Kaspersky Security for Mail Server vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) comparison

Kaspersky and Microsoft are both solutions in the Email Security category. Kaspersky is ranked #21 with an average rating of 9.0, while Microsoft is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.1. Kaspersky holds a 0.9% mindshare in Email Security, compared to Microsoft’s 7.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Kaspersky users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

Kaspersky Security for Mail Server and Microsoft Exchange Online Protection are competing solutions in email security. Microsoft EOP seems to have the upper hand due to its seamless integration with Office 365, enhanced features, and overall value.

Features: Kaspersky provides comprehensive threat detection with robust protection against spam, malware, and phishing threats. It includes advanced threat detection capabilities with detailed reporting for quick analysis. Microsoft EOP offers superior integration with Office 365, enhanced email filtering, and data loss prevention. Its cloud-based architecture supports real-time threat intelligence and consistent updates.

Room for Improvement: Kaspersky could improve its ease of deployment by simplifying on-premise setup and expanding cloud-based options. It should also enhance integration capabilities with non-Microsoft platforms. Customer service could be more proactive in issue resolution. Microsoft EOP could improve by reducing costs to make it more accessible for smaller businesses, expanding detailed reporting features, and enhancing customization options for security policies.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Kaspersky requires intricate on-premise deployment but supports various mail servers, with reliable customer service for detailed installation support. Microsoft EOP is known for ease of cloud-based deployment and efficient integration with Microsoft services, with robust customer service aiding continuous operation.

Pricing and ROI: Kaspersky offers competitive pricing with high ROI due to effective threat prevention but may incur additional costs for physical infrastructure. Microsoft EOP, despite higher pricing, demonstrates substantial ROI from integrated features and reduced third-party security needs, making it cost-effective for organizations heavily using Microsoft services.

To learn more, read our detailed Kaspersky Security for Mail Server vs. Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Kaspersky Security for Mail Server vs. Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

March 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 March 2025, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is 13.5%, down from 19.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Kaspersky Security for Mail Server is 0.9%, down from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is 7.1%, down from 9.7% 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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Taha Khaleel

Chief Operations Officer at PRO-VISION

A highly reliable solution that provides monitoring capabilities and protection to multiple types of devices

The initial setup of Kaspersky Security for Mail Server is very easy. The initial setup of Kaspersky Security for Mail Server takes around four minutes. The solution is deployed on the cloud and on-premises. For the deployment process, you can buy the solution in a CD form or purchase it directly from the company website and activate it. My company needs managers, engineers, and developers to deploy the solution. The number of people required for the deployment process changes from time to time, so all the staff are included not just for the deployment of the solution but also to make improvements to the solution in the future. You can contact Kaspersky to see if they can provide the solution with integration capabilities for your company by providing you with an open account, which I haven't tried yet, though I plan to try it in the future.

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Nur Mohammad

Deputy Manager at B-Trac Technologies Ltd.

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.

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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

"Since we have started using the solution, there have been fewer compromises."

"It also gives me good visibility because, with Defender, I'm using a Microsoft product to defend Microsoft products. The integration was really seamless and I have wide visibility because it picks up almost everything. Literally, I can see almost every activity that happens, from the e-mail to the workstation itself."

"One of the best features of the tool is its capability to aggregate insights from different workloads, basically from the Office 365 and endpoints part."

"Our customers are satisfied with Defender for 365 because Microsoft products are easy to use and customize to meet the client's needs. Everything is in one place, so we can adjust policies as needed for phishing, DLP, ATP, or any other security features that our clients want to apply."

"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."

"Some of the valuable features on the email side are anti-phishing, anti-malware, and Safe Links."

"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 of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is the ease of use."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pros

"The most valuable feature is the straightforward setup."

"You can install the plugins on the same machine hosting your exchange solution. It's a good complement for Sophos security, which scans the traffic before it reaches your mail service. Kaspersky is on the mail server itself while Sophos handles the incoming traffic. With both of them working together, we have the perfect solution for mail."

"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it is a highly reliable and dependable solution."

"The integration rate is very high in Kaspersky, which is why most of our customers like it."

"The most valuable features are the anti-phishing and anti-spam capabilities."

"I like the product's ZAP feature."

"The solution's stability is very, very good. I didn't face any problems in the last year."

"The initial setup of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection was easy."

"It provides security to both on-premises and Azure infrastructures."

"You can use the product to create special accounts."

"In general, my company is happy with Microsoft support...My company hasn't faced any stability issues with the solution."

"The product's most valuable feature is third-party integrations."

"We use the solution to receive emails. We do not use the calendar function as our clients are slow adaptors to the latest features."

More Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) pros

Cons

"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."

"Configuring the default strategies and policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps generates a lot of noise and false positives."

"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 GUI is sometimes slow to fetch the device report and could be improved."

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 should improve the troubleshooting tools. It's unclear whether the device is blocked at the firewall level or at the device itself. The granularity needed for troubleshooting is currently lacking. From my perspective, Microsoft should address this issue to benefit many users who likely share the same sentiment."

"The UI needs to be more user-friendly."

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

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 cons

"The solution is not 100 percent stable and that can use improvement."

"The biggest problem in the solution is related to its license renewal since it is pretty hard in Kaspersky to find out the procedure to renew a license."

"It would be great if Kaspersky could do what Sophos does for us. However, we love having these two different technologies doing the same thing. Sometimes Sophos has the patch to block a novel threat, but Kaspersky doesn't."

"Encrypted email attachments are not being monitored by this solution, which is an area that they need to work on."

"Kaspersky lacks in the area of customization, so simpler customization options need to be provided to users."

"The biggest issue that I experience is that Microsoft keeps moving things around, and it's very inconsistent as to where you find the information when you're trying to work on different pieces."

"The security features could be better."

"Microsoft 365 Defender and EOP policies are stable with the proper license. However, with the basic policy, it's hard to say it's stable due to configuration limitations."

"The solution lacks to elaborate on its spam policies."

"The solution needs to improve its backup."

"Microsoft has some training portals, but more could be developed."

"It doesn't protect against everything. We do need protection for, for example, endpoints."

"The security compliance features need to be improved. Sometimes, a client's mailbox becomes full because of retained information and not because of mail. I would like to see improvement in block rules as well."

More Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 comes with Microsoft Windows. It is free with the operating system."

"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 product is expensive."

"The pricing has become expensive."

"The product is very expensive."

"For large enterprise organizations, they can definitely afford it, but for small and medium organizations, they might struggle to cover the expenses."

"It's a user-base subscription."

"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."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pricing and cost advice

"My company makes annual payments towards the licensing costs solution."

"Price-wise, I would rate this product a four out of five. It could be a bit cheaper."

"The solution is not expensive."

"The solution offers one of the best prices possible to its users, making it even better than Barracuda. Kaspersky Security for Mail Server is ten times cheaper than Barracuda."

"Apart from the license fee for the solution, there are no additional costs."

"The tool's pricing is excellent."

"The price could be lower."

"The solution is priced high and could be less expensive compared to other solutions."

"The product is expensive."

"The solution is expensive but is backed by Microsoft's reputation."

"It is a low-price solution."

"The product is bundled with Microsoft 365."

More Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) 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%

Financial Services Firm

12%

University

Retailer

Computer Software Company

15%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

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 Kaspersky Security for Mail Server?

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it is a highly reliable and dependable solution.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kaspersky Security for Mail Server?

My company makes annual payments towards the licensing costs solution.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Kaspersky Security for Mail Server?

The biggest problem in the solution is related to its license renewal since it is pretty hard in Kaspersky to find ou...

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Exchange Online Protection?

The initial setup was easy. The configuration process is very straightforward.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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 Sha...

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

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 5% of the time

Abnormal Security vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 4% of the time

Mimecast Email Security vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 4% of the time

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Fortinet FortiMail vs Kaspersky Security for Mail Server

Compared 32% of the time

Barracuda Email Security Gateway vs Kaspersky Security for Mail Server

Compared 14% of the time

Sophos Email vs Kaspersky Security for Mail Server

Compared 9% of the time

Fortinet FortiMail Cloud vs Kaspersky Security for Mail Server

Compared 7% of the time

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration vs Kaspersky Security for Mail Server

Compared 7% of the time

More Kaspersky Security for Mail Server Competitors

Proofpoint Email Protection vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

Compared 14% of the time

Cisco Secure Email vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

Compared 10% of the time

Fortinet FortiMail vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

Compared 10% of the time

Mimecast Email Security vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

Compared 6% of the time

Trend Micro Email Security vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

Compared 4% of the time

More Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) 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

Email Security

March 2025

Kaspersky Security for Mail Server report

Download Kaspersky Security for Mail Server product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

February 2025

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) report

Download Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) product report

Also Known As

MS Defender for Office 365

No data available

Microsoft EOP, MS Exchange Online Protection

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

Email is the number one vector used by cybercriminals to penetrate and attack enterprise IT systems.

Kaspersky Security for Mail Server uses Next Generation technologies including advanced heuristics, machine learning and sandboxing to detect and protect against ransomware, spam, phishing, data loss and even unknown threats penetrating your IT systems through emails and malicious attachments.

Kaspersky

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is a comprehensive email filtering and security service designed to protect organizations from spam, malware, and other email-based threats. It provides advanced threat protection, anti-malware and anti-spam filtering, and data loss prevention capabilities.

With EOP, organizations can ensure the security and integrity of their email communications. It uses multiple layers of filtering and scanning to detect and block malicious content, including phishing attempts, viruses, and ransomware. EOP also leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence to continuously improve its threat detection capabilities.

In addition to its robust security features, EOP offers advanced anti-spam filtering to reduce unwanted and unsolicited emails. It uses a combination of reputation-based filtering, content filtering, and sender authentication techniques to identify and block spam messages.

EOP also includes data loss prevention (DLP) capabilities to prevent sensitive information from being leaked or shared inappropriately. It allows organizations to define policies to detect and prevent the transmission of sensitive data, such as credit card numbers or social security numbers, via email.

Furthermore, EOP integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Exchange Online and other Office 365 services, providing a unified and integrated email security solution. It can be easily managed through the Exchange admin center, allowing administrators to configure and monitor security settings, review reports, and manage quarantined emails.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

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

Vimpel Com, Estrella Galicia, Krombacher

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Kaspersky Security for Mail Server vs. Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

March 2025

Free Report: Kaspersky Security for Mail Server vs. Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

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