In short: Proofpoint Essentials is a cloud email gateway that filters spam, phishing and malware for Microsoft 365 and other mail platforms. It is licensed per user in Business, Advanced and Professional packages, each with a plus version. Higher packages add encryption, data loss prevention, continuity and a ten-year cloud archive. Ask us for a quote.
What Proofpoint Essentials is
Proofpoint Essentials brings Proofpoint's email security engines to smaller organisations as a simple cloud service. All mail to and from your domains passes through Proofpoint, which removes spam, phishing and malware before it reaches users and checks outbound mail before it leaves. It works with Microsoft 365, on-premises Exchange and other mail platforms.
Administration is straightforward: a web console with multi-level logins, domain management, instant log search and message trace, plus a quarantine digest email that lets each user release, release and approve, or block held messages themselves.
Proofpoint's website now leads with 365 Total Protection for smaller buyers, but Essentials remains available to order and is what many existing Proofpoint SMB customers run.
Packages and features
Proofpoint Essentials is sold in Business, Advanced and Professional packages, each with a plus version (Business+, Advanced+ and Professional+). The old Beginner package is end of sale. Packages are cumulative: each one includes the one below and adds more features.
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| MLX spam and phishing filtering | Machine-learning analysis of headers, content, sender reputation and images |
| Multi-layer anti-virus and zero-hour outbreak protection | Signature and heuristic scanning, plus automatic protection against brand-new outbreaks |
| Content and outbound filtering | A rules engine for message policies, scanning of all outbound mail, message trace and disclaimers |
| URL Defense and Attachment Defense | Proofpoint Targeted Attack Protection technology that analyses links and files dynamically |
| Email encryption | Policy-based encryption, triggered by a subject-line tag or an Outlook button |
| Email data loss prevention | Built-in dictionaries and smart identifiers, plus custom policies |
| Continuity | Email spooling, Emergency Inbox and Instant Replay |
| Archiving | Ten-year cloud archive with search and eDiscovery |
Filtering is the core of every package; encryption, DLP, continuity and archiving come in as you move up. Proofpoint revises package contents from time to time, so we confirm exactly which features each package and plus version includes against your requirements before you order. External recipients of encrypted mail read and reply through Proofpoint's Secure Mail web portal.
Continuity and archiving
If your mail service goes down, email spooling holds incoming mail and delivers it when service returns, and the Emergency Inbox switches on automatically so users can read, reply to and download attachments from queued mail. Instant Replay lets users replay delivered messages from the last 30 days that were deleted by mistake.
Where your package includes archiving, the cloud archive keeps mail for ten years, with real-time journaling from Exchange and Microsoft 365, configurable retention policies, an audit log of archive searches and search for legal discovery. If you want existing mail in the archive from day one, archive ingestion imports historical email and is charged per gigabyte.
How it is licensed
Proofpoint Essentials is licensed per user and billed monthly on the users on your account, so starters and leavers change the bill.
| Item | Licensed by |
|---|---|
| Business, Advanced or Professional package (and plus versions) | User |
| Archive ingestion and archive data | Gigabyte |
| Security Awareness Training add-on | User |
How users are created matters for billing: Proofpoint provides several user management methods, including directory sync, and notes that each can affect what is billed. We set these up so you only pay for the users you mean to protect. Prices depend on the package and user count, so ask us for a quote. See also per-user vs per-device licensing.
Who it suits and how we help
Proofpoint Essentials suits organisations that want a gateway in front of their mailboxes, especially where encryption, DLP, continuity or a compliance archive are needed, or where some mail still runs on on-premises Exchange.
We handle the switch: domain set-up, user sync from Entra ID or Active Directory, policy configuration, the MX change and locking Microsoft 365 down to accept mail only from Proofpoint. Compare it with Perception Point Advanced Email Security, 365 Total Protection and other email security options.
How Forever Systems supplies your software licences
Forever Systems Ltd supplies business software subscriptions to UK organisations from one account, with one monthly invoice and a UK team who know the products.
- The right edition first time: we check what you need before you buy, so you are not paying for features you will never use
- Monthly or annual terms where the vendor offers them, and help timing renewals and commitments
- Licence changes handled for you: add or remove users, upgrade editions and true-up without starting a new contract
- Deployment and support from engineers who run these products every day, not just a reseller account
- Consolidated billing and renewal reminders so nothing lapses unexpectedly
We work with businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations of all sizes.
Need a licence quote or a second opinion on your renewal?
Tell Forever Systems what you need and we will come back to you by email with options, not a hard sell.
Contact usFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Proofpoint Essentials Business and Advanced?
Business is the entry package, built around spam, phishing and malware filtering with content and outbound filtering. Advanced adds features such as encryption, data loss prevention and continuity. We confirm the current feature list for each package when we quote.
Does Proofpoint Essentials include email archiving?
Yes, in the packages that include archiving: a ten-year cloud archive with search, eDiscovery and retention policies. Importing historical mail into the archive is charged per gigabyte.
Does Proofpoint Essentials work with Microsoft 365?
Yes. You point your MX records at Proofpoint, which filters mail and delivers it to Microsoft 365. Users can be synced from Microsoft Entra ID.
What do the plus packages add?
Business+, Advanced+ and Professional+ add further capabilities on top of each package. Proofpoint revises the contents from time to time, so we confirm the current differences when we quote.
Is Proofpoint Essentials billed monthly?
Yes. It is billed monthly per user on your account, so the cost follows your headcount.