Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security comparison

Microsoft and Perception Point are both solutions in the Email Security category. Microsoft is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.1, while Perception Point is ranked #17 with an average rating of 9.3. Microsoft holds a 7.1% mindshare in Email Security, compared to Perception Point’s 2.3% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Perception Point users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection and Perception Point Advanced Email Security compete in the email security category. Exchange Online Protection appears to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive integration with Windows and well-rounded security features.

Features: Microsoft Exchange Online Protection includes EOP, ATP, safe links, anti-phishing, and antispam capabilities. Its integration allows for centralized alerts and incident views. Perception Point focuses on multi-engine detection for blocking malicious content and phishing, featuring a hardware-assisted platform and real-time reports.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Exchange Online Protection needs enhancements in automation, handling gray emails, and reporting. Perception Point can improve spam filtering, real-time alert customization, and integration options.

Ease Of Deployment and Customer Service: Exchange Online Protection offers both public and hybrid cloud deployment, with varied customer support. Perception Point provides mainly public cloud deployment and positive technical support, though improvements in speed would be beneficial.

Pricing and ROI: Exchange Online Protection's pricing varies based on enterprise agreements, with some users finding it expensive but valuable for security. Perception Point's pricing is competitive, offering a good ROI with reasonable costs based on email accounts covered.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs. Perception Point Advanced Email Security Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs. Perception Point Advanced Email Security

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 Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is 7.1%, down from 9.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Perception Point Advanced Email Security is 2.3%, up from 1.8% 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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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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Jijin Joseph

Technical Director at Channelnext

Gives in-depth analysis reports to end users for any malicious content found in emails

Our users would like the solution to scan outgoing emails. So, if my system is compromised, and I have malicious content in my system, then there is a possibility that I send malicious email to my colleague. There is a dependency on AWS cloud.This means if the cloud service is down, which may impact the perception point's email delivery.So it would be great if there is any HA for the solution. I would like a user-friendly configuration, like APIs. This solution is API-friendly configuration by following the steps provided. It would be great if it could be automate it, like the Avanan.Also, it would be good if Perception Point Advanced Email Security could have an MSP model. During the early stages of working with this solution, there were some constraints and issues.

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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

"Does a thorough job of examining email and URLs for malicious content."

"We use Microsoft Defender for its ability to integrate with existing business technologies, which is beneficial for protecting business areas."

"The two main features that prove most beneficial for us are URL scanning and attachment scanning."

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 facilitates efficient management and updates through the cloud. We do not have to worry about incompatibilities. It just works."

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

"I like its investigation capabilities, as that is what is most important to me. It is fairly simple with a user-friendly interface."

"The product's scalability is good."

"The initial setup was easy."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pros

"It is an easy solution."

"The most valuable feature is the ease of administration. Other solutions require complex administration, but Microsoft Exchange Online Protection is easier."

"The initial setup is just a standard process."

"The scalability is pretty good; it does what it is supposed to do."

"We can migrate seamlessly without any disruptions to our operations."

"I like the product's ZAP feature."

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

"It offers great security against malware and other threats."

More Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) pros

"One is the hardware-assisted platform that provides more insight into the threat scenarios. And the other is their instant response team's availability, 24/7, for identifying and responding to incidents. These are the two main things that everyone likes."

"The most valuable feature is the hardware-assisted platform module."

"The most valuable features of the solution are the ones that are related to finding impersonation attacks and detecting attempts to steal credentials. In scenarios where attackers get you to follow URLs to a malicious site that looks similar to a good site, and then ask for the user credentials to try to steal them, it is very useful."

"Another feature that we really like, one that was introduced a few months back, is the way it categorizes threats into groups, such as Emotet, Qbot, Formbook, and the like. It's not only telling you that something is malware, but it's also giving you insight into what kind of malware... You understand what you are facing and whether you are a target for a specific group of threats..."

"The Perception Point Incident Response team acts as an extension of our SOC team. This is very important for us. This is a benefit provided for their main product of scanning our emails. If Perception Point can give me IR, this is really good versus other products that do not provide this kind of service. Perception Point's service is great. They are very professional. That reduces the time that my internal SOC has to deal with my internal IT person. They just send an email to the IR team at Perception Point, who continues the investigation and blocks any emails, if necessary. This is very good because it can reduce a lot of time and effort from my team. It is like an extension of my SOC, but external."

"The solution is used to block malicious items hidden inside a document or PDF file."

"The most valuable feature I have found is the speed of scanning emails."

"We can use it to perform detection and analysis of emails. For any malicious content found in emails, it gives in-depth analysis reports to end users. If you log into the console, you can see in-depth detection and how it happens."

More Perception Point Advanced Email Security pros

Cons

"I'd like some additional features any product can give me to protect our environment in a better way."

"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."

"One area for improvement is integration. For example, when it comes to external SaaS platforms, we were not able to get a lot of information on integrations with such apps for security and authentication."

"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."

"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."

"Configuration requires going to a lot of places rather than just accessing one tab."

"They have moved features from one console to another. Things have been moved around in the interface and it takes me time to find where certain features are."

"It would be better if it were more scalable. It depends on the architecture, but we would like to make it more scalable for both data centers."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 cons

"They should specify the difference between Defender for Office 365 and Exchange Online Protection."

"The tool is not 100% stable."

"Having orchestration features added to Microsoft Exchange Online Protection, particularly automation and remediation, would be quite useful."

"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."

"Some features, like encryption, are not available."

"It would be helpful for customers if Plan 1 features were included with EOP."

"It wasn't easy or intuitive enough for me to start using it. So, the reason was that the solution changed."

"The product's end-of-life cycle could be extended."

More Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) cons

"It would be helpful for Perception Point Advanced Email Security to have more integration with other solutions."

"Its websites for analysis need to be a bit more approachable for people who are less technical. Technically, it is a fire-and-forget solution. So, you want to be able to implement this solution for a lot of companies who don't have security operation teams (SOCs) behind them. You need to have something where a secretary can jump onto this console and release whatever she needs to release. Therefore, it needs to be written in a very specific non-technical language."

"Email alerts should be available in real-time."

"Dashboard is an area of concern in the solution where improvements are required."

"They can do better on the spam. Today, Perception Point is not our only solution. We have two solutions, and they are the second in line because the spam filtering is not yet the best."

"They just don't do a good job of promoting themselves. They seem like a typical busy IT company who is just working on fixing problems and making technology better. However, they are not fantastic at marketing themselves to existing partners, which is not a bad thing. It is just something for improvement."

"They could provide additional data loss prevention features as we encounter different kinds of attacks in today's scenario."

"Coming from products in the Microsoft stack, Perception Point doesn't really give you, as an admin, a lot of options to make changes yourself. It's more on their side to make changes in the back end. That's something they could improve on in the future."

More Perception Point Advanced Email Security cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

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

"Compared to other brands, Microsoft Defender for Office 365's pricing is competitive."

"While Microsoft Defender for Office 365 necessitates pricier E3 or E5 subscriptions, the extensive functionality offered by these licenses across various Microsoft products justifies the investment."

"The product is very expensive."

"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."

"Microsoft Defender is expensive. I typically recommend it only if clients have the budget. Otherwise, I would suggest an alternative."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pricing and cost advice

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

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

"The price could be lower."

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

"It is a low-price solution."

"The product's pricing is competitive for the US market."

"The product is expensive."

More Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) pricing and cost advice

"When compared to other solutions on the market, it is relatively fair."

"Pricing is lower in comparison to Proofpoint."

"The solution is neither cheap nor expensive. There are no additional costs to the standard license."

"The pricing and licensing are very fair compared to competing companies in the same field."

"We were able to get reasonable pricing that matches the ROI we want, so I think that it is the correct price point."

"The price of this solution was within our budget and I think that it will suit most SMBs."

"If a user only wants protection for email, then the price of the product is okay, but if they opt for the collaboration options offered by the product, then it becomes a little expensive."

"It has very reasonable pricing. Normally, the end user is paying. Perception Point is already in the Amazon marketplace, so we cannot sell it as a distribution partner. For example, we cannot take more than that margin of what they offer in the marketplace. Whatever the end user is paying, it is definitely worth it and it is not that high."

More Perception Point Advanced Email Security 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

15%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Retailer

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...

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 Microsoft Exchange Online Protection?

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

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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...

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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...

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What do you like most about Perception Point Advanced Email Security?

The most valuable feature is the technical support services.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Perception Point Advanced Email Security?

In Brazil, the dollar price affects the cost. Perception Point Advanced Email Security is about 50 percent less expen...

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What needs improvement with Perception Point Advanced Email Security?

To improve the solution, maybe a portal for end users to consult their emails would be helpful. The end user could ac...

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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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Proofpoint Email Protection vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

Compared 14% of the time

Cisco Secure Email vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

Compared 11% of the time

Fortinet FortiMail vs Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

Compared 9% 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 5% of the time

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Avanan vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security

Compared 15% of the time

Proofpoint Email Protection vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security

Compared 12% of the time

IRONSCALES vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security

Compared 10% of the time

Fortinet FortiMail Cloud vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security

Compared 10% of the time

Fortinet FortiMail vs Perception Point Advanced Email Security

Compared 8% of the time

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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

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP)

February 2025

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) report

Download Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) product report

Buyer's Guide

Perception Point Advanced Email Security

February 2025

Perception Point Advanced Email Security report

Download Perception Point Advanced Email Security product report

Also Known As

MS Defender for Office 365

Microsoft EOP, MS Exchange Online Protection

No data available

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

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

Perception Point Advanced Email Security is a comprehensive solution designed to protect organizations from advanced email threats. Leveraging cutting-edge technology, it offers multi-layered defense mechanisms to detect and block sophisticated attacks such as phishing, malware, and ransomware.

With its advanced threat intelligence capabilities, it can identify and neutralize zero-day threats in real-time. The solution also provides robust data loss prevention features, ensuring sensitive information remains secure. Its user-friendly interface allows for easy management and monitoring of email security, while its seamless integration with existing email platforms ensures a hassle-free deployment process.

Perception Point Advanced Email Security is a reliable and efficient solution that safeguards organizations against the ever-evolving landscape of email-based threats.

Perception Point

Sample Customers

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

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Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs. Perception Point Advanced Email Security

March 2025

Free Report: Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs. Perception Point Advanced Email Security

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