Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs Sophos Email comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender for Offi...
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Ranking in Email Security
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
43
Ranking in other categories
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (9th)
Microsoft Exchange Online P...
Ranking in Email Security
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
34
Ranking in other categories
Anti-Malware Tools (11th)
Sophos Email
Ranking in Email Security
11th
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
Office 365 Protection (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2024, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is 13.1%, down from 20.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is 7.3%, down from 13.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos Email is 3.4%, down from 4.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Security
Unique Categories:
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
12.3%
Microsoft Security Suite
1.5%
Anti-Malware Tools
5.6%
Office 365 Protection
23.3%
 

Featured Reviews

SR
Nov 28, 2023
Stops evolving threats and offers peace of mind
We use the solution for wireless scanning, reporting, and monitoring.  The product is not resource-intensive.  The tool's most valuable feature is virus scanning, which has saved us from malware and ransomware.  We need to be able to whitelist data at the backend.  I have been using the product…
Sandip Chauhan - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 5, 2024
Offers configuration for different security policies like anti-phishing, anti-spam, and anti-malware but these policies have their limitations
We face challenges with reporting features and the lack of a proper dashboard in Microsoft's portal. There's no graphical interface, which other products offer. The reporting features need improvement. There isn't a proper dashboard provided by Microsoft, forcing us to search for everything manually in the portal without the aid of a graphical user interface, unlike what other products offer. So, having a proper dashboard would significantly enhance the usability and effectiveness of the service. The tracking features require us to search in MailFlow, where we input dates and times to find emails, focusing on sender and receiver details. This process highlights the challenge of not having an explorer feature in the basic EOP functionalities, making it difficult to search emails beyond the last ten days.
JOEY  CAPAPAS - PeerSpot reviewer
May 23, 2024
Prevents phishing emails and other cybersecurity attacks
The solution prevents phishing emails and other cybersecurity attacks Our client recently received many emails, and their employees didn't realize these emails were phishing attempts. Consequently, they clicked on them and fell victim to the attack. Therefore, it is important to secure their…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The email protection is excellent, especially in terms of anti-phishing policies."
"Defender is a SaaS platform, so it offers more flexibility. Managing the permissions is easier. The solution's automated detection and response features are scalable."
"The deployment capability is a great feature."
"Some of the valuable features on the email side are anti-phishing, anti-malware, and Safe Links."
"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."
"Defender helps us prioritize threats across our organization."
"Defender for Office 365 has helped eliminate having to look at multiple dashboards and that is the aspect I like most about it. It is simpler, effective, and convenient. The users like the process efficiency."
"The product is not resource-intensive."
"The initial setup is just a standard process."
"Microsoft EOP's most valuable feature is a shared mailbox."
"It is easy to configure, easy to use, easy to add exclusions, easy to track, and easy to add anything else if you want."
"It provides security to both on-premises and Azure infrastructures."
"It offers great security against malware and other threats."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection is the accidental release of information protection capabilities. Additionally, the solution is easy to use."
"The initial setup of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection was easy."
"Microsoft Exchange Online Protection has features like DLP (data loss protection), Safe Attachment, and Safe Links."
"I found the user interface friendly."
"Our client recently received many emails, and their employees didn't realize these emails were phishing attempts. Consequently, they clicked on them and fell victim to the attack. Therefore, it is important to secure their system with Sophos Email Security."
"I find the comprehensive features of Sophos Email most valuable."
"The solution's identity proxy feature is very good and reliable."
"The best thing about it is the logs."
"The most significant aspect is the response filtering concerning attachments and links."
"It has enhanced our approach to tackling malware and spam. It is a reliable product with a good user interface."
"Good VIP protection, time of click protection and the Sandstorm feature."
 

Cons

"We are always looking for others tools to increase automation on tasks. There can be better integration with other solutions, such as PowerPoint and email."
"The phishing and spam filters could use some improvement."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"We need a separate license and we don't know how to get the license that is required."
"This product's effectiveness could be improved, in terms of detecting unwanted spam or even malware between the emails, compared to other products."
"There is room for improvement in terms of reporting."
"Not all settings can be configured automatically and most still require manual configuration. However, there is an automation tool available that can be used to input all the configurations either as a script or a tool it would be helpful."
"Having orchestration features added to Microsoft Exchange Online Protection, particularly automation and remediation, would be quite useful."
"When you're using a Microsoft product solution, you can scale it, but if you're not, there are limitations."
"I would like to get reports about vulnerable connections from our clients with information about domains, public IPs, etc. That would be highly useful."
"The solution must improve the user experience."
"Microsoft has some training portals, but more could be developed."
"The management interface of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) could be intuitive."
"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 solution's technical support is slow and unresponsive. You need to book time in order to get support."
"The installation of Sophos Email could be easier. It's a bit difficult because setting up the email virtually requires some bit of technical knowledge."
"I would like to see improvements in the initial setup process, ensuring better compatibility with diverse customer infrastructures."
"It was sometimes hard to find the settings in the solution's interface."
"The product could include all the essential features and capabilities, similar to the on-premise, server-based version."
"Lacks visibility into spam emails."
"Sophos Email could better detect fake emails, especially when the domain names are similar. It needs to improve spotting spoofed domains, like when one letter differs in a domain name. It also needs to incorporate AI detection. Barracuda detects suspicious emails better. However, malware scanning is better in Sophos Email."
"The solution has not found a way to block certain kinds of phishing emails."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution could be better by simplifying the business model of their licensing. It was hard to figure out how to get the licensing done for the environment, initially."
"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."
"I know that the product is incredibly expensive."
"While Microsoft Defender for Office 365 necessitates pricier E3 or E5 subscriptions, the extensive functionality offered by these licenses across various Microsoft products justifies the investment."
"The product is expensive."
"It's a user-base subscription."
"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 comes with Microsoft Windows. It is free with the operating system."
"The license is expensive because the cost is based on the number of users."
"The tool's pricing is excellent."
"Apart from the license fee for the solution, there are no additional costs."
"On a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is very expensive, I rate the pricing a six. For licensing, we can make monthly or yearly payments. Right now, we pay 5 USD per month to secure a person's license."
"Microsoft Exchange Online Protection's pricing is a little bit more because its price has recently increased."
"Regarding the price, it's comparable to other service providers. We've also looked at Check Point's offerings, and the pricing doesn't seem to be an issue."
"The price of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection is reasonable."
"The solution is expensive but is backed by Microsoft's reputation."
"The pricing of the solution is reasonable."
"It is an expensive solution. On a scale of one to ten, where one is low price, and ten is high price, I rate the pricing a seven."
"It falls somewhere in the middle—it's not excessively expensive nor very cheap."
"There is an additional fee for their central managed console."
"Sophos Email is neither cheap nor expensive."
"We use exchange licenses, for which we get immediate support from Sophos."
"I would rate the pricing of Sophos Email as a six. It is considered affordable as a standalone product, and there are no additional costs besides licensing. The pricing is fixed."
"The tool's pricing is medium."
"Sophos Email is priced lower than its competitors."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Construction Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
Threat Explorer is an invaluable tool for me, and it plays a crucial role in helping me discern the origins of variou...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
The product must provide better malware detection. The detection algorithms don't perform the way I hope they would.
What do you like most about Microsoft Exchange Online Protection?
The initial setup was easy. The configuration process is very straightforward.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Exchange Online Protection?
We face challenges with reporting features and the lack of a proper dashboard in Microsoft's portal. There's no graph...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Exchange Online Protection?
The main use case is to block suspicious links in emails. However, some functionalities like SIPP attachment are not ...
What do you like most about Sophos Email?
The solution's identity proxy feature is very good and reliable.
What needs improvement with Sophos Email?
The tool's pricing is expensive. In its future release, the tool should make reporting easier to view.
 

Also Known As

MS Defender for Office 365
Microsoft EOP, MS Exchange Online Protection
Sophos Email Security
 

Learn More

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is trusted by companies such as Ithaca College.
Information Not Available
Del Monte Foods, Terra Verde, spicerhaart, RIVERLITE, Dataprise, SureBridge, Reed's School, Sayfol International School
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs. Sophos Email and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
787,779 professionals have used our research since 2012.