Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense vs Splunk TA-DMARC add-on
Choose Proofpoint for comprehensive enterprise-grade email fraud protection, choose Splunk TA-DMARC for basic DMARC data integration within an existing Splunk environment.
Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense provides a robust and expansive set of features designed to combat email fraud comprehensively. It moves beyond basic DMARC reporting, offering dedicated consultants to streamline DMARC deployment, guided workflows, and assistance in identifying legitimate senders.
The platform includes advanced capabilities such as comprehensive domain discovery, continuous analysis of WHOIS data to detect lookalike domains, and a virtual takedown service for malicious impersonations. Its hosted authentication services for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are particularly strong, helping to overcome technical limitations like the 10-lookup limit for SPF and simplifying key management for DKIM.
The Splunk TA-DMARC add-on is designed primarily as an ingestion tool, allowing organizations to bring DMARC aggregate and forensic reports into their existing Splunk environment. Its core functionality revolves around parsing these reports and making the data available for analysis within Splunk.
Users can then leverage Splunk's powerful search and dashboarding capabilities to visualize DMARC compliance, identify sending sources, and detect potential spoofing attempts. While it provides the raw data and a framework for analysis, the depth of DMARC-specific features, like hosted authentication or active threat intelligence, depends heavily on what users build within Splunk itself.
How easy is each product to use
User experience
Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense, while powerful, can sometimes present a steeper learning curve, particularly during initial setup and configuration. The robust feature set means there are many options and settings to navigate, which can be overwhelming without guidance. However, the product aims to simplify complex DMARC processes through dedicated consultants and guided workflows.
Once configured, the day-to-day management is generally streamlined, with a focus on delivering actionable insights. The interface is designed for security professionals, and while functional, some users have noted that the UI could be more intuitive and interactive for specific tasks like reviewing quarantined emails.
The user experience of the Splunk TA-DMARC add-on is entirely dependent on the user's familiarity with Splunk. It is not a standalone DMARC reporting tool with its own independent interface. Instead, it integrates DMARC data directly into Splunk, meaning the UX is Splunk's UX.
For experienced Splunk users, this can be very powerful, as they can leverage existing knowledge and custom dashboards. However, for those new to Splunk or seeking a dedicated, out-of-the-box DMARC reporting solution, the add-on requires significant effort to build relevant visualizations and alerts. The archived status also means there's no ongoing development to improve its integration or ease of use.
Which product has the best support
Support
Proofpoint provides professional support, often including dedicated consultants for initial DMARC deployment and ongoing assistance. This level of personalized support is a significant advantage, especially for complex enterprise environments.
While overall satisfaction with their support is high, some users have reported occasional delays in response times, requiring follow-ups. However, the depth of expertise available through their support channels for specific DMARC challenges is consistently praised.
The Splunk TA-DMARC add-on is officially marked as "Not Supported." This means there is no direct, official support provided by the developer for the add-on itself. Users are left to rely on their internal Splunk expertise, community forums, or self-troubleshooting for any issues.
Furthermore, the add-on is also "archived," indicating that it is no longer actively developed or maintained. This lack of official support and active development means that organizations using it must be prepared to handle all maintenance and problem-solving in-house, which can be a considerable undertaking.
Who should use each product
Suitability
Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense is best suited for large enterprises and organizations that require a comprehensive, managed approach to email security and DMARC enforcement. It's ideal for those who need dedicated expertise, robust hosted authentication services, and proactive protection against sophisticated email fraud and brand impersonation.
MSPs could also find Proofpoint a valuable offering to resell or manage on behalf of their enterprise clients, given its extensive capabilities and support for complex environments. It might be overkill for many SMBs who do not face the same scale of advanced threats or have the budget for such a premium solution.
The Splunk TA-DMARC add-on is best for organizations that are already heavily invested in the Splunk ecosystem and have internal Splunk expertise. It serves as a connector to integrate DMARC data into an existing security information and event management (SIEM) or operational intelligence platform.
This solution is less suitable for SMBs or MSPs looking for an out-of-the-box, dedicated DMARC reporting solution. It requires a significant amount of effort in configuration, dashboard creation, and ongoing maintenance, making it impractical for those without specialized Splunk resources.
How does Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense compare with Splunk TA-DMARC add-on?
DMARC report analysis
Analysis of DMARC aggregate and forensic reports.
Comprehensive, AI-driven analysis with actionable insights.
Raw data ingestion for Splunk analysis and custom dashboards.
Source detection
Ability to identify all legitimate and illegitimate email sending sources.
Advanced detection and classification of sending infrastructure.
Identifies sources based on DMARC reports within Splunk.
Forward detection
Capabilities to identify and manage email forwarding scenarios.
Includes insights on forwarded mail streams.
DMARC reports provide data on forwarding, viewable in Splunk.
Spoof detection
Detects and helps prevent domain and lookalike domain spoofing.
Proactive detection, including lookalike domain analysis and takedown.
DMARC compliance data in Splunk helps identify spoofing.
Notifications and alerts
System for sending alerts on DMARC policy changes or threats.
Configurable alerts for policy violations and threats.
Splunk's alerting engine can be configured for DMARC data.
Reporting
Generation of reports on DMARC status and email traffic.
Detailed, customizable DMARC and email fraud reports.
Relies on Splunk's native reporting and dashboarding features.
API
Availability of an API for integration with other systems.
Offers API for integration with broader security ecosystems.
Splunk platform has API capabilities for data interaction.
Multi-tenancy
Support for managing multiple distinct client domains or organizations.
Designed for multi-domain enterprise environments.
Multi-tenancy depends on Splunk architecture, not inherent in add-on.
SPF flattening
Helps overcome the 10-DNS-lookup limit for SPF records.
Included as part of hosted SPF services.
Not a feature of this DMARC data ingestion add-on.
Hosted DMARC
Provides hosted DMARC record management.
Offers comprehensive hosted DMARC services.
Does not host DMARC records, only processes reports.
BIMI
Support for Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI).
As a leading email security provider, BIMI support is expected.
Not a primary function of this add-on.
MTA-STS/TLS-RPT
Support for Mail Transfer Agent Strict Transport Security (MTA-STS) and TLS Reporting.
Likely included in its advanced secure email offerings.
Beyond the scope of this DMARC report add-on.
Blocklists and reputation
Integration with blocklists (or block lists) and reputation monitoring.
Enhances protection with reputation data and blocklist checks.
Does not inherently provide blocklist (or blacklist) data.
AI copilot
AI-powered assistance for DMARC management and insights.
Leverages AI for threat detection and DMARC automation.
Relies on Splunk's own AI/ML capabilities, not built into add-on.
DNS monitoring
Monitoring DNS records for malicious changes or new lookalike domains.
Includes comprehensive domain and DNS monitoring for fraud.
Limited to DMARC data, not general DNS monitoring.
Self hostable
Option to host the software on private infrastructure.
SaaS solution, not designed for self-hosting.
The add-on can run on a self-hosted Splunk instance.
Free trial/free tier
Availability of a free version or trial period.
No public free trial or free tier; contact sales.
The add-on itself is free, but requires a Splunk license.
Drawbacks and what to watch out for
Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense's primary drawbacks revolve around its complexity during setup and its premium pricing structure. The extensive features, while powerful, can lead to a steeper learning curve, and some users note the UI isn't always the most intuitive. For Splunk TA-DMARC add-on, the main concerns are its unsupported and archived status, which means no ongoing development or official support, and its reliance on an existing Splunk environment, adding significant operational overhead.
We have pulled the average ratings from G2 for each product, and also included the most recent negative reviews for each product in full. Positive reviews tend to have less detail and have a higher chance of being fraudulent, so negative reviews are a better signal for your decision.
4.3 / 5(12)
0 / 5(0)
Overkill
2.0 / 5
What do you like best about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
Great filters for junk and spam. Easy widgets in email notifications to release legit email that is not spam
What do you dislike about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
Too much filtering. At times, overkill. Filters out legitimate emails.
What problems is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense solving and how is that benefiting you?
Protect network from illicit email spoofing. Employees that are non tech savvy that click on fishing emails.
Verified User in Food & Beverages
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
No G2 reviews
G2 is the most popular review platform for DMARC products, so this is a strong signal that this product is not popular.
Not sure if it's worth the hassle
2.5 / 5
What do you like best about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
I do like that it auto scans my emails and sorts out the scam/fraudulent ones.
What do you dislike about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
I greatly dislike having to wait for the flagged emails, that are actually not fraudulent, but something that I am looking for. It does not send me the alert until the next day, and then once its been released and approved, it ends up taking another 10 minutes or so (Max) to get to me.
What problems is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense solving and how is that benefiting you?
I am getting significantly fewer fraudulent/scam emails
Verified User in Construction
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Email Protection by Proofpoint Fraud Defence
4.0 / 5
What do you like best about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
This product provides email protection for both Inbound and outbound emails from all the domains which help in securing the mailboxes. This adds the advantage of the analytics features alike continuously shows the volume of mails as phishing /secures messages.
What do you dislike about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
Like other proofpoint products this also has implementing and configuring problems as they are not easy to configure in the organization environment.
Recommendations to others considering Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense:
This product offers you great security over emails and customers can leverage the support and different product portfolio they offer.
What problems is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense solving and how is that benefiting you?
We are securing our emails from phising mails /messages for all the domains and for both inbound outbound messages.
Anjali V.
Cyber Security Analyst Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
Reliable tool for spam emails!
4.0 / 5
What do you like best about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
It's a great reliable tool and keep your inbox more secure and spam free. As a security measure this is great tool which prevents from any fraudulent emails and send alerts as necessary. I am currently using at my company and find all the spam emails being avoided. We usually receives too many on our generic email alias and this help in securing.
What do you dislike about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
It's a great tool, though I find the use of it a very little. Only being capable of avoiding spam emails. Also the dashboard is not much interactive
Recommendations to others considering Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense:
It was always better to have precaution than being penalized by unwanted threat. It's always good to be more secure and spam free and take preventive steps towards running your business securely.
What problems is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense solving and how is that benefiting you?
We consider our emails to be safe and spam free. And probably easy to set up
Verified User in Information Technology and Services
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
We use it as our Email Proxy.
4.5 / 5
What do you like best about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
Ability to filter by most likely spam emails. We also have the ability to open up domains.
What do you dislike about Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense?
The UI can be a bit more intuitive if it was up to me.
Recommendations to others considering Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense:
I would recommend for the ease of use and security features offered.
What problems is Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense solving and how is that benefiting you?
Fraud emails and Spam emails for our Enterprise account.
Verified User in Computer & Network Security
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
Pricing
Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense operates on an enterprise-grade, contact-for-pricing model, while the Splunk TA-DMARC add-on is technically free but necessitates a separate Splunk license.
Small
Up to 10k emails / month
Contact for pricing
Free (requires Splunk)
Medium
Up to 100k emails / month
Contact for pricing
Free (requires Splunk)
Large
Up to 1 million emails / month
Contact for pricing
Free (requires Splunk)
Enterprise
Over 1 million emails / month
Contact for pricing
Free (requires Splunk)
Suped hard sell incoming!
Still not satisfied with Proofpoint Email Fraud Defense or Splunk TA-DMARC add-on?