Item: Watchguard Endpoint Security
Rating: 9
Author: Brian Powell

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We utilize Adaptive Defense 360 / WatchGuard EPDR as a standard for all of our Managed Services Clients. We found it to perform very well as an EDR and is very easy to maintain as a Managed Services Provider. We have a central portal where we can maintain all of our clients and the clients also have their own access to only their settings as well. In the past year of usage Adaptive Defense 360 has been one of 3 products to catch and stop many malicious zero days in the wild before they became known and caught by other solutions. In reality, nothing works 100% and anyone serious about security knows a layered approach is needed, but for us, Adaptive Defense 360 is a big piece of that layered approach

Pros and Cons

Stops many Zero Day Exploits
Easy to Manage and Intuitive
Low Overhead for Agent installation

Alerting on blocks could be better sometimes you have to dig deep to figure out if something was actually blocked
Would like to see integration into PSA software for direct ticket/alert integration

Return on Investment

Improved Endpoint Security
Combined multiple vendor solutions into a single vendor installation which improved management (for one product versus 2 or 3) and pricing.

Alternatives Considered

Sophos Intercept X, Trend Micro Managed XDR and ThreatLocker

While we did evaluate other potential Adaptive Defense 360 / WatchGuard EPDR and security products for our needs, after careful review and real-world test results we found Adaptive Defense 360 to be a notch above them due to the following reasons: ease of management, resource usage, end user issues, price and effectively performing best at its role of Adaptive Defense 360 / WatchGuard EPDR and being able to catch many active zero days in the wild.

Key Insights

Do you think Watchguard Endpoint Security delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Watchguard Endpoint Security's feature set?

Yes

Did Watchguard Endpoint Security live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Watchguard Endpoint Security go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Watchguard Endpoint Security again?

Yes

Usability

Easy and intuitive MSP management portal to manage all of your clients from a single pane of glass. Policies can be pushed down globally or individually based on needs. The client portal allows access to their tenant information and installs only which is nice if you are working with clients who might have an internal person or an IT team that also wants access to things to manage themself.

Central Management

Since moving to Adaptive Defense 360 / WatchGuard EPDR, we were able to eliminate 2 different vendor products that we were using before which made management much easier and more efficient since they were combined into a single product. We also found Adaptive Defense 360 to perform much better from a security posture (better detection for zero days, ability to isolate machines) than the other solutions we were previously using

Other Software Used

Cisco Umbrella, Trend Micro Managed XDR, Datto RMM, IT Glue, ConnectWise Manage, Arctic Wolf Managed Detection and Response, Huntress

Likelihood to Recommend

If you are looking for a good, single pane of glass Managed and low resource usage EDR solution; Adaptive Defense 360 will fit the bill. It stops known malicious programs as well as many zero-day ones. Currently, Adaptive Defense 360 doesn't directly integrate into the major PSA software packages so that may be a deal breaker for those looking for that type of solution

Products Replaced

Yes - Cisco Umbrella and Trend Micro XDR. Wanted to ease management by moving to a single product with a single central management console. Also eliminating multiple vendors and saving on costs

Key Differentiators

Price
Product Features
Product Usability

Biggest thing was better protection and easier management

Evaluation Lessons Learned

Results would still be the same we would still go with Adaptive Defense 360 in a layered approach. It works well for us and our clients.

Adaptive Defense 360 The next-gen EDR solution that works and is easy to manage

Overall Satisfaction with Adaptive Defense 360 / WatchGuard EPDR