Endpoint security solutions are an all-in-one defense system designed to defend endpoints –mobile devices, desktops, servers, and laptops – against malicious activity and cyber-attacks. These solutions work by detecting malware and other malicious security events. Once detected, they can provide alerts, automate investigations, and carry out remediation procedures.
While the threat of cyber-attacks cannot be fully mitigated, a robust, centrally managed endpoint security solution can go a long way in securing servers, workstations, mobiles devices and workloads. These solutions often use anti-virus scanners, anomaly detection, and threat databases to keep your endpoints safe.
CrowdStrike are a global cybersecurity leader who provide a modular and scalable solution to help customers tackle their biggest security challenges. If, however, their comprehensive endpoint security platform isn’t quite what you’re looking for, we have put together a list of strong alternatives to consider.
Heimdal™ is a cybersecurity provider that delivers cloud-based solutions to prevent endpoint, identity, web, email, and application threats – all of which are managed via a single, intuitive platform. Heimdal® Endpoint Detection and Response is their EDR solution, which enables businesses to block known endpoint threats from entering their environment, as well as detect and remediate sophisticated and zero-day threats such as malware, vulnerability exploits, brute force attacks, and social engineering attempts.
Heimdal® Endpoint Detection and Response Features:
- Includes next-gen antivirus, privileged access management and application control, patch management, DNS filtering, and encryption modules – all of which are managed via a single, unified console
- Monitors your environment for known and zero-day threats using machine learning-driven intelligence
- Crowdsources intelligence from across Heimdal™’s entire solution portfolio, enabling more effective detection and remediation without the need to integrate and manage other third-party tools
- Automates remediation workflows for certain threat types (e.g., patching third-party applications) to reduce strain on IT and security resource
- Cloud-based, modular deployment
Heimdal® Endpoint Detection and Response Pricing:
Pricing for Heimdal® Endpoint Detection and Response is available via their sales team. Heimdal™ also offers a free demo, which you can sign up for on their website.
Expert Insights’ Comments:
Thanks to its modular architecture, IT and security teams can easily add further tools to their Heimdal® Endpoint Detection and Response subscription to turn it into an XDR platform, covering email and network security as well as endpoint security. The platform is easy to manage via its intuitive, modern interface, but Heimdal™ also offers high-quality technical support when needed, as well as XDR as a fully managed service. Overall, we recommend Heimdal® Endpoint Detection and Response for any organization looking for a holistic threat prevention, detection, and response platform.
Bitdefender is a leader in cybersecurity – it delivers best-in-class threat prevention, detection, and response solutions globally. Their business endpoint security solution, GravityZone, uses a unified management console to implement security services on physical endpoints, mobile devices, and virtual machines in public cloud and Exchange mail servers.
Bitdefender GravityZone Features:
- Anti-malware protection based on security content scanning and heuristic analysis
- Advanced Threat Control, Advance Anti-Exploit, and Network Attack Defense
- HyperDetect detects advanced attacks and suspicious activity in the pre-execution stage
- Content Control lets you enforce company policies for permitted traffic, web access, data protection, and applications control
- Device Control prevents leaks via external devices attached to endpoints
- Patch Management provides scheduled and on-demand patch scanning, manual and automatic patching, and missing patch reporting
- Sandbox Analyzer performs automatic, in-depth analysis of suspicious files
- Cloud and on-premises deployment options
Bitdefender GravityZone Pricing: Bitdefender’s Gravity Zone offers a variety of options for small businesses, medium-to-large businesses, and also offers a managed service for organizations looking for additional support. See the Bitdefender website for a detailed breakdown of each offering and contact them directly for pricing information.
Expert Insights’ Comments: Bitdefender GravityZone makes its simpler and more cost effective to build a trusted environment for endpoints by unifying multiple security services in a single platform. Users of GravityZone typically rate it highly and praise its reliable protection and flexibility. We would recommend this solution to organizations looking for flexible, yet comprehensive, endpoint threat protection that remains easy to manage.
Symantec, by Broadcom, is a US provider of security products and services which work to protect the applications and data for modern workforces. Symantec Endpoint Security Complete brings together cloud protection, AI-driven threat hunting, and guided management to better secure organizations against today’s biggest endpoint threats.
Symantec Endpoint Security Features:
- Protection for all endpoints – laptops, desktops, tablets, mobile services, servers
- Single agent attack surface reduction, attack and breach prevention, and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
- Single console offering real-time threat visibility
- Flexible deployment – cloud managed, on-premises and hybrid models
- Adaptive protection, active directory security, and advanced application control
- AI guided security management
- Targeted Attack Analytics and Threat Hunter
Symantec Endpoint Security Pricing: Contact Broadcom’s Symantec Enterprise to find out pricing details
Expert Insights’ Comments: Symantec Endpoint Security Complete delivers strong protection across all device types – from desktops to mobile devices. The solution is well reviewed by past users who praise the centralized management, strong feature-set, and the software’s access to global threat intelligence networks. We would recommend this solutions to organizations looking for a robust layered approach to security at the endpoint.
ESET are market leaders in endpoint security and antivirus software, offering strong, yet lightweight, s which support the security needs of organizations in over 200 countries and territories. ESET Endpoint Security is their cloud-based endpoint protection solution – it provides a full range of endpoint protection features designed to keep ahead of known and unknown threats. ESET Endpoint Security provides powerful, multilayered protection that leverages ESET’s machine learning capabilities, human expertise, and their comprehensive global threat detection network.
ESET Endpoint Security Features:
- Manage endpoints from a cloud-based or on-premises unified management console
- Enhanced ransomware detection
- Checks in place to detect hijacked or corrupted applications – this protects against fileless attacks
- Catalogues threat intelligence information from their global network to identify, prioritize, and block new threats
- Detects and blocks brute force attacks
- In-product sandbox helps reveal the behavior of suspicious software
- Uses machine learning and behavior detection
- Offers Advanced memory scanner, UEFI Scanner, and Exploit Blocker
ESET Endpoint Security Pricing: ESET’s endpoint protection comes in a range of solutions. The first is ESET Protect Entry, costing £141.50/year (excl. VAT) and covers five devices. ESET Protect Advanced, which is £198.50/year (excl, VAT) also covers five devices, but has an additional cloud console included. ESET Protect Advanced, which is £198.50/year (excl, VAT) also covers five devices, but expands on the capabilities of the first solution, and has an additional cloud console included. ESET Protect Complete, which is £244/year (excl. VAT), with cloud console included, for five devices, for one year. The most comprehensive solutions, ESET Protect Enterpriseand ESET Protect MDR, have pricing available upon request.
Expert Insights’ Comments: ESET Endpoint Security is reviewed highly by users and is praised for how lightweight, scalable, and flexible it is. The product is compatible with Windows, Linux, Mac, and Android devices, while its admin console supports 21 languages, with localized support in 38 languages. We would recommend ESET Endpoint Security for organizations looking to support a global workforce, as well as those with a large number of BYOD devices.
Microsoft is a multinational technology corporation predominantly known for their computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and workplace services. Their enterprise endpoint security platform, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, is designed to help organizations efficiently prevent attacks, scale their security resources, and evolve their defenses across operating systems and network devices.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Features:
- Using integrated workflows, discover any unmanaged or unauthorized endpoints, then secure these assets
- With threat vulnerability management, quickly discover, prioritize, and remediate vulnerabilities or misconfigurations
- Automatically investigate alerts and remediate complex threats
- Block sophisticated threats and malware to reduce your attack surface
- Deep threat monitoring and analysis lets you detect and respond to advanced attacks
- Mobile threat defense capabilities
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Pricing: Microsoft offer two plans: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P1 and P2. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P1 focuses on prevention, and comes with unified security tools that have centralized management. These include next generation antimalware, device controls, and endpoint firewall. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 includes all the features from P1 as well as automated investigation and remediation, threat intelligence, and sandboxing capabilities. Contact Microsoft directly for pricing.
Expert Insights’ Comments: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a complete endpoint security system which works to prevent malware, ransomware, and other complicated attacks on iOS, Linus, Android, macOS, and Windows. Previous users rate the solution highly and praise its quick response and remediation capabilities. We would recommend Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to organizations looking to get a holistic view of their environments and efficiently mitigate advanced threats.
Sophos are an innovative cybersecurity company who support organizations in securing their Windows, Mac, and Linux systems against malware and other endpoint threats. Sophos Intercept X is their leading endpoint security solution which proactively monitors for malware and other exploits to eliminate threats from the network.
Sophos Intercept X Features:
- Automatically detect and triage threats with Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
- Incorporate cross-product data for heightened visibility as part of the EDR
- Ransomware file protection, automatic file recovery, and behavioral analysis for protection against ransomware and other attacks
- AI can detect both known and unknown malware without relying on signatures
- Managed Detection and Response options available
- Active Adversary Mitigations
- Integrated zero-trust network access
Sophos Intercept X Pricing: Sophos promise simple per-user pricing with no hidden extras, no large upfront infrastructure costs, and no maintenance frees. For a customized quote, contact Sophos directly in their website. They also offer a free trial.
Expert Insights’ Comments: Sophos deliver strong endpoint security management and attack protection with their endpoint security solution. Users of the solution rate it well and praise its ease of use, efficiency, and strong functionality. We would recommend Sophos Intercept X to organizations looking for effective detection and threat prevention via real-time threat intelligence, with complete web, device, and data control.
SentinelOne, founded in 2013, is a leading autonomous security solutions provider for endpoint, cloud, and identity environments. The SentinelOne singularity platform is their endpoint protection, detection, and response solution. It enables threat hunting across complex enterprise architecture, and provides in-depth visibility, a lightened analyst load, and automated threat resolution.
SentinelOne Singularity Platform Features:
- Static AI and SentinelOne Cloud Intelligent file-based attack prevention
- Behavioral AI fileless attack detection
- Autonomous threat response, remediation, and rollback
- Comprehensive incident analysis
- App inventory
- Agency anti-tamper detection
- Ability to quarantine devices from the network
SentinelOne Singularity Platform Pricing:
The SentinelOne Singularity Platform comes with five pricing editions, which include Singularity Ranger IoT ($4 per agent, per month), Singularity Core ($6 per agent, per month), Singularity Control ($8 per agent, per month), Singularity Complete ($12 per agent, per month), and Singularity Cloud ($36 per vm/Kubernetes worker node, per month). Visit SentinelOne’s website for a full breakdown of the services that each solution provides. You can also request a demo of the Singularity Platform from their website.
Expert Insights’ Comments: The SentinelOne Singularity Platform is a configurable security suite designed to secure your network’s endpoints, cloud surfaces, and IoT devices. It is rated well by users who praise the easy deployment and the strong set of features. We would recommend the SentinelOne Singularity platform to organizations looking to tackle their endpoint security needs with an automated and simplified approach that doesn’t compromise on functionality.
Trellix (formally FireEye and McAfee Enterprises) is a global company, proving cybersecurity solutions that support organizations in defending against todays most advanced cyber threats. Their Endpoint Security solution is their integrated, centrally managed endpoint protection platform which supports organizations as they build their cyber resilience with intelligent endpoint protection.
Trellix Endpoint Security Features:
- Machine learning behavior classification detects possible zero-day attacks in near real-time and provides actionable threat intelligence
- Behavior classification automatically identifies behaviors and can add rules to prevent future attacks
- Protects users’ productivity through a common service layer
- Uses adaptive scanning to reduce CPU demands
- Centralized management offers great visibility, simplifies operations, and improves productivity, whilst minimizing cost
Trellix Endpoint Security Pricing: Contact Trellix directly for details of the product pricing and subscription plans.
Expert Insights’ Comments: Trellix Endpoint security is a good option for larger organizations who require a strong endpoint security solution with automated threat detection and response capabilities. We would recommend Trellix’s endpoint security to organizations looking for a flexible, unified solution that helps you to consolidate your data and threat defenses from device to cloud.
What Is Endpoint Security?
When we talk about endpoint security we are talking about the securing of the physical devices that connect to and exchange information with computer networks. These include desktop computers, mobile devices, virtual machines, servers, and embedded devices, as well as Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices such as security systems, smart speakers, and cameras etc. The connection between these devices and the network creates a flow of information, a bit like a conversation between two people. It is essential that these endpoints are secure in order to protect that communication – and those endpoints – from malicious actors and exploits.
Why Is Endpoint Security Important?
Cyber criminals frequently choose endpoints as their point of attack because they are outside of network security and are dependent on user action to put into place appropriate security measures. They are a “way in”. Human error allows cybercriminals to bypass security and gain access. Protecting endpoints has become more challenging as workforces (and their devices) have become more widely distributed due to the rise in remote and hybrid working.
Contrary to the belief that cybercrime is only a risk for the big players, businesses of any size can find themselves targeted. And when breaches have so much potential to be devastating and costly, endpoint security is essential for ensuring your business endpoints do not become the door through which attackers can enter and wreak havoc.
