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Cisco Secure Email vs Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense comparison

Why PeerSpot?
Cisco Secure Email and Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense are both solutions in the Email Security category. Cisco Secure Email is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.3, while Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is ranked #23 with an average rating of 7.3. Cisco Secure Email holds a 4.5% mindshare in Email Security, compared to Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense’s 1.1% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Cisco Secure Email users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense users who would recommend it.
Cisco Secure Email
Read 63 Cisco Secure Email reviews
  • 13,171 Views
  • 11,590 Comparison Views
93% willing to recommend
Cisco Secure Email Threat D...
Read 16 Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense reviews
  • 2,587 Views
  • 2,587 Comparison Views
93% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

Cisco Secure Email and Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense provide advanced email security solutions. Cisco Secure Email is highlighted for its broad adaptability through numerous features, giving it a competitive edge in feature customization and management flexibility, whereas Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense excels in integrating with broader security ecosystems and offering advanced threat detection.

Features: Cisco Secure Email includes robust anti-spam measures, malware protection, and thorough integration with security protocols such as DKIM, DMARC, and AMP. It facilitates easy management and email customization, significantly reducing spam and improving filtering through Talos intelligence. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense focuses on cloud-based threat intelligence and endpoint security integration with capabilities like Threat Grid and AMP that help identify and counteract malicious email threats proactively.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Secure Email requires better integration with third-party reporting tools and enhancements in CLI management. Users have noted challenges with rule-setting, desiring user interface improvements and better hardware reliability. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense could enhance its collaboration with other tools, improve intuitive reporting, and develop a smarter search function. Both products would benefit from better phishing protection and additional sandboxing, along with cost reductions for broader accessibility.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Secure Email offers versatile deployment options, supporting on-premises, cloud, and hybrid configurations, with seamless setup praised by users alongside reliable technical support. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is optimized for private, hybrid, and public cloud deployments, which can limit on-premises flexibility. Both products are supported by strong service teams, but users appreciate Cisco Secure Email's flexible deployment and satisfaction with customer support.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Secure Email's pricing reflects its comprehensive features with costs varying by user numbers, though customers consider it worthwhile for its significant ROI in security and reduced email issues. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is seen as high-priced due to its premium features and support but is also viewed as a worthwhile investment for security and business continuity benefits. Potential users should balance premium costs with the specific benefits needed.

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To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Secure Email vs. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense Report (Updated: September 2026).
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Secure Email vs. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense
September 2026
Download the complete report
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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Secure Email
Ranking in Email Security
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
63
Ranking in other categories
Cisco Security Portfolio (6th)
Cisco Secure Email Threat D...
Ranking in Email Security
23rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Email is 4.5%, down from 5.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is 1.1%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Security Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Secure Email4.5%
Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense1.1%
Other94.4%
Email Security
 

Featured Reviews

KS
Karthik Sathivel
Technical Associate Network Security at Valuepoint Systems
Email security has protected financial data and provides clear tracking for every branch message
The areas of Cisco Secure Email that could be improved or enhanced are the slowness in the console. I don't think it was a database error or something, but we feel some slowness in configuring DLP and other content filters compared to other consoles. It may have been due to on-premises, but it was much noisy at some times while configuring DLP. When we tried to configure a DLP policy, the console became much slower. In that case, we cannot see what had happened in the mail which was blocked at that time. It may take nearly an hour to get back to normal while configuring policies. That is the major issue in the product.
Read full review
NM
Nipuna Madhubhashana
Enginner at Millennium Information Technologies
Has faced challenges with configuration, taking actions, and learning curve but benefits from centralized management and good technical support
We have deployed Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense in two customer environments. It is still in development as a new product. Some customer requirements, such as sending logs to a Syslog server, are limited as ETD only supports sending audit logs. Customers have requirements for other system logs as well, which should be developed from their side. Another customer request is to restrict the IPs that can log in, which cannot be done from Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense yet. Any user with login details can log in. We can restrict the IPs in Cloud Mail Gateways, but not from Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense. It would be beneficial to improve this feature. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense can take actions, such as requesting O365 to quarantine mail. In that case, the customer requires notification to the recipient from Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense. This option would be valuable if available. The real-time threat intelligence of Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is an AI-based classification. It took one to two months to optimize the classification, but we still experience some false positives. Reducing the learning period would be beneficial. The learning curve shows that in the beginning, there are numerous false positives. For one month, we had to reclassify the false positives manually until the system learned. Reducing the learning time would be much better. Additional features desired in the next release include IP restrictions and user logging IP restrictions, ensuring only the customer environment can log in to Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense. Logs forwarding needs improvement as currently it only has audit logs. In Cloud Mail Gateway, we can create an IPsec tunnel to forward logs. However, in Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense, there is no option, and we must do API integration to send logs. Only SIM can get logs; Syslog cannot retrieve them.
Read full 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 works well."
"The user interface was quite friendly, it was quite easy to use, unlike some other Cisco products. Anybody could use it. You don't have to be familiar with IT to be able to handle navigating it."
"Apart from the improvement needed to the filters, it was all good."
"My favorite feature of Cisco Secure Email is the threat intelligence capabilities, particularly its integration with Cisco Talos."
"We are now protected against spam emails."
"The most significant enhancement we've gained is in terms of security through the upgrade we received."
"Cisco Secure Email Cloud Gateway has allowed our users to be able to concentrate on the emails that they do receive. Previously, our users had to deal with nine million additional emails across the organization, which is nearly 1,000 emails per user to have to deal with a month. That's a massive amount for our staff to deal with and probably several hours of their time. We have a lot of clinical staff, being a hospital. We want to make our staff as productive as possible. By removing a lot of that spam and phishing type emails, this allows them to do their job."
"The most valuable features are Advanced Malware Protection, URL filtering, and of course Reputation Filtering."
More Cisco Secure Email pros
"Cisco's technical support is very good."
"I highly recommend it as one of the best choices."
"The features and functionalities are much better than Microsoft's in-built Defender plan, and this product has helped us to protect our organization from any malware attack in the past."
"Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense's best features include user management of graymail, enhancing security awareness by allowing users to manage cold calls, sales-based items, and ensuring email compliance."
"The solution is stable."
"Regarding stability, Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is very stable."
"Cisco has a threat mechanism called cloud-based Talos, where all the threats are inbuilt."
"The advanced threat analytics and URL filtering in threat detection are good features that are working well."
More Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense pros
 

Cons

"We use the CLI for management, but it's not very good. It's based on Java and it's very difficult to use."
"The user interface is a bit complex."
"I use the search all the time. Sometimes, it is hard to search for things and things are hard to find."
"Cisco Secure Email can be improved from the administrator's point of view. Usually, you have to work with different areas, and they can try to make it easy for the administrator to use different functions."
"One of the things that Cisco could improve on with IronPort is the support. Cisco doesn't really have enough engineers who have full, hands-on knowledge of IronPort. Knowledge of it is not something you can find easily compared to other security appliances."
"The hardware is not up to the mark. Two to three times a year we have complete downtime."
"The solution does not have a strong outbound service. It should also integrate DLP."
"There are some concerns in the way the architecture is set up, making it an area where improvements are required."
More Cisco Secure Email cons
"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 pricing could always be better."
"This solution could be improved by integration with Sandbox."
"The tool gives false positives and it needs to be more accurate. I would like to see AI as a new feature."
"The search area has room for improvement. When you go to the next page, it remains at the bottom of the current page that you're on. Also, under the reports section, it allows you to see any "convictions," but if you want to search for those convictions you have to remember when they all came in and go back and edit the search accordingly. You cannot click on the list of convictions to actually see if you had a spike at a certain time."
"There is still room for improvement in terms of integrations with other Cisco tools and non-Cisco tools. There is also some room for improvement needed in terms of the reporting."
"Customers will benefit greatly from monthly billing because the majority of customers today use the cloud, be it Office 365, or Google Cloud."
"Cisco's multiple product lines and verticals made this just one of their many verticals, and we could see a shift in focus."
More Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The license was not per user, the license model was per feature. You could choose anti-virus, anti-spam, etc. It was feature-based and charged yearly."
"The licensing was all transferred."
"It's adapted to the market. It's similar to other vendors. We at least don't have many problems regarding that because Cisco is adaptable on that side. When we present the solutions to the customers, we tend to achieve the goals that the customer has in terms of the budget for such implementations."
"I rate the pricing a ten out of ten on a scale where one means it is less cost-effective, and ten means it is the most cost-effective solution."
"The solution is expensive."
"It is a reasonably priced solution."
"I don't have the insights into it, but compared to different products, it seems to have a medium level of pricing."
"Cisco Secure Email is expensive, but we get what we pay for."
More Cisco Secure Email pricing and cost advice
"The feedback from vendors and customer is that it is expensive."
"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."
"The solution’s pricing is manageable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
11%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Marketing Services Firm
11%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Healthcare Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business22
Midsize Enterprise18
Large Enterprise27
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise7
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Secure Email?
The pricing structure is good as it is user-based or email client-based, which is positive for clients.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Cisco Secure Email?
The areas of Cisco Secure Email that could be improved or enhanced are the slowness in the console. I don't think it was a database error or something, but we feel some slowness in configuring DLP ...
See all answers
What is your primary use case for Cisco Secure Email?
We are using Cisco Secure Email to monitor the outgoing and incoming mail traffic in our financial institute. We have nearly 900 branches all over India. We have an on-premises mail server in which...
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Secure Email Threat Defense?
Comparatively with other products, the pricing of Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is normal. As a technical guide, I am not very aware of the pricing details.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Secure Email Threat Defense?
We have deployed Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense in two customer environments. It is still in development as a new product. Some customer requirements, such as sending logs to a Syslog server, ar...
See all answers
What is your primary use case for Secure Email Threat Defense?
We are working with Cloud Mail Gateway and on-premise mail gateways. We have worked with Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Check Point Anti-Spam and Email Security Software Blade vs Cisco Secure Email
Compared 6% of the time
Proofpoint Email Protection vs Cisco Secure Email Logo
Proofpoint Email Protection vs Cisco Secure Email
Compared 5% of the time
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Cisco Secure Email Logo
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Cisco Secure Email
Compared 4% of the time
Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) vs Cisco Secure Email Logo
Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) vs Cisco Secure Email
Compared 2% of the time
More Cisco Secure Email Competitors
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Check Point Anti-Spam and Email Security Software Blade vs Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense
Compared 16% of the time
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense Logo
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense
Compared 14% of the time
Kiteworks vs Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense Logo
Kiteworks vs Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense
Compared 11% of the time
Comodo Secure Email Gateway vs Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense Logo
Comodo Secure Email Gateway vs Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense
Compared 7% of the time
Proofpoint Email Protection vs Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense Logo
Proofpoint Email Protection vs Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense
Compared 6% of the time
More Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Secure Email
September 2026
Cisco Secure Email reportDownload Cisco Secure Email product report
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense
September 2026
Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense reportDownload Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense product report
 

Also Known As

Cisco Email Security, IronPort, Cisco Email Security, ESA, Email Security Appliances
Cisco Secure Email Cloud Mailbox, Cisco CMD, Cisco Cloud Mailbox Defense
 

Overview

Cisco Secure Email provides email security with advanced threat protection, spam filtering, and easy integration with Cisco Talos, ensuring comprehensive protection against cyber threats like phishing and malware.

Cisco Secure Email offers a comprehensive platform for organizations seeking robust email security. With advanced threat protection and seamless integration with Cisco Talos, it enhances threat intelligence. The tool provides easy-to-use spam blocking and granular policy customization. Effective ransomware, phishing, and malware protection ensures stable network performance. It includes logging and reporting features, along with Active Directory integration, delivering enhanced security without extra hardware. Although it addresses threats efficiently, improvements in synchronization with reporting tools and phishing detection are needed. Organizations find cost and licensing complexities challenging for smaller networks and seek more intuitive configuration, advanced AI threat detection, and comprehensive reporting. Enhanced support, documentation, and cross-platform compatibility are desirable for better management and scalability.

What are the most important features?
  • Advanced Threat Protection: Guards against cyber threats like malware and phishing
  • Spam Blocking: Efficiently filters unwanted emails to maintain inbox integrity
  • Policy Customization: Allows granular control over email security policies
  • Integration with Cisco Talos: Enhances threat intelligence with global insights
  • Active Directory Integration: Simplifies user management and enhances security
What benefits and ROI should users consider?
  • Ease of Use: Intuitive interface provides a straightforward user experience
  • Network Performance: Maintains speed and reliability while securing emails
  • Comprehensive Reporting: Offers detailed insights into email threats and responses
  • No Additional Hardware: Provides complete email security without hardware costs
  • Enhanced Email Security: Protects against a wide range of email-based threats

In industries like finance, healthcare, and IT, Cisco Secure Email is key to securing email communications. It serves as the primary email gateway in datacenters, scanning and filtering emails to defend against phishing, malware, and spam. Many organizations integrate it with Sophos Antivirus and Talos Threat Intelligence for heightened protection. It plays a crucial role in outbound message control and data loss prevention, ensuring compliance with security policies.

Cisco

Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense offers robust email security with features like east-west traffic visibility and seamless SaaS deployment. It enhances cloud email protection by integrating Threat Grid sandboxing and AMP for malware defense, supported by Cisco Talos threat intelligence.

Enhancing email security for Microsoft 365 and cloud emails, Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense acts as an email gateway, blocking phishing, malware, and business email compromise. Users benefit from a centralized management console, efficient graymail administration, and strong filtering capabilities. Despite its strengths, it requires improvements in integration, spam detection accuracy, and enhances phishing protection.

What are the most important features of Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense?
  • East-West Traffic Visibility: Offers insight into email tenant interactions.
  • SaaS Application Deployment: Simplifies deployment processes.
  • Threat Grid Sandboxing: Provides advanced malware protection.
  • AMP Integration: Enhances malware defense capabilities.
  • Anti-Spam and Antivirus: Powered by Cisco Talos threat intelligence.
  • Cloud Mailbox Features: Includes robust email filtering and management.
What benefits or ROI should be evaluated in reviews?
  • Enhanced Security: Provides protection against advanced threats.
  • Operational Efficiency: Reduces reliance on help desk services.
  • User-Friendly Management: Streamlines email administration tasks.
  • Improved Email Filtering: Ensures effective threat blocking.

Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense is highly applicable in industries requiring stringent data protection, such as finance and healthcare. It serves cloud-based environments by closely monitoring email activity to prevent unauthorized access and breaches. Tailored deployment options cater to both on-premise and cloud architectures, allowing flexible integration in existing workflows.

Cisco
 

Sample Customers

SUNY Old Westbury, CoxHealth, City of Fullerton, Indra
Luiss University, Lone Star College, T-Systems, Magyar Telekom
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Secure Email vs. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense
September 2026
Free Report: Cisco Secure Email vs. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Email vs. Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
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