Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email &amp; Collaboration) vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365 comparison

Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) vs. Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Download the complete report

Helped 899,283 peers since 2012

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

Cloudflare One

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Cloudflare One is 1.6%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) is 4.3%, down from 4.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is 6.3%, down from 12.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Defender for Office 365	6.3%
Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration)	4.3%
Cloudflare One	1.6%
Other	87.8%

Email Security

Featured Reviews

Cobe Van Coller

Network Architect at IP Dimension

Cloud security has improved remote access and has reduced costs for smaller client sites

I have used Cloudflare One's Identity-Aware Proxy, and it is quite straightforward from what I have seen so far. The app registration on the Azure side integrates fully into Cloudflare, and I am very satisfied with that part because it is easy to set up. The integration of Cloudflare One's Secure Web Gateway and Zero Trust Network Access works without any issues. That part is pretty automatic, and if you complete the rest of the setup, it comes together by itself with no issues from my side. What makes it nice is that we can actually start replacing on-site firewalls at this stage for the smaller clients because it does not matter if they go to a coffee shop or work from home; they are still secured by the same connection. The hops get shorter and you get better latency. We have done testing to see if it is better. One thing that we did notice with our proof of concept with our current client is that they have people connecting from the UK. When they used their previous VPN solution, uploading CAD drawings and other files to the server took a long time. They mentioned that it is much quicker on Cloudflare One's solution. I definitely believe that is part of the improved performance, and I am satisfied with that as well. What is nice about Cloudflare One is that it makes the setup easier and also easier to train technicians to maintain it. Compared to legacy systems, we do not need to get fancy firewalls in place that are costly. That is definitely also a cost-saver with Cloudflare One.

Read full review

PRADIPJOSHI

Owner at Shree Atharva Sales Corporation

Email protection has stopped phishing and secured cloud collaboration across all devices

Deployment is very easy since it is API based and does not require any harsh configuration. The DMARC management and DMARC forensic is the best feature. Their security engine provides everything such as DLP and encryption. Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration provides almost 100% security for phishing emails. Their DMARC management is very standard compared with any other brand or any other email security provider. The best thing is that on a single tenant I can manage multiple services such as Harmony Endpoint, Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, Harmony Browser, mobile security, EDR, XDR, which is endpoint security, and SaaS. All of these services have a single dashboard. When giving security to email, in Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration, I do not need to change any MX record or any DNS entry changes. I simply add one text record for DMARC and no changes are needed in the MX record of that particular domain. This is very easy because Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is in the tenant of Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace only. Check Point works on zero trust network technology. They are not only giving a feature of artificial intelligence but also machine learning summary. Machine learning summary is also given when they catch any kind of incidents such as phishing attacks, malware attacks, and ransomware attacks. They always provide real-time alerts for that. Real-time URL analysis is provided for phishing links and all these things. It gives 100% output for that and shows the source from where the malicious URL comes from. Additionally, they always provide threat emulation. This means the simulation of what danger happens when I click that particular URL is also provided in their report. It gives 100% protection to all BYOD devices. For example, one single Microsoft 365 account can be configured on different five devices. Many companies give email access to their employees on their mobile as well. In that case, if any malicious file is on the mobile and the employee would like to save it on OneDrive, due to this security, the user and administrator will get a real-time alert that this file is malicious and cannot be uploaded to OneDrive. This not only saves money but also saves time and prevents the organization from such cyber attacks.

Read full review

Emeka Ndulu

Cloud Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

Improves threat visibility and response while reducing manual tasks and training users against phishing

I appreciate the attack simulation feature whereby I get to train users and educate them on how to identify phishing emails and spam emails, as well as the anti-spam protection. It gives me visibility into my threat environment and threat landscape to ensure that I am one step ahead of any likelihood of threats within my environment. I get to detect it and respond, so the threat intelligence is very effective. Microsoft security solutions save my time. It saves money because once I protect my environment, I don't lose money. It has decreased my detection time and my time to respond.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"It will take the blow rather than our applications should an attack occur."

"It's a perfect solution from my perspective; it's easy to understand and easy to configure."

"Using Cloudflare One makes my work quite easy because for DDoS protection, all I need to do is understand the OSI model and click; it makes it easier than trying to write a command line or use a Linux command."

"What makes it nice is that we can actually start replacing on-site firewalls at this stage for the smaller clients because it does not matter if they go to a coffee shop or work from home; they are still secured by the same connection."

"It's the endpoint exposition. We don't need to expose our VPN server to the internet and need a zero-test solution. I can apply some conditional access to the endpoint that's connecting to our network to check their security policies or the security condition of their workstation. Once the workstation is trying to connect to my internal network, then I would like to check the discrete condition of these endpoints that are trying to access my internal network. We created some conditional access. We have CrowdStrike, to check if the CrowdStrike is installed, to check if it's updated, and to check for Windows updates. We created some conditional policies to check it."

"Cloudflare is simple to use."

"Enables me to work from two locations."

"Clover is the best product globally."

More Cloudflare One pros

"Robust inspection technologies have proven valuable in safeguarding shared files in collaborative environments by analyzing patterns and identifying potential threats."

"The solution helps to block spam emails."

"It is the collaboration between users inside the company. It is a big advantage with Check Point to be able to work together on the same document."

"Check Point's technical support is very good."

"Because of its features and abilities, it has saved us from a lot of possible breaches."

"It's very easy to use, and the onboarding process is straightforward."

"I like the fact that having granular information about the potential threats is received in email."

"The product offers good and easy integration capabilities with other products."

More Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) pros

"The solution is very easy to use. All you have to do is to assign the license to the end-user and it's done. The customer will only have the feature activated, and the solution will monitor the emails to determine if they are a threat or not."

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

"The most valuable aspect of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is its ability to protect us from malware."

"It definitely is a must for email protection and O365 app DLP, and combined with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender for Identity, and MCAS, it provides a holistic solution for threat protection, email protection, O365 apps protection, and DLP for both internal and external risks."

"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."

"Defender is a SaaS platform, so it offers more flexibility. Managing the permissions is easier. The solution's automated detection and response features are scalable."

"Defender has reduced the time our security team spends on tasks by 10 to 15 percent, allowing us to focus on other areas."

"The most valuable feature is the integration; it's a single console, so we don't have to switch around between multiple products, and another valuable feature is the ease of operations and maintenance."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pros

Cons

"There are premium tier live service and lower tier live service, so we opted for the lower tier. But there is no medium tier where we pay a little extra and get a bit more service. So if that can be improved."

"From a logging perspective, it is still a bit difficult to see exactly what users are being blocked with the current views."

"When there are any dynamic changes in complex applications, the tool takes a lot of time, making its analytics-related area a major matter of concern where improvements are needed."

"Operating and tuning the product is difficult."

"Our subscription plan for the solution has a limitation of bot signatures."

"The onboarding process can be improved a little bit."

"The pricing is an area that can be improved. Pricing, as far as I recall, was the source of our problems."

"The free plan has limitations. For example, I can only set up three rules, and the application firewall is unavailable."

More Cloudflare One cons

"After updates, the internet connection fails, and I have to restart my desktop to resume initial functionalities."

"We have used technical support, but their response time is very slow. It needs to be improved."

"I need to go to Check Point's admin portal if I want to see the license list and the details of the users of the tool, making it an area of concern where some ease of process should be provided from an improvement perspective."

"We have only encountered some false positives that required us to whitelist certain third-party domains, mostly due to their poor email configuration preventing DMARC or SPF alerts."

"It would be good to have the option to export the respective record data from dashboards or logs to .csv or other files."

"Check Point needs to address the pricing segment for SMEs."

"We still get some false positives. There are times when legitimate stuff gets flagged and it could be that somebody is expecting a very important email but they don't end up getting it. On the flip side, when we alert Check Point about stuff like this, it is corrected, so they are improving. That's a plus."

"if a phishing email were to get through and bypass the product — which very few do — it would be nice if, when a user clicked on that phishing email, they got a second-chance opportunity, a chance to double-check that they really wanted to proceed to that website."

More Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) cons

"The custom alerts have to improve a lot."

"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."

"Microsoft Defender for Office 365 could improve by giving customers information on techniques to prevent threats."

"The visibility into threats is not up to the mark, as I do not have control. I rate my experience with Microsoft Defender for Office 365 as six out of ten due to troubleshooting and pricing concerns."

"If you look at other products, such as Wiz or Palo Alto's cloud, because they also have similar components in terms of how they protect cloud infrastructure or enable cloud security, Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is not up to that extent."

"In one of the reports I can get the exact place where a vulnerable file resides. But for that, I need to explicitly go into the device and check. If they could include that file part in the report, without my having to go to the device itself, that would help."

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

"You should be able to deploy Defender for every subscription without the need to add servers."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is somewhere in the middle. I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten."

"My company has to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the solution. There are no hidden charges apart from the licensing costs of the solution."

"The solution is not that expensive."

"Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform's pricing is good."

"The prices are slightly expensive."

"The pricing of the solution is cheap. The licensing cost is also very low. I rate the cost and pricing a three out of ten."

"The solution's pricing lacks transparency."

"The price tag is no longer $200,000, but rather $300,000 to $400,000. It's twice."

"The pricing and licensing are always negotiable."

"The product’s price is very high."

"I rate the product's pricing a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."

"Reasonable cost, quick and easy implementation, and transparent."

"This is a very good product if you are on the cloud, but the price is a little more expensive."

"I rate the platform’s pricing a seven and a half."

"Do a full feature evaluation (interactive) with a support person. That is what I did."

"There are absolutely no additional costs to the standard licensing fees. One of the wonderful pieces is that CloudGuard SaaS is all-inclusive in its licensing. There's no a-la-carte functionality. You're getting 100 percent of the product for the licensing that you're paying."

More Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) pricing and cost advice

"It is much more expensive than using another solution because we have had to include some options and upgrade our license."

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

"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 for Office 365 is an add-on to the Office license. Many customers are purchasing this solution."

"It's a user-base subscription."

"The product is very expensive."

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

"The pricing has become expensive."

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Email Security solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

899,283 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

19%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	12

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	63
Midsize Enterprise	27
Large Enterprise	32

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	24
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	32

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access has strong integration with Microsoft, among other platforms. However, when it comes to Kaspersky, ...

What is your primary use case for Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access provides secure access to internal applications for employees, external members of the organization...

What advice do you have for others considering Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access is one of the best integrations available. While about two hundred vendors offer similar services, ...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Check Point Harmony Email & Office?

I am not the person to say what cost Check Point has for their products. However, for partners like us, if we could g...

What is your primary use case for Check Point Harmony Email & Office?

We are working with Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration not only for Harmony, but also for their SaaS solut...

What needs improvement with Check Point Harmony Email & Office?

Check Point must develop one mobile app for iPhone users, Android phone users, and Windows phone users or at least fo...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Office 365?

My experience with pricing, setup, and licensing is that it's actually quite reasonable even on the licensing side as...

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Office 365?

I think Microsoft Defender for Office 365 can be improved by creating more educational pieces about not just looking ...

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender for Office 365?

My main use cases for Microsoft Defender for Office 365 include email hygiene.

Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Cloudflare One

Comparisons

Compared 4% of the time

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

Twingate vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

FortiSASE vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

More Cloudflare One Competitors

Mimecast Advanced Email Security vs Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration)

Compared 13% of the time

Barracuda Email Protection vs Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration)

Compared 9% of the time

Proofpoint Email Protection vs Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration)

Compared 8% of the time

Abnormal Security vs Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration)

Compared 4% of the time

Darktrace vs Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration)

Compared 2% of the time

More Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) Competitors

Proofpoint Email Protection vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 6% of the time

Mimecast Advanced Email Security vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 5% of the time

Cisco Secure Email vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 3% of the time

Barracuda Email Protection vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 3% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Business vs Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Competitors

Product Reports

Cloudflare One

Download Cloudflare One product report

Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration)

Download Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) product report

Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) report

Microsoft Defender for Office 365

May 2026

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 report

Download Microsoft Defender for Office 365 product report

Also Known As

Cloudflare Area 1 Email Security, Cloudflare Bot Management, Cloudflare Gateway, Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform, Cloudflare DDoS, Cloudflare SASE & SSE Platform

Check Point CloudGuard, Check Point CloudGuard SaaS , Check Point Harmony Email & Office

MS Defender for Office 365

Overview

Cloudflare One is a comprehensive platform for security, performance, and connectivity. It provides features like rate limiting, DDoS protection, and application access, tailored to enhance user experience while securing internet access and accelerating communications.

Designed to integrate security measures with ease of use and scalability, Cloudflare One offers a secure web gateway and zero trust network access. These features ensure seamless setup and operation, making connectivity reliable and protected. Users appreciate its integrated console, intuitive interface, and the ability to manage risk effectively. It offers straightforward deployment, improves latency, and boasts cost-effectiveness. While its onboarding process and documentation need enhancement, its value in content delivery and application shielding is notable. Despite challenges in integrating Cloudflare Access with existing VPNs and the need for better automation and support, it remains vital for DNS and infrastructure protection.

What features make Cloudflare One stand out?

Rate Limiting: Controls the traffic rate to prevent abuse.
DDoS Protection: Shields applications from distributed denial-of-service attacks.
Secure Web Gateway: Provides secure internet access with seamless operation.
Zero Trust Network Access: Ensures secure, application-based connectivity without relying on traditional VPNs.
Access for Connectivity: Facilitates access to internal applications securely.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Security: Robust measures for DNS and browsing protection.
Performance: Enhanced site accessibility and communication speed.
Cost-Effectiveness: Offers competitive pricing for its features.
Ease of Deployment: Straightforward and efficient setup process.

In industries like finance, retail, and technology, Cloudflare One is crucial for enabling secure remote access and protecting web applications against dynamic threats. It supports compliance access policies and enhances content delivery, playing a key role in safeguarding digital infrastructure.

Cloudflare

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration provides AI-powered security features for email and collaboration platforms, integrating with Microsoft 365 for comprehensive protection against phishing and malware threats.

Designed for seamless deployment, Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration offers advanced protection with minimal false positives. Users benefit from real-time alerts, granular threat analysis, and intuitive operation. It supports API-based email security, ensuring safe communication channels and data protection. While it integrates smoothly with Microsoft 365, improvements in dashboard usability, stability, false positive reduction, and expanded integrations with non-Microsoft platforms can enhance the experience.

What are the key features of Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration?

AI-Powered Threat Intelligence: Utilizes machine learning to detect and prevent emerging threats.
Seamless Office 365 Integration: Offers easy deployment and integration with Microsoft's suite.
Zero-Day Attack Prevention: Protects against unknown vulnerabilities with advanced sandboxing.
Robust Phishing Protection: Employs comprehensive techniques to block phishing attempts.
Advanced Sandboxing: Analyzes potential threats in a controlled environment to prevent breaches.
Comprehensive Dashboards: Provides insights with real-time threat monitoring and analysis.

What benefits or ROI should be considered?

Ease of Deployment: Simple setup process with minimal disruption to operations.
Cost-Effective Security: Reduces potential breach costs with proactive threat prevention.
Reduced False Positives: Minimizes unnecessary alerts, allowing teams to focus on real threats.
Enhanced Threat Visibility: Real-time analytics offer deeper understanding of security landscape.

In finance, healthcare, and education industries, Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration is deployed to safeguard sensitive information and ensure unrestricted communication flow. These sectors value its ability to block suspicious emails, prevent data loss, and maintain compliance with industry regulations.

Check Point Software Technologies

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers real-time email security, enhancing threat detection through integration within the Microsoft ecosystem. Its user-friendly interface and central management streamline operations, providing robust protection against phishing, ransomware, and malware.

Defender for Office 365 is focused on efficiently securing email communication by safeguarding against phishing, malware, and spam threats. With its strong integration with other Microsoft services, it is tailored to improve endpoint security and identity protection. Its centralized management tools simplify threat prioritization, while the automated threat response capabilities ensure swift actions against potential risks. Organizations leverage its capabilities to efficiently manage their cybersecurity efforts, particularly in remote work environments, while maintaining a secure system across Office 365 applications and Azure-hosted services.

What are the key features?

Real-time Email Protection: Continuously monitors and protects email communications.
Safe Attachments and Links: Scans attachments and links for potential threats.
Anti-Phishing Measures: Provides tools to detect and block phishing attempts.
Integration with Microsoft Services: Seamlessly connects with other Microsoft applications for enhanced security.
Automated Threat Responses: Activates immediate responses to detected threats.

What benefits should users expect from reviews?

Time Savings: Automates processes to reduce manual threat management efforts.
Improved Cybersecurity: Strengthens organizational defenses against various cyber threats.
Efficient Remote Work: Enhances protection for remote teams and virtual collaborations.
Comprehensive Coverage: Extends protection across Office 365 and Azure services.

Implementations of Defender for Office 365 vary across industries, optimizing email security for sectors such as finance, healthcare, and education. In finance, it aids in protecting sensitive financial data from phishing and fraud. Healthcare benefits from secure communications, ensuring patient data privacy. Educational institutions use it to maintain secure virtual learning environments against cyber threats.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

23andMe

Helvetia, Denham Capital, Daymark Solutions, Neopharm Group

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

Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) vs. Microsoft Defender for Office 365