Proofpoint Essentials

Proofpoint Essentials is a cloud-based platform for securing business email in small and midsize (SMB) organizations. It protects emails used to exchange confidential client and case information by allowing users to filter harmful messages and apply controls to outgoing data. The platform’s email continuity capabilities can maintain access to messages during service interruptions. Additionally, its policy controls let firms manage how email is handled across users and mailboxes.

What Is Proofpoint Essentials Best For?

The platform is well known for its advanced threat protection capability that focuses on email attacks aimed at people, specifically those involving malicious links or attachments. It includes targeted attack protection that allows users to analyze email threats and adapt to new attack patterns. The platform helps users identify attacks that may bypass conventional filtering. It detects targeted email threats before they reach users and reduces exposure to attacks that rely on employee interaction.

How Much Does Proofpoint Essentials Cost?

The platform’s starting price is $2.75/month/active user for its Business plan. It includes various features, such as inbound and outbound email filtering and data loss prevention filters. Additional Proofpoint Essentials pricing tiers are as follows:

• Advanced: $3.75/month/active user
• Professional: $5.33/month/active user
• Proofpoint Essentials Security Awareness (PESA): $1.00/month/active user

Besides the fixed subscription charges, users should also account for additional prices to consider the total cost of ownership. It includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Archive Data Import: Costs $3.00/GB for importing legacy data more than 2GB/user account
• Imported Data Management Fee: $3.00/GB/month for importing data more than 2GB/user, charged from the date of import until the expiration of the retention period
• Implementation And Configuration: Approximately $500–$3,000 for email security setup and assistance for a legal practice
• Email Data Migration: Typically costs $1,000–$5,000, depending on data volume to be migrated 
• Microsoft 365 Integration: An indicative $500–$2,500 for configuring Microsoft 365 connectivity and security policies 
• Legal Compliance Configuration: Around $1,000–$5,000 may be incurred for tailoring retention and security policies 
• User Training And Onboarding: Roughly $300–$2,000 for training across a small-to-midsize law firm 
• SSO And Identity Integration: Commonly $500–$3,000 for connecting the platform with existing identity and access-management systems

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

Proofpoint Essentials Integrations

The software integrates with Microsoft 365 software.

How Does Proofpoint Essentials Work? 

Here's how you can get started with the platform upon logging into the system: 

• Review the dashboard to get an overview of email activity and account status 
• Open User Management to review user accounts and access individual user settings 
• Check Email Logs to search inbound or outbound messages by sender, recipient, subject, date, or status 
• Review Quarantine to analyze messages held by Proofpoint filters and release legitimate emails when appropriate 
• Manage policies to adjust filtering rules, sender controls, DLP settings, and other email security preferences 
• Monitor reports to review email activity and investigate messages that require administrative attention 
• Use the admin controls to manage users and security settings while end users handle permitted quarantine actions 

Who Is Proofpoint Essentials For?

The platform is used in several industries and sectors, including:

• Automotive 
• Engineering 
• Construction 
• Education 
• Biotechnology 
• Finance 
• Healthcare 

Proofpoint Essentials Use Cases 

Based on Proofpoint’s current capabilities, we have identified several scenarios where the platform works well for: 

Healthcare Providers Protecting Patient Information Sent By Email 

Many healthcare providers exchange patient information through email, which creates compliance concerns as the messages contain protected health information. Proofpoint Essentials applies policies to outgoing messages and identifies sensitive content such as PHI. Its encryption and data-loss controls allow staff to communicate patient information outside the organization securely. 

Federal Agencies Protecting High-Risk Personnel From Targeted Attacks 

Federal employees in sensitive roles can become direct targets of attacks designed to compromise their accounts or obtain government information. Proofpoint’s federal security capabilities reduce such risks by protecting people who face greater exposure to targeted threats. It makes the platform relevant for agencies where individual employee accounts can represent a major security concern. 

Proofpoint Essentials For Higher-Education Email Environments 

Colleges and universities frequently deal with phishing attempts across large and changing user populations. The system allows administrators to review suspicious emails and apply security policies throughout institutional accounts. It is specifically helpful for institutions using Microsoft 365 that need additional protection against email-based threats. 

Smaller Organizations Without A Dedicated Email-Security Team 

Proofpoint Essentials software gives smaller businesses a platform to manage email-security policies and review quarantined messages without requiring a large security operation. It protects business email when internal security resources are limited. The platform’s continuity capabilities are also relevant when normal mail infrastructure becomes unavailable, specifically for organizations that depend heavily on email for daily communication. 

Financial Firms Dealing With Phishing And Sensitive Client Information 

Financial firms face email threats when handling information that may be subject to regulatory requirements. The platform lets finance teams analyze all incoming messages for malicious links and attachments while applying policies to sensitive outbound content. It helps firms where phishing protection and information handling need to be addressed within the same email-security environment. 

Is Proofpoint Essentials Right For You? 

If you run a legal practice that needs better protection around client email without building a large security team, then Proofpoint Essentials is the right software for you. For Microsoft 365 environments, the software also offers 365 Total Protection, providing email protection, backup and recovery, and security awareness training to avoid common risks. It also includes security awareness capabilities with phishing simulations to help employees recognize email-based threats. Additionally, the software is GDPR-compliant, ensuring the security of confidential data. 

In recent years, the legal software industry has been increasingly adapting to AI and focusing on stronger data security. Proofpoint Essentials is keeping pace with industry trends through its data security for AI capability to analyze sensitive information with approved AI tools. 

Still have confusion about investing in Proofpoint Essentials? Contact us at (661) 384-7070 to make an informed decision.