Cisco Secure Endpoint vs. Symantec Endpoint Security

To handle modern cyber threats such as malware, ransomware, and other known and unknown threats, Cisco Secure Endpoint is a handy option because it is EDR-capable, always updated, and effectively hunts for threats and blocks them before they cause harm to the business. It is reliable, and I recommend it because it has always protected our business from cyber threats.

Incentivized

We have found that Symantec Endpoint Security is better suited to newer systems running faster processors and more than 8GB RAM otherwise the client agent takes up too many resources and slows the system down. However, if you have a reasonably modern fleet of systems it does everything you would expect from an Endpoint Protection solution and works well as part of a multi-layered cybersecurity policy.

Incentivized

• Threat identification: it finds things we wouldn't have even been looking for.
• Integration with Secure Malware Analytics for automatic submission of suspicious files.
• In-depth and complex configuration options for finely tuned policies for different users and endpoints.
• Part of the Cisco Secure Client product for easier distribution and reduction of running agents on end-user devices
• Integrates with Secure-X for single-pane of glass view of dashboards.

Incentivized

• The virus and spyware protection has worked well for us, catching several things and quarantining the items or cleaning them.
• The virus definitions very rarely fail to update for the users, so I feel confident that my client machines are kept up to date.
• I like the report I get daily telling me about threats found and action taken without having to login to the console to look it up myself.

Incentivized

• Frequent name changes are not helpful
• Some of the reports that get sent are very high-end reports with lots of information. It would be nice if there was a simplified report that could be sent automatically when an issue is identified on a computer

Incentivized

• Removing dead clients from the console. This is nearly impossible to do, and makes keeping the console clean a very difficult task.
• Poorly tested versions are sometimes released that cause serious issues for users. This ranges from browsers malfunctioning to BSOD errors.
• Malware detection is good but not great. We are not confident in SEP by itself to neutralize malware threats. It's detection rate just isn't high enough for next generation and zero day threats.

the renewal must be studied with different factors

Incentivized

Continued satisfied support. The saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it..." comes to mind. It works, and we'll continue to use it and support Symantec.

Incentivized

AMP is very difficult to use compared to other products we've seen. It's hard to understand why there are so many different logins for the various products that supposedly integrate with AMP. We had weekly phone calls for months to implement the product yet none of the IT department really enjoys using this product or feels comfortable with the accuracy of detections. The number of false positives is high.

Incentivized

The rating reflects Symantec Endpoint Security's ability to balance enterprise grade security with user-friendly workflows or advanced configurations require extra effort. For most organizations, the streamlined management and robust automation justify the high score. Management GUI is old fashined and need to be improve. Older devices may experience slowdowns during full scans without careful configuration.

Incentivized

no complain and no issue with availability

Incentivized

We've used it for years and the software is easy to use. The dashboard is easy to read, and you can easily figure out where to go to troubleshoot or deploy software. Symantec is there for emergencies like backup restoration or file retrieval. It's pretty low maintenance. Symantec is there when your IT infrastructure needs it

Incentivized

In terms of technical support for Cisco Secure Endpoint, the support has been pretty good. All the cases I submitted were solved in a reasonable time frame, and it was a good experience. However, I find that not as many vendors have the expertise I would expect.

Incentivized

Support is completely awful! You can never get anyone to help if you can even find a number to call. The support web portal is a joke and their response time if you're even able to submit a ticket is ridiculously slow.

Incentivized

no participation in implementation

Incentivized

Use a third party deployment tool and not the deployment option within the SEP Manager itself.

Incentivized

Other products we use were, I think, well, nothing like Cisco Endpoint. There was Microsoft Defender. I think Sophos and CrowdStrike. I think the visibility and the security. We haven't had any issues with the system. Once it's been implemented, it works fine. The enhancements that come into play, we're benefiting from them. We're benefiting from the Telos threat intel, which is really good as well

Incentivized

Symantec Endpoint Security seems to be a more mature solution compared with CrowdStrike, particularly when CS was just recently getting their USB blocking functionality rolled out for macOS endpoints this year. Another differentiator with CrowdStrike is that Symantec ES still provides both on-demand scanning & real-time signature-based detection in addition to solely real-time machine learning detection whereas on-demand scanning and signatures are not available on CrowdStrike. This means there is a doubt as to whether we can use CS to comply with some of our PCI DSS obligations which specifically require the use of signature-based antivirus solutions.

Incentivized

• Cisco Secure Endpoint increases visibility into threats on our endpoints, thereby reducing the risk of threat infestation.
• By automatically responding to threats, the tool protects our data and workforce in a timely manner.
• It includes reporting features that help our teams investigate threats more thoroughly and take appropriate action.

Incentivized

• Symantec [Endpoint Security] cost 50k less than other options while providing similar benefits over the last year
• Cylance conflicted with Symantec [Endpoint Security] and Cisco Umbrella Client (All 3 at the same time) causing us to rebuild many desktops
• Symantec [Endpoint Security] made it easy to detect where issues were and repair them

Incentivized