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Fortinet FortiMail Cloud vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Fortinet FortiMail Cloud
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
22
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Email (6th), Secure Email Gateway (SEG) (6th)
Microsoft Exchange Online P...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
36
Ranking in other categories
Email Security (4th), Anti-Malware Tools (8th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Messaging and Collaboration solutions, they serve different purposes. Fortinet FortiMail Cloud is designed for Cloud Email and holds a mindshare of 2.8%, up 1.6% compared to last year.
Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP), on the other hand, focuses on Anti-Malware Tools, holds 1.5% mindshare, down 2.3% since last year.
Cloud Email
Anti-Malware Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Pravin Mandlik - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides enhanced email security with potential agent compatibility issues
There are definitely features that Fortinet should work on. I'm not the right person to implement those features. For a portable cloud solution, a customer has more affinity towards a solution where endpoint security is already in place. In endpoint security, they are not at the latest quadrant. That is why a customer with existing endpoint security solutions like Trend Micro might prefer a main security solution from that vendor. If we go for FortiMail Cloud and have a separate endpoint security solution, there are two agents that have to sit on a customer endpoint. From that perspective, Fortinet policies add an extra load to the endpoint. Maybe other solutions have an advantage when it comes to Fortinet.
Nur Mohammad - PeerSpot reviewer
An effective email security solution that provides DLP, Safe Attachment, and Safe Links
If you want extensive email security, you need to purchase a Plan 2 license. Plan 1 and Plan 2 are the two plans for Microsoft Exchange Online Protection. Some customers hesitate to purchase this product because it adds some costs to them, which is necessary for them. It would be helpful for customers if Plan 1 features were included with EOP. However, they still need to purchase Plan 2 for advanced security features. One of our clients recently requested to compare Zimbra's features with Microsoft Exchange Online Protection. Zimbra is open source, while Microsoft Exchange Online Protection is not. When I compare both the products, many free features are available in Zimbra because it is open-source software. It makes no sense to request Microsoft Exchange Online Protection add all the features people get on open-source software like Zimbra. Hence, I would say whatever features Microsoft Exchange Online Protection has are enough. Microsoft has a dedicated research team that should research and add new techniques like phishing and spamming solutions to the product.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product's initial setup is straightforward and simple, making it an easy-to-use tool."
"The implementation was very professional. There are a lot of features I can get through Fortinet and FortiMail, such as security. FortiGuard is the most reliable and professional mitigation center to handle incidents and risk that I have to face."
"The encryption features are most valuable to us."
"The quarantine feature of FortiMail is the most valuable, as it quarantines emails based on my policies."
"The most valuable features are filtering and sandboxing."
"The return on investment for us was achieved since we did not have similar incidents again in our environment."
"This is a solid email monitoring and security system that learns and maintains a two-way dialog with email system administrators."
"FortiMail Cloud is very fast."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of administration. Other solutions require complex administration, but Microsoft Exchange Online Protection is easier."
"Online Protection's most valuable feature is its admin interface."
"The pre-set policies and configuration analyzer are the most valuable features."
"The security features provided by Microsoft are robust."
"The product's most valuable feature is third-party integrations."
"The security features provided by Microsoft are robust."
"The initial setup is just a standard process."
"We can migrate seamlessly without any disruptions to our operations."
 

Cons

"The downside of this solution is that it is difficult to implement policies on FortiMail."
"They could look at strengthening anti-spam with the newly observed domains."
"In endpoint security, they are not at the latest quadrant. That is why a customer with existing endpoint security solutions like Trend Micro might prefer a main security solution from that vendor."
"The product could be improved by extending reporting tools and adding options for notification."
"Fortimail Cloud should include more advanced AI features that can analyze every traffic type."
"Fortinet FortiMail Cloud doesn't have AI features, making it an outdated tool for me."
"I would like to see more advanced sandbox features, where you can actually download to a machine where you can test."
"The setup of the rules can be improved. I think it should be simplified and would be the best improvement in the system."
"Some features, like encryption, are not available."
"It would be helpful for customers if Plan 1 features were included with EOP."
"The price of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection could be reduced to make it more competitive."
"The product's end-of-life cycle could be extended."
"I think the implementation could be more streamlined."
"When you're using a Microsoft product solution, you can scale it, but if you're not, there are limitations."
"Some of the searchability when looking for specifics in Exchange logs is tedious."
"The security features could be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I see how manageable and flexible the licenses are."
"The licensing is for three years. In the beginning, we did not pay monthly, it was paid once for three years."
"It should cost around $60,000. We bought it as a bundle, so everything comes together in the license. That is standard."
"I rate the price of Fortinet FortiMail Cloud a five on a one to ten scale, where one is the low price, and ten is the high price. It is an averagely priced product."
"When we're talking about pricing, other products have about the same price. That is normal."
"It's on a subscribed basis."
"The pricing depends on various factors, including the type of licenses and subscriptions you have procured"
"The product's price is reasonable."
"The product is bundled with Microsoft 365."
"Apart from the license fee for the solution, there are no additional costs."
"Online Protection is fairly expensive."
"The product's pricing is competitive for the US market."
"The solution's pricing is subscription-based rather than a yearly licensing cost. Pricing is based on the size of the environment and company and can be expensive."
"The price of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection is reasonable."
"Regarding the price, it's comparable to other service providers. We've also looked at Check Point's offerings, and the pricing doesn't seem to be an issue."
"The solution is priced high and could be less expensive compared to other solutions."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Hospitality Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Fortinet FortiMail Cloud?
Content disarming and analysis are essential features in our email security setup
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiMail Cloud?
FortiMail is cost-efficient, however, Symantec Mail Gateway and DLP solutions might be comparable.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiMail Cloud?
There are no specific new features I would suggest at this moment. FortiMail needs to develop further, particularly in integrating AI features, to keep up with rapidly advancing technology.
What do you like most about Microsoft Exchange Online Protection?
The initial setup was easy. The configuration process is very straightforward.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Exchange Online Protection?
Some of the searchability when looking for specifics in Exchange logs is tedious. Although eventually the information is located, it can be difficult if detailed information is lacking. Improving t...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Exchange Online Protection?
I use the tools to protect customers' emails, mostly utilizing Defender products to protect emails and links from SharePoint and email spam protection and links.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Microsoft EOP, MS Exchange Online Protection
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiMail Cloud vs. Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) and other solutions. Updated: January 2024.
842,651 professionals have used our research since 2012.