Corporate security breaches lead to an average economic loss in the millions. Enterprise endpoints like computers and mobile devices need to be secured from wrongdoers and employees should be trained to not fall into the trap of hackers.

Bitdefender offers some of the best small-to-midsize business endpoint detection and response (EDR) and consumer antivirus solutions, making our best security product lists for both products. In this guide, we will dive into everything you need to know about Bitdefender GravityZone Elite and Bitdefender Total Security.

Bitdefender GravityZone Elite overview

Bitdefender GravityZone Elite is a next-generation endpoint protection solution that is enhanced with human risk analytics. The EDR solution is ideal for organizations with up to 100 endpoints. Bitdefender GravityZone Elite offers integrated endpoint protection, attack forensics and visualization and sublime risk management capabilities.

The solution makes use of over 30 machine learning-driven (ML-driven) technologies to provide multiple layers of defense. The integrated next-generation endpoint security platform serves as a single-agent, single-console solution for physical, virtual, cloud and mobile-based endpoints and email.

Bitdefender GravityZone Elite helps minimize management overhead while giving security staff ever-present control and visibility. Some of Bitdefender’s clients include Macmillan Cancer Support, Directorate for Agrarian Payments, Marchesini Group and Creditsafe.

Bitdefender GravityZone Elite features

Here are some of the principal features of Bitdefender GravityZone Elite:

• The endpoint security solution uses over 30 ML-driven technologies, including Anti-Exploit and Behavioral Analysis, Sandbox Analyzer and Tuneable ML to provide automatic and effective protection against 99% of attacks.
• The EDR solution is enhanced with user behavior risk analytics.
• With the help of the solution’s Attack Forensics and Visualization capabilities, you can gauge your threat environment and zero in on attacks that are aimed at your business.
• Bitdefender GravityZone Elite’s Endpoint Risk Management and Analytics provision allows you to check your overall Company Risk Score and determine how various application vulnerabilities and misconfigurations contribute to it.
• Bitdefender HyperDetect detects and blocks advanced attacks in the pre-execution stage.

Overall, the solution offers a central view of enterprise infrastructure, is effective in zeroing in on and killing attacks at the earliest, is secure and performance-oriented and is easy to manage.

Bitdefender pricing

Pricing: A one-year package that will protect 10 endpoints and cover up to 4 servers and 15 mailboxes costs $570.49.

Bitdefender GravityZone Elite vs. CrowdStrike Falcon

CrowdStrike Falcon often winds up at the top of EDR and endpoint protection platform (EPP) product lists. In our comparison of Bitdefender GravityZone Elite and CrowdStrike Falcon, CrowdStrike generally comes out on top in strength of features – but Bitdefender gives you very good protection for the money and thus wins on value.

Bitdefender security tests and performance

Bitdefender has posted impressive security scores in a wide range of independent tests, including in the most recent MITRE evaluations.

The Total Security antivirus software protects devices against malware without affecting system performance and makes use of innovative technologies to detect, prevent, remediate and predict the latest cyber-threats. Bitdefender Total Security offers complete protection across all major operating systems – Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.

The antivirus solution offers a wealth of advanced privacy and security features, including a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Bitdefender Total Security features

Here are Bitdefender Total Security’s primary features:

• The antivirus solution is compatible with four OSs – Windows, macOS, iOS and Android
• Bitdefender Total Security offers unparalleled threat detection to stop sophisticated malware
• The antivirus uses innovative technologies to protect your network against zero-day attacks
• Multi-layer ransomware protection helps keep your files safe from malicious entities. Some other facets of the solutions’ multi-layered protection include Anti-Phishing, Anti-Fraud, Web Attack Prevention and Anti-Spam capabilities
• In terms of privacy, the antivirus offers Anti-Tracker, Webcam Protection, Microphone Monitor, Password Manager, Anti-Theft and Privacy Firewall capabilities
• A secure VPN for absolute online privacy, at 200 MB per day, per device
• The software has minimal impact on system/networks/ performance

Total Security pricing

• Bitdefender Total Security for one year, for 10 devices, costs $40.60
• For two years, 10 devices costs $107.46, as a first-year discount expires
• A three-year package for 10 devices costs $145.17

Bitdefender Total Security vs. Kaspersky Total Security

This is how Bitdefender Total Security and Kaspersky Total Security compare head-to-head. In our analysis, Bitdefender stacks up well in our analysis.

Buying considerations

Bitdefender GravityZone Elite is a first-rate EDR solution for small to mid-sized organizations (for up to 100 endpoints). The endpoint security solution is robust and comparatively cheaper than most EDR solutions on the market.

That said, if you are willing to pay the big bucks and/or are a large enterprise, there is no better EDR solution than CrowdStrike Falcon.

If you operate a network of up to 10 computer devices, Bitdefender Total Security is one of the best antivirus softwares available. In terms of protection against infections and impact on performance, there is no better antivirus solution.

Overall, Bitdefender’s cybersecurity solutions are designed to meet the needs of smaller businesses and consumers and are resilient.

The post Bitdefender Review: EDR and Antivirus Security Solutions appeared first on eSecurity Planet.

Kaspersky and Broadcom (Symantec) are two such platforms, both of which made our list of top endpoint detection and response (EDR) products, while Kaspersky also made our best antivirus software list.

Here’s all you need to know about these endpoint security solutions in terms of their principal features, pricing, customer support service and ease of use.   

Kaspersky overview

Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business delivers flexible security and management in four deployment models, along with high performance, built-in firewalls, behavioral analysis, anomaly control, endpoint hardening, straightforward mitigation, critical server protection and unified endpoint management.

The solution’s unique cloud mode for endpoints leverages global threat intelligence and delivers the best-in-class defense with minimal impact on endpoint resources. Kaspersky also helps you achieve key compliance goals like General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) with certified encryption functions and its remote wipe feature. 

Such is Kaspersky’s prowess among endpoint protection platform (EPP) vendors that it was named as a 2019 Gartner Peer Insights Customer’s Choice for EPP in every category – global enterprises, the public sector, education and government. The platform also earned an industry-high “AA” rating in Advanced Endpoint Protection from NSS Labs.

Some of Kaspersky’s customers are Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, Oi, Mascom Wireless, Securicon, APCON and 3M. 

Kaspersky features

We have compiled a list of Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business’ principal features:

1. Adaptive Security identifies anomalies and automatically remediates evasive ransomware, including fileless threats  
2. Four deployment models are on offer. 
3. Several defensive capabilities are on offer that reduces the possibility of a human error leading to a compromising situation.  
4. Agile threat protection.
5. Vulnerability and patch management offer streamlined and painless automation of routine tasks.
6. Exceptional performance with minimal impact on end-user resources.
7. Built-in firewalls
8. Prioritized alerts are sent in case of a threat.
9. Ready for GDPR
10. Straightforward mitigation
11. 24/7 customer support service across 200 countries. 
12. Pricing (10-150 endpoints): 

• Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud – $322.50 for 10 endpoints
• Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud Plus – $513.70 for 10 endpoints
• Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business Select – $404.20 for 10 endpoints
• Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business Advanced – $746.20 for 10 endpoints 

Symantec overview

Symantec Endpoint Security Enterprise is a multi-layered threat protection solution for traditional and mobile endpoints that is available in three deployment options. 

Broadcom offers machine learning-based (ML-based) protection and false positive minimization, critical and signature-less endpoint technologies to beat crippling ransomware, zero-day attack blocking, security posture optimization and an artificial intelligence-guided (AI-guided) security management system for streamlined decision making.

Symantec Endpoint Security has received many accolades over the years, including the AV-TEST Institute’s 2019 Best Performance and 2019 Best Protection awards for enterprise endpoint protection. This was Symantec’s fifth-straight victory in the Best Protection category. 

Symantec Endpoint Security is available in three wide-ranging models. Choose a model that best suits your business needs. The endpoint protection platform’s clients include Sitehands, StratServ, Cancer Research UK, BNB Technology, BANPAIS and Alcoa Aluminium S/A. 

Symantec features

Mentioned below are Symantec Endpoint Security Enterprise’s key features:

1. The advanced, multi-layered endpoint protection solution offers signature-less protection against unknown attacks and ransomware. 
2. With the help of ML technology, the solution offers maximum endpoint protection.
3. Antivirus protection helps stop zero-day attacks and malware. 
4. Application Isolation helps block malicious and suspicious exploits from harming well-trusted applications and isolates untrusted applications dynamically.
5. The AI-powered security management system helps improve overall security hygiene.
6. Symantec’s single-agent stack helps reduce update fatigue.
7. Three deployment options are on offer – cloud-native, hybrid and on-premises.  
8. Pricing: Symantec offers three different models – Symantec Endpoint Protection, Symantec Endpoint Security Enterprise and Symantec Endpoint Security Complete. The vendor has not yet made the pricing models for the same public. 

You can request a free demo of Symantec solutions from their website. 

Conclusion

While Kaspersky is an overwhelming customer favorite, Symantec offers a plethora of fascinating features that make it worth considering. Both endpoint protection solutions have received numerous awards and offer sound endpoint protection, and both have posted impressive independent test scores to back that up.

In order to figure out which of the two solutions is a better fit for your organization, request a free demo at your convenience.

The post Kaspersky vs Symantec: Compare Endpoint Security Platforms appeared first on eSecurity Planet.

In this guide, we will compare these two endpoint security solutions on the basis of their features, usability, pricing, reviews and customer service.  

CrowdStrike overview

CrowdStrike is a cloud security company that offers best-in-class endpoint protection. 

As a leader in threat intelligence and endpoint detection and response (EDR) products, CrowdStrike offers IT hygiene, device control, next-generation antivirus, integrated intelligence, vulnerability management, malware research and sandboxing capabilities in the form of its Falcon Platform.  

These capabilities do not translate into heavy memory and processing power consumption – the Falcon Sensor accounts for only 30 MB and uses less than 1% of your total CPU utilization. 

Such is CrowdStrike Falcon’s prominence among EDR vendors that it has been named the best EDR and endpoint protection platform (EPP) solution for the second consecutive year according to the 2020 Gartner Peer Insights Endpoint Detection and Response Report.  

Some of CrowdStrike’s customers include Shutterstock, ADP and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

CrowdStrike features

Here are CrowdStrike Falcon Endpoint Protection’s key features:

1. A cloud-based security solution that is easy to use, fast to deploy and memory efficient.
2. Automatic detection of threats.
3. Prioritized alerts.
4. Machine learning-based antivirus capabilities to block threats.
5. Threat intelligence which highlights the context behind endpoint attacks.
6. You can take action to remove endpoint threats in real-time with threat response capabilities. 
7. Centralized management.
8. The Falcon Platform is scalable and flexible.
9. The malware sandboxing module includes runtime data, hybrid analysis and environmental customization capabilities. 
10. The Falcon Spotlight vulnerability assessment tool helps respond to threats and close security gaps.
11. One accessible dashboard with all management features.
12. Pricing (per endpoint/month for 5-250 endpoints): 

• Falcon Pro – $8.99
• Falcon Enterprise – $15.99
• Falcon Premium – $18.99 (full endpoint protection)

You can request a free demo today.

Cylance overview

Blackberry Protect (CylancePROTECT) is an artificial intelligence-based (AI-based) endpoint security solution. Depending on your environment, you can opt for cloud deployment, hybrid deployment or on-premises deployment of Blackberry Protect. 

As is the case with CrowdStrike Falcon, Blackberry Protect is a lightweight agent that prevents attacks in a matter of milliseconds. The technology offers complete protection without human intervention, heuristics, signatures and sandboxing.  

The AI-driven EDR solution offers malware prevention, protection against malicious scripts/script paths, memory exploitation prevention and detection, the ability to control device access and fixed function devices and a single management console. 

Blackberry Protect’s innovative approach has brought much acclaim to the company and it (Blackberry Protect) was awarded the title of the Best Innovator 2019 by SE Labs. The endpoint solution’s prominent clients include Safelite, Intermedia and Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Cylance features

Mentioned below are Blackberry Protect’s principal features:

1. AI model prevents zero-day payload and known and unknown malware from executing.
2. Leverages AI to detect and prevent endpoint malware attacks.
3. Script management helps monitor, detect and prevent the running of malicious scripts/script paths.
4. Proactive identification and prevention of the malicious use of memory.
5. Parameters to control device access and to ensure the uncompromised state of fixed function devices.
6. 3 easy and unique deployment options in accordance with your environment.  
7. Pricing: Blackberry Protect has not made this public yet. 

You can get a free demo today.

Conclusion

While CrowdStrike Falcon is a clear favorite in terms of the features it provides and its overall prowess, Blackberry Protect’s AI-based solution is a worthy alternative and offers the option of choosing your preferred deployment platform. 

The post CrowdStrike vs. Cylance – Endpoint Security Solutions Compared appeared first on eSecurity Planet.

Fortinet FortiGate and Forcepoint NGFW made our list of the best NGFW vendors on the market. In this guide, we will compare both security vendors in terms of effectiveness, product features, technical support, ease of use, value and other quality metrics.

Fortinet FortiGate overview

Fortinet FortiGate fared well in NSS Labs’ Next Generation Intrusion Prevention Systems (NGIPS) 2019 test. FortiGate NGIPS achieved a sensational collective blocking rate of 99.18% for FortiGate 100F and an industry-low total cost of ownership (TCO) at $2 per protected Mbps.

FortiGate (an integration of FortiSandbox, FortiGate and FortiClient) passed NSS Labs’ Breach Prevention Systems (BPS) 2019 test with overall security effectiveness of 97.8%. The security vendor has been recommended in all 9 NSS Labs tests of performance evaluation and is the only vendor recommended for SD-WAN to have a security rating.

The vendor’s clients include Siemens, the University of Birmingham, Origo, S2 Global, among others. It is safe to say Fortinet FortiGate firewalls offer top security at reasonable prices.

FortiGate NGFWs offer multi-layered security, high performance (we will address this in the next section), deep visibility for end-to-end enterprise protection, threat intelligence updates and automatic alleviation.

Fortinet FortiGate features

Fortinet FortiGate has a number of elements that contribute to its status as a top NGFW product:

1. Security Effectiveness: The FortiGate 500E achieved a security effectiveness rating of 99.31% and FortiGate 100F was given a rating of 99.18% by NSS Labs (2019). A “Recommended” stamp from NSS Labs is proof of Fortinet FortiGate’s high-class security and top NGFW vendor credentials.
2. Performance: FortiGate 500E achieved an HTTP NSS-tested throughput of 6,438 Mbps.
3. Value: best in the business with a TCO at $2 per Mbps (FortiGate 100F, NSS Labs tested).
4. High marks from users: FortiGate users praise just about everything, including ease of deployment and use, capabilities, value and support, with an occasional complaint or two about bugs.
5. Cloud support
6. Pricing: lower-end appliances start at $500, while high-end enterprise-level pricing can cross the $500,000 mark.

Forcepoint NGFW Overview

Much like Fortinet FortiGate, Forcepoint NGFW fared well in NSS Labs’ NGIPS 2019 test. Forcepoint NGFW obtained an industry-high cumulative blocking rate of 99.64% for Forcepoint NGFW 2105 and a reasonably high TCO at $7 per protected Mbps.

Forcepoint NGFW 2105 achieved a sensational HTTP NSS-tested throughput of 7,654 Mbps. The security vendor’s SSL/TLS performance is also exceptional – 5,628 Mbps. Needless to say, Forcepoint NGFW achieved a “Recommended” rating for the 7th year in a row.

That said, what truly sets Forcepoint NGFW apart is its unified operation, allowing enterprises to directly connect their branch locations to the cloud and features like complete network security, web security, SD-WAN networking and CASB (all through a single vendor).

The security vendor allows you to deploy, monitor and update thousands of firewalls, IPSs and VPNs in a rapid manner. Forcepoint’s customers include giants like IBM, MassMutual, Microsoft, Walmart, Toyota, and more.

Forcepoint NGFW Features

1. Security Effectiveness: With a blocking rate of 99.64%, Forcepoint NGFW provided the highest security efficacy in the industry as per NSS Labs’ tests in 2019.
2. Performance: Forcepoint NGFW 2105 fared well, clocking an HTTP NSS-tested throughput of 7,654 Mbps and a SSL/TLS throughput of 5,628 Mbps.
3. Value: TCO is on the higher side at $7 per protected Mbps.
4. Easy to set up and manage
5. Single management console
6. Pricing: starts at under $1,000. A high-end listing can cross $100,000.

Fortinet FortiGate and Forcepoint NGFW compared

With the caveat that both Fortinet and Forcepoint offer strong firewall products, here’s how we grade them head-to-head:

Features	Fortinet FortiGate	Forcepoint NGFW
Security Performance
Value
Implementation
Management
Support
Cloud Features
Overall Features

Conclusion

Both Fortinet FortiGate and Forcepoint NGFW are top NGFW vendors. Forcepoint may offer better security and performance, particularly in cloud environments, but FortiGate is a compelling value and can’t be topped for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), and is also strong in distributed and edge use cases. Which one you buy will be determined by your own needs and budget.

The post Fortinet FortiGate vs Forcepoint: Compare Top NGFW Solutions appeared first on eSecurity Planet.