CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

IRONSCALES vs Proofpoint

IRONSCALES sells email security that protects Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace against business email compromise, account takeover, malware and malicious URLs, credential harvesting, generative AI attacks, QR code and image-based phishing, and deepfake impersonation in Microsoft Teams meetings. Proofpoint sells security that covers data and AI as one system, with access that follows intent. CISO Tribune files both under Email security. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

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  • IRONSCALES
  • Proofpoint
IRONSCALES vs Proofpoint: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
IRONSCALESIRONSCALES sells email security that protects Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace against business email compromise, account takeover, malware and malicious URLs, credential harvesting, generative AI attacks, QR code and image-based phishing, and deepfake impersonation in Microsoft Teams meetings.ironscales.comProofpointProofpoint sells security that covers data and AI as one system, with access that follows intent.proofpoint.com
What it sells
  • Phishing SOC Agent[6][10]Delivers L2-level forensics on suspicious email.
  • Phishing Simulation Agent[6][10]Builds phishing simulations from OSINT gathered on employees.
  • Human Risk Management[11]Phishing simulation, security awareness training, and user risk scoring.
  • Themis[2][9]An agentic AI virtual SOC that classifies, clusters, and remediates threats.
  • Email Incident Management Service (EIMS)[12]IRONSCALES experts handle email threat investigation, remediation, and AI tuning.
  • ITM / Endpoint DLP[19]Endpoint software whose main features are supported on Windows, Mac and Linux.
  • Proofpoint Threat Intelligence Services[21]A Proofpoint team that provides Threat Insights.
  • ET Intel[21]A subscription that gives full access to all insights.
  • ET Pro[21]A subscription that gives full access to all insights.
Categories
Headquarters
Atlanta, United States[1][13]Sunnyvale, United States[1]
Founded
2014[1][13]2002[1]
Ownership and funding
Privately held[4][8]Owned by Thoma Bravo since 2021[3][12][14][15]
Named customers
Not stated on its pages
  • Xcel Energy[4]
  • Princeton University[5]
  • Columbia University[6]
  • Informatica[7]
  • California Department of Motor Vehicles[8]
Recent news
Not stated on its pages
  • October 15, 2026Proofpoint and Varonis announced a definitive agreement under which Proofpoint will acquire Varonis in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $6.3 billion.[16]
  • September 22, 2026Proofpoint announced the Agentic Collaboration Security system, combining an intent-based detection model with agentic capabilities for email, collaboration tools and the browser.[17]
  • September 22, 2026Proofpoint announced the Proofpoint Agentic Data and AI Security system, built to secure AI and data as one connected risk.[18]
  • September 3, 2026Proofpoint introduced the SOC Analyst Agent, an AI capability that helps security teams investigate threats across Proofpoint security data, built with OpenAI models.[9]
  • August 4, 2026Proofpoint launched an OEM program that lets technology providers, security vendors and managed service providers embed its threat intelligence and detection capabilities.[10]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen October 25, 2026[8]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: listed, seen November 10, 2026[14]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
From its own pages, the company sells mainly to enterprises and to MSPs and MSSPs. One entry point addresses global companies that are transforming their email security to tackle modern threats. The site also presents a comparison of secure email gateways and API-based solutions for enterprises and MSPs.From its own pages, Proofpoint addresses cyberattacks on organisations where people and AI agents work side by side across email, cloud and collaboration tools. The customers Proofpoint quotes include an organisation using Proofpoint for AI security for employees using AI services and tools, and for AI security in the tools and agents it is building. A quoted Proofpoint customer runs email security, DLP and insider threat management that work together, with its analyst using a single security console.
Last verified
November 2, 2026October 10, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Email security is the primary category of both IRONSCALES and Proofpoint.
  • Both are headquartered in the United States.

Where they differ, field by field

  • IRONSCALES is also filed under AI SOC analysts. Proofpoint is also filed under Collaboration app security, Human risk management and Insider risk management.
  • IRONSCALES lists Phishing SOC Agent, Phishing Simulation Agent, Human Risk Management, Themis and Email Incident Management Service (EIMS). Proofpoint lists ITM / Endpoint DLP, Proofpoint Threat Intelligence Services, ET Intel and ET Pro.
  • IRONSCALES is headquartered in Atlanta, United States. Proofpoint is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States.
  • IRONSCALES was founded in 2014. Proofpoint was founded in 2002.
  • IRONSCALES is privately held. Proofpoint is owned by Thoma Bravo, since 2021.
  • Proofpoint publicly names Xcel Energy, Princeton University, Columbia University, Informatica and California Department of Motor Vehicles.

How they differ

CISO Tribune files IRONSCALES under Email security and AI SOC analysts, with Email security as its primary category. CISO Tribune files Proofpoint under Email security, Collaboration app security, Human risk management and Insider risk management, also with Email security as primary. IRONSCALES sells email security for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, connected through a native API integration with no MX record changes. It also sells Themis, an agentic AI virtual SOC, and Phishing SOC Agent, which delivers L2-level forensics on suspicious email. It also describes security that covers data and AI as one system, with access that follows intent.

IRONSCALES is headquartered in Atlanta, United States, was founded in 2014, and is privately held. Its funding includes a Series C of $64 million led by PSG, bringing total financing to $80 million since 2015. It serves organizations directly and through more than 3,500 managed service provider partners. Proofpoint is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States, was founded in 2002, and has been owned by Thoma Bravo since 2021. Proofpoint publicly names Xcel Energy, Princeton University, Columbia University, Informatica and California Department of Motor Vehicles as customers.

On October 15, 2026, Proofpoint and Varonis announced a definitive agreement under which Proofpoint will acquire Varonis in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $6.3 billion. On September 3, 2026, Proofpoint introduced the SOC Analyst Agent, built with OpenAI models. On February 12, 2026, Proofpoint announced it had acquired Acuvity, a company focused on AI enterprise security and governance.

What it sells: IRONSCALES

What Phishing SOC Agent does[6][10]
Phishing SOC Agent delivers L2-level forensics in minutes and runs five analysis tracks in parallel: sender verification, body analysis for social engineering, link inspection through the full redirect chain, attachment detonation across 100+ engines, and relay path tracing. The agent's output is a Security Assessment with a verdict, key evidence, and a full activity log of every step it took.
What Phishing Simulation Agent does[6][10]
Phishing Simulation Agent gathers OSINT on people, including social media profiles, data breach exposure, and recent job changes, and builds simulations that mirror the tactics targeting the organization. Personalized phishing emails are written in each employee's native language, and one sample per employee cluster is approved by the customer.
What Human Risk Management does[11]
The platform incorporates Human Risk Management: phishing simulation, security awareness training, and user risk scoring modules that automatically tailor simulations to each employee's specific threat profile. IRONSCALES offers a GPT-powered spear phishing module for VIPs and frequently targeted employees.
What Themis does[2][9]
Themis is described as an agentic AI virtual SOC that automatically classifies, clusters, and remediates threats detected by machine learning models or user-reported emails. When a threat is detected, Themis takes autonomous action: quarantining, clustering, or escalating based on automation preferences.

What it sells: Proofpoint

What Proofpoint Threat Intelligence Services does[21]
Threat Insights are provided by the Proofpoint Threat Intelligence Services team. Premium Threat Intelligence Services analysts curate threat news highlights.
What ET Intel does[21]
Subscribing to ET Intel or ET Pro gives full access to all insights. Threat Insights are provided by the Proofpoint Threat Intelligence Services team.
What ET Pro does[21]
Subscribing to ET Intel or ET Pro gives full access to all insights. Threat Insights are provided by the Proofpoint Threat Intelligence Services team.

Questions about IRONSCALES and Proofpoint

What do IRONSCALES and Proofpoint sell?
IRONSCALES sells Phishing SOC Agent, Phishing Simulation Agent, Human Risk Management, Themis and Email Incident Management Service (EIMS). Proofpoint sells ITM / Endpoint DLP, Proofpoint Threat Intelligence Services, ET Intel and ET Pro.
Are IRONSCALES and Proofpoint in the same category?
Yes. Email security is the primary category of both on CISO Tribune.
Where are IRONSCALES and Proofpoint headquartered?
IRONSCALES is headquartered in Atlanta, United States. Proofpoint is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States.
When were IRONSCALES and Proofpoint founded?
IRONSCALES was founded in 2014. Proofpoint was founded in 2002.
Who owns IRONSCALES and Proofpoint?
IRONSCALES is privately held. Proofpoint is owned by Thoma Bravo, since 2021.
Which customers do IRONSCALES and Proofpoint name?
Proofpoint publicly names Xcel Energy, Princeton University, Columbia University, Informatica and California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Who are IRONSCALES and Proofpoint sold to?
From its own pages, the company sells mainly to enterprises and to MSPs and MSSPs. From its own pages, Proofpoint addresses cyberattacks on organisations where people and AI agents work side by side across email, cloud and collaboration tools.
What have IRONSCALES and Proofpoint announced recently?
October 15, 2026: Proofpoint and Varonis announced a definitive agreement under which Proofpoint will acquire Varonis in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $6.3 billion.

About IRONSCALES

IRONSCALES sells email security that protects Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace against business email compromise, account takeover, malware and malicious URLs, credential harvesting, generative AI attacks, QR code and image-based phishing, and deepfake impersonation in Microsoft Teams meetings. IRONSCALES connects to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace through a native API integration, with no MX record changes, no agents, and no mail flow disruption. IRONSCALES can be added behind an existing secure email gateway, and the gateway can be retired later.[7]

Adaptive AI builds a behavioral baseline and social graph using NLP and NLU, learning how users normally communicate. Adaptive AI provides real-time reputation, content, and behavioral analysis to detect malicious threats. Adaptive AI works at the mailbox level and sees internal and external traffic. IRONSCALES combines Adaptive AI with human insight from 36,000+ threat hunters across 18,000+ organizations, so an attack confirmed in one organization is blocked for the rest.[2][7]

Themis is described as an agentic AI virtual SOC that automatically classifies, clusters, and remediates threats detected by machine learning models or user-reported emails. When a threat is detected, Themis takes autonomous action: quarantining, clustering, or escalating based on automation preferences. IRONSCALES automates threat classification, incident clustering, quarantine actions, user notifications, and enrichment with threat intelligence. Admins can configure workflows from alert-only to fully automated remediation and end-user notification. When a user clicks the Report Phishing button, IRONSCALES scans the message, clusters it with similar emails, and evaluates it using Adaptive AI and community insights. The platform integrates with SIEM, SOAR, XDR, and EDR systems to support incident response workflows.[2][9]

Red Teaming Agent runs the same OSINT reconnaissance attackers run, pulling from social media, press releases, job postings, and vendor relationships. Red Teaming Agent generates attack simulations from what it finds. Phishing SOC Agent delivers L2-level forensics in minutes and runs five analysis tracks in parallel: sender verification, body analysis for social engineering, link inspection through the full redirect chain, attachment detonation across 100+ engines, and relay path tracing. Phishing Simulation Agent gathers OSINT on people, including social media profiles, data breach exposure, and recent job changes, and builds simulations that mirror the tactics targeting the organization.[6][10]

The platform incorporates Human Risk Management: phishing simulation, security awareness training, and user risk scoring modules that automatically tailor simulations to each employee's specific threat profile. IRONSCALES offers a GPT-powered spear phishing module for VIPs and frequently targeted employees. IRONSCALES experts handle email threat investigation, remediation, and AI tuning on the customer's behalf.[2][11][12]

Deepfake Protection analyzes voice independently of video, so it catches impersonation even when cameras are off. Protected identity profiles build automatically from normal meeting activity, with no manual uploads and no IT involvement. Outbound email encryption is elective or policy-based, with AES-256 encryption in transit and at rest. Hosted DMARC, SPF, and DKIM come with automated policy enforcement, SPF record flattening, and continuous monitoring with detailed authentication reports. Account takeover protection detects unauthorized access attempts to Microsoft user accounts to prevent data breaches, internal BEC attacks, and ransomware.[10][12]

IRONSCALES was founded in 2014 by alumni of the Israel Defense Forces' Intelligence Technology unit. IRONSCALES is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and Tel Aviv, Israel. Series B funding of $8 million was led by Jump Capital, bringing total financing to $16 million since 2015. Series C funding of $64 million was led by PSG, bringing total financing to $80 million since 2015. Organizations worldwide are served both directly and through a network of more than 3,500 managed service provider (MSP) partners. For schools, the AI trains on actual attacks that target K-12 and higher education environments.[2][3][5][6][7][10][12][14][15][16]

IRONSCALES on the record

Sources

IRONSCALES full record

  1. [1]About usIRONSCALES · ironscales.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Platform | How It WorksIRONSCALES · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Ironscales raises series c funding roundIRONSCALES · ironscales.com · published December 7, 2021 · Tier A
  4. [4]Ironscales ipoForge Global · forgeglobal.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier C
  5. [5]AI Email Security Platform for Phishing & Deepfakes | IronscalesIRONSCALES · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Email Security AgentsIRONSCALES · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]IRONSCALES | Complete Email Security & Training SolutionsIRONSCALES · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]IRONSCALES Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier C
  9. [9]SOC Automation SolutionIRONSCALES · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Platform | What's NewIRONSCALES · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Platform | Human ElementIRONSCALES · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Pricing | IronscalesIRONSCALES · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]IRONSCALES | About Us | Our StoryIRONSCALES · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Education Email Security Solutions | IRONSCALESIRONSCALES · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Augment your Secure Email Gateway with IRONSCALESIRONSCALES · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]DMARC Management and MonitoringIRONSCALES · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

Proofpoint full record

  1. [1]AboutProofpoint · proofpoint.com · published April 21, 2025 · Tier A
  2. [2]ProductsProofpoint · proofpoint.com · published September 24, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Thoma bravo completes acquisition of proofpointThoma Bravo · thomabravo.com · published August 31, 2021 · Tier A
  4. [4]Xcel energyProofpoint · proofpoint.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Princeton university safe with proofpoint email securityProofpoint · proofpoint.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Columbia universityProofpoint · proofpoint.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]InformaticaProofpoint · proofpoint.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]California department motor vehiclesProofpoint · proofpoint.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Proofpoint soc analyst agent openai daybreakProofpoint · proofpoint.com · published September 3, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Proofpoint launches oem program help security providers embed trusted threatProofpoint · proofpoint.com · published August 4, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Proofpoint launches dedicated msp business unit and introduces 365 totalProofpoint · proofpoint.com · published May 13, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Enterprise Cybersecurity Solutions, Services & Training | Proofpoint USProofpoint · undated page, accessed October 27, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Integrating ITM On-Prem (ObserveIT) with a Service Desk SystemProofpoint · undated page, accessed October 27, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Proofpoint Core Email Protection Reviews & Product Details - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 27, 2026 · Tier C
  15. [15]Proofpoint Acquires Acuvity to Deliver AI Security and Governance Across the Agentic WorkspaceProofpoint · published February 12, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Proofpoint to Acquire Varonis in a $6.3 Billion TransactionProofpoint · published October 15, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Proofpoint Stops the Attacks Traditional Defenses Miss in the AI EraProofpoint · published September 22, 2026 · Tier A
  18. [18]Proofpoint Breaks Down the Divide Between Data Security and AI Security with the Industry’s First Unified Agentic SystemProofpoint · published September 22, 2026 · Tier A
  19. [19]ITM / Endpoint DLP Windows / Mac / Linux SupportProofpoint · published November 9, 2026 · Tier A
  20. [20]Assigning SQL Permissions to the Service Account UserProofpoint · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  21. [21]Proofpoint: Emerging Threats IntelligenceProofpoint · published November 9, 2026 · Tier A

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