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Cloudflare SASE & SSE Platform vs Fortinet FortiMail comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender for Offi...
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Ranking in Email Security
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
43
Ranking in other categories
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (9th)
Cloudflare SASE & SSE Platform
Ranking in Email Security
13th
Average Rating
8.6
Number of Reviews
19
Ranking in other categories
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (8th), Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (9th), Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) (6th), Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) Protection (5th), Access Management (5th), Bot Management (3rd), ZTNA as a Service (5th), ZTNA (1st), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) (8th), Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) (1st)
Fortinet FortiMail
Ranking in Email Security
4th
Average Rating
8.6
Number of Reviews
57
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

SR
Nov 28, 2023
Stops evolving threats and offers peace of mind
We use the solution for wireless scanning, reporting, and monitoring.  The product is not resource-intensive.  The tool's most valuable feature is virus scanning, which has saved us from malware and ransomware.  We need to be able to whitelist data at the backend.  I have been using the product…
FS
May 24, 2024
Protects and regulates access to internal applications based on policies
Cloudflare Access has strong integration with Microsoft, among other platforms. However, when it comes to Kaspersky, we have clients who typically encounter challenges. The usual setup involves configuring a forward proxy, an IDP, and a CASB. Orchestrating these solutions can be challenging if the client already uses a VPN client such as Check Point or Mobile VPN. Clients typically do not replace their VPNs all at once; instead, they gradually phase out the old solution. The interaction between Cloudflare Access and the legacy VPN solution can be complex, particularly ensuring seamless access without introducing new restrictions. This complexity arises not from the product itself but from the nature of migrating to a new system. Migrating ten thousand employees daily is impractical, so a step-by-step approach throughout about a year is often necessary to facilitate a smoother transition.
EG
Dec 16, 2022
Good GUI and configuring security policies is easy but the pricing needs improvement
The initial setup isn't too complex. I'd rate it seven out of ten. If people know how to set up email security, it is easier. You have to have the basic knowledge of how to set up email security and how to create policies. Any security person who's been in this field for a long time will be able to do it within an hour or two. You do require a minimum of at least two to three people to handle it. You need to have one from the incident-response team who will handle the incidents, analyze the incidents, and then, basically, take a response or action on the activity. Another person should be available to generate reports and, basically, review the reports and provide them to audits and the compliance team. You also need a person who knows the whole system by heart and who's experienced in it.

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 is straightforward. You just add the license, click it, and then you can set up the rules. It is quite simple."
"The most valuable feature is protection against malicious links, fishing, and impersonation. You can train people to be aware of these threats, but they're not always careful. When they're using their phones between meetings, they click on a link, and it's game over."
"Defender for 365 is a comprehensive cloud-based solution. The value of the cloud is that you aren't alone. Threat intelligence and analytics are shared in the cloud. We don't have to find the solution alone. If you face an unknown threat with traditional solutions like Trend Micro and Symantec, you need to open a case and send your information to them to analyze forensically and identify the source of the attack."
"The product's scalability is good."
"The basic features are okay and I'm satisfied with the Defender."
"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."
"Defender helps us prioritize threats across our organization."
"Defender for Office 365 has helped eliminate having to look at multiple dashboards and that is the aspect I like most about it. It is simpler, effective, and convenient. The users like the process efficiency."
"For Cloudflare Access, I am using the free plan...The most valuable feature is their protection."
"Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform removes the risk of exposing the applications to the public."
"Cloudflare, in my opinion, was easy to implement."
"The tool also offers good scalability, and the dashboard, along with real-time analytics, is very good."
"The simplicity of the solution is its valuable features as almost no effort was needed to learn the configurations. It is also one of the cheapest firewalls available in this category."
"Cloudflare Access is part of the Zero Trust philosophy."
"It's the endpoint exposition. We don't need to expose our VPN server to the internet and need a zero-test solution. I can apply some conditional access to the endpoint that's connecting to our network to check their security policies or the security condition of their workstation. Once the workstation is trying to connect to my internal network, then I would like to check the discrete condition of these endpoints that are trying to access my internal network. We created some conditional access. We have CrowdStrike, to check if the CrowdStrike is installed, to check if it's updated, and to check for Windows updates. We created some conditional policies to check it."
"The capabilities of the software are strong enough for me to do what it's supposed to do. For me, we don't need to do a lot of configuration on our site. We just enable it and monitor it."
"I like the anti-spam and security features of Fortinet FortiMail, and that its features complement each other."
"Fortinet’s support services are good."
"Fortinet FortiMail is a complete product addressing mail security concerns. It helps to know spam subscriptions and create restriction policies."
"When combining this solution with other Fortinet products, such as FortiGate, it integrates well and provides a comprehensive protection package."
"I am satisfied with both the scalability and the stability of this solution."
"The important feature is the application control, which makes administration much easier. It also has an intrusion prevention feature. There's also the wireless functionality, which works well with Huawei devices."
"I love the integration between Fortinet products."
"One major benefit of the Fortinet FortiMail product is its ease of management."
 

Cons

"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."
"The pre-sales cost calculations could be more transparent."
"The phishing and spam filters could use some improvement."
"The GUI is sometimes slow to fetch the device report and could be improved."
"Microsoft Defender for Office 365's Mac functionality requires improvement to deliver the same level of protection found on Windows devices."
"Microsoft should provide more documentation for users so they can self-educate. I would like to see more documentation for advanced security features."
"There is room for improvement in terms of reporting."
"In some situations, it has not been able to pick impersonated emails having no attachments. Technical support definitely has a scope for improvement."
"The initial onboarding was causing us some confusion."
"They don't have a person to provide support for customers using the solution under their free plan."
"There are premium tier live service and lower tier live service, so we opted for the lower tier. But there is no medium tier where we pay a little extra and get a bit more service. So if that can be improved."
"Our customers no longer use Cloudflare because its service is subpar."
"Operating and tuning the product is difficult."
"Our subscription plan for the solution has a limitation of bot signatures."
"The pricing is an area that can be improved. Pricing, as far as I recall, was the source of our problems."
"The free plan has limitations. For example, I can only set up three rules, and the application firewall is unavailable."
"The infrastructure could be improved."
"The product's cybersecurity features could be better."
"The solution's pricing is flexible and can be adjusted for African utility companies. Microsoft often offers special pricing formulas for African governments and organizations and it is similar to Fortinet FortiMail. In my country, government institutions receive discounted pricing from Fortinet FortiMail."
"The solution's pricing could be improved."
"The security products stop their operations once the subscription period expires. It is a wrong policy. If I trust a product, it has to continue working even after expiry. It should have a grace period of 30, 40, or 60 days. We can extend the subscription during those days. In some places, subscription extensions can take up to six weeks. During the renewal process, the support offered by the company is very poor. It also reduces security. We pay for the expired period but do not get protection during those times. The user of Fortinet FortiMail should have a feature to see spam names."
"High Availability needs improvement."
"FortiMail's dashboard is somewhat complex and could be made simpler."
"The sandboxing features are not well done in Fortinet FortiMail, making it an area of improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is very expensive."
"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 comes with Microsoft Windows. It is free with the operating system."
"The pricing is normal. Considering its popularity, it's not overpriced."
"For large enterprise organizations, they can definitely afford it, but for small and medium organizations, they might struggle to cover the expenses."
"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is an add-on to the Office license. Many customers are purchasing this solution."
"From the pricing point of view, like any other product in the market, there is scope for negotiation."
"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."
"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."
"The solution is not that expensive."
"The solution's pricing lacks transparency."
"My company has to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the solution. There are no hidden charges apart from the licensing costs of the solution."
"Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform's pricing is good."
"The pricing is somewhere in the middle. I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten."
"The prices are slightly expensive."
"The price tag is no longer $200,000, but rather $300,000 to $400,000. It's twice."
"The pricing of the solution is cheap. The licensing cost is also very low. I rate the cost and pricing a three out of ten."
"It is reasonable."
"The price is acceptable for the support license it includes."
"The solution is reasonably priced compared to one of its competitors."
"The solution is quite pricey compared to other competitors in the market."
"I have no information on pricing for the competition because right now, my company is working only with Fortinet, but I can say that in general, the price for Fortinet FortiMail was accepted by the customers easily. The POC is also important when a customer is buying a solution. The customer wants to see how the product runs, and as Fortinet FortiMail is a stable product that runs without big issues, it has a bigger chance of getting chosen by customers over its competitors, even if its price may be a little higher. Pricing for the solution is competitive. Sometimes it's less, sometimes it's a little bit higher, but it isn't far from what other solutions charge."
"I find Fortinet FortiMail pricing reasonable. There's no additional cost apart from its standard licensing fees."
"Fortinet FortiMail is inexpensive."
"My company has a three-year license for Fortinet FortiMail, including the support, but I'm not so sure of how much the solution costs because I'm not part of the procurement team. What's more important to me is the functionality and stability of Fortinet FortiMail. In terms of Fortinet FortiMail licensing, the cost is calculated based on company requirements. For example, it's based on the features you need for your environment, on capacity, how many CPUs you have, etc."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
7%
Educational Organization
48%
Computer Software Company
9%
Government
5%
Financial Services Firm
4%
 

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...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
While Microsoft Defender for Office 365 necessitates pricier E3 or E5 subscriptions, the extensive functionality offe...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is a very good solution that allows you to use a single port or tool to control eve...
What do you like most about Cloudflare Access?
The tool also offers good scalability, and the dashboard, along with real-time analytics, is very good.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cloudflare Access?
The price of Cloudflare Access is the same as compared to Akamai, but I get better performance from Cloudflare. My co...
What needs improvement with Cloudflare Access?
Cloudflare Access has strong integration with Microsoft, among other platforms. However, when it comes to Kaspersky, ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiMail?
The price of Fortinet FortiMail steadily increases every year. There is a possible ten percent increase. It's concern...
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiMail?
The solution's pricing could be improved.
 

Also Known As

MS Defender for Office 365
Cloudflare Area 1 Email Security, Cloudflare Bot Management, Cloudflare Gateway, Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform, Cloudflare DDoS
FortiMail
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is trusted by companies such as Ithaca College.
23andMe
Magromer Cueros y Pieles S.A.
Find out what your peers are saying about Cloudflare SASE & SSE Platform vs. Fortinet FortiMail and other solutions. Updated: August 2024.
801,394 professionals have used our research since 2012.