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Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs Fortra's Cobalt Strike comparison

Akamai and Fortra are both solutions in the Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) category. Akamai is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.3, while Fortra is ranked #6 with an average rating of 9.5. Akamai holds a 1.3% mindshare in BAS, compared to Fortra’s 2.5% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Akamai users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Fortra users who would recommend it.
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation
Read 22 Akamai Guardicore Segmentation reviews
  • 7,949 Views
  • 159 Comparison Views
90% willing to recommend
Fortra's Cobalt Strike
Read 2 Fortra's Cobalt Strike reviews
  • 428 Views
  • 415 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation and Fortra's Cobalt Strike are competing products in cybersecurity, focusing on network security and penetration testing, respectively. Fortra's Cobalt Strike seems to have the upper hand in feature richness, while Akamai Guardicore is favored for pricing and support.

Features: Akamai Guardicore Segmentation provides threat detection and response tools and focuses on securing internal networks by isolating threats. It is recognized for its microsegmentation capabilities. Fortra's Cobalt Strike offers adversary simulation capabilities that help security teams test and improve defenses. Its main emphasis is on offensive security testing.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Akamai Guardicore Segmentation allows for straightforward deployment with minimal disruption, providing excellent customer support for smooth adoption. Fortra's Cobalt Strike requires more technical expertise for deployment and offers limited support options.

Pricing and ROI: Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is known for competitive pricing and a clear ROI by reducing breach costs. It appeals to those interested in network microsegmentation with lower expenses. Fortra's Cobalt Strike has higher initial costs, justified by features suited for penetration testing, offering long-term security improvements.

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To learn more, read our detailed Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs. Fortra's Cobalt Strike Report (Updated: March 2026).
Buyer's Guide
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs. Fortra's Cobalt Strike
March 2026
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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation
Ranking in Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS)
8th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
22
Ranking in other categories
Cloud and Data Center Security (1st), Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) (11th), Microsegmentation Software (3rd)
Fortra's Cobalt Strike
Ranking in Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS)
6th
Average Rating
9.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) category, the mindshare of Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is 1.3%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortra's Cobalt Strike is 2.5%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Fortra's Cobalt Strike2.5%
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation1.3%
Other96.2%
Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS)
 

Featured Reviews

SachinShelar - PeerSpot reviewer
SachinShelar
Manager, Account Services Delivery at Softcell Technologies Limited
Micro-segmentation has strengthened zero trust security and reduces lateral movement risks
Some of the best features of Akamai Guardicore Segmentation are its granular micro-segmentation and deep visibility, allowing control to process, service level, and full east-west traffic mapping, while it also stands out for AI-assisted policy creation, real-time threat detection, and software-based enforcement. The feature I rely on most in Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is application dependency mapping and visibility, which gives real-time insight into east-west traffic flows, helping us design accurate policies quickly and troubleshoot issues without impacting production environments. Additionally, Akamai Guardicore Segmentation offers a policy simulation test mode, which is very useful to validate rules before enforcement and avoid outages.
Read full review
reviewer2519427 - PeerSpot reviewer
reviewer2519427
Cyber Security Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Compact, versatile, creates shell codes for bypassing antivirus and built-in report templates streamline the process
Probably its delivery methods could be improved. It might need some improvements on its spear phishing module. You can clone a web page, and then you can spear phish a target, and the target connects to your beacon. I believe that it needs to be more modernized to the current standards of multi-factor authentication bypass. Although there are already tools that actually do that, like Evilginx that’s been used as a proxy server, I truly believe Cobalt Strike could do something like that. I believe if Cobalt modernize this specific feature to try to bypass multi-factor authentication, it’s gonna be something. I’m not aware if it’s actually a feature in the latest Cobalt Strike updates, but from my version, I don’t see that it’s possible right now. I don’t think AI is at the stage where it can conduct such complex operations. AI is mostly being used to create phishing templates, very simple stuff. AI is not mature enough to do something more complex, although I truly believe that in a few years, it might have such capabilities.
Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"I found the solution to be stable."
"The tool's most valuable feature is its visibility."
"It will be a great deal for our partner as Guardicore provides excellent network and process visibility, allowing for advanced segmentation with a very friendly UI."
"The impact of Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is very important because it reduced risk for my corporation and organization."
"Guardicore Centra offers the best coverage specifically in backward compatibility with legacy operating systems."
"The most valuable feature is the visibility of processes and connections."
"The interface and dashboard are amazing."
"The solution is very scalable, especially when connected to the cloud resources."
More Akamai Guardicore Segmentation pros
"It also made a lot of post-exploitation activities easier."
"Cobalt Strike offers significant customization capabilities."
 

Cons

"In our version, when using the terminal server, we cannot exclude user tasks for each session."
"The integration with other tools could be improved."
"Needs more customization of honeypots and a vaster catalog of systems able to be mimicked."
"Kubernetes is not installed in the way we need it."
"The dashboard needs improvement. It should be more flexible so that I can easily see what I want or need to see."
"The dashboard needs improvement. It should be more flexible so that I can easily see what I want or need to see."
"The product needs a few features like enhanced user policies and payload-level inspection to improve the offering."
"The customer support is good, but the documentation is not up to the mark."
More Akamai Guardicore Segmentation cons
"Probably its delivery methods could be improved."
"The stability of the tool can be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is the same as other products in the market. There's no price argument to choose one or the other product, it will cost the customer approximately the same."
"The solution is reasonably priced and I would rate it a six out of ten. The tool's licensing costs are yearly."
"Compared to the pricing we were seeing from both Illumio and Edgewise, Guardicore was very competitive."
"The customer would complain about the cost."
"Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is expensive."
"The pricing is too high."
"GuardiCore has made some new changes to the license now. We've seen monthly and annual licenses based on a subscription. We have a few clients that pay anywhere from $25,000 a year."
"Guardicore Centra provides better value for money than NSX, was the other solution that we looked at, which was too expensive for what it does."
More Akamai Guardicore Segmentation pricing and cost advice
"It's expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Insurance Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
19%
Transportation Company
11%
Healthcare Company
9%
Hospitality Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise11
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Guardicore Centra?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that overall everything worked out really well. The pricing was flexible, and it has worked out well with our budget.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Guardicore Infection Monkey?
I think the pricing is very high. It is a big cost. The price of Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is very expensive, but it is important to the enterprise. I think it is more or less.
See all answers
What is your primary use case for Guardicore Infection Monkey?
I use Akamai Guardicore Segmentation to block lateral movement of malicious software like ransomware. This is very important to protect my business and my corporation. I create labels for any asset...
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortra's Cobalt Strike?
While not inexpensive, Cobalt Strike is a comprehensive platform. Its pricing reflects the capabilities and flexibility it offers. The solution can be cost-effective when utilizing its full potenti...
See all answers
What needs improvement with Fortra's Cobalt Strike?
The stability of the tool can be improved. There are some limitations, but they tend to be more from outside of the tool rather than within it. The limitations often come from operators who may lac...
See all answers
What is your primary use case for Fortra's Cobalt Strike?
I use Cobalt Strike to emulate threat actor activities.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Illumio vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation Logo
Illumio vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation
Compared 35% of the time
VMware NSX vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation Logo
VMware NSX vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation
Compared 9% of the time
Cisco Secure Workload vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation Logo
Cisco Secure Workload vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation
Compared 9% of the time
TrendAI Deep Security vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation Logo
TrendAI Deep Security vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation
Compared 4% of the time
Zero Networks vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation Logo
Zero Networks vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation
Compared 3% of the time
More Akamai Guardicore Segmentation Competitors
Fortra's Outflank vs Fortra's Cobalt Strike Logo
Fortra's Outflank vs Fortra's Cobalt Strike
Compared 21% of the time
Cymulate vs Fortra's Cobalt Strike Logo
Cymulate vs Fortra's Cobalt Strike
Compared 19% of the time
The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai vs Fortra's Cobalt Strike Logo
The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai vs Fortra's Cobalt Strike
Compared 19% of the time
Pentera vs Fortra's Cobalt Strike Logo
Pentera vs Fortra's Cobalt Strike
Compared 16% of the time
AttackIQ vs Fortra's Cobalt Strike Logo
AttackIQ vs Fortra's Cobalt Strike
Compared 13% of the time
More Fortra's Cobalt Strike Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation
March 2026
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation reportDownload Akamai Guardicore Segmentation product report
Buyer's Guide
Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS)
March 2026
Fortra's Cobalt Strike reportDownload Fortra's Cobalt Strike product report
 

Also Known As

Guardicore Centra, GuardiCore
No data available
 

Overview

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is a software-based microsegmentation solution that provides the simplest, fastest, and most intuitive way to enforce Zero Trust principles. It enables you to prevent malicious lateral movement in your network through precise segmentation policies, visuals of activity within your IT environment, and network security alerts. Akamai Guardicore Segmentation works across your data centers, multicloud environments, and endpoints. It is faster to deploy than infrastructure segmentation approaches and provides you with unparalleled visibility and control of your network.

Akamai

Cobalt Strike is red teaming software that emulates long-term attack techniques. Your red team can use real-world attack methods with covert security tools and after the red team exercise is complete, detailed reports help strengthen your blue team security.

Fortra
 

Sample Customers

Santander, Frontier Airlines, OpenLink, Intermountain Healthcare, Cellcom, BancoBASE
Information Not Available
Buyer's Guide
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs. Fortra's Cobalt Strike
March 2026
Free Report: Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs. Fortra's Cobalt Strike
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