Live expert coaching, no annual contract, no multi-console admin portal. Built for SMBs that need people trained — not a compliance checkbox.
Proofpoint Essentials (now rebranded as Proofpoint 365 Total Protection for MSPs) is a cloud-based email security platform that includes security awareness training modules. If you have 1000+ seats and a dedicated IT team managing Microsoft 365, Proofpoint Essentials may be the right fit.
But for most SMBs under 500 employees — especially those without a dedicated IT admin — the multi-console setup, annual seat minimums, and tiered support model create friction that outweighs the benefits. Here's where it falls short:
Even a 10-person firm pays for 25. At ~$3/user/month, that's $360/year before you've run anything.
Reddit sysadmins consistently describe the Essentials admin consoles as "garbage," "old-fashioned," and a chore to navigate. Separate portals for email, archive, and encryption add friction for lean IT teams.
Proofpoint Enterprise gets proactive, hands-on support. Proofpoint Essentials gets... less. Multiple admins report being "dumped without a support login" at setup and chasing down every piece of onboarding.
Some SMBs report MORE phishing gets through with Proofpoint Essentials than with Defender alone. Running both means two separate user quarantine inboxes — users release a message from one and it's still blocked by the other.
Sysadmins across r/sysadmin report significant price increases at annual renewal. One wrote: "We pay waaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than you do" — Proofpoint was their 3rd highest budget item at ~$25,000/year.
| Feature | SecurEveryone | Proofpoint Essentials |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery Method | ✓ Live coaching on Zoom, Meet, or Teams with a real instructor | Video library + automated simulated phishing |
| Contract Structure | ✓ Per-session booking — no annual contract | Annual seat license; 25-user minimum |
| Starting Price | ✓ $150 per session (60-min Personal) | ~$33/user/year (25-user min = $360/year floor) |
| Industry-Specific Content | ✓ Yes — dental, CPA, legal, medical, nonprofit, real estate | Generic library; Compliance Plus add-on (extra cost) |
| Time to First Session | ✓ 7 days from booking | Onboarding + config + baseline phishing (weeks) |
| Phishing Simulation | ✓ Live scenario walkthroughs during coaching session (included) | ✓ Automated scheduled phishing campaigns |
| Real-Time Q&A | ✓ Yes — attendees ask about the emails they actually get | No — platform-driven, no live instructor |
| Support Model | ✓ Dedicated instructor, direct access | Tiered (Essentials = lower priority than Enterprise) |
| Admin Console UX | ✓ No admin portal required | Multiple outdated consoles; steep learning curve |
| Dual Quarantine Risk | ✓ None — works alongside existing email security | Can conflict with Microsoft Defender quarantine |
| Best Fit | SMBs 10–500; regulated verticals; executives; no IT team | 500–1000+ seat enterprises with IT admins and email gateway needs |
Proofpoint Essentials is a strong platform for the right use case. Here's where it genuinely makes sense — and where you should consider an alternative.
If you have an IT team that can manage multi-console setup, Proofpoint's automated workflow is a genuine productivity gain.
If you're running TAP, DLP, archiving, and continuity as a bundled service, Proofpoint's email security platform makes sense.
Running scheduled, non-intrusive phishing campaigns across thousands of users with automated reporting is exactly what Proofpoint does well.
Multi-tenant console and MSP pricing structure designed for this use case.
Per-session pricing means you pay for what you use. A 15-person firm pays $150 for a 60-minute session — not $360 for a 25-seat annual license minimum.
Dental (HIPAA), CPA (IRS Pub 4557 / GLBA), legal (ABA Rule 1.6), medical (HIPAA Security Rule / HITECH), nonprofit — content that's actually relevant to your threats.
Your leadership team learns by asking questions about real attacks. A live instructor can address the specific wire-fraud attempt someone almost fell for last week.
Assigned videos don't move the needle on human behavior. A live session with a real instructor who can answer questions does.
If you evaluated Proofpoint and the setup burden felt disproportionate to your team size, you're right. You don't need 10,000-org scale tooling to train a 40-person firm.
Documentation, instructor-signed session summaries, and the ability to answer OCR audit questions about your training program. We know what auditors look for.
"We switched from Proofpoint Essentials after our renewal price jumped 30% and our reported phishing rate actually went up, not down. One SecurEveryone session cost less than half of one month's Proofpoint bill and our front desk team actually retained what a phishing email looks like."
— IT Director, Regional Healthcare Group
"Proofpoint's multi-tenant console was built for MSPs managing hundreds of clients, not for a 45-person accounting firm that just needed people to stop clicking. We cancelled and booked SecurEveryone the same week. First session was live within 5 days."
— Office Manager, Regional CPA Firm
"The Q&A was the differentiator. Our property managers asked about the exact wire-fraud email scams they'd seen in the previous quarter — specific amounts, specific names. No video library template covers that. That's where the real learning happened."
— Operations Director, Property Management Firm
Yes. Proofpoint Essentials annual contracts can be difficult to exit early, but many clients cancel their renewal and switch mid-year. We can work with your timeline — if your contract ends in 3 months, we can start onboarding now so your first session is live the day your Proofpoint contract expires. There's no minimum commitment with SecurEveryone.
No — and that's intentional. Automated phishing software sends fake phish to your employees and tracks click rates. Our live coaching walks your team through real-world attack scenarios in real time via Zoom, including live Q&A so people can ask about the emails they actually receive. For most SMBs under 200 employees, live scenario training produces better behavioral outcomes than a software platform sending fake phish.
Proofpoint Essentials charges per user per month with a 25-user minimum. A 10-person firm pays for 25 users at ~$3/user/month = $360/year floor before you run anything. With SecurEveryone, you pay $150 for a 60-minute Personal session. If you have 10 people, that's $15/person for live expert training. For teams under 50, you typically pay less per session than Proofpoint's annual minimum.
No. We don't install any email gateway or security software — we're a training service. We work alongside whatever email security stack you already have. In fact, one of the most common reasons SMBs leave Proofpoint is the dual-quarantine problem: running both Proofpoint Essentials and Microsoft Defender means your users get quarantine notifications from two different systems, sometimes for the same email.
During a live SecurEveryone session, the instructor walks through real phishing examples with your team in real time. If someone clicks, the instructor addresses it immediately — explaining why that email was dangerous, what the attack chain looked like, and what to do instead. This real-time remediation is more effective than an automated phishing platform sending fake phish with a 3-minute training module attached.
Every session includes a written summary documenting topics covered, date, attendees, and instructor — the core evidence for HIPAA Security Rule workforce training (§164.308(a)(5)), IRS Publication 4557, and other regulated requirements. We don't generate automated dashboards, but our documentation is designed to satisfy audit requests from OCR, state agencies, and IRS. Proofpoint's automated click-rate logs are useful for enterprise audits; our instructor-signed session summaries are what auditors look for in smaller organizations.
All sessions, all tiers, all industries. See everything we offer.
IRS Pub 4557 / GLBA-aligned training for accounting firms.
BEC attack patterns, red flags, and response playbook for SMB teams.
Real outcomes from real clients across regulated verticals.
Book a 60-minute Personal session. First session in 7 days. No contract.