Vendor Comparison
Compare Hilt and Proofpoint. Proofpoint secures the inbound email perimeter against phishing, BEC, and malicious attachments. Hilt governs outbound data movement at the kernel. See where each fits and where they run together.
Hilt and Proofpoint watch opposite directions, and a complete program needs both. Proofpoint is a leader in email security: it secures the inbound perimeter against phishing, business email compromise, and malicious attachments, and it adds people-centric risk context and some user-space DLP. Hilt is a data movement governance platform: it governs outbound data movement across cloud workloads and user endpoints at runtime, metadata only by default, off the path, and surfaces when a move is abnormal for the identity behind it. Hilt is additive to Proofpoint, not a rip and replace. Inbound perimeter plus outbound runtime movement.
This guide compares the two across what each one watches and where the two layers meet. For a broader view of the category, see our guide on data exfiltration prevention.
Proofpoint is genuinely strong at email security, which is the channel most attacks still start in. It catches phishing and credential-harvesting campaigns, blocks business email compromise, and inspects malicious attachments and links before they reach a user. Its people-centric model identifies the most-attacked users and adds risk context, and it carries out-of-box compliance templates well suited to regulated industries. For securing the inbound email perimeter, Proofpoint is a strong choice, and Hilt does not replace it.
Teams that run Proofpoint also see where the email perimeter ends. Email security watches what arrives and, with its DLP module, some of what leaves over email. The broader outbound path, data leaving a cloud workload, a workstation, or a user endpoint through channels that are not email, is a different layer. That runtime exfiltration path is the one email security is not built to watch, and it is where Hilt adds coverage.
| Capability | Hilt | Proofpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Core question | Is this outbound data movement abnormal for this identity? | Is this inbound email a threat, and is this email exposing data? |
| Direction | Outbound data movement across channels | Inbound email perimeter (plus some outbound email DLP) |
| Primary signal | Behavioral anomaly in data movement | Phishing, BEC, malicious attachments, people-centric risk |
| Vantage | Data movement at the kernel (metadata by default) | Email gateway and user-space DLP |
| Domains covered | Cloud workloads + endpoints + network | Email, plus SaaS collaboration and endpoint DLP |
| Response | Host-level network isolation (quarantine), from the control plane | Email gateway enforcement and policy actions |
| Overhead | Off the path, ~0.1% of a core, 4 to 8 MB | Gateway and user-space agents |
For a full category view, see the complete comparison.
This is the clean line between the two, and both directions matter. Proofpoint secures the way in: it stops the phishing email, the BEC attempt, and the malicious attachment before a user can act on it, and it adds user risk context and email-centric DLP. That is the right place to defend against the threats that arrive by message, and it is where most attacks begin.
Hilt governs the way out: of the data leaving your environment right now, across cloud workloads and user endpoints, is this move abnormal for the identity behind it. The exfiltration that matters often does not travel over the monitored email channel at all. It leaves through a workload connection, an upload from an endpoint, a paste into a browser, a transfer to an unsanctioned destination. Hilt watches that movement at the kernel, resolves it to a real identity, and surfaces the pattern as it forms, whichever channel it uses.
| Question | Hilt | Proofpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Is this inbound email phishing or BEC? | Not its job | Yes (core strength) |
| Is this attachment or link malicious? | Not its job | Yes (core strength) |
| Who are the most-attacked users? | Not its job | Yes (people-centric strength) |
| Did data leave a cloud workload abnormally? | Yes (at the kernel) | Outside the email channel |
| Did an endpoint upload data abnormally, not over email? | Yes (behavioral baseline) | Outside the email channel |
| Can you isolate the host while the move is live? | Yes (quarantine, never inline) | Email gateway enforcement, not host containment |
The point is not that one tool is better. Proofpoint defends the inbound perimeter; Hilt governs the outbound runtime movement across the channels email security does not watch. The exfiltration that leaves through a workload or an endpoint rather than an email is the seam between them, and it is where Hilt adds the layer.
A fair comparison names where Proofpoint is the better fit. If your immediate need is to secure email, stop phishing and BEC, inspect attachments and links, understand which users are most attacked, and enforce email-centric DLP and compliance, Proofpoint is strong and Hilt does not try to do that work. Email is still where most attacks start, and a mature email security layer is foundational. For inbound perimeter defense, Proofpoint first is the right call.
Hilt is not an email security product and does not inspect inbound mail, score phishing, or scan attachments. It is built for the outbound runtime path: data leaving cloud workloads and user endpoints in a pattern that does not fit, across channels email security is not positioned to see.
Hilt is the right addition for teams that already run Proofpoint (or another email security platform) and want, on top of the email perimeter:
Email security guards the way in. Hilt governs the way out, across the channels that are not email. Together they cover both directions of the data.
Book a demo with Hilt to see outbound data movement, resolved to a real identity, alongside your email security. One-command deployment, first events in seconds.
Is Hilt a Proofpoint replacement? No. Proofpoint secures the inbound email perimeter against phishing, BEC, and malicious attachments, plus some user-space DLP. Hilt governs outbound data movement across cloud workloads and user endpoints at runtime. The two cover different directions and run together. Hilt does not replace email security.
How is Hilt different from Proofpoint? Proofpoint watches what arrives by email and, with its DLP module, some of what leaves over email. Hilt watches what leaves across channels: data moving out of a cloud workload or a user endpoint at runtime, metadata only by default, off the path. Proofpoint enforces at the email gateway; Hilt surfaces the abnormal move at the kernel and can isolate the host at the network where you choose to act.
Do I still need email security if I run Hilt? Yes. Hilt does not inspect inbound mail, score phishing, or scan attachments, so keep Proofpoint or your email security platform for the inbound perimeter. Hilt adds the outbound runtime movement layer that email security is not built to watch.
What does Hilt catch that email security misses? The outbound move that never touches email. Data leaving through a workload connection, an endpoint upload, a browser paste, or a transfer to an unsanctioned destination does not traverse the email gateway. Hilt watches that movement at the kernel, surfaces the pattern that is abnormal for the identity, and, where you choose to act, isolates the host at the network (quarantine), never inline.
Does Hilt integrate with my email and security stack? Yes. Hilt is additive and runs alongside Proofpoint and your SIEM, EDR, and SOAR platforms. It adds the outbound movement and containment layer your stack does not have, single-tenant in your own cloud, where your events never leave your account. See our FAQ for integration details.
FAQ
No. Proofpoint secures the inbound email perimeter against phishing, BEC, and malicious attachments, plus some user-space DLP. Hilt governs outbound data movement across cloud workloads and user endpoints at runtime. The two cover different directions and run together. Hilt does not replace email security.
Proofpoint watches what arrives by email and, with its DLP module, some of what leaves over email. Hilt watches what leaves across channels: data moving out of a cloud workload or a user endpoint at runtime, metadata only by default, off the path. Proofpoint enforces at the email gateway; Hilt surfaces the abnormal move at the kernel and can isolate the host at the network where you choose to act.
Yes. Hilt does not inspect inbound mail, score phishing, or scan attachments, so keep Proofpoint or your email security platform for the inbound perimeter. Hilt adds the outbound runtime movement layer that email security is not built to watch.
The outbound move that never touches email. Data leaving through a workload connection, an endpoint upload, a browser paste, or a transfer to an unsanctioned destination does not traverse the email gateway. Hilt watches that movement at the kernel, surfaces the pattern that is abnormal for the identity, and, where you choose to act, isolates the host at the network (quarantine), never inline.
Yes. Hilt is additive and runs alongside Proofpoint and your SIEM, EDR, and SOAR platforms. It adds the outbound movement and containment layer your stack does not have, single-tenant in your own cloud, where your events never leave your account. See our [FAQ](/faq) for integration details.