Microsoft Exchange vs. Proofpoint Essentials for Small Business

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Exchange
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Exchange is a secure email / messaging gateway with file archiving and encryption / data loss capability, available as a hosted service (Exchange Online) or installed (Exchange Server).N/A
Proofpoint Essentials
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Proofpoint Essentials provides protection against spam, phishing and other email threats, as well as social media protection, user roles and restrictions, and other protections oriented around the needs of small business.N/A
Pricing
Microsoft ExchangeProofpoint Essentials for Small Business
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft ExchangeProofpoint Essentials
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft ExchangeProofpoint Essentials for Small Business
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Microsoft ExchangeProofpoint Essentials for Small Business
Secure Email Gateway
Comparison of Secure Email Gateway features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Exchange
8.1
80 Ratings
4% below category average
Proofpoint Essentials for Small Business
9.7
2 Ratings
14% above category average
Anti-malware8.163 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Customizability7.975 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Data Loss Protection8.665 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Threat Detection8.064 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Sandboxing7.344 Ratings10.01 Ratings
End-to-End Encryption8.364 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Management Tools8.377 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Microsoft ExchangeProofpoint Essentials for Small Business
Small Businesses
Barracuda Essentials
Barracuda Essentials
Score 9.2 out of 10
Barracuda Essentials
Barracuda Essentials
Score 9.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Barracuda Essentials
Barracuda Essentials
Score 9.2 out of 10
Barracuda Essentials
Barracuda Essentials
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Cloud Email Security
Cisco Cloud Email Security
Score 7.6 out of 10
Cisco Cloud Email Security
Cisco Cloud Email Security
Score 7.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Microsoft ExchangeProofpoint Essentials for Small Business
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(98 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.9
(12 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
5.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
5.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft ExchangeProofpoint Essentials for Small Business
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
You can use Microsoft Exchange Server with peace of mind for e-mail, calendar, communication, scheduling, and collaboration services. Microsoft's Exchange Server is a product designed to provide users with access to the messaging platform from mobile devices, desktops, and web-based systems. Telephony features in Exchange Server support voicemail. Exchange Server successfully offers high availability service with Microsoft Exchange Database availability groups.
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Proofpoint
I would definitely recommend it for fast and easy deployment with no need of constant managing solution. It is a solid solution that will do all what you need for the email security. Especially when you have a small IT team or even do not have enough experienced specialists to handle email security questions - Proofpoint is what I would recommend to use. I gave it 9 of 10 points only because of the price, you can find find more cheap solutions on the market.
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Pros
Microsoft
  • As we have a large user base of 11,000 users we use MailTips to avoid people getting confused with people with similar names in the organization.
  • The integration between Teams Meeting and Resource booking is generally very good. The Scheduling Assistance makes it easy to scan calendars and find free periods to provisionally scheduled events.
  • Marking yourself as Out of the Office and busy is easy, as is sharing your calendar within the team/organization or individuals.
  • Voicemail integration and the ability to receive missed chats in your inbox are highly used and useful.
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Proofpoint
  • For basic protection, the Solution has an Antivirus, Zero hours Filtering, and Impostor protection.
  • Targeted attacks - URL and Attachment Defense.
  • Content filtering.
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Cons
Microsoft
  • The two main factors for the better reliability & Uptime of internally hosted Exchange Server depends on Exchange Server configuration and the level of investment the organization is willing to provide for hosting the Exchange Server On-Premise Environment. As the data is stored in the organization’s hardware, any disaster may lead to the loss of email and servers.
  • Losing data might affect business continuity and rebuilding it can be costly.
  • Security remains a major concern.
  • Security of data loss is main concern. To ensure that, organization needs to configure networks, systems and Exchange platform against possible threats.
  • Hardware and license costs are high.
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Proofpoint
  • I don't have [a lot] of bad things to say about the software its all positives in my book
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Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
It is the best, and perhaps only, email solution worth considering.
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Proofpoint
No answers on this topic
Usability
Microsoft
Microsoft Exchange is well suited for inexperienced Messaging Admins and veterans alike. If you have no idea of the fundamentals of modern email (SMTP, mail headers, MX Records, SPF/DKIM, Encryption, etc.) and just need to get people's mailboxes and calendars the support they need, you can use it with confidence. If you are an old pro and want to leverage and dovetail your Powershell and AD with Exchange, you will be rewarded for your efforts.
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Proofpoint
No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
Microsoft
Exchange is setup with multiple servers behind load balancers to provide high availability.
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Proofpoint
No answers on this topic
Performance
Microsoft
I would say it's the best email product I've experienced.
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Proofpoint
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Microsoft
We have a good enterprise agreement with Microsoft which affords us quick phone support. I have found the support staff knowledgeable and prompt with a solution when required. At times it may be difficult to schedule a call back, this is mainly due to our need for calls early in the morning which happens to be during a shift change at Microsoft support.
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Proofpoint
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Microsoft
Implementation/conversion can be quite complex and, unless you have certified Exchange administrators in-house, you should strongly consider a 3rd party consultant for this implementation.
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Proofpoint
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
Most of the 365 subscriptions include desktop and cloud versions of Microsoft programs. These "traditional" software may be installed on a desktop computer and used offline without any problems, as long as you have a working Internet connection. Because so many firms still transmit each others file's developed locally using these applications, despite this being an era of cloud computing– there is a strong case for keeping desktop versions available.
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Proofpoint
As already wrote, Proofpoint is perfect solution to be deployed quickly without requiring any additional resources or services. Good email tracking logs, excellent reporting features. Great filtering mechanism. Cost effective pricing.
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Scalability
Microsoft
The only time Exchange has failed us is when we did something to cause the failure.
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Proofpoint
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • It has been an important factor in allowing seamless communication with clients and scheduling business meetings, which in turn works in the company's favor.
  • Haven't noticed any negative impact Exchange has had on our ROI. The support team is also responsive and helpful.
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Proofpoint
  • Proofpoint Essentials for Small Business has a simplified management.
  • It has a Basic Archive and Legal Hold & eDiscovery Management.
  • Integrated DLP that gives benefits to any organization.
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