Email Security

Email Security Solutions: How to Choose the Right Platform

Compare popular email security platforms to see what sets them apart and which capabilities matter for your environment.

Compare Proofpoint Gartner Magic Quadrant for Email Security
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Evaluation Basics

What makes an email security solution effective?

An effective email security solution detects advanced threats before and after delivery, protects sensitive data in outbound email, and gives security teams the context to investigate and respond quickly. It combines multiple detection methods, flexible deployment, and automated remediation to reduce risk to people and data. 

Feature checklists only tell part of the story. Compare how each platform detects, investigates and responds. 

Comparison Tips

Compare the capabilities that matter most

Look closely at how each solution works in your environment, which risks it addresses, and what it demands from your security team.

Detection depth

Understand how detection works

Malware, credential phishing, business email compromise (BEC), and compromised accounts don't present the same signals for detection. Look beyond the attack types vendors claim to cover. Instead, focus on their detection approach: how they use context like message content, behaviour, relationships, and threat intelligence to identify malicious activity.

Data protection

Weigh outbound data risk

Inbound attacks are only one source of email risk. Misdirected sends, excessive sharing, and exfiltration can also expose sensitive data. Include data loss prevention (DLP) and encryption in your decision from the start.

Security operations

Count operational effort as cost

Similar-looking security capabilities from one vendor to another can create notably different workloads for your team. Factor false positives, manual remediation, investigation complexity, and the context analysts need into a platform's cost alongside its licensing and deployment.

Deployment model

Match deployment to protection 

API-based and secure email gateway (SEG) architectures provide different visibility and control across the email lifecycle. Don't treat the deployment model itself as a measure of how effective a platform is. Start with the protection and mail-flow control you require, then determine which architecture, or combination of architectures, provides it.

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Comparing Vendors

Compare leading email security vendors

Most leading email security solutions offer similar broad capabilities. The differences show up in how those capabilities work. Compare the context behind detection, when and where each platform can act, and how much effort investigation and response require. Use the table to see each vendor’s approach and follow the links for deeper comparisons.

Compare leading email security vendors

Compare each vendor's core approach and key considerations that can affect platform fit. Follow the links to dive into a deeper look at each vendor.

Vendor Approach Key considerations Compare with Proofpoint
Proofpoint Multi-model behavioural AI and threat intelligence deployed through API, SEG, or both Review how detection, investigation, and automated response work together across the email lifecycle. Core Email Protection
Microsoft Native email protection integrated with Microsoft 365 and the Microsoft security ecosystem Decide whether native protection is enough. Additional detection, threat context, user-risk visibility, and response may make defence in depth worthwhile for your environment. Compare Microsoft
Abnormal Security API-based email security solution centred on behavioural AI and anomaly detection Look beyond coverage to how threats are detected. Ask how behavioural analysis combines with other methods to catch business email compromise (BEC), malware, and malicious URLs. Compare Abnormal Security
Mimecast SEG-based email security solution with continuity, archiving, and related services Count operational burden as part of the cost. Confirm how continuity, archiving, and security services work together. Ask what deployment and administration each service requires. Compare Mimecast
Cisco SEG-based protection integrated with Cisco’s broader security portfolio Factor Cisco's shifting portfolio into long-term cost and complexity. As Cisco retires legacy offerings, migrations and other product changes could create substantial extra work for existing customers. Compare Cisco
Symantec Email security with separate cloud and on-premises gateway offerings Account for complexity across products and add-ons. Symantec delivers cloud and on-premises email security as separate offerings, with some advanced protections available as add-ons. Compare Symantec
Check Point Harmony API-first cloud email security solution with optional inline deployment Verify coverage across your actual mail flows. Check Point's API and inline configurations introduce different mail-flow and Microsoft 365 requirements, so understand how your traffic will be handled. Compare Check Point Harmony
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When should you add email security to Microsoft 365?

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 provides native pre- and post-delivery protection against phishing, malware, malicious links, and attachments. However, if your organisation needs deeper detection of evasive threats, greater control over mail flow, or more context for investigation and response, you should explore extending protection beyond Microsoft's native controls.

Proofpoint delivers a defence-in-depth approach that augments Microsoft 365 through API or gateway-based deployment, with multilayered threat detection, automated remediation, and broader visibility across people, accounts, and attacks.

Learn about Microsoft 365 security
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How Proofpoint strengthens email security

Proofpoint Core Email Protection combines multi-model behavioural AI with global threat intelligence to detect known and novel attacks based on message content, behaviour, relationships, and other threat signals. Continuous protection applies that intelligence across the email lifecycle, from pre-delivery detection through post-delivery and click-time response.

Deploy via API, SEG, or a hybrid approach to match protection to your architecture. Proofpoint connects detection and threat context with investigation and automated response, reducing repetitive triage and manual remediation so analysts can identify and resolve real threats faster.

Explore Core Email Protection

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See how Proofpoint can strengthen email protection across your environment while reducing investigation and response effort.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Measure email security effectiveness across detection, false positives, response, and operational effort, not threat-blocking rates alone. Look at how well the solution detects advanced threats and social engineering, how often it incorrectly flags legitimate messages, and what happens when a threat is discovered after delivery. Strong detection loses value if false positives and manual work consume analyst time.

API-based email security and secure email gateways (SEGs) provide different types of protection, and some organisations use both to cover more of the email lifecycle. A SEG inspects messages inline and can block threats before delivery. API-based security integrates directly with cloud email platforms such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, supporting in-mailbox visibility, post-delivery detection, and automated remediation. Choose based on the protection and mail-flow control your environment requires.

Compare AI-powered email security by the signals its models analyse and the evidence that those models improve detection, not simply whether a vendor uses AI. BEC and other social engineering attacks may require context about message intent and relationships, while account takeovers can require behavioural and identity signals. Look for evidence of detection efficacy and false-positive performance across different attack techniques.

Microsoft 365 provides substantial native email security, but some enterprises need additional protection based on their threat, architecture, and security operations requirements. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 provides pre- and post-delivery protection against phishing, malware, malicious links, and attachments. Additional email security can extend detection, mail-flow control, investigation context, and response through API-based or gateway-based protection.

Reassess your email security requirements before choosing a direct replacement for your existing platform. Your email environment, threat profile, and security operations may have changed since the current solution was selected. Preserve the capabilities that still matter, but use the replacement cycle to address new risks, operational pain points, and architecture requirements rather than recreating the existing environment.