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 8.8, while Perception Point is ranked #17 with an average rating of 9.3. Barracuda Networks holds a 2.5% mindshare in Email Security, compared to Perception Point’s 2.2% 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: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda Email Protection vs. Perception Point Advanced Email Security

April 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 April 2025, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is 13.1%, down from 19.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Barracuda Email Protection is 2.5%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Perception Point Advanced Email Security is 2.2%, up from 1.8% 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

"The initial setup was easy."

"The product's scalability is good."

"The risk level notifications are most valuable. We get to know what kind of intrusion or attack is there, and we can fix a problem on time."

"I would say that 90% of the spam and phishing attack emails get blocked right off the bat."

"It gives us visibility into threats and, for endpoints, it helps us to prioritize threats. We used to have a lack of visibility, but now our time to detect and respond has decreased."

"The most valuable feature is the integration. It's a single console, so we don't have to switch around between multiple products. Another valuable feature is the ease of operations and maintenance."

"Safe attachments, safe links, policies, and the ability to protect from zero-day threats are the most valuable features."

"The technical support is good and quick to resolve issues."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pros

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

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

"I would rate the solution nine out of ten."

"The most valuable features are security and ease of use."

"The solution's most valuable feature is impersonation detection."

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

"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."

More Barracuda Email Protection pros

"One of the most valuable features is the service provided by the incident response team. There have been cases where we have suspected that emails were fraudulent or something was suspicious. In those cases, we immediately contacted the incident response team through the platform, and we had a response in less than a minute."

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

"The most valuable feature is the ability to identify malicious content and phishing emails and reduce the workload we have to do in terms of security."

"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."

"After integration, the tool is very easy to use. I had a problem with scripts for one customer, but my team did the integration for other customers without issues. So, I think I made a mistake in my integration. Both inline and API work fine."

"One is the hardware-assisted platform that provides more insight into the threat scenarios. And the other is their instant response team's availability, 24/7, for identifying and responding to incidents. These are the two main things that everyone likes."

"Perception Point Advanced Email Security has a correct price point and offers very good email filtering capabilities."

"It really works well on SharePoint when you upload a file or save a file. Advanced Email Security scans if it is malicious and identifies issues. It can do some forensics on its console, which is nice."

More Perception Point Advanced Email Security pros

Cons

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365's Mac functionality requires improvement to deliver the same level of protection found on Windows devices."

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

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 must improve the overall management style, including the GUI. It also needs to change the filters so that it is easy to whitelist and blacklist data."

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 could improve by giving customers information on techniques to prevent threats. For example, information about best practices on how to protect their own devices against hackers and scammers, such as educational information or training. This would help others have a better understanding of cyber security. Additionally, there can be more security features added."

"The product must provide better malware detection."

"Microsoft security solutions work as expected. They are constantly updating the solutions to make them better. At the same time, the changes can impact a customer's environment, and we need to adjust settings. Sometimes we aren't aware of the changes, and nothing is pushed from the backend automatically."

"The certification training for Defender for 365 needs to be deeper and incorporate Sentinel. I took all the security courses except one, and Sentinel isn't included."

"We need to be able to whitelist data at the backend."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 cons

"Sometimes it is somewhat laggy, especially on the Archiver side. It should have improved performance on their Message Archiver."

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

"They could simplify the licensing and the pricing."

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

"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 solution's reporting mechanism is a little poor and could be improved."

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

"The platform's pricing needs improvement."

More Barracuda Email Protection cons

"Coming from products in the Microsoft stack, Perception Point doesn't really give you, as an admin, a lot of options to make changes yourself. It's more on their side to make changes in the back end. That's something they could improve on in the future."

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

"We have had a few false positives, not that many, but a few... they have a feature where someone from the Incident Response team can look at an email and mark it as 'verified malicious.' You might think that if an engine detects it is malicious, and an IR team member has flagged it as malicious, it will definitely be malicious. But that's not always the case."

"Integration and end-user interaction can be improved as the current system does not allow end-users to send back information to the platform, unlike Google Workspace or competitive tools like Ironscales."

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

"Dashboard is an area of concern in the solution where improvements are required."

"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."

"There is room for improvement in terms of adding the DLP (Data Loss Prevention) solution, which would be a good option for Perception Point to look into."

More Perception Point Advanced Email Security cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"From the pricing point of view, like any other product in the market, there is scope for negotiation."

"For licensing, it's usually a yearly package for customers who are subscribed to Office 365, but they can also pay on a monthly basis."

"Defender for 365 comes in various plans and licenses, along with other Microsoft security solutions. Purchasing this kind of package or security bundle gives good value for money, and that's what I recommend."

"I know that the product is incredibly expensive."

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

"The product is very expensive."

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

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pricing and cost advice

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

"Barracuda licensing model is good."

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

"We pay annually. They never charged us for anything else. And they were quite a bit under that $20,000 mark. It was $19,074. And they've been pretty good about not skyrocketing the price or anything like that. It has gone up. It's gone up to $24,000 in 2020."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."

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

"The product is expensive."

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

More Barracuda Email Protection pricing and cost advice

"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."

"If a user only wants protection for email, then the price of the product is okay, but if they opt for the collaboration options offered by the product, then it becomes a little expensive."

"It fits every budget. It has a low price. I can't go ahead and sell it for any price I want. They are quite strict. They say, "This is the price that you can sell it for and this is the price for you as a reseller." That is it. It is not a lot of money. I will not become rich from it, but I like that they keep a standard for everyone. They are a fair company."

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

"The price of this solution was within our budget and I think that it will suit most SMBs."

"They are not the most expensive vendor. There are much more expensive vendors. They are not cheap, but they are not the most expensive. They are somewhere in the middle."

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

"The pricing and licensing are very fair compared to competing companies in the same field."

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

17%

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

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?

Money-wise, it is a part of the Office 365 ( /products/office-365-reviews ) suite, making it slightly more expensive ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Office 365?

The main area for improvement is simplifying the implementation and rollout process. There are many conditions to be ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Barracuda Email Protection?

Barracuda Email Protection is easy to deploy and maintain. It doesn't require a specialized resource to manage this t...

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?

There are always places for improvement, but this needs deeper thought and planning. Integration and end-user interac...

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

Mimecast Email Security vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 5% of the time

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 5% of the time

Cisco Secure Email vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 4% of the time

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Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration vs Barracuda Email Protection

Compared 23% of the time

Abnormal Security vs Barracuda Email Protection

Compared 9% of the time

Avanan vs Barracuda Email Protection

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs Barracuda Email Protection

Compared 6% of the time

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Avanan vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security

Compared 16% of the time

Proofpoint Email Protection vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security

Compared 11% of the time

Fortinet FortiMail Cloud vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security

Compared 11% of the time

Fortinet FortiMail vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security

Compared 10% of the time

Graphus 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

March 2025

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 report

Download Microsoft Defender for Office 365 product report

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda Email Protection

April 2025

Download Barracuda Email Protection product report

Buyer's Guide

Perception Point Advanced Email Security

March 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

April 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: April 2025.

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