Moving Forefront to the fore
June 13, 2016

Moving Forefront to the fore

Emma Ridener | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Microsoft Forefront

Forefront and SCEP are used in our organization as a centrally managed virus and malware detection system. The clients in conjunction with the back end server provide excellent protection across our groups. The definitions are updated constantly, and we have had very few major incidents since the adoption of this new platform.
  • SCEP is a light weight client which is minimally impactful on the user end.
  • Forefront's management console provides excellent monitoring and reporting.
  • Setup and configuration is very easy.
  • Malware detection is not quite 100%. We have to use a secondary program occasionally.
  • On low ram and weak CPU systems scanning can freeze the machine.
  • The same reporting tools that are on the console version, aren't on the client.
  • Less turnaround on virus based issues.
  • Helps reduce malware issues over time.
  • Can breed overconfidence in the system, so people don't always try a second tool.
  • Symantec Norton (SMB) and McAfee
The biggest advantage that MSF and SCEP provide over Norton is:
One: Far less client overhead required. Both Norton and McAfee are highly intensive client side when in use.
Two: We've had far better luck using the Microsoft system with its detection capabilities, versus the others.
Three: It is tied right into the Microsoft updating system, which provides central updating capabilities of av/mal/windows updates.
In large deployments, I have found Microsoft Forefront to be very effective at combating the majority of threats faced by our users. It provides the base platform for catching threats that would otherwise threaten our users and their data. If you have an environment that is under constant malware threat, then a secondary program may be needed as required.