EMAIL SECURITY & ANTI-PHISHING

Email Security Calculator & Vendor Comparison 2025

Calculate email security and anti-phishing costs. Compare 10 leading email protection platforms with Q3 2025 pricing based on users, feature set, and archiving requirements.

What is Email Security and Why Sizing Matters

Email Security protects organizations from email-based threats including phishing, malware, ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), and spam. Modern email security solutions combine anti-spam, anti-phishing, malware detection, URL rewriting, sandboxing, and optional email archiving for compliance.

📧 Why Email Security Sizing is Critical

Under-licensing leaves mailboxes unprotected—email is the #1 attack vector (90%+ of breaches start with phishing). Over-licensing wastes $30K-120K annually. Our calculator helps you size based on protected mailboxes, not total employees.

💰 Pricing Models Explained

Email security vendors charge per protected user per month. Pricing tiers: Basic anti-spam ($1-2/user/month), Standard anti-phishing ($3-5/user/month), Advanced threat protection ($5-8/user/month), Enterprise with DLP ($8-12/user/month). Archiving adds $2-4/user/month.

📊 Real Production Data

Our sizing comes from 300+ enterprise email security deployments. We account for M365/Google Workspace native protection gaps, shared mailboxes, and compliance archiving requirements (SEC, FINRA, HIPAA).

Key Factors in Email Security Sizing

  • Protected Mailboxes: License per mailbox, not per employee. Include service accounts, shared mailboxes, and distribution lists that accept external email. Typical: 1.1-1.3x employee count.
  • Native vs. Third-Party: Microsoft 365 E5 and Google Workspace Enterprise include basic email security. Third-party solutions (Proofpoint, Mimecast) provide 40-60% better phishing detection but add cost.
  • Feature Requirements: Anti-spam only ($1-2/user/month) vs. Advanced threat protection with sandboxing ($5-8/user/month) vs. Full stack with DLP and encryption ($8-12/user/month).
  • Archiving Compliance: SEC Rule 17a-4, FINRA, HIPAA require email archiving. Archiving adds $2-4/user/month. Retention periods: 3 years (HIPAA), 7 years (SEC/FINRA). Storage grows 10-20GB/user/year.
  • Business Email Compromise (BEC): Account takeover protection, display name spoofing detection, and executive impersonation prevention require Advanced tier. BEC attacks average $120K loss per incident.

Common Email Security Sizing Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake #1: Only protecting employee mailboxes. Service accounts and shared mailboxes (info@, support@, sales@) receive external email and need protection. Budget for 110-130% of employee count.

❌ Mistake #2: Assuming M365/Google native security is enough. Native protection catches 85-90% of threats. Third-party solutions catch 95-99%. The 5-10% gap represents your most sophisticated attacks.

❌ Mistake #3: Not budgeting for archiving storage growth. Email archives grow 10-20GB/user/year. A 1000-user deployment needs 10-20TB storage after 1 year. Factor in storage costs ($20-50/TB/month).

❌ Mistake #4: Skipping URL rewriting and sandboxing. 60-70% of modern phishing uses weaponized URLs and zero-day malware. Basic anti-spam misses these. Advanced threat protection is essential for high-risk industries.

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Email Protection Scope

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