Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Jul 1, 2023

We performed a comparison between Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration and Microsoft Defender for Cloud based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Features: Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration offers strong integration through its API, advanced data leak prevention, and a robust monitoring system. Microsoft Defender for Cloud impressed users with automation, threat analysis, scalability, and seamless integration with other Microsoft offerings. Check Point Harmony could improve its integration capabilities with on-premises Exchange and third-party solutions. Microsoft Defender for Cloud users want to see more automation and enhanced risk identification. 
  • Service and Support: Positive reviews of Check Point customer service emphasized quick responses and dependable services. Others reported slow response times and asked for support in more languages. Some users praised Microsoft support as responsive and knowledgeable support, but a few users were dissatisfied with support outsourcing and long resolution times. The quality of customer service for both products varies depending on factors like support plans and location.
  • Ease of Deployment: The setup process for Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is simple. Users could configure it quickly, and they received vendor assistance during complex integrations. Microsoft Defender for Cloud also offers a straightforward and user-friendly setup. The deployment time may vary, but the solution is automatically installed on the Azure Portal, with minimal configuration needed.
  • Pricing: Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is generally considered cost-effective. Some users found the licensing for Microsoft Defender for Cloud to be reasonable, but others described it as costly.
  • ROI: Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration provides useful functionalities and cloud support, leading to notable improvements in ROI ranging from 15% to 80%. Some users reported that Microsoft Defender for Cloud cut time spent on security tasks in half and said that its core security features could potentially yield a high ROI.

Comparison Results: Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration outperforms Microsoft Defender for Cloud among our reviewers. Check Point Harmony seamlessly integrates with different platforms and services, offers advanced data leak prevention features, and provides comprehensive monitoring. Microsoft Defender for Cloud received mixed reviews for its customer service, support, setup process, and licensing experience. 

To learn more, read our detailed Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration vs. Microsoft Defender for Cloud Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,386 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
"I appreciate the ease of deployment and the intuitive dashboard. Even someone with basic IT knowledge can easily understand the dashboard and identify potential threats.""The automated rule cleanups and automated policy installs have improved my customers' organizations.""The API is its most valuable feature. On the API side, relative to the rest of the market, Check Point is decades ahead of its competitors.""The program has a nice interface and it is easy to use.""The product is reliable and sturdy.""Based on domain and URL reputation, it will allow traffic to flow.""The solution helps to block spam emails.""Email security has improved since we deployed this platform."

More Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration Pros →

"Defender lets you orchestrate the roll-out from a single pane. Using the Azure portal, you can roll it out over all the servers covered by the entire subscription.""We can create alerts that trigger if there is any malicious activity happening in the workflow and these alerts can be retrieved using the query language.""When you have commissioned Defender, you have these things visible already on your dashboard. This gives the efficiency to the people to do their actual work rather than bothering about the email, sorting out the email, or looking at it through an ITSM solution, whey they have to look at the description and use cases. Efficiency increases with this optimized, ready-made solution since you don't need to invest in something externally. You can start using the dashboard and auditing capability provided from day one. Thus, you have fewer costs with a more optimized, easier-to-use solution, providing operational efficiency for your team.""The vulnerability reporting is helpful. When we initially deployed Defender, it reported many more threats than we currently see. It gave us insight into areas we had not previously considered, so we knew where we needed to act.""Technical support is helpful.""It helps you to identify the gaps in your solution and remediate them. It produces a compliance checklist against known standards such as ISO 27001, HIPAA, iTrust, etc.""The first valuable feature was the fact that it gave us a list of everything that users were surfing on the web. Having the list, we could make decisions about those sites.""It works seamlessly on the Azure platform because it's a Microsoft app. Its setup is similar, so if you already have a Microsoft account, it just flows into it."

More Microsoft Defender for Cloud Pros →

Cons
"There is too much functionality, which makes it difficult to use. More guidance for users would be helpful.""The product's pricing needs improvement.""They should consider a module that allows the customizing of reports so we can generate executive information for the client (to explain in simple language the general security situation in the SaaS environment).""Check Point's technical support is very much of a low level, especially with respect to other vendors and OEMs.""The integration with Gsuite could be improved, especially when reporting the amount of emails it manages to filter.""Since the portal to the management and administration entry sometimes has performance problems and takes a long time to respond to what has arrived, the handling of the tool is difficult.""Stability has been a pain point. I was going back and forth with my product engineer and project manager for a couple of months. I had the product in a demonstration mode and wasn't satisfied with the results initially. After a few alterations and a few revisions later, it is fine.""There are sometimes leakages of viruses when the system is experiencing network failures."

More Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration Cons →

"The documentation could be much clearer.""When you work with it, the only problem that we're struggling with is that we have 21 different subscriptions we're trying to apply security to. It's impossible to keep everything organized.""Most of the time, when we log into the support, we don't get a chance to interact with Microsoft employees directly, except having it go to outsource employees of Microsoft. The initial interaction has not been that great because outsourced companies cannot provide the kind of quality or technical expertise that we look for. We have a technical manager from Microsoft, but they are kind of average unless we make noise and ask them to escalate. We then can get the right people and the right solution, but it definitely takes time.""They could always work to make the pricing a bit lower.""Agent features need to be improved. They support agents through Azure Arc or Workbench. Sometimes, we are not able to get correct signals from the machines on which we have installed these agents. We are not able to see how many are currently reporting to Azure Security Center, and how many are currently not reporting. For example, we have 1,000 machines, and we have enrolled 1,000 OMS agents on these machines to collect the log. When I look at the status, even though at some places, it shows that it is connected, but when I actually go and check, I'm not getting any alerts from those. There are some discrepancies on the agent, and the agent features are not up to the mark.""Consistency is the area where the most improvement is needed. For example, there are some areas where the UI is not uniform across the board.""The solution's portal is very easy to use, but there's one key component that is missing when it comes to managing policies. For example, if I've onboarded my server and I need to specify antivirus policies, there's no option to do that on the portal. I will have to go to Intune to deploy them. That is one main aspect that is missing and it's worrisome.""Sometimes it's very difficult to determine when I need Microsoft Defender for Cloud for a special resource group or a special kind of product."

More Microsoft Defender for Cloud Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Having information stolen by a hacker would be more expensive than purchasing a license."
  • "Being able to keep the phishing campaigns out of my company has been ROI for me."
  • "Do a full feature evaluation (interactive) with a support person. That is what I did."
  • "The price is very good, based on what they deliver."
  • "One of the nice features is that the licensing model is elastic, so if you go over your license count, you can add users during your billing cycle and true-up later."
  • "There are absolutely no additional costs to the standard licensing fees. One of the wonderful pieces is that CloudGuard SaaS is all-inclusive in its licensing. There's no a-la-carte functionality. You're getting 100 percent of the product for the licensing that you're paying."
  • "The difference between [Check Point and its competitors] boiled down to money. Price-wise, Check Point was very good, it was very competitive."
  • "The pricing and licensing are always negotiable."
  • More Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "I'm not privy to that information, but I know it's probably close to a million dollars a year."
  • "We are using the free version of the Azure Security Center."
  • "Azure Defender is a bit pricey. The price could be lower."
  • "This is a worldwide service and depending on the country, there will be different prices."
  • "Security Center charges $15 per resource for any workload that you onboard into it. They charge per VM or per data-base server or per application. It's not like Microsoft 365 licensing, where there are levels like E3 and E5. Security Center is pretty straightforward."
  • "There is a helpful cost-reducing option that allows you to integrate production subscriptions with non-production subscriptions."
  • "Its pricing is a little bit high in terms of Azure Security Center, but the good thing is that we don't need to maintain and deploy it. So, while the pricing is high, it is native to Azure which is why we prefer using this tool."
  • "I am not involved in this area. However, I believe its price is okay because even small customers are using Azure Security Center. I don't think it is very expensive."
  • More Microsoft Defender for Cloud Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:I don't even have details of the product's single license purchased by my company.
    Top Answer:I use the solution in my company to secure the users' environment so that there are no phishing attacks. The tool operates as an anti-spam solution for the users in our company. Each and every email… more »
    Top Answer:The product offers good and easy integration capabilities with other products.
    Top Answer:Azure Security Center is very easy to use, integrates well, and gives very good visibility on what is happening across your ecosystem. It also has great remote workforce capabilities and supports a… more »
    Top Answer:The entire Defender Suite is tightly coupled, integrated, and collaborative.
    Top Answer:Our clients complain about the cost of Microsoft Defender for Cloud. Microsoft needs to bring the cost down. What we're doing to their detriment is simply lowering the amount of log retention we're… more »
    Ranking
    Views
    1,708
    Comparisons
    938
    Reviews
    24
    Average Words per Review
    494
    Rating
    8.7
    Views
    16,509
    Comparisons
    12,378
    Reviews
    21
    Average Words per Review
    1,043
    Rating
    7.9
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Check Point CloudGuard, Check Point CloudGuard SaaS , Check Point Harmony Email & Office
    Microsoft Azure Security Center, Azure Security Center, Microsoft ASC, Azure Defender
    Learn More
    Interactive Demo
    Overview

    Check Point Harmony Email and Office is a cloud-based software offering complete protection to stop malware attacks through emails. The software is designed to provide protection for organizations using Office 365, G Suite, Google Workspace, and all other collaboration and file-sharing apps. Access permissions can be granted and custom policies can be defined for any user of choice.

    Check Point Harmony Email and Office identifies and blocks advanced malware, phishing, and ransomware attacks in real time before they reach the user’s inbox. In turn, this also helps protect sensitive business data from breaches. Harmony Email and Office was the first solution to implement machine learning, API, and AI for email security, and will ultimately prevent any attempts at account takeover via agentless multi-factor authentication.

    What is Complete Protection?

    Check Point Harmony Email and Office offers a superior catch rate for collaboration apps and cloud email with their API-based solution that detects attacks that other solutions miss, including account takeover, supply chain attacks, ransomware, and BEC. The complete protection offers:

    • Malware Protection - Recognized by NSS Labs as “most effective in breach prevention,” the solution leverages technologies to bring clean files to users within 1.5 seconds. In addition, enterprises can be safer as the solution prevents malicious messages and files from reaching the user’s inbox.
    • Data Leakage Protection - Any confidential or sensitive information will be marked and have a classified suffix added to the end of the message or file to help keep those materials safe. Those files are encrypted, and the user will be alerted to any attempted breach of those messages.
    • Phishing Protection - Before advanced phishing attacks reach the end user, Harmony Email and Office detects and blocks them, including outbound, inbound, and internal communications.
    • Account Takeover Protection - After a user connects their cloud app, the solution captures the user's history and creates a profile and a custom threat profile. In the event of a suspected account takeover, threat intelligence is leveraged through millions of Check Point-secured gateways and endpoints and is blocked.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Check Point Harmony Email and Office offers a revolutionary prevention solution to stop malware attacks through emails. Users particularly like its visibility and the ability to protect sensitive business data.

    David U., a CISO at IMC companies, notes, "It provides visibility of events, what's going on with the environment, what we're missing with our other solution, and the user behavior."

    Mantu S., a senior technology architect at Incedo Inc., writes, "We are able to protect sensitive business data and maintain regulatory compliance with advanced data leak prevention (DLP)."

    Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a comprehensive security solution that provides advanced threat protection for cloud workloads. It offers real-time visibility into the security posture of cloud environments, enabling organizations to quickly identify and respond to potential threats. With its advanced machine learning capabilities, Microsoft Defender for Cloud can detect and block sophisticated attacks, including zero-day exploits and fileless malware.

    The solution also provides automated remediation capabilities, allowing security teams to quickly and easily respond to security incidents. With Microsoft Defender for Cloud, organizations can ensure the security and compliance of their cloud workloads, while reducing the burden on their security teams.

    Sample Customers
    Helvetia, Denham Capital, Daymark Solutions, Neopharm Group
    Microsoft Defender for Cloud is trusted by companies such as ASOS, Vatenfall, SWC Technology Partners, and more.
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Energy/Utilities Company18%
    Computer Software Company15%
    Security Firm10%
    Healthcare Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    Real Estate/Law Firm6%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company24%
    Agriculture10%
    Recruiting/Hr Firm10%
    Consumer Goods Company10%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Financial Services Firm13%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Government7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business51%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise32%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business37%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise46%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise62%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business21%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise65%
    Buyer's Guide
    Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration vs. Microsoft Defender for Cloud
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration vs. Microsoft Defender for Cloud and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is ranked 9th in CWPP (Cloud Workload Protection Platforms) with 47 reviews while Microsoft Defender for Cloud is ranked 2nd in CWPP (Cloud Workload Protection Platforms) with 46 reviews. Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is rated 8.8, while Microsoft Defender for Cloud is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration writes "Has a user-friendly dashboard, a great anti-phishing algorithm, and sandboxing for testing". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Microsoft Defender for Cloud writes "Provides multi-cloud capability, is plug-and-play, and improves our security posture". Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is most compared with Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Avanan, Mimecast Email Security, Cisco Secure Email and Barracuda Email Protection, whereas Microsoft Defender for Cloud is most compared with AWS GuardDuty, Microsoft Defender XDR, Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks, Microsoft Sentinel and Wazuh. See our Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration vs. Microsoft Defender for Cloud report.

    See our list of best CWPP (Cloud Workload Protection Platforms) vendors.

    We monitor all CWPP (Cloud Workload Protection Platforms) 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.