Barracuda Email Protection vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security comparison

Barracuda Networks and Perception Point are both solutions in the Email Security category. Barracuda Networks is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.6, while Perception Point is ranked #15 with an average rating of 9.2. Barracuda Networks holds a 2.3% mindshare in Email Security, compared to Perception Point’s 2.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Barracuda Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Perception Point users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

Barracuda Email Protection and Perception Point Advanced Email Security compete in email protection. Perception Point has the upper hand with advanced threat protection features, making it a strong choice for those prioritizing security.

Features: Barracuda Email Protection includes comprehensive threat protection, spam filtering, and data protection. Perception Point offers zero-day attack identification, adaptive threat analysis, and advanced threat defense. These features set Perception Point apart in dealing with emerging threats.

Room for Improvement: Barracuda could enhance its reporting capabilities and integration with third-party tools. It may also improve its security awareness training platform. Perception Point could expand its feature set beyond the basics, refine its UX/UI for more customization options, and improve incident response times further.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Barracuda Email Protection is easy to deploy, integrating seamlessly with existing infrastructures and offering strong customer support. Perception Point is also easy to set up with a cloud-native platform that provides scalability and flexibility, and it offers excellent customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Barracuda's competitive pricing provides good ROI for comprehensive security solutions without high expenditure. Perception Point, with premium setup costs, justifies the higher expense through superior threat detection capabilities, offering significant value for enterprises needing advanced security.

To learn more, read our detailed Barracuda Email Protection vs. Perception Point Advanced Email Security Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda Email Protection vs. Perception Point Advanced Email Security

January 2025

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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

Microsoft Defender for Offi...

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is 13.7%, down from 20.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Barracuda Email Protection is 2.3%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Perception Point Advanced Email Security is 2.3%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Security

Featured Reviews

Tolu Omolaja

Head of Department of Network Communications at Eko electricity

Great URL scanning and attachment scanning, but I would like more proactive threat analysis

The two main features that prove most beneficial for us are URL scanning and attachment scanning. URL scanning involves an automatic scan of links and emails. When a user clicks on a link within an email, the system promptly checks the link's safety. If the link is deemed safe, access is granted automatically. However, if it is flagged as unsafe, we receive feedback and notification to caution us about the potentially harmful link. At this point, we are presented with the option to proceed or return. I have personally witnessed the system identify a few unsafe links, making this the primary advantage of using the solution. The second crucial aspect is the scanning of attachments. When an email containing an attachment arrives, we receive a notification of the new email, along with information that the attachment is being scanned for threats. This additional layer of security provides peace of mind for our organization. While Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers numerous features, these two stand out as particularly impressive and valuable to us.

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LeeMiles

Director, Information Technology at St Albans High School For Girls

Very good threat protection, spam filtering, and cloud backups

Considering it integrates with Azure, I would like to be able to effectively set up policies where people are by default included in certain settings. For instance, for email quarantine, I can't set up a global setting. Users must go through an induction session where I guide them in configuring quarantine alerts rather than having default settings based on group membership. This seems like an oversight since they already use Active Directory details. They should assign policies based on group membership, which configures these settings by default.

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Jijin Joseph

Technical Director at Channelnext

Gives in-depth analysis reports to end users for any malicious content found in emails

Our users would like the solution to scan outgoing emails. So, if my system is compromised, and I have malicious content in my system, then there is a possibility that I send malicious email to my colleague. There is a dependency on AWS cloud.This means if the cloud service is down, which may impact the perception point's email delivery.So it would be great if there is any HA for the solution. I would like a user-friendly configuration, like APIs. This solution is API-friendly configuration by following the steps provided. It would be great if it could be automate it, like the Avanan.Also, it would be good if Perception Point Advanced Email Security could have an MSP model. During the early stages of working with this solution, there were some constraints and issues.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 facilitates efficient management and updates through the cloud. We do not have to worry about incompatibilities. It just works."

"The deployment capability is a great feature."

"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."

"The good part is that you don't have to configure it, which is very convenient."

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365's most valuable features are safe attachments and safe links."

"The most valuable aspect of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is its ability to protect us from malware."

"The product's scalability is good."

"The basic features are okay and I'm satisfied with the Defender."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pros

"The beauty of Barracuda Email Protection is that it is easy to manage and simple to deploy."

"The best feature of Barracuda Email Protection is that it provides protection for Microsoft 365."

"When we got the service, it included the email archiver with unlimited storage."

"We check the reports sometimes to see that frequent attacks and malicious emails are being blocked by the solution."

"The most valuable aspect includes attempts to spoof or compromise domains from external sources."

"The archiving and search features are very good."

"We now have a secondary backup of Office 365 that's much easier to retrieve compared to Microsoft. If someone deletes something in Office 365, we can get it back within Office 365, but it's difficult. Barracuda is much easier. There is a lot less management needed using Barracuda. The management becomes much easier for Office 365 and it's no longer on-prem, so there are fewer hours managing on-prem devices, servers, and things of that nature. We don't have network appliances anymore for the backup of our information."

"The most helpful aspect for me is the out-of-the-box configuration, which is fairly good."

More Barracuda Email Protection pros

"The solution is used to block malicious items hidden inside a document or PDF file."

"We can use it to perform detection and analysis of emails. For any malicious content found in emails, it gives in-depth analysis reports to end users. If you log into the console, you can see in-depth detection and how it happens."

"The solution’s effectiveness when it comes to detection is very good. It has a very good mechanism. It scans our emails. It identifies any threat or phishing attempts and phishing campaigns as well as any bad reputation, servers, or links, then it blocks them. This is what I find to be very good about this system."

"The most valuable feature I have found is the speed of scanning emails."

"We haven't had a client, who uses their protection, have an email security breach. That is the best thing about what they do. We don't have to think too much. Their product just works and keeps bad emails away."

"The most valuable feature is the technical support services."

"The Perception Point Incident Response team acts as an extension of our SOC team. This is very important for us. This is a benefit provided for their main product of scanning our emails. If Perception Point can give me IR, this is really good versus other products that do not provide this kind of service. Perception Point's service is great. They are very professional. That reduces the time that my internal SOC has to deal with my internal IT person. They just send an email to the IR team at Perception Point, who continues the investigation and blocks any emails, if necessary. This is very good because it can reduce a lot of time and effort from my team. It is like an extension of my SOC, but external."

"What's really good about this platform is that you have full visibility, it has a very nice and very friendly UI, it's quick, and there's no latency in the scanning."

More Perception Point Advanced Email Security pros

Cons

"I am generally satisfied with how it currently is. If I could improve anything, I would reduce the cost."

"We need a separate license and we don't know how to get the license that is required."

"In one of the reports I can get the exact place where a vulnerable file resides. But for that, I need to explicitly go into the device and check. If they could include that file part in the report, without my having to go to the device itself, that would help."

"The product must provide better malware detection."

"The visibility for the weaknesses in the system and unauthorized access can be improved."

"I'd like some additional features any product can give me to protect our environment in a better way."

"Several simulation options are available within 365, and the phishing simulation could be better."

"They can improve their security in a way where a customer can know if all their attachments are safe or not to open through a report. The solution does its job perfectly, but it never reports to the customer whether those attachments have been stopped before or not."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 cons

"Considering it integrates with Azure, I would like to be able to effectively set up policies where people are by default included in certain settings."

"The technology works on a supervised engine, but it would be better if it ran on an unsupervised engine."

"The solution's graphical user interface (GUI) could be improved visually."

"The product must enable bulk user management."

"Two to three months back, we got fraudulent emails in which someone in the organization was being blamed."

"There is room for improvement, particularly in reaching out to technical support during deployment."

"Barracuda Email Protection needs better reporting and more robust integration with security awareness training platforms and third-party solutions."

"The policies are set up in Barracuda by default; we don't have any control over them."

More Barracuda Email Protection cons

"To improve the solution, maybe a portal for end users to consult their emails would be helpful. The end user could access the portal and see their emails or events. They could also refresh the names."

"Its websites for analysis need to be a bit more approachable for people who are less technical. Technically, it is a fire-and-forget solution. So, you want to be able to implement this solution for a lot of companies who don't have security operation teams (SOCs) behind them. You need to have something where a secretary can jump onto this console and release whatever she needs to release. Therefore, it needs to be written in a very specific non-technical language."

"They need more customer engagement. The product works very well. The IR works very well when we contact them. However, day-to-day, they should have more in communication with their customers explaining new products and features. There is possibly something that if I would know about it, then I would buy and use it. Maybe I need it. They need to improve their communications."

"They just don't do a good job of promoting themselves. They seem like a typical busy IT company who is just working on fixing problems and making technology better. However, they are not fantastic at marketing themselves to existing partners, which is not a bad thing. It is just something for improvement."

"The only thing that can be improved in Perception Point is the in-depth analysis and attribution to cyberattack groups."

"Our users would like the solution to scan outgoing emails. So, if my system is compromised, and I have malicious content in my system, then there is a possibility that I am sending a colleague that malicious content."

"I think the interface could be improved in the next release."

"Email alerts should be available in real-time."

More Perception Point Advanced Email Security cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is an add-on to the Office license. Many customers are purchasing this solution."

"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."

"It is much more expensive than using another solution because we have had to include some options and upgrade our license."

"Microsoft Defender is expensive. I typically recommend it only if clients have the budget. Otherwise, I would suggest an alternative."

"The license is expensive because the cost is based on the number of users."

"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 pricing is normal. Considering its popularity, it's not overpriced."

"The product is very expensive."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pricing and cost advice

"The price is similar to that of Microsoft 365."

"Price-wise, this product is middle-of-the-road."

"We didn't have to pay a lot for the solution because we got it from a good vendor with a good user volume."

"The price of Barracuda Essentials is better than some of the competing products."

"The product is expensive."

"Barracuda licensing model is good."

"Despite a list price possibly around $40 per user, their market price allows customers to easily buy the solution."

"The solution's pricing is moderate, where it is neither cheap nor expensive."

More Barracuda Email Protection pricing and cost advice

"Pricing is lower in comparison to Proofpoint."

"We would always like it to be cheaper and save more money. However, we are getting the value from it."

"The price of the solution is high."

"There is room for improvement for them with an MSP partner. The pricing is good and fair. Our customers don't complain. The only thing is that it's a little bit old school. They don't have a system that automatically checks the number of users that our customers have so we can just update the licenses ourselves through a website. It is still done manually. They have a person who checks invoicing monthly to determine if there have been any changes. A nice improvement would be if they could get automated licensing counts."

"In Brazil, the dollar price affects the cost. Perception Point Advanced Email Security is about 50 percent less expensive."

"The pricing compared to the value Perception Point brings is super-competitive. They're not the cheapest in the market, but the value and the quality of the product are superior to anything else in the market, so we don't mind paying more for it."

"When compared to other solutions on the market, it is relatively fair."

"The pricing is not cheap, but I can see the value. In security, if you are trying to save by giving up quality, that's a very bad decision."

More Perception Point Advanced Email Security pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

16%

Construction Company

Healthcare Company

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

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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...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Office 365?

I don't have detailed specifics on pricing, setup cost, or licensing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Office 365?

I am generally satisfied with how it currently is. If I could improve anything, I would reduce the cost.

See all answers

What do you like most about Barracuda Email Protection?

I'm quite satisfied with the graphical user interface for Barracuda products.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Barracuda Email Protection?

Their list price is too high, but in India, the selling price is affordable at around $10 per user per year. Despite ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Barracuda Email Protection?

Considering it integrates with Azure, I would like to be able to effectively set up policies where people are by defa...

See all answers

What do you like most about Perception Point Advanced Email Security?

The most valuable feature is the technical support services.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Perception Point Advanced Email Security?

In Brazil, the dollar price affects the cost. Perception Point Advanced Email Security is about 50 percent less expen...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Perception Point Advanced Email Security?

To improve the solution, maybe a portal for end users to consult their emails would be helpful. The end user could ac...

See all answers

Comparisons

Proofpoint Email Protection vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 14% of the time

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 7% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 5% of the time

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 4% of the time

Barracuda Email Security Gateway vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Competitors

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration vs Barracuda Email Protection

Compared 25% of the time

Abnormal Security vs Barracuda Email Protection

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs Barracuda Email Protection

Compared 6% of the time

Fortinet FortiMail vs Barracuda Email Protection

Compared 5% of the time

Google Vault vs Barracuda Email Protection

Compared 2% of the time

More Barracuda Email Protection Competitors

Avanan vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security

Compared 16% of the time

Proofpoint Email Protection vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security

Compared 12% of the time

IRONSCALES vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security

Compared 11% of the time

Fortinet FortiMail Cloud vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security

Compared 9% of the time

Libraesva Email Security vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security

Compared 2% of the time

More Perception Point Advanced Email Security Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Office 365

February 2025

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 report

Download Microsoft Defender for Office 365 product report

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda Email Protection

February 2025

Download Barracuda Email Protection product report

Buyer's Guide

Perception Point Advanced Email Security

February 2025

Perception Point Advanced Email Security report

Download Perception Point Advanced Email Security product report

Also Known As

MS Defender for Office 365

Barracuda Essentials

No data available

Overview

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is a comprehensive security solution designed to protect organizations against advanced threats in their email, collaboration, and productivity environments. It combines the power of Microsoft's threat intelligence, machine learning, and behavioral analytics to provide real-time protection against phishing, malware, ransomware, and other malicious attacks.

With Microsoft Defender for Office 365, organizations can safeguard their email communication by detecting and blocking malicious links, attachments, and unsafe email content. It employs advanced anti-phishing capabilities to identify and prevent sophisticated phishing attacks that attempt to steal sensitive information or compromise user credentials.

This solution also offers robust protection against malware and ransomware. It leverages machine learning algorithms to analyze email attachments and URLs in real-time, identifying and blocking malicious content before it reaches users' inboxes. Additionally, it provides advanced threat-hunting capabilities, allowing security teams to proactively investigate and respond to potential threats.

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 goes beyond email protection and extends its security features to other collaboration tools like SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams. It scans files and documents stored in these platforms, ensuring that they are free from malware and other malicious content. It also provides visibility into user activities, helping organizations detect and mitigate insider threats.

Furthermore, this solution offers rich reporting and analytics capabilities, providing organizations with insights into their security posture and threat landscape. It enables security administrators to monitor and manage security incidents, track trends, and take proactive measures to enhance their overall security posture.

Microsoft

The popularity of Microsoft 365 means criminals test and design their attacks to bypass its native security features. And that means you need additional layers of defense. With Advanced Threat Protection enabled, Barracuda uses multiple layers of detection, including signature, static, and behavioral analysis, along with CPU-emulation sandboxing to accurately detect and block zero-hour targeted attacks and ransomware.

Traditional email gateways use static rules and policies—reputation analysis, block lists, and malicious payloads—to determine if an email is malicious.

Barracuda protects your Microsoft 365 inbox against evasive threats with a powerful AI engine that learns the unique communication patterns within your organization through access to internal and historical emails. Once it understands what legitimate emails looks like for each user, it can detect anomalies that signal malicious intent. This context-based detection is more effective at blocking targeted attacks, which are designed to bypass traditional rule-based email security.

Barracuda Networks

Perception Point Advanced Email Security is a comprehensive solution designed to protect organizations from advanced email threats. Leveraging cutting-edge technology, it offers multi-layered defense mechanisms to detect and block sophisticated attacks such as phishing, malware, and ransomware.

With its advanced threat intelligence capabilities, it can identify and neutralize zero-day threats in real-time. The solution also provides robust data loss prevention features, ensuring sensitive information remains secure. Its user-friendly interface allows for easy management and monitoring of email security, while its seamless integration with existing email platforms ensures a hassle-free deployment process.

Perception Point Advanced Email Security is a reliable and efficient solution that safeguards organizations against the ever-evolving landscape of email-based threats.

Perception Point

Sample Customers

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is trusted by companies such as Ithaca College.

ACT Government, Acumen Group, AGIP, Delta Dental Plans Association, Desai/Nasr Consulting Engineers, Inc., Equinox Information Systems

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda Email Protection vs. Perception Point Advanced Email Security

January 2025

Free Report: Barracuda Email Protection vs. Perception Point Advanced Email Security

Find out what your peers are saying about Barracuda Email Protection vs. Perception Point Advanced Email Security and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.

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