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Cisco Secure Email vs Trend Micro InterScan Messaging Security comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

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
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
62
Ranking in other categories
Cisco Security Portfolio (7th)
Trend Micro InterScan Messa...
Ranking in Email Security
35th
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
Secure Email Gateway (SEG) (14th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Email is 6.1%, down from 8.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Trend Micro InterScan Messaging Security is 0.6%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Security
 

Featured Reviews

Kostas Karidas - PeerSpot reviewer
Helps prevent security breaches but fails to improve in the area of AI
I have not noticed any impressive advanced threat protection mechanisms in the tool. I don't know if there are any AI features in the product. I don't know if there is any other technology embedded in the solution. Cisco Secure Email successfully mitigated potential email threats. My company has seen plenty of scenarios where Cisco Secure Email successfully mitigated potential email threats, spam emails, and fraudulent domains. The product is good for dealing with spam emails, and it can take care of more than 100 spam emails per day. A huge number of spam emails are monitored with the help of Cisco Secure Email. I would not recommend the product to other businesses because you need to have some kind of expertise in configuring and knowing a bit about the tool's GUI. The tool also lacks in the area of AI mechanics. If I would like to have an overview and review another solution, I would go for another product other than Cisco Secure Email. I can definitely suggest others to look at the product and review it, but I would also recommend that they compare it with the other solutions in the market. I wouldn't prioritize Cisco Secure Email over other tools. Either the support partner of the product or I take care of the tool's maintenance phase by looking into the configurations and doing some fine-tuning. I rate the tool a seven to eight out of ten.
Abdul  Waris - PeerSpot reviewer
Deploy features like DLP and BEC for enhanced security
Multiple clients are using email security. We provide solutions based on what they need, and we configure them accordingly as per the requirement With Trend Micro email security gateway, we can deploy features like DLP and BEC. It includes Office 365 protection and sandboxing. This provides…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The tool comes with AI features. It is good for clients who already use Cisco products due to integration."
"The system enables end users to manage their own whitelists/blacklists."
"Because we scan products, and there is a lot of critical data, security is very important in these cases."
"The most significant enhancement we've gained is in terms of security through the upgrade we received."
"The solution works well."
"The tech engineers are very knowledgeable."
"It has the IMS engine, Intelligent Multi-Scan engine, and it does a good job, right out-of-the-box, of blocking the vast majority of things that should be blocked."
"The logs are easily readable and help diagnose problems, although they can be difficult to find initially. The solution addresses our email security, but for the rest of our security, we would use multiple vendors. It covers everything through email, like antivirus, IDS, and IPS."
"With Trend Micro email security gateway, we can deploy features like DLP and BEC."
"The solution provides protection with its Email Track Records and Machine Manual features."
"The technical support services are excellent."
"With Trend Micro email security gateway, we can deploy features like DLP and BEC."
 

Cons

"The product's GUI for the dashboard needs improvement."
"The pricing needs to be reconsidered or enhanced."
"The primary areas for improvement are the pricing and the complexity of deployment."
"The solution needs to improve its advanced phishing filters. It is very good at filtering things which have bad reputations. However, when phishing or malicious emails are new or coming from a legitimate source, we don't feel that the solution is working."
"The management features of the product are not up to date."
"While Cisco offers excellent solutions and innovations, the pricing may not be suitable for everyone. The cost of the software is relatively high. In the current market, there are numerous competitive alternatives that focus on security, enterprise networks, and various other aspects. Cisco, being a comprehensive provider, extends its expertise across data, servers, storage, and security, making them a preferred choice for many enterprises. However, when it comes specifically to security solutions, there are other vendors that specialize solely in this domain, offering competitive options."
"If you are not a technical guy, it is hard to maneuver, but as soon as you work on it, it gets better and better. If there was a better way to know how to do things or how to find things, it would be good."
"The user interface needs some improvement to become more user-friendly. The graphics could be better. It's designed more for a technical user rather than a business user."
"The product's pricing could be more flexible."
"There is room for improvement in content filtration, expressions, file sharing, and policy configuration."
"There is room for improvement in content filtration, expressions, file sharing, and policy configuration."
"The solution's pricing could be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We do annual licensing for Cisco Secure Email Gatewayand SMA together, and possibly SmartNet support. Packaged together, the cost is just under $38,000."
"The licensing is a mess and needs sorting out. I am not really concerned about the pricing because I only make recommendations, not buying decisions."
"As per market availability, this solution is more expensive than other vendors."
"Pricing depends on your environment and which model you want to buy."
"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."
"It is an expensive product. I rate its pricing an eight or nine."
"In addition to the standard licensing, there is a cost for SMARTnet as well."
"We were using Proofpoint and then we switched to Cisco... reportability was one of the main reasons we switched, but the biggest one was cost. If you can get an equivalent functionality for a better price it's wise to do so. That's what our primary decision came down to: We could get equivalent functionality at a lower price point."
"Trend Micro is an expensive solution."
"I rate Trend Micro InterScan Messaging Security’s pricing a seven out of ten."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
20%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
6%
Performing Arts
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco Secure Email?
Cisco Secure Email is a budget-friendly solution.
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.
What needs improvement with Cisco Secure Email?
The user interface of the Email Security Gateway ( /products/security-gateway-reviews ) should be improved. It would be beneficial to have the functionality of the Email Threat Defense integrated i...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Trend Micro InterScan Messaging Security?
The price is a bit high because the market is highly competitive. Multiple platforms are available, so we have to choose based on comparison.
What needs improvement with Trend Micro InterScan Messaging Security?
There is room for improvement in content filtration, expressions, file sharing, and policy configuration. We could decrease the price in email security gateway and cloud security services.
 

Also Known As

Cisco Email Security, IronPort, Cisco Email Security, ESA, Email Security Appliances
InterScan Messaging Security
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

SUNY Old Westbury, CoxHealth, City of Fullerton, Indra
Copa Airlines, Air21, BookMyShow, Bulgarian American Credit Bank, Canadian Museum of History, CIBIL, Community National Bank, Dar Al-Handasah
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Email vs. Trend Micro InterScan Messaging Security and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.