Michael Maertzdorf - PeerSpot reviewer
IT System Administrator at Data 4 Information Technology B.V.
Real User
Top 10
A stable solution that can be used for email filtering and protection from spam and phishing
Pros and Cons
  • "URL scanning and online relay service are the most valuable features of Proofpoint Email Protection."
  • "Integration and filtering out who you want and don't want to have integrated ID could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use Proofpoint Email Protection mostly for email filtering, spam, and phishing.

What is most valuable?

URL scanning and online relay service are the most valuable features of Proofpoint Email Protection.

What needs improvement?

Integration and filtering out who you want and don't want to have integrated ID could be improved. Sometimes it takes longer for an email sent through Proofpoint Email Protection to reach the client.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Proofpoint Email Protection for five years.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Proofpoint Email Protection has no stability issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Proofpoint Email Protection is easy to scale. Around 50 users are using the solution in our organization.

How was the initial setup?

The solution’s initial setup is pretty straightforward.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Proofpoint Email Protection has comparable pricing. The solution has a monthly license. Suppose Proofpoint Email Protection can have 50 users, but you have only 30 current employees; then you only pay for those that are active.

What other advice do I have?

We are using the latest version of Proofpoint Email Protection. Depending on the number of users, one or two people are required for the maintenance of Proofpoint Email Protection.

I would recommend others to compare Proofpoint Email Protection with other tools before choosing it.

Overall, I rate Proofpoint Email Protection an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Anita Brüggemann - PeerSpot reviewer
System Administrator at emco Bau- und Klimatechnik GmbH & Co. KG
Real User
Top 5
Easy to set-up and effectively drops spam and phishing emails
Pros and Cons
  • "It was easy to set up."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use it for our email flow. We use it for our daily operations. For example, it helps in dropping spam and phishing emails.

    What needs improvement?

    There is room for improvement. One aspect that could be enhanced is finding a better way to follow outgoing mail. This would be particularly useful in situations where customers or suppliers claim they did not receive our messages.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We have been using this solution for seven years. We are also using a Proofpoint protection server and Proofpoint Threat Response.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten. We have about a thousand people using it.

    How are customer service and support?

    The customer service and support team is okay.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

    How was the initial setup?

    It was easy to set up. I would rate my experience with the initial setup a nine out of ten. The deployment took half a day. 

    What about the implementation team?

    We worked on the deployment process together with our provider.

    What other advice do I have?

    Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. We are really satisfied with the solution. 

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Proofpoint Email Protection
    March 2024
    Learn what your peers think about Proofpoint Email Protection. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    Gerald Ashokan - PeerSpot reviewer
    Global Account Executive at Tata Consultancy
    Real User
    Top 5Leaderboard
    Stable platform that detects malware, viruses, and other email scams and the setup is not too complicated
    Pros and Cons
    • "Proofpoint Email Protection is stable enough and does its job of virus, malware, and email scam detection. Setting it up is not too complicated."
    • "Pricing for the platform could still be cheaper."

    What is our primary use case?

    Proofpoint Email Protection is used as an email security platform to detect all kinds of malware, viruses, and unethical acts being done through email solicitations.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We've been dealing with Proofpoint Email Protection for at least three years. We've been providing the support for it and deploying it across different countries within the group.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Proofpoint Email Protection is stable enough, and it has a good image within the group. It's doing its job.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup for Proofpoint Email Protection is not too complicated. I won't classify it as complicated or complex, though it does require a certain level of technical skills to manage and run the platform, which is also required on similar platforms.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    My clients pay for an annual subscription of Proofpoint Email Protection. Every client always finds it expensive, but I don't know how much they're paying for it. The price for the license could still be cheaper, in general.

    What other advice do I have?

    I provide products to clients. I have clients who use a product for email protection that I provided: Proofpoint Email Protection. They use it in their corporate offices.

    At this point in time, there's nothing that needs to be changed or improved in the tool. We have regular updates for Proofpoint Email Protection, so there's no specific need to change anything.

    I have two to three clients using the tool, but globally, within our group, I don't have information on the total number of clients using Proofpoint Email Protection.

    My company provides L3 support, and we reach out to Proofpoint for typical, vendor-type support, L4 support via a ticketing system.

    I'm rating Proofpoint Email Protection eight out of ten.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Public Cloud
    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
    PeerSpot user
    ArvindSharma2 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Security Operations Lead at ChargePoint
    Real User
    Top 10
    Scalable and easy to deploy but needs improvement in preventing phishing attacks
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most valuable feature is the option to edit the inbound security."
    • "There is room for improvement in detecting and preventing phishing attacks. While the solution performs well in some aspects, it struggles with phishing threats."

    What is our primary use case?

    The primary use case of Proofpoint Email Protection is to ensure email security for both incoming and outgoing emails.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable feature is the option to edit the inbound security. 

    What needs improvement?

    In terms of improvement, I have some concerns regarding the effectiveness of Proofpoint's phishing protection. There is room for improvement in detecting and preventing phishing attacks. While the solution performs well in some aspects, it struggles with phishing threats. There are other solutions on the market that do a good job with that.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using the solution for three years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    In terms of stability, the solution performs well. We have not experienced any issues or downtime.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is scalable enough for our organization. Approximately 2,000 people use it at our company daily.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    We are currently working with both Proofpoint and Abnormal Security, but we plan on completely switching to Abnormal Security soon. Proofpoint needs to work on its performance in handling spam and phishing and to improve its services when it comes to AI or ML-based solutions. Even if Proofpoint decides to roll out such features, it will take some time. There are competitors on the market who already offer those features, and that is why we opted for Abnormal Security.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is quite easy. It took one day to deploy the solution because our team needed to edit SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, which took some time as well.

    What other advice do I have?

    My advice to people who are considering using Proofpoint would be to properly evaluate the services it offers. During the POC phase, you should assess all features offered, including phishing protection, and ensure they are up to date. You should compare Proofpoint with other vendors in the market before making a decision. Overall, I would rate the solution a six out of ten.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Public Cloud

    If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

    Amazon Web Services (AWS)
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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    Melvin Ong - PeerSpot reviewer
    Country Manager at a security firm with 501-1,000 employees
    Real User
    Top 5Leaderboard
    Easy to set up with good protection but could be cheaper
    Pros and Cons
    • "The solution scales well."
    • "The solution could lower its price."

    What is our primary use case?

    I use the solution to protect email. It's primarily used for security purposes. 

    How has it helped my organization?

    The solution has improved the productivity of the users. It works in the background protecting us.

    What is most valuable?

    The protection has been fair so far. We haven't had any issues. 

    It's easy to set up. The deployment is also fast. 

    The solution has been stable.

    The solution scales well. 

    What needs improvement?

    So far, the protection on offer is okay. There are no improvements needed at this time. 

    The solution could lower its price. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using the solution for quite a long time at this point. I'm not sure how long it has been 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    We have not had any stability issues. There are no bugs or glitches. It is reliable. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It is scalable. It's easy to expand. We have about ten people using it in our environment. 

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is straightforward. It is not overly complex at all.

    The deployment itself is very quick. It doesn't take long to set up. You only need one person to set up the solution. 

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    The solution could be cheaper. The pricing is transparent. There are no extra costs. 

    What other advice do I have?

    I am a customer and end user. 

    I'm not sure which version I'm using. 

    I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. It's okay. 

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Public Cloud
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Business Development Manager at Skytex Consultant Limited
    Reseller
    A stable solution with a valuable archive feature
    Pros and Cons
    • "The archive feature is valuable."
    • "The scalability can be improved, and the solution can be optimized."

    What is most valuable?

    The archive feature is valuable.

    What needs improvement?

    The solution can be improved by including a real-time block list and giving the user more control over customizations. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We have used the solution for ten years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is stable. I rate it a ten out of ten.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is not very scalable.

    How are customer service and support?

    We rate our experience with customer service and support an eight out of ten.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    We previously used Barracuda.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup took half a day to configure, and two people were required for deployment.

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate the solution a nine out of ten. The solution is good, but the scalability can be improved and the solution can be optimized.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
    PeerSpot user
    Information Technology Help Desk Technician at a consumer goods company with 51-200 employees
    Real User
    Flexible, very secure, and offers excellent technical support
    Pros and Cons
    • "The solution offers very good flexibility. You can blacklist or whitelist with ease."
    • "The Secure Mail aspect should have an Outlook add-in, instead of an external dashboard that outside users have to access."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use it as a corporate or as an exchange email filter to protect, to stop any executables from coming through email, and to halt phishing scams. Basically, the product is for email security. We use it for our network.

    Also, if a user thinks that they didn't get an email, we can access the Proofpoint dashboard and go find missing mail that either people didn't get so we can rerelease it to them. Or if it did get quarantined, we can release and approve a sender.

    You can blacklist and whitelist sender lists. If you are getting phishing scams that get through the filter, you can end up shutting those down. You can actually block the entire domain so that domain can never email you ever again. 

    If there is an external email outside of your network or your company, you can whitelist them if it's an unknown sender, so you don't ever have to worry about missing their emails. 

    How has it helped my organization?

    We had an attempt for a ransomware attack and we were able to block them through Proofpoint Essentials. It's keeping us very safe. Our antivirus shut down the first one and then when the attacker tried again, we were able to block and cease all attacks. In the end, we didn't end up becoming a victim of a ransomware attack.

    What is most valuable?

    The solution offers very good flexibility. You can blacklist or whitelist with ease.

    Their entire dashboard is excellent. It's completely user-friendly, it's easy to navigate. Anything you need to get done, you can do right from the dashboard, which is incredible. 

    What makes it so easy is the features of Proofpoint and how secure it is. 

    You could have no IT experience and go in there and control Proofpoint. If your company says "Hey, we need somebody to control Proofpoint," you could hire a kid out of high school to learn it. That's how easy it is.

    What needs improvement?

    The Secure Mail aspect should have an Outlook add-in, instead of an external dashboard that outside users have to access. If we send a payment to one of our customers or an ACH or a form to fill out, they have to go through this entire subscription process on a separate website to read the secure mail.

    It should be like Ignite, where you can access the internal portal so then our customers aren't having to go through all these hoops just to read an email that we're trying to send them securely. That would be the one thing I would change. Basically, the Secure Mail portal wouldn't be its own portal; it would be an add-in.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using the solution for two years and the company itself has used it for five.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is 100% stable. It's incredible. We haven't had any issues with it. No downtime, no hiccups. Obviously, it's not going to catch everything, however, we have the ability to go in there and block stuff that it does miss. It's an incredible solution.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The scalability capability is based on the packages. We're not at the highest package, however, from what I've read, it's got some incredible scalability. With our package, it does everything we need and we have over 200 users.

    It does more than what we need it to. There's stuff we don't even use as we don't use those capabilities of it. The scalability would be incredible as with 200 users we still don't touch all of its features.

    As far as I know, we'll continue using it. The company has been happy with it for over five years and I've been around it for two years and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Now that we've added Secure Mail, it's really probably not going anywhere.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    I'd rate technical support eight out of ten.

    You pay for what you get, and we didn't pay for the enterprise tier, so we're in a middle tier. Sometimes it does take 24 hours to hear back, however, if it's a high priority that they'll call you within 30 minutes. It's pretty incredible how prompt they are. 

    Once you do get a hold of them, it's not like, "Okay, well, we'll look this up and we'll call you back." No - they sit there and they'll work you through it. They'll remote into your machine if you need them to. They're excellent.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    I haven't previously used any other solution. Before, the company only used the security features in Exchange Online admin center, which obviously wasn't as secure as they wanted it to be. That's why they went to Proofpoint.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup was straightforward. It's real easy to integrate with Active Directory exchange online. You just pretty much point and click and follow the prompts and it's there. Now, some of the whitelisting, you would have to have some experience, however, not too much. You would want someone knowledgeable to just navigate some of the approved domains and stuff like that to whitelist IPs as that portion was a little more work. 

    It probably took about six hours to whitelist IPs. The deployment is a moderate amount of work, however, not much, not a lot.

    We didn't do a very complex setup since most of our users are silent users. They have it, however, we don't allow them access as we don't want them to be able to release something onto the network. It probably was a six-hour job to just get everybody added in from Active Directory and integrated into the system.

    The maintenance is basically two people. It's all it really takes. It really only takes one person, however, there are usually two of us here that can access it and go in and clean stuff up. And as far as the roles, there's not really assigned roles for who goes in and does what. As far as users, they're silent users and active users, and only active users can actually access the portal, and then the administration is the only one that can change settings.

    What about the implementation team?

    We did use a consultant to help us with the implementation. Our network admin did most of the work, however, the consultants were there just to guide us through it, just in case we hit a hiccup, which we didn't. 

    The consultants were great. They were easy to work with. They were prompt in responses.

    What was our ROI?

    The biggest ROI for us was when it stopped a ransomware attack. It could have cost us a ton of money. It could have been detrimental to the company. It basically paid for itself right there.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    The licensing is basically $8/user. We pay yearly, however, they do allow for month-to-month billing.

    It's just a straight licensing fee. For support, you'll pay extra for that. If you want to move up to a higher tier, I don't know how much it is, however, I know you pay more to get a higher level of support. Tier One support is way cheaper than Tier Four. You are paying pretty much to have your own project manager. Proofpoint literally assigns someone to you. When you call, it's getting taken care of by his or her team. That's pretty expensive, however, I'm not sure of the cost.

    What other advice do I have?

    I'd advise users to get the package with the Secure Mail feature and then make sure that you whitelist all your important IPs and then add domains of all known users, so you don't run across any blocked or missing mail.

    Our users have learned to be more careful and look for more phishing attempts from it, because now they know what a normal email should look like instead of, "Hey, here's a link you need to update your password." And then just clicking away. Through this they've been able to see, because we can show them, "Look, this is blocked, this wasn't, here's why." Right. So we've been actually able to teach that culture and teach the hesitancy. With this solution, our users have become much more informed.

    I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. It's a great product and they have great customer service, a great support team.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    On-premises
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Chief Information Security Officer at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    A stable and capable anti-phishing, anti-malware, and threat protection solution
    Pros and Cons
    • "Its anti-phishing functionality is the most valuable. Certainly, the biggest problem I have is phishing."
    • "It has too many screens. It is kind of a conglomeration of products. In other words, they built product A, product B, and product C, and they are yet to integrate them into a single administrative console. I would certainly like to see a more seamless administrative interface. I would also like to see them include more bang for the buck, by including features like email fraud protection, rather than making their product so piecemeal, where you are buying little pieces. I agree with the idea of having multiple tiers or layers, but maybe as small, medium, and large, as opposed to an a la carte menu."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use it in front of Office 365 for anti-phishing, anti-malware, and threat protection.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Proofpoint Email Protection has reduced the analyst overhead in responding to phishing incidents by several orders of magnitude. We did not have the resources to respond directly to all Phishing Reports under the old system  With automated responses, we are able to address all Phishing Reports automatically.

    What is most valuable?

    Its anti-phishing functionality is very valuable to the organization.  As outlined above, we are able to automatically respond to Phishing Reports as well as stop as much as 80% of most Phishing Attacks at the front end leaving only a small percentage to be handled after the fact.

    What needs improvement?

    It has too many screens. It is kind of a conglomeration of products. In other words, they built product A, product B, and product C, and they are yet to integrate them into a single administrative console. I would certainly like to see a more seamless administrative interface. 

    I would also like to see them include more bang for the buck, by including features like email fraud protection, rather than making their product so piecemeal, where you are buying little pieces. I agree with the idea of having multiple tiers or layers, but maybe as small, medium, and large, as opposed to an a la carte menu.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using this solution for one year.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It is very stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It is fairly scalable. When we had a problem with capacity on one of the clusters, we simply added more members. We have probably 32,000 to 34,000 users in a given period.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Their technical support is mediocre. It could be better. They're a little slow to respond at times, and depending on the product, they're not always very knowledgeable. In one case, I had to fix it myself and show their tech how to fix it.

    How was the initial setup?

    I found it to be fairly straightforward. It had medium complexity. The deployment was very fairly fast. I did it in about three to four hours.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    Annually, it costs us about $92,000. This is pretty much what it costs us. There is no additional cost.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    I evaluated Microsoft ATP or Microsoft Advanced Threat Protection. I also evaluated Mimecast at least at face value. I also looked at GreatHorn technologies.

    What other advice do I have?

    They're the best in the breed. I would rate Proofpoint Email Protection a ten out of ten for the capability of doing its job. I am happy with this solution.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Public Cloud
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Proofpoint Email Protection Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: March 2024
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Proofpoint Email Protection Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.