Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense Reviews

Name: Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense
Brand: Cisco
Rating: 4.0 (14 reviews)

Vendor: Cisco

4.0 out of 5

14 reviews
92% willing to recommend

What is Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense?

Cisco's secure email threat defense is designed to provide comprehensive protection against email-based threats. With the increasing sophistication of cyber attacks, it is crucial for organizations to have a robust solution in place to safeguard their email communications.

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Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is the #20 ranked solution in top Email Security solutions. PeerSpot users give Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense an average rating of 8.0 out of 10. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is most commonly compared to Microsoft Defender for Office 365: Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 60% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 30% of all views.

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense

June 2025

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Featured Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense reviews

Enrique-Diaz Jolly

Principal Consulting Engineer, Founder, Own at Jolly Security Inc

I use the email gateway as the core of the email exchange between the Internet and our domain. The email gateway serves as the email exchanger The product offers protection, email security, anti-spam, and antivirus. It includes threat intelligence with advanced malware protection and many…

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Karthik Venkataraman

Senior Consultant at Velocis Systems

Currently, the ease of deployment is the low-hanging fruit for Cisco email security. It's good to deploy and then easy to use, and the GUI is understandable. Simply having email knowledge is more than enough to plug and play into this particular product. I'd rate it ten out of ten.

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Mike Bulyk

IT Security Director at Athletic & Therapeutic Institute of Naperville, LLC

The ability to see east-west traffic is its most valuable feature. Traditionally, email defense focuses on north-south, inbound-outbound, egress-ingress traffic. With Cisco Secure Email Cloud Mailbox, it's able to quickly identify, track, tag, and categorize emails that are internal. That can typically give us visibility into if there's an internal compromised account (for example). Someone can then use that internal compromised account to email additional accounts with either malicious software or links, but internal within that Office tenant. Effectively, that email message never leaves the tenant. Any of the mail gateways really do not have any method or way of seeing this traffic since it's not leaving the environment. The solution is very easy to use. It's just a single pane of glass, single screen web page that you access. Then, there are a small number of clicks necessary to get at the information you need. Reporting is easily generated. Likewise, the search capability is easily accessed and usable as well as provides the first initial information that you need about messages identified, categorized, and total volumes. All that information is easily identifiable and quickly accessible as soon as you log in. It is an easy to use, single web page, SaaS application. Cisco Secure Email Cloud Mailbox’s user interface is intuitive. We didn't need any training. There was a quick deployment document that you skim through, and it's fairly easy to both deploy as well as start using. Threat Grid is a capability which allows for running or executing software in a special sandbox environment where it's not affecting your enterprise or corporate systems. For that particular use case, Threat Grid works really well. It also ties in with various threat intelligence sources, e.g., detonating/testing our particular software or file in the sandbox can immediately identify indicators of compromise and share them with other clients that leverage Threat Grid. Likewise, the software that I uploaded for sandboxing is immediately validated and checked against all other client submissions as well as open source and Cisco Talos Threat Intelligence Sources. I find that really valuable. While there are other sandboxing solutions out there, I use Threat Grid quite a bit and I find it to be extremely useful and very usable. Threat Grid also gives us a sense of safety because I don't have to test it or build out custom virtual machines to do the testing. I don't have to test it on enterprise systems. From that perspective, Threat Grid is definitely a very good solution. Its ability to integrate with other Cisco portfolio tools is helpful because then you can tie in and quickly view what malicious files might've been found in your environment regardless of what Cisco security solution you are using, whether it's AMP, Email Security, Cisco Secure Email Cloud Mailbox, or anything else. AMP for Endpoints is something that I've used extensively. We have also used AMP for Network and Email. Collectively, it seems to be doing a pretty good job, especially when combined with Threat Grid because it's quickly able to identify files by hashing them and figuring out within the databases that Cisco owns, as well as open source threat intelligence databases, whether that particular hash is found in those databases. If it is, then it is malicious. It takes corresponding action pretty quickly. If it's an unknown hash (after it identifies the file by hash value), and if it's unknown and not found in the databases, then it automatically uploads that file to Threat Grid for sandboxing and analysis. That layered approach with respect to treating the files as they come in works well, whether via email, network, or found on an endpoint, especially as an ecosystem solution that integrates with other Cisco components and security tooling that one may have in the enterprise. This works well because the information found on a single endpoint, for example, can then immediately take action on an email by blocking that identified malicious file. Likewise, if there is a file that's coming in via email and it's found to be malicious by AMP or Threat Grid, then the information about that file is immediately known by the endpoints. The endpoint solution can then take action on that malicious file. As an ecosystem, it works really well.

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Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense mindshare

As of June 2025, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense in the Email Security category stands at 1.1%, down from 1.1% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Security

PeerResearch reports based on Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense reviews

Type	Title	Date
Category	Email Security	Jun 14, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Jun 14, 2025	Download
Comparison	Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365	Jun 14, 2025	Download
Comparison	Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs Proofpoint Email Protection	Jun 14, 2025	Download
Comparison	Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs Cisco Secure Email	Jun 14, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Microsoft Defender for Office 365	4.2	12.6%	96%	52 interviews Add to research
Proofpoint Email Protection	4.2	8.2%	95%	52 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense excels at managing east-west traffic within tenants, offering visibility into potential internal threats. Its intuitive interface simplifies deployment without extensive training. Users value Threat Grid's sandboxing for safe malware testing and integration with Cisco's tools. Its anti-spam, antivirus, and email filtering features are praised, supplemented by versatile threat intelligence. The system efficiently identifies and addresses malware, enabling organizations to respond promptly. Its adaptability and competitive threat intelligence make it stand out.

"Regarding stability, Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is very stable."
"I highly recommend it as one of the best choices."
"The product offers protection, email security, anti-spam, and antivirus."

Room for Improvement

Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense needs further integration with tools like Threat Grid, AMP reporting, and non-Cisco solutions. Enhancements in context and dashboard accessibility are needed. The search function and reporting of "convictions" can be improved. Users desire monthly billing options, advanced phishing detection, and domain protection. Cost efficiency, better email search, reduction in false positives, and AI implementation are also important. Incorporating DLP enhancements and modernizing cloud features would be beneficial.

"The behavioral analysis capability of Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is not particularly helpful for identifying new, evolving threats within my company, as it keeps flagging legitimate emails as malicious."
"The physical appliance has been discontinued, although the platform still exists."
"Cisco's multiple product lines and verticals made this just one of their many verticals, and we could see a shift in focus."

ROI

Users reported significant cost savings and increased productivity due to the effective protection against email threats. The solution was praised for its ability to prevent phishing attacks, malware infections, and data breaches, resulting in improved security and reduced financial losses.

Additionally, users appreciated the ease of use and seamless integration with existing email systems, which further enhanced the overall return on investment.

Pricing

Enterprise buyers find Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense pricing based on mailbox count and subscription duration, often for one to three years. While deemed expensive compared to competitors like Proofpoint, it is justified by its premium features and support. It is manageable for those invested in a full Cisco ecosystem, though customers frequently request lower prices. Additional costs for support may apply, but the licensing model remains clear and understandable.

"The solution’s pricing is manageable."
"It is expensive compared to other vendors."
"Cisco Secure Email Cloud Mailbox does not have any competition with Sophos, Trend Micro, or other vendors of the world. However, there is a pricing premium for the solution. One has to look at it from that angle that while they are buying Cisco, there will be a premium, and Cisco justifies that premium value. That's why they're charging a high price."

Popular Use Cases

Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is primarily used for monitoring email activity, adding layers of protection, and detecting threats in email communications. Users deploy it for internal tracking, phishing prevention, malware detection, and enhanced email security by leveraging cloud or on-premise deployment. It complements Microsoft 365's Advanced Threat Protection, facilitates faster remediation of malicious emails, separates spam, and sandboxes suspicious attachments. It helps secure email gateways and aids in preventing domain blacklisting.

Service and Support

Customer service and support for Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense are generally well-received. Users find support responsive and helpful, resolving issues promptly. Many appreciate the ability to connect efficiently with engineers for assistance. Implementation typically requires minimal follow-up support. While some instances of false positives need escalation, users express satisfaction with the service, with some rating it highly. Regional support benefits from having numerous data centers, ensuring timely problem-solving. Most users haven't encountered major issues post-implementation.

Deployment

Users described Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense's initial setup as easy and straightforward, with deployment taking under an hour to a maximum of one day. Administrative privileges for Microsoft 365 were necessary, yet the deployment process was smooth and simple. There were some concerns about required permissions, but implementation was quick. Deployment timelines varied slightly depending on the architecture, with cloud setups taking a few days. The adaptability of teams and environment complexity affected the overall experience.

Scalability

Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense demonstrates strong scalability for both small and large organizations, efficiently handling numerous mailboxes and email classifications. Users report seamless transitions between different quantities of mailboxes without processing delays. The cloud-based nature allows for easy expansion, supporting user increases and multiple servers consistently. Users highlight the capability to scale effectively, though some note complexities in adding new features, rating scalability positively overall.

Stability

Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense appears stable and reliable, with users reporting no maintenance requirements or stability issues. It operates effectively without crashing or freezing, and there are no bugs or glitches. Users rate its stability highly, noting dependable performance with minimal complaints post-installation. Stability remains consistent despite potential dependencies, such as those with Microsoft 365 tenant. In various use cases, it maintains a strong performance, meeting changing requirements without incurring issues.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

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Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

30%

Government

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Media Company

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Non Profit

Pharma/Biotech Company

Retailer

Educational Organization

University

Insurance Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Energy/Utilities Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Logistics Company

Outsourcing Company

Wellness & Fitness Company

Recruiting/Hr Firm

Consumer Goods Company

Transportation Company

Marketing Services Firm

Sports Company

Legal Firm

Religious Institution

Performing Arts

Compare Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense with alternative products

Learn more about Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense

The product offers advanced threat detection capabilities, leveraging machine learning algorithms and real-time analysis to identify and block malicious emails. It scans incoming and outgoing emails for suspicious attachments, links, and content, ensuring that only safe and legitimate emails reach the users' inbox.

To combat phishing attacks, our solution employs advanced anti-phishing techniques, including URL reputation analysis and email header analysis. It proactively detects and blocks phishing emails, preventing users from falling victim to fraudulent schemes and protecting sensitive information.

The Secure Email Threat Defense also includes robust anti-malware and anti-spam features. It scans email attachments for malware and viruses, preventing them from infiltrating the organization's network. Additionally, it filters out spam emails, reducing the clutter in users' inboxes and improving productivity.

Administrators have full visibility and control over email security. They can set up customizable policies to enforce security measures, such as blocking specific file types or restricting email access from certain domains. Detailed reports and analytics provide insights into email threats and help in fine-tuning the security settings.

Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense was previously known as Cisco Secure Email Cloud Mailbox, Cisco CMD, Cisco Cloud Mailbox Defense.