Kaspersky Security for Mail Server vs Sophos Email comparison

Kaspersky and Sophos are both solutions in the Email Security category. Kaspersky is ranked #21 with an average rating of 9.0, while Sophos is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.0. Kaspersky holds a 1.0% mindshare in Email Security, compared to Sophos’s 2.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Kaspersky users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Sophos users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

Kaspersky Security for Mail Server and Sophos Email both operate in the email security solutions market. Based on advanced capabilities, Sophos stands out due to its innovative features, though at a higher price point.

Features: Kaspersky Security for Mail Server is known for strong malware protection, efficient spam filtering, and a straightforward setup process that supports integration into existing systems. Sophos Email provides advanced threat protection with AI-driven threat intelligence and sandboxing, includes inbound email scanning, and offers comprehensive data loss prevention. Sophos leverages AI technologies for better threat detection and response, offering a proactive approach to new security challenges.

Room for Improvement: Kaspersky can enhance its email security by integrating AI-driven technologies to tackle emerging threats more effectively. Its user interface could be modernized for better user experience, and expanding its feature set to include direct data loss prevention can provide added value. Sophos Email, on the other hand, could improve by minimizing the complexity of deployment, reducing false positives, especially with firewall integration, and offering more competitive pricing options without sacrificing features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Kaspersky Security for Mail Server offers an easy deployment process, allowing it to fit smoothly into most business infrastructures. The customer service is reliable, ensuring seamless operation. Sophos Email, despite its complexity due to advanced features, provides exceptional customer support that helps guide clients effectively through setup, reducing disruptions and ensuring optimal deployment.

Pricing and ROI: Kaspersky Security for Mail Server is recognized for its competitive pricing, providing robust security solutions at a lower cost, resulting in strong ROI for cost-conscious businesses. Sophos Email, while requiring a higher upfront investment, presents superior ROI through its comprehensive set of advanced features, which justify the cost for businesses prioritizing state-of-the-art security.

To learn more, read our detailed Kaspersky Security for Mail Server vs. Sophos Email Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Kaspersky Security for Mail Server vs. Sophos Email

January 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 January 2025, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is 15.4%, down from 21.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Kaspersky Security for Mail Server is 1.0%, down from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos Email is 2.6%, down from 2.8% 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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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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Adeyemi Adedokun

Team Lead, Infrastructure, Security & Service Management at C&I Leasing Plc,

Ensures that there is maximum security enabled for our communication processes

There has been issues when I have interacted with the support in the past, especially regarding technical issues. I have found them responsive for basic queries, but when I have raised issues for complex issues, there is a delay in the response from the support team. During the initial setup, when I faced challenges, the support team took a lot of time to address the issue and escalate it to the required personnel. In another issue raised, I was trying to confirm the status of a domain name. The support team was not able to help me out and provide with the necessary information. I suggest that there should be improvement in the support team towards handling such complex issues and technical concerns.

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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 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."

"The basic features are okay and I'm satisfied with the Defender."

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

"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."

"At the moment we are satisfied with this product. It's a stable, scalable, and resilient solution for us."

"The email protection is excellent, especially in terms of anti-phishing policies."

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 helps people to work remotely. It is a secure solution. We don't need to use our company's computers or get VPN connections to the networks. I can control how they share screens and what they send to the devices. It keeps our organizations confidential and sensitive information safe."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pros

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

"The most valuable feature is the straightforward setup."

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

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

"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."

"I would recommend Sophos Email to both end-users and other entities that want to protect their emails."

"It has enhanced our approach to tackling malware and spam. It is a reliable product with a good user interface."

"The platform is scalable when installed on server-based systems."

"Good VIP protection, time of click protection and the Sandstorm feature."

"I found the user interface friendly."

"Sophos Email provides both inbound and outbound filtering."

"The best thing about it is the logs."

"I cannot guarantee any email by its name. It can be spam. Sophos Email helps to double-check whether an email is spam or not. It has a dashboard which gives an overview of the alerts."

More Sophos Email pros

Cons

"The phishing and spam filters could use some improvement."

"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."

"Microsoft wants its well-paying customers to finish testing some of its half-baked products, find bugs, and report bugs back to Microsoft's team, which is a little frustrating for those who have to manage it and roll it up to thousands of people across the organization."

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

"There is room for improvement in terms of reporting."

"The pre-sales cost calculations could be more transparent."

"We are always looking for others tools to increase automation on tasks. There can be better integration with other solutions, such as PowerPoint and email."

"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."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 cons

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

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

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

"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."

"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."

"The security of the solution could improve."

"Their technical support is slow to respond."

"The solution has not found a way to block certain kinds of phishing emails."

"The tool has some performance issues and bugs, making it an area where improvements are required."

"The tool's integration becomes an issue when the internet connection is weak."

"However, the setup was tricky, particularly with the DNS routing between Microsoft Exchange Online and Sophos cloud services. It took me about four attempts to get it working correctly. Despite that, Sophos Email does everything we need, so we don't require any additional capabilities now."

"The solution's sandboxing and spam control features could be improved."

"Sophos Email could improve DLP features."

More Sophos Email cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I know that the product is incredibly expensive."

"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."

"The license is expensive because the cost is based on the number of users."

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

"I was working in the government and it was too expensive for us to use our Microsoft products."

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

"Defender is a little bit more expensive as compared to others. We are in the manufacturing environment. So, we don't have a high budget for all of our endpoint devices. Its cost is a major concern for us."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pricing and cost advice

"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."

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

"It is an expensive solution. On a scale of one to ten, where one is low price, and ten is high price, I rate the pricing a seven."

"The pricing could improve by having additional discounts. For example, when customers buy have more than 50 or more users, there should be additional discounts."

"The product is cheaper compared to other solutions."

"I rate the product's pricing a seven out of ten."

"Sophos Email is priced lower than its competitors."

"I would rate the pricing of Sophos Email as a six. It is considered affordable as a standalone product, and there are no additional costs besides licensing. The pricing is fixed."

"The pricing is fair."

"Sophos Email is neither cheap nor expensive."

More Sophos Email 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

18%

Financial Services Firm

12%

University

11%

Retailer

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Healthcare Company

Retailer

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 Sophos Email?

The solution's identity proxy feature is very good and reliable.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sophos Email?

Sophos Email pricing is a bit high, especially since I purchase through a partner, and they sell it at a higher price...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Sophos Email?

Email installation could be more user-friendly so that it can be done without involving the partner. If made more use...

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 8% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 5% of the time

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 4% of the time

Trend Micro Email Security vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 4% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Competitors

Fortinet FortiMail vs Kaspersky Security for Mail Server

Compared 30% of the time

Barracuda Email Security Gateway vs Kaspersky Security for Mail Server

Compared 15% of the time

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

Compared 12% of the time

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

Compared 10% of the time

Cisco Secure Email vs Kaspersky Security for Mail Server

Compared 7% of the time

More Kaspersky Security for Mail Server Competitors

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs Sophos Email

Compared 9% of the time

Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection vs Sophos Email

Compared 7% of the time

Fortinet FortiMail vs Sophos Email

Compared 7% of the time

Barracuda Email Protection vs Sophos Email

Compared 5% of the time

IRONSCALES vs Sophos Email

Compared 3% of the time

More Sophos Email Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Office 365

January 2025

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 report

Download Microsoft Defender for Office 365 product report

Buyer's Guide

Email Security

December 2024

Kaspersky Security for Mail Server report

Download Kaspersky Security for Mail Server product report

Buyer's Guide

Sophos Email

December 2024

Download Sophos Email product report

Also Known As

MS Defender for Office 365

No data available

Sophos Email Security

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Microsoft

Kaspersky

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Sophos

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.

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.

Sophos Email is a comprehensive email security solution designed to protect organizations from advanced threats and data loss. It offers robust protection against malware, phishing attacks, and spam, ensuring that only legitimate emails reach users' inboxes.

With advanced threat intelligence and machine learning algorithms, it can detect and block sophisticated attacks in real-time. Additionally, it provides encryption and data loss prevention capabilities to safeguard sensitive information.

The solution is easy to deploy and manage, with a user-friendly interface and centralized control. Sophos Email offers seamless integration with popular email platforms, ensuring uninterrupted communication while maintaining security.

With its comprehensive features and proactive approach, Sophos Email is a reliable choice for organizations looking to enhance their email security.

Sample Customers

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

Vimpel Com, Estrella Galicia, Krombacher

Del Monte Foods, Terra Verde, spicerhaart, RIVERLITE, Dataprise, SureBridge, Reed's School, Sayfol International School

Buyer's Guide

Kaspersky Security for Mail Server vs. Sophos Email

January 2025

Free Report: Kaspersky Security for Mail Server vs. Sophos Email

Find out what your peers are saying about Kaspersky Security for Mail Server vs. Sophos Email and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.

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