

Cisco Secure Email and Darktrace compete in email security and threat detection. Darktrace appears to have the upper hand in network anomaly detection due to its AI capabilities.
Features: Cisco Secure Email offers robust security features, including anti-spam and anti-filter capabilities, and integrates Advanced Malware Protection with real-time threat intelligence via Cisco Talos. It offers comprehensive email security for both inbound and outbound mail, along with robust policy and rule customization. The solution also provides detailed logging and reporting capabilities, integrating seamlessly with platforms like QRadar. Darktrace shines with AI-powered anomaly detection, offering detailed real-time network monitoring and a self-learning system adaptable to specific environments. Its Antigena technology provides autonomous response actions to detected threats.
Room for Improvement: Cisco Secure Email requires enhancements in console performance and DLP policy configuration speed. Users seek better integration with cloud services and more intuitive reporting, along with improved spam filter updates. Darktrace needs to reduce false positives and improve report automation. Its high pricing and user interface simplicity are areas that users feel could be enhanced.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Secure Email offers diverse deployment models, including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid, with widely praised responsive technical support. However, experiences can vary based on local partners. Darktrace operates predominantly on-premises, and while its support is generally reliable, it could benefit from enhanced integration with diverse network configurations.
Pricing and ROI: Cisco Secure Email is considered costly compared to competitors, justified by its comprehensive security offerings that enhance ROI via reduced phishing attack costs and operational stability. Darktrace's pricing is also perceived as high, with substantial ROI attributed to superior threat detection and enhanced network visibility that justify the premium cost.
Other NDR solutions provide virtual appliances that can be deployed on virtualization servers to get up and running quickly.
Using this solution provides financial benefits by securing from server attacks, which offers indirect savings.
Regarding my interaction with the technical support of Cisco Secure Email, it was zero downtime for the mail production.
Cisco's tech support can be hit or miss, depending on the engineer you get.
The support is pretty decent, with a rating of eight out of ten.
The technical support from Darktrace is of high quality.
Darktrace provides excellent technical support with a monthly meeting to review platform incidents, ensuring the system functions as expected.
The challenge lies in waiting for a response after logging a ticket.
The on-premises hardware is not very scalable, but switching to the SaaS offering is expected to improve scalability.
My thoughts on the scalability level of Cisco Secure Email is nine because of the delay in making a configuration and the slowness in the console.
Darktrace has high scalability, and I would rate it a nine out of ten.
Since it's cloud-based, it expands easily.
There is still a gap in terms of storage, and we are trying to figure out how to increase that capacity for regulated environments, which require data retention for 5 to 6 years.
Based on my experience, the stability of Cisco Secure Email is very strong.
The stability of Darktrace is excellent, rated ten out of ten.
The appliance itself has never let me down.
For stability, I would rate Darktrace an eight out of ten.
The solution should better analyze the actual content rather than only focusing on the email header or origin.
It would be beneficial to have the functionality of the Email Threat Defense integrated into the Email Security Gateway so customers don't have to buy two products for full email protection.
It may take nearly an hour to get back to normal while configuring policies.
There is no dedicated salesperson in Egypt, and having one would help to improve focus on this market.
They say they can integrate with most firewalls, but when we did an integration with Meraki MX firewalls, that integration didn't work and still doesn't work to this day.
We need Darktrace on each branch to get the data out, and I suggest having some kind of a centralized product that gets data from multiple sources to aggregate and provide the data.
Its cost is bundled with other Cisco products.
The licensing is a mess and needs sorting out.
The pricing structure is good as it is user-based or email client-based, which is positive for clients.
The product is considered expensive compared to others.
The pricing is costly in USD, and they charge based on device counts.
The licensing cost is approximately eight dollars a year.
It also possesses multiple modules for spam detection, malware detection, and threat intelligence, which are valuable in categorizing emails and determining actions.
It is highly effective in catching phishing and spam emails.
The integration of Cisco AMP for Advanced Malware Protection with Cisco Secure Email has helped our organization's security posture.
It is capable of responding to lateral movement and ransomware deployment within environments where there is data exfiltration.
I do not need to manually process incidents as Darktrace provides an incident summary, potential detection paths, and other details, all exportable with just a click.
If I am in a data center where I don't have layer two, it becomes an issue because the autonomous response is reliant on sending spoofed TCP resets to my core switch to block traffic, which is a major issue.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Cisco Secure Email | 4.4% |
| Darktrace | 1.8% |
| Other | 93.8% |

| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 22 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 18 |
| Large Enterprise | 27 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 44 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 20 |
| Large Enterprise | 29 |
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?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.
Darktrace revolutionizes network security with AI-driven alerts, anomaly detection, and robust visibility across networks. It autonomously detects threats, minimizing the need for human oversight, and offers efficient IP identification with minimal false positives.
Darktrace uses advanced AI analytics to enhance network protection. Its powerful real-time threat response capabilities and self-learning enable thorough monitoring and insightful analysis of network activities. While providing scalable and reliable security, users seek improvements in false positive reduction, user-friendly interfaces, and pricing. Enhanced third-party integration, more effective dashboards, and centralized automation features remain top priorities. Users benefit greatly from its Antigena feature, offering automated responses like blocking suspicious connections for robust network defense.
What Are Darktrace's Key Features?In industries employing Darktrace, it is pivotal in securing LAN networks, analyzing behavioral patterns, and detecting internal and external threats. Adoption alongside platforms like F5 and SAP enhances incident response, traffic analysis, and threat identification, utilizing Antigena for proactive security measures.
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