs that they have.""The cost can be reviewed to enable SMEs to acquire it and enjoy great security features.""There are times when we have false positives."

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"We had an incident where we didn't want to receive any emails or spam from a certain site and email address. We selected the mail ID, and we send it to Barracuda for analysis to see if it's spam or something like that. As of now, we haven't gotten any update or notification as to what happened with it.""False positives have given us issues.""The initial setup can be a little bit complex.""Barracuda Email Security Gateway can improve reporting and anti-spam. The anti-spam engine is not working well. We are seeing a lot of problems where spam is going through the gateway. Additionally, access privilege should be given to the IT support, because they don't have a lot of privileges. We are forced to give our IT support administrative access in order to clear and deliver emails and this should not be happening.""I would like to have better integration with third-party archival vendors to facilitate moving data in and out.""The reporting can be improved.""Artificial intelligence improvement could be used to help block spam and phishing mail that is directly delivered to users.""Few customers require an on-premises fabric ATP box for attack detection and response."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "It's a user-base subscription."
  • "From the pricing point of view, like any other product in the market, there is scope for negotiation."
  • "Defender is a little bit more expensive as compared to others. We are in the manufacturing environment. So, we don't have a high budget for all of our endpoint devices. Its cost is a major concern for us."
  • "For licensing, it's usually a yearly package for customers who are subscribed to Office 365, but they can also pay on a monthly basis."
  • "Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is an add-on to the Office license. Many customers are purchasing this solution."
  • "Microsoft Defender for Office 365 comes with Microsoft Windows. It is free with the operating system."
  • "The solution saves money so we have seen a return on investment."
  • "Defender for 365 comes in various plans and licenses, along with other Microsoft security solutions. Purchasing this kind of package or security bundle gives good value for money, and that's what I recommend."
  • More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Good pricing arrangement as an SaaS offering."
  • "Having the flexibility and modeling to do the pricing that best fits the needs of the organization is incredibly ideal. That is what Avanan does. They know exactly how many users are using it, etc. We can tune the invoicing associated with how we are using the product so we can charge it back to the shows appropriately."
  • "We have a monthly license that is $4 to $8 per user."
  • "The pricing of Avanan is reasonable."
  • "The product is not the cheapest in the market."
  • "Avanan’s price is comparable to Barracuda."
  • More Avanan Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "For overall value and cost, Barracuda came in as most appropriate, price as well as services provided. In terms of price, it's average . It's not the most expensive, it's not the least expensive but it works well."
  • "The price of this solution is very high, but it's working fine."
  • "Our licensing fees are approximately $4,000 per year, and this includes updates for the antivirus and spam signatures."
  • "As far as advanced email security systems, this product is mid-range on the pricing scale."
  • "The pricing for the product is fine."
  • "The licensing fees are part of a bundled support package that we pay for."
  • "We pay between $8 and $10 USD per user per month."
  • "The licensing cost is competitive, it's not too high and not too low."
  • More Barracuda Email Security Gateway Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:Threat Explorer is an invaluable tool for me, and it plays a crucial role in helping me discern the origins of various… more »
    Top Answer:The product must provide better malware detection. The detection algorithms don't perform the way I hope they would.
    Top Answer:Spam protection is the most valuable feature.
    Top Answer:Avanan doesn't cover certain tool segments. Barracuda provides backup and retention of emails and Microsoft 365’s backup… more »
    Top Answer:Barracuda Email Security Gateway is very simple to use.
    Top Answer:Barracuda Email Security Gateway is a cost-effective solution.
    Top Answer:Barracuda Email Security Gateway should include ATP in the next release.
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    MS Defender for Office 365
    Barracuda Spam and Virus Firewall, Barracuda Sentinel
    Learn More
    Overview

    Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is a comprehensive security solution designed to protect organizations against advanced threats in their email, collaboration, and productivity environments. It combines the power of Microsoft's threat intelligence, machine learning, and behavioral analytics to provide real-time protection against phishing, malware, ransomware, and other malicious attacks.

    With Microsoft Defender for Office 365, organizations can safeguard their email communication by detecting and blocking malicious links, attachments, and unsafe email content. It employs advanced anti-phishing capabilities to identify and prevent sophisticated phishing attacks that attempt to steal sensitive information or compromise user credentials.

    This solution also offers robust protection against malware and ransomware. It leverages machine learning algorithms to analyze email attachments and URLs in real-time, identifying and blocking malicious content before it reaches users' inboxes. Additionally, it provides advanced threat-hunting capabilities, allowing security teams to proactively investigate and respond to potential threats.

    Microsoft Defender for Office 365 goes beyond email protection and extends its security features to other collaboration tools like SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams. It scans files and documents stored in these platforms, ensuring that they are free from malware and other malicious content. It also provides visibility into user activities, helping organizations detect and mitigate insider threats.

    Furthermore, this solution offers rich reporting and analytics capabilities, providing organizations with insights into their security posture and threat landscape. It enables security administrators to monitor and manage security incidents, track trends, and take proactive measures to enhance their overall security posture.

    Avanan is a comprehensive cloud security platform that protects organizations from advanced email and collaboration threats. With its multi-layered approach, Avanan provides real-time protection against phishing, malware, data leakage, and account takeover attacks. 

    By integrating with popular cloud applications such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Slack, Avanan ensures seamless security without disrupting user experience. Its advanced AI and machine learning algorithms analyze billions of data points to detect and block threats, while its granular policy controls allow organizations to customize their security settings. 

    Avanan also offers robust threat intelligence and incident response capabilities, enabling organizations to proactively identify and mitigate security risks. 

    With Avanan, organizations can confidently embrace the cloud while keeping their sensitive data and communications secure.

    Barracuda Email Security Gateway is a robust security solution that allows users to protect themselves from external threats as well as from potential data leaks. It can be managed and monitored from a centralized location. Users can efficiently and easily keep track of every aspect of their security suite all at one time. Customized protections can also be set up in a matter of minutes.

    Benefits of Barracuda Email Security Gateway

    Some of the benefits of using Barracuda Email Security Gateway include:

    • Provides users with a comprehensive and robust suite of security features. Barracuda Email Security Gateway employs a suite of security features to keep users safe. It has an email filter that scans outgoing emails to keep sensitive data from being sent to the wrong parties. Additionally, its software allows users to keep an eye on potential threats in real time. Users can stay ahead of malicious actors and preserve the integrity of their systems.
    • Designed for easy deployment. Barracuda Email Security Gateway makes it easy for users to secure themselves. The solution comes pre-configured for quick rollout and use. Users can benefit from it fully without devoting a significant level of resources to deployment.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Barracuda Email Security Gateway is an email security tool that stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are the high level of flexibility that it gives to users and the solution’s powerful filtering feature. Barracuda Email Security Gateway offers users the ability to enact customizations that enable them to align the solution with their specific needs. It is highly flexible and allows for the completion of many different tasks. Additionally, it employs a powerful spam filter feature that gives users the ability to stop a large percentage of the threats to their devices before they get anywhere near their machines.

    Mohammed N., the assistant general manager at CoLoCity Data Center, writes, “There are many customizable options:

    • Attachment filtering, where we are filtering attachments according to our requirements.
    • IT-based configurations, where we allow domains. We are blacklisting domains that we do not want to pass through.
    • Rate Control feature, where we have the user license for 10,000 incoming and outgoing emails. Therefore, 10,000 users can use this device.

    The client has the option to blacklist or whitelist any email address or domain based on the sender and recipient filters. If they want, they can restrict any IP addresses so email won't be received from those IP addresses. Another interesting feature of Barracuda Email Security is the content filtering. If there is any word or sentence that we or our customers want to block, then we can add that thing in Barracuda Email Security Gateway. The content contained in the email will not be delivered or received by the recipient. Maximum customization options are available.”

    Igor G., the information security officer and data protection officer at a manufacturing company, writes, “The spam filtering feature, in particular, is very important for us. We have a large volume of emails each month, something like 200,000, and Barracuda filters about 85 percent of the spam, malware, and phishing that comes in. It prevents our users from receiving this content on their computers.”

    Sample Customers
    Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is trusted by companies such as Ithaca College.
    Bethel School District, ServiceSource, Capital Caring
    Evolution Recruitment Solutions, Evans Delivery Company, Osoyoos Credit Union, Synovis Life Technologies, Camden County Technical Schools, DEK, Evans Delivery Company, Colgate Rochester Crozer, Hemmera, South Carolina Heart Center, Ferma Corporation, Major League Baseball (MLB), Healy Brothers Automotive Group
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Manufacturing Company17%
    Computer Software Company17%
    Comms Service Provider13%
    Government7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Government7%
    REVIEWERS
    Security Firm20%
    Recruiting/Hr Firm20%
    Computer Software Company13%
    Energy/Utilities Company7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization48%
    Computer Software Company8%
    Manufacturing Company5%
    Construction Company4%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm20%
    Comms Service Provider14%
    Manufacturing Company14%
    Construction Company9%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization44%
    Computer Software Company9%
    Government5%
    Financial Services Firm4%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business45%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise40%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business30%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise51%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business33%
    Midsize Enterprise33%
    Large Enterprise33%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise57%
    Large Enterprise24%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business58%
    Midsize Enterprise20%
    Large Enterprise22%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business22%
    Midsize Enterprise54%
    Large Enterprise24%
    Buyer's Guide
    Avanan vs. Barracuda Email Security Gateway
    January 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Avanan vs. Barracuda Email Security Gateway and other solutions. Updated: January 2024.
    772,679 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Avanan is ranked 6th in Email Security with 21 reviews while Barracuda Email Security Gateway is ranked 2nd in Secure Email Gateway (SEG) with 51 reviews. Avanan is rated 9.2, while Barracuda Email Security Gateway is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Avanan writes "We've noticed a significant decline from people accidentally or intentionally clicking on things". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Barracuda Email Security Gateway writes "Robust email protection with advanced features such as effective spam filtering, virus and malware defense, phishing protection and high scalability". Avanan is most compared with Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, IRONSCALES, Perception Point Advanced Email Security, Abnormal Security and Cisco Secure Email, whereas Barracuda Email Security Gateway is most compared with Fortinet FortiMail, Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP), Cisco Secure Email, Trend Micro Email Security and Check Point Anti-Spam and Email Security Software Blade. See our Avanan vs. Barracuda Email Security Gateway report.

    We monitor all Email Security reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.