Top 11 Cyber Security Solutions for Businesses – a comparison

“If you spend more on coffee than on IT security, you’ll be hacked. What’s more, you deserve to be hacked.” – Richard A. Clarke, American Advisor.

Cybersecurity is a key enterprise-wide concern for organizations. Whether you’re a small organization with 2-100 employees or a corporate giant with more than 10,000 employees, if you’re dealing with data, you’re always at the risk of a cyber-attack.

Look at some of the astounding cyber-security statistics¹:

• Data breaches exposed 4.1 billion records in the first half of the year 2019.
• Security breaches have increased by 11% since 2018.
• The average time to identify a breach was 206 days in 2019.
• The average cost of a data breach is $3.92 million as of 2019.

Coupled with digital transformation and increasing cloud migration, the cyber-risk of companies has increased. As businesses and individuals expose themselves to digital ecosystems, they need to equally pay attention to control their risk of falling prey to a cyber-attack.

And, amidst the coronavirus pandemic, these cyber crimes have increased by 600%. There has also been an increase in phishing emails and coronavirus scams.

As cyber-criminals become more sophisticated and organized, it is important to up the IT security measures of your organization too. A range of vulnerabilities like malware, viruses, ransomware, social engineering attacks, etc. requires businesses to look for holistic cyber security solutions that can protect data not only from the known vulnerabilities but even from the unknown.

Whether you’re an MSP looking to protect your end customers from cyberattacks or an IT security officer looking forward to finding the best cyber security solutions for your company, the following blog is for you.

We have prepared a list of top cybersecurity solutions for businesses and compared them to help you pick the right solution.

Top Cyber Security solutions for enterprises

Note: For the purpose of doing a balanced comparison, we have chosen enterprise plans for medium to large-sized businesses of all these vendors.

1. Acronis

Product: Acronis Cyber Protect

Acronis Cyber Protect is a complete cybersecurity and endpoint security management solution that integrates backup, next-gen anti-malware, disaster recovery, and cybersecurity solutions tools into one single package. The solution primarily helps MSPs (Managed Service Providers) make security an inherent part of their product portfolio. This can help them proactively prevent cyberattacks, ensure fast recoveries, reduce downtime, and automate the configuration of end customers’ data protection to counter increasing cyber threats. It offers a single agent and a single console. While the former helps in increasing performance and avoiding agent conflicts, the latter enables seamless employee onboarding and maintenance.

Features and capabilities:

• Antimalware and antivirus: The antimalware and antivirus capabilities ensure endpoint security of user devices. On-demand scanning, behavioural analysis, AI-based pre-execution analysis, dynamic detection rules, and other embedded features provide all-around security to the end customers.
• Fail-safe patching: The fail-safe patching feature allows the safe installation of security patches. Before any security patch is downloaded and installed, the solution takes an image backup of the existing system. Thus, in case of a bad patch, users can roll back to a previous working state.
• Smart Alerts: The global network of Acronis Cyber Protection Operation Centers (CPOC) helps users get real-time alerts on malware, natural disasters, vulnerabilities, and other global-scale events that are a security threat.
• Backup and Recovery: Forensic backup and safe recovery can help manage compliances and accelerate internal investigations through capabilities like memory dumps, disk-level backups, etc.
• CyberFit protection status: With CyberFit analysis, users can quickly assess the security and protection status of their devices. Other productivity boosters of IT professionals include data protection mapping to discover important files that are not yet protected, and the ability to connect to a remote computer, directly from a management console.
• VPN capability: Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the security of the remote workers’ devices is a top concern for the IT security teams. The Acronis Cyber Protect can also take care of the security of remote work devices using tools like VPN and data wiping from remote devices.

2. Avast

Product: Advanced all-in-one cybersecurity solution

Avast for business is an all-in-one cybersecurity solution for modern workplaces. Their cybersecurity solutions designed for small to large businesses offers maximum protection against cyberattacks. All-in-one cybersecurity represents a combination of next-gen endpoint protection and a cloud-based network security solution that provides all-around security to today’s digital systems running on the cloud. It includes multiple layers of security to block cyber threats from all possible endpoints.

Features & capabilities:

• Endpoint Protection: Avast Business Next-Gen AV uses a multi-layered detection of threats approach with the help of artificial intelligence. It helps the system to quickly identify new and emerging cyber threats.
• Cloud Backup: The cloud backup layer in the all-in-one security solution uses cloud-based backup and recovery to ensure that organization’s data is safe for improved business continuity and data security.
• Integration: All the point products and cybersecurity solutions are tactfully consolidated into one platform to allow easy management and protection of devices, data, and more.
• Application Protection: The inclusion of Avast Business Patch Management allows companies to manage, maintain, and update Windows and other third-party applications from a single platform. It simplifies patching across multiple applications.
• Web Protection: The cloud-delivered network security solutions helps fight against the threats coming from web and SSL vulnerabilities.

3. Bitdefender

Product: GravityZone Elite

Bitdefender GravityZone Elite is designed to protect businesses from a huge spectrum of sophisticated cyber threats. It is an integrated endpoint protection and risk management software. It adds multiple layers of defence in an organization’s network with more than 30 machine-learning driven security technologies. It acts as a single agent and single-console platform for protecting physical, virtual, mobile, and even cloud-based endpoints as well as email.

Features and capabilities

• Attack forensics and visualization: Attack forensics and visualization feature gives administrators more visibility into their organizations’ threat landscape. This in turn helps in identifying a broader context of attacks on endpoints.
• Endpoint hardening and risk management: The endpoint hardening feature helps businesses strengthen their security posture with the help of the integrated device, application controlling, encryption, patching, and other technologies.
• HyperDetect machine learning models: The HyperDetect is built on machine learning models and contains stealth attack detection technology. It acts as an additional layer of security by detecting advanced attacks.
• Network attack defence: This relatively new feature is designed to detect and prevent attacks which make use of network vulnerabilities. It helps in the detection of a wide array of cyberattacks.
• Sandbox analyzer: The sandbox analyser provides pre-execution and detection of advanced attacks. It automatically sends files that are suspicious to cloud sandbox and takes remedial action based on the verdict.

4. F-Secure

Product: F-Secure Protection Service For Business (PSB)

F-Secure Protection Service For Business is a cloud-native endpoint protection solution that is designed to protect businesses from cyber threats like ransomware and data breaches. It provides a central management system for simplified management of computers and mobile devices from a single console. The F-Secure PSB portal helps users to monitor their connected devices and track the security status. It can protect computers (Windows, Mac), mobile devices (Android), and servers (Windows, Linux).

Users can create and apply custom settings to all or selected devices to match the company’s overall security policies.

Features and capabilities:

• All-around security: The F-Secure PSB offers all-around cyber security solutions to a company’s endpoints – from the computer and mobile devices to email and server endpoints.
• Password Manager: The smart business security solution from F-Secure can also take care of users’ passwords. It offers a password manager feature for Windows and Mac computers as well as Android devices.
• DeepGuard: This feature is based on heuristic, behaviour, and reputation analysis using sophisticated technology and can provide a significant layer of security to the user devices.
• Software Updater: Keeping the operating system updated to its latest security patch is crucial to avoid vulnerabilities and risks. The software updater feature reduces the exposure to vulnerabilities by keeping the OS and third-party applications up to date.
• Device Control: This feature is available for computer protection only. It can prevent threats from accessing user systems via hardware devices such as CD-ROM drives, USB sticks, and web cameras. It also helps in preventing data leakage by allowing read-only access.

5. Kaspersky

Product: Kaspersky Integrated Endpoint Security

Kaspersky’s Integrated Endpoint Security solution is an industry-acclaimed cyber security solution with EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response). It is designed for enterprise customers, empowering them to defend their networks and information effectively.

The endpoint security solution is an integration of three components – Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP), a Sandbox, and the EDR. Together, these components can help reduce the risk of falling prey to targeted attacks, maximize the number of incidents processed, harden systems and prevent employees from exposing themselves to an attack – making it one of the strongest cyber security solutions. System hardening and automating routine tasks such as patch and vulnerability management can reduce the risk of human errors.

Features and capabilities:

• Kaspersky EDR Optimum: The component allows full visibility and the ability to apply root-cause analysis to gain a complete understanding of the status of corporate defences against cyber-attacks.
• Kaspersky Sandbox: The new Kaspersky Sandbox component is designed to automatically protect devices against advanced-level threats. It is based on the threat of emulation technology.
• Endpoint Security for Business: This helps in providing flexible security for mixed environments to deliver automated defences against threats and system hardening.
• Kaspersky Health Check Service: One of the key features is Kaspersky’s Health Check Service. Once the user installs the solution, the feature can verify the correct deployment and optimal configuration for the system.
• Security Awareness: Employees need to be made aware of the security risks of the organization and how they can save themselves from falling prey to such attacks. Kaspersky Security Awareness uses the latest learning techniques in a series of computer-based training sessions to reduce the risk of human error.

6. McAfee

Product: McAfee Endpoint Security

McAfee Endpoint Security is a complete cybersecurity solution for businesses that is purpose-built for proactive threat management with proven security tools and features. From preventing attacks to hunting for malicious activities, the McAfee Endpoint Security solution easily fits into the cybersecurity needs of digital enterprises. It is equipped with McAfee MVISION Insights capabilities that can ensure system security backed with automation, reporting, and easy management.

Features and capabilities:

• MVISION Insights: With MVISION Insights capabilities, businesses are given alerts and notifications on potential threats. It also helps in security assessment and defining the security posture of a company.
• Advanced Threat Defences: The solution is built on advanced threat defences like Dynamic Application Containment (DAC), Real Protect, and more.
• Intelligent Endpoint Protection: With multiple connected endpoint defence technologies, McAfee Endpoint Security can share observations in real-time. This helps in better coordination of defences and intelligent protection against targeted attacks.
• Adaptive Scanning: The solution bypasses the scanning of known and trusted processes and prioritizes suspicious applications. The adaptive behavioural scanning can monitor, target, and escalate any suspicious activity.
• Story Graph: With the Story Graph feature, administrators can have a bird’s view of infections – where they are and the length of the exposure.

7. Microsoft 

Product: Microsoft Defender Antivirus

Microsoft Defender (previously, Windows Defender) for Endpoint offers a complete endpoint cyber security solution to help organizations secure their remote workforce. It delivers proactive protection, post-breach detection, automated investigation, and response against cyberthreats targeting the endpoints – where data lives. With Microsoft Defender ATP, businesses can cover additional devices without requiring any additional licenses, followed by preventive and reactive support to security teams. It is one of the most popular cyber security solutions out there.

The holistic solution includes risk-based vulnerability management as well as assessment, behavioural based next-generation protection, attack surface reduction, automatic investigation and remediation, endpoint detection and response (EDR), managed hunting services, etc. along with rich APIs and unified security management.

Features and capabilities:

• Real-time threat and vulnerability management: It helps in discovering vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in real-time for quick remediation. This bridges the gap between security and IT teams and improves the overall security posture.
• Automation: The solution can seamlessly go from alert to remediation with the help of automation. It can automatically investigate alerts and remediate them within minutes.
• Behavioural monitoring: With behavioural monitoring, enterprise IT security teams can detect and respond to advanced threats, as well as prevent spot attacks and zero-day exploits.
• Reduce attack surface: It helps reduce the attack surface by minimizing the points where an organization can be vulnerable to cyberthreats.
• Block sophisticated malware and threats: The in-built next-generation protection defends against various polymorphic and metamorphic malware and file and file-based threats.

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8. Sophos

Product: Intercept X Endpoint

Sophos Intercept X Endpoint is the most comprehensive endpoint protection that is available for devices running Windows 7 and above, 32 or 64-bit and Mac OS. It can provide complete protection against the widest range of cyber threats including malware, exploits, ransomware, and viruses. The Intercept Advanced combines the features of Intercept X and Central Endpoint, while Intercept X Advanced with EDR also includes the intelligent endpoint detection and response (EDR). All these solutions can be managed by one unified console i.e. Sophos Central.

Features and capabilities:

• Anti-ransomware: Sophos Intercept X Endpoint provides advanced protection that can monitor and secure the whole attack chain using deep learning techniques and CryptoGuard which can roll back any unauthorized encryption of files within seconds.
• Endpoint Detection and Response: Sophos Intercept X Advanced with EDR combines the capabilities of powerful endpoint protection with EDR for securing IT security as well as identifying new and emerging cyber threats. It can detect and investigate any suspicious activity via AI-driven analysis.
• Deep Learning Technology: The integration of deep learning into the Intercept X Endpoint provides a predictive approach to protection against several known and novel vulnerabilities.
• Exploit Prevention: This feature protects against exploit-based, fileless, and malware-less attacks. The security solution can stop zero-day attacks by taking away the vulnerable endpoints and hackers’ favourite attack points.
• Active Adversary Mitigations: The Intercept X makes use of a range of techniques including code cave utilization detection, credential theft prevention, and APC protection.
• Managed Threat Response: Sophos Managed Threat Response (MTR) is integrated into Intercept X Advanced with EDR and MTR to provide 24/7 threat detection, hunting, and response capabilities as a fully managed service.

9. Symantec

Product: Symantec Endpoint Security

Symantec Endpoint Security is a comprehensive and integrated endpoint security platform. It works as a single agent to protect an organization’s traditional and mobile endpoints. It uses artificial intelligence to optimize the security framework and provide maximum protection against threats emerging at device, application, and network level. The unified cloud-based management system further simplifies protection, detection, and response mechanisms against advanced threats. It comes in two major versions – Endpoint Security Complete and Endpoint Security Enterprise.

Features and capabilities:

• Proactive endpoint defence: This feature is built on pre-attack surface reduction capabilities that continuously scans for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations across various endpoints and applications.
• Attack prevention: It provides a multilayer attack prevention capability that can immediately and effectively protect against fileless and file-based attacks. It further helps in malware prevention, exploits’ prevention, intensive protection, and network connection security.
• Breach prevention: With breach prevention, the solution aims to contain attackers as early as possible, probably at the endpoint only, before they can breach the network. This is possible through various AI-driven deception and intrusion prevention technologies.
• Post-breach response and remediation: With the combined capabilities of EDR (endpoint detection and response) and SOC (security operations centre), it helps to quickly close out endpoints and minimize attack impacts. Advanced threat hunting, behaviour forensics, and integrated response help in post-breach response and remediation.

10. Trend Micro

Product: Apex One^TM

Trend Micro Apex One^TM endpoint security solution offers advanced automated threat detection and response against a variety of cyber threats, including ransomware and fileless attacks. It is a blend of advanced threat detection tools and techniques that are delivered through a single-agent architecture. Automated threat detection and response helps in closing any security gaps across different endpoints and user activities. Its integration into endpoint detection and response (EDR) gives centralized visibility and control to the users. Its protection points include physical endpoints, Microsoft Windows PCs and servers, Mac Computers, and Point of Sale (POS) and ATM endpoints.

Features and capabilities:

• Automated detection and response: It provides automated threat detection and response for faster recovery. Services like Trend Micro Endpoint Sensor and Managed detection and response (MDR) are available as add-ons to provide investigation capabilities across endpoint, email, and server.
• Malware and ransomware protection: With its advanced cybersecurity techniques, it can protect the endpoints against malicious scripts, malware, and ransomware.
• Connected threat defence: The Trend Micro Apex One cybersecurity solution can easily integrate with other security products with the help of Trend Micro’s global cloud threat intelligence.
• Both SaaS and on-premise delivery: It gives users the flexibility to choose between on-premise or SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) deployment modes.
• Virtual patching: This feature is built on Trend Micro’s Vulnerability Protection technique. It can virtually patch vulnerabilities to protect the device even before the patch is available or deployable.

11. Webroot

Solution: Business Endpoint Protection

The Webroot business endpoint protection is designed to stop sophisticated cyberattacks, including contextual threat intelligence, industry-leading efficacy and next-generation protection.

The cloud-based console streamlines management and helps in faster-deployment and scans, PSA, RMM, and BI integrations.

With lower TCO and flexible billing, organizations can save time and increase efficiency.

Features and capabilities:

• Secure and distributed cloud architecture: The solution is built on multiple secure global data centers to support the end-users globally with full-service redundancy and resilience.
• Multi-shield protection: It uses protection shields like real-time, core system, behaviour, Identity, Web Threat, Phishing, and offline shields to safeguard against zero-day attacks.
• Offline protection: It not only supports the user devices and systems when they are online but also stops attacks when the device is offline by using separate file execution policies for USB, local disk, DVD, and CD drives.
• Malware detection, prevention, and protection: It provides complete protection against viruses, trojans, malware, phishing, spyware, ransomware, cryptojacking, browser-based attacks, credential-stealing attacks, and other types of endpoint threats.

To help you compare the features of cyber protection solutions discussed in this article, we have also prepared a quick comparison table.

Top Cyber Security solutions – A quick comparison table

• *Features marked asterisk can vary according to the available versions/plans of the service.
• n/a represents lack of accurate/direct information.
• The services compared in this cyber security solutions blog are stated in alphabetical order.

Got something to add? Help us make this blog better by sharing your feedback in the comments section.

Source:
¹ https://www.varonis.com/blog/cybersecurity-statistics/

Disclaimer: This article aims to provide information about the specific Cyber security solutions of different vendors for general informational purpose only. Vendors may change their product or service pricing and features from time to time. It’s therefore advised in the interest of the website visitor that before taking a decision or making a purchase, updated information should be verified from the respective vendor’s site. This information has been sourced from the vendor websites and relevant resources available in the public domain as on October 2020. Though we make best endeavours to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date, we do not guarantee its 100% accuracy or timeliness.