Microsoft Benchmark Report Exposes Limitations of Email Security Architecture

The email security market is evolving rapidly, and Microsoft's latest benchmark report has shed new light on what organizations need to protect themselves from increasingly sophisticated threats.

According to the report, native cloud defense has matured significantly, with Microsoft Defender stopping a high volume of commodity spam, mass phishing, and known malware before it reaches an inbox. However, evasive attacks that use behavioral AI require specialized tools to detect and prevent.

The report analyzed real-world customer telemetry from May-July 2022 and found that KnowBe4 Defend ranked #1 across every single uplift metric reported. It caught 3.7 times more dangerous emails that slipped past Microsoft Defender than the average add-on, and was responsible for identifying and pulling back 16.92% of all post-delivery malicious removals.

KnowBe4's strategic partnership with Microsoft has given them a unique advantage in the market. As a member of the ICES Vendor Ecosystem, KnowBe4 Defend operates seamlessly alongside Microsoft Defender, rather than competing with it for mail control. This integration ensures that customers are getting the latest innovation as it happens across both platforms.