CrowdStrike Falcon vs. Varonis Data Security Platform

Anyone who is looking for a leader in endpoint protection should consider CrowdStrike Falcon for sure, regardless of specific use cases. Anybody who is operating on a very lean security team that doesn't have the capability to provide 24x7x365 coverage should absolutely consider Falcon Complete. I've worked with various MSSP's in the past, but Falcon Complete is one I would definitely not lose any sleep at night knowing we're in good hands.

The most highlighted feature of Varonis Data Security Platform is the data analyzing mechanism. It analyzes your data all the time with some special algorithms to detect any unusual activities so that it can identify any unusual behavior or users and
take necessary action to save your sensitive data. They also offer a complete dashboard solution for their customers to control across different data stores, see their current state, and any security breaches to be addressed manually.

• Endpoint Isolation - instead of hoping an adversary was blocked in time. CrowdStrike locks down the endpoint beyond using the Windows Firewall. Allowing a whitelist of IPs brings additional management of that endpoint to another level that most other tools don't have.
• Rich Data Recording - CrowdStrike is best described as a giant tape recorder in the sky. When it lands on the box, it truly provides insight into the those that other tools could only dream of.
• Extensive APIs - CrowdStrike understands that they are not your only security vendor, so they have API usage for everything in their platform to automate and integrate to your heart's desire.
• Cloud Visibility - CrowdStrike's cloud monitoring capabilities are agnostic of cloud platform. No longer does one need to worry about putting all their eggs in one basket because the endpoint tool prefers one platform over another.

• Varonis logging is very robust and captures all audit events being sent from the file servers.
• The ability to report and alert on Active Directory account events works very well with file activity monitoring. It can show the complete picture of what an account did while being used.
• Have a customizable dashboard is great for being able to show upper management information that only pertains to them.

• The ability to do a system-level scan like a traditional AV is missing and isn't a feature CrowdStrike is planning on implementing. Old school IT guys are going to be curious about this.
• Host management and deletion are clunky and take 45 days for a machine to fall off your subscription license.

• Implementation can be challenging in some areas and can only be executed by the vendor
• Implementation can only be executed by the vendor and additional work can be chargeable
• Licensing can be improved upon
• Agent based so implementation can be longer than expected

I wish the cost was a little bit lower and increase functionality and features would give it 10/10.

When I receive support, it is always useful and informative. However, the support doesn't get back to me in the most timely manner. Often, by the time I hear back from support I have already resolved the issue. But for bigger issues, that need more in-depth help the support team has been incredibly valuable.

Support has always been very responsive and addressed any issues we may have had in the past. Some local engineers are willing to come onsite or work over a web session to discuss creating a new rule set or look at some issues. Getting issues address has never been a problem. There was one feature we had trouble getting to function correctly, but support and local engineers were willing to work with us as much as needed to get it working correctly for our organization.

Crowdstrike Falcon Endpoint protection is based on AIML enhanced technology,l. It's cloud-based so users don't need to connect to their office network to get their policy synchronization done from Server to endpoints agents. Also, the Crowdstrike Falcon agent size is small and it consumes fewer resources of the machine.

Actually, we didn't expend much time evaluating other file auditing platforms. We chose Varonis just after a serious incident and we had already heard about Varonis at a Netapp event. So it was an easy choice. We called Varonis and asked them for a PoC, that's it. The PoC became a production and it is running until this day.

• CrowdStrike has cut our security costs.
• Has given us more insight into our end points.
• It has helped with our older PC's CPU usage.
• Cut our cost and time from managing multiple platforms down to managing one platform with better insight than what we had with multiple security platforms.

• We have identified data classifications issues that our organization was not aware of prior to the implementation.
• The tool does take a dedicated resource for it to be effective.
• Varonis has improved the speed with which we can fulfill audit requests, leaving us more time for other tasks.