# Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Comparison

| | Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | 
|---|---|---|
| **Star Rating** | 4.3 out of 5 | 4.5 out of 5 | 
| **Total Reviews** | 28 | 299 | 
| **Largest Market Segment** | Mid-Market (46.2% of reviews) | Mid-Market (37.8% of reviews) | 
| **Entry Level Price** | No pricing available | $2.00 1 User Per Month | 

---
## Top Pros & Cons

### Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense

**Not enough data**

### Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Pros:
- Ease of Use (9 reviews)
- Security (9 reviews)

Cons:
- Complexity (8 reviews)
- False Positives (6 reviews)

---
## Ratings Comparison
| Rating | Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | 
|---|---|---|
  | **Meets Requirements** | 9.0 (19 reviews) | 9.0 (232 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Use** | 8.4 (19 reviews) | 8.9 (235 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Setup** | 8.5 (8 reviews) | 8.7 (118 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Admin** | 9.0 (8 reviews) | 8.9 (100 reviews) | 
  | **Quality of Support** | 8.9 (17 reviews) | 8.7 (226 reviews) | 
  | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | 9.6 (8 reviews) | 8.8 (101 reviews) | 
  | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 9.4 (19 reviews) | 9.4 (223 reviews) | 

---
## Pricing

### Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

No information available

### Microsoft Defender for Office 365

#### Entry-Level Pricing

Plan: Microsoft Defender for Office Plan 1

Price: $2.00 1 User Per Month

Description: Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 offers protection against advanced attacks across email and collaboration tools in Office 365.

Key Features:
- Protection against advanced attacks, such as phishing, malware, spam, and business email compromise
- Protection beyond email (Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Office apps)
- Internal email protection

[Browse all 2 editions](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-microsoft-defender-for-office-365/pricing)

#### Free Trial

No

---
## Features Comparison By Category

### Cloud Email Security

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense** | 9.0/10 | 5 |
| **Microsoft Defender for Office 365** | 8.8/10 | 164 |

#### Administration

| Feature | Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | 
|---|---|---|
| **Intelligence Reporting** | 9.7 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | 8.8 (149 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Email Integration Suppor** | 9.3 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | 9.0 (148 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Access Management** | Not enough data | 8.8 (141 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Data Loss Prevention** | 9.3 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | 8.5 (141 reviews) ✓ Verified | 

#### Maintenance

| Feature | Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | 
|---|---|---|
| **Auditing** | Not enough data | 8.7 (139 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Allow and block lists** | Not enough data | 8.8 (146 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Compliance** | 9.0 (5 reviews) | 8.8 (143 reviews) | 
| **Archiving** | Not enough data | 8.6 (136 reviews) ✓ Verified | 

#### Security

| Feature | Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | 
|---|---|---|
| **Anti-Malware/Anti-Spam** | 9.0 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | 9.0 (152 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Encryption** | Not enough data | 8.9 (142 reviews) | 
| **Quarantine** | 8.3 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | 8.8 (146 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)** | 8.7 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | 9.0 (145 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Anti-Phishing** | 9.0 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | 9.0 (149 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Account takeover prevention** | Not enough data | 8.7 (139 reviews) ✓ Verified | 

### Intelligent Email Protection

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense** | N/A | N/A |
| **Microsoft Defender for Office 365** | 8.9/10 | 5 |

#### Administration

| Feature | Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | 
|---|---|---|
| **Compliance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Intelligence Reporting** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Email Clients** | Not enough data | 9.0 (5 reviews) | 
| **Role-Based Rules** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Detection

| Feature | Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | 
|---|---|---|
| **Data Exfiltration Detection** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Activity Monitoring** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Real-Time Detection** | Not enough data | 8.7 (5 reviews) | 

#### Protection

| Feature | Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | 
|---|---|---|
| **Targeted Attack Prevention** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Policy Enforcement** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Spam Filtering** | Not enough data | 9.0 (5 reviews) | 

#### Agentic AI - Intelligent Email Protection

| Feature | Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | 
|---|---|---|
| **Autonomous Task Execution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Adaptive Learning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

### Secure Email Gateway

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense** | 9.5/10 | 5 |
| **Microsoft Defender for Office 365** | N/A | N/A |

#### Functionality

| Feature | Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | 
|---|---|---|
| **Anti-Spam** | 9.3 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | Not enough data | 
| **Anti-Malware** | 8.0 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | Not enough data | 
| **Anti-Phishing** | 10.0 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | Not enough data | 
| **Filtering Functionality** | 10.0 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | Not enough data | 
| **Quarantine** | 9.7 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | Not enough data | 
| **Outbound Email Monitoring** | 9.3 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | Not enough data | 
| **Advanced Threat Intelligence/Protection** | 9.3 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | Not enough data | 
| **Archiving** | 9.3 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | Not enough data | 
| **Reporting** | 9.7 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | Not enough data | 
| **On-prem deployment** | 10.0 (5 reviews) ✓ Verified | Not enough data | 

#### Agentic AI - Secure Email Gateway

| Feature | Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | 
|---|---|---|
| **Proactive Assistance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

### Email Anti-spam

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense** | N/A | N/A |
| **Microsoft Defender for Office 365** | 7.8/10 | 14 |

#### Agentic AI - Email Anti-spam Features

| Feature | Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | 
|---|---|---|
| **Autonomous Task Execution** | Not enough data | 8.1 (13 reviews) | 
| **Proactive Assistance** | Not enough data | 7.4 (11 reviews) | 

---
## Categories
**Shared Categories (2):** [Cloud Email Security Solutions](https://www.g2.com/categories/cloud-email-security), [Intelligent Email Protection Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/intelligent-email-protection)

**Unique to Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense (1):** [Secure Email Gateway Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/secure-email-gateway)

**Unique to Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (1):** [Email Anti-spam Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/email-anti-spam)


---
## Reviewer Demographics

### By Company Size

| Segment | Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | 
|---|---|---|
| **Small-Business** | 19.2% | 25.8% | 
| **Mid-Market** | 46.2% | 37.8% | 
| **Enterprise** | 34.6% | 36.4% | 

### By Industry

#### Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense

- **Information Technology and Services:** 19.2%
- **Higher Education:** 11.5%
- **Marketing and Advertising:** 7.7%
- **Architecture & Planning:** 3.8%
- **Computer Hardware:** 3.8%
- **Computer Software:** 3.8%
- **Consumer Services:** 3.8%
- **Defense & Space:** 3.8%
- **Education Management:** 3.8%
- **Financial Services:** 3.8%
- **Other:** 34.6%

#### Microsoft Defender for Office 365

- **Information Technology and Services:** 26.0%
- **Computer & Network Security:** 12.5%
- **Computer Software:** 12.5%
- **Financial Services:** 5.3%
- **Accounting:** 2.8%
- **Consulting:** 2.8%
- **Telecommunications:** 2.5%
- **Education Management:** 2.5%
- **Oil & Energy:** 2.5%
- **Higher Education:** 1.8%
- **Other:** 28.8%

---
## Alternatives

### Alternatives to Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense

- [Proofpoint Core Email Protection](https://www.g2.com/products/proofpoint-core-email-protection/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (601 reviews)
- [Mimecast Advanced Email Security](https://www.g2.com/products/mimecast-advanced-email-security/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (320 reviews)
- [SpamTitan Email Security](https://www.g2.com/products/spamtitan-email-security/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (199 reviews)
- [FortiMail](https://www.g2.com/products/fortimail/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (24 reviews)
- [Symantec Email Security.Cloud](https://www.g2.com/products/symantec-email-security-cloud/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (66 reviews)
- [Paubox](https://www.g2.com/products/paubox/reviews) — 4.9/5 stars (602 reviews)
- [Virtru Email Encryption](https://www.g2.com/products/virtru-email-encryption/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (417 reviews)
- [Valimail](https://www.g2.com/products/valimail/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (459 reviews)
- [Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud](https://www.g2.com/products/acronis-cyber-protect-cloud/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (1439 reviews)
- [Check Point Email Security](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-email-security/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (534 reviews)

### Alternatives to Microsoft Defender for Office 365

- [Proofpoint Core Email Protection](https://www.g2.com/products/proofpoint-core-email-protection/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (601 reviews)
- [SpamTitan Email Security](https://www.g2.com/products/spamtitan-email-security/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (199 reviews)
- [Symantec Email Security.Cloud](https://www.g2.com/products/symantec-email-security-cloud/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (66 reviews)
- [IRONSCALES](https://www.g2.com/products/ironscales/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (65 reviews)
- [Mimecast Advanced Email Security](https://www.g2.com/products/mimecast-advanced-email-security/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (320 reviews)
- [Barracuda Email Gateway Defense](https://www.g2.com/products/barracuda-email-gateway-defense/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (39 reviews)
- [Proofpoint Essentials for Small Business](https://www.g2.com/products/proofpoint-essentials-for-small-business/reviews) — 4.0/5 stars (24 reviews)
- [Vade](https://www.g2.com/products/vade/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (180 reviews)
- [Cloudflare One (SASE)](https://www.g2.com/products/cloudflare-one-sase/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (105 reviews)
- [Abnormal AI](https://www.g2.com/products/abnormal-ai/reviews) — 4.8/5 stars (78 reviews)

---
## Top Discussions

### Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense

No discussions available for this product.

### Microsoft Defender for Office 365

- Title: [What are the security features of Microsoft 365?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/microsoft-defender-for-office-365-what-are-the-security-features-of-microsoft-365) — 2 comments
  > **Top comment:** "Multi Factor authentication. data encryption, threat protection, data protection, identity and access management are major features of MS Office 365,"
- Title: [Does Microsoft 365 include Microsoft Defender?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/does-microsoft-365-include-microsoft-defender) — 2 comments
  > **Top comment:** "Yes"

---
**Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/cisco-secure-email-threat-defense-vs-microsoft-microsoft-defender-for-office-365)