Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs Symantec Data Center Security comparison

Akamai and Broadcom are both solutions in the Cloud and Data Center Security category. Akamai is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.7, while Broadcom is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.0. Akamai holds a 12.2% mindshare in CDCS, compared to Broadcom’s 3.3% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Akamai users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

Read 26 Akamai Guardicore Segmentation reviews

9,041 Views
5,515 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Symantec Data Center Security

Read 12 Symantec Data Center Security reviews

1,870 Views
1,178 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

Symantec Data Center Security

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation and Symantec Data Center Security compete in the field of data center security, both offering distinct advantages. Akamai Guardicore appears to have the upper hand due to its advanced micro-segmentation, ease of deployment across various environments, and customer service adaptability.

Features: Akamai Guardicore Segmentation provides advanced micro-segmentation, broad visibility across data centers, and flexible policy management. It ensures quick compliance with auditing requirements and offers proactive threat detection. Symantec Data Center Security offers granular control with robust hardening of systems, providing unified security policy enforcement. It emphasizes precise access controls and comprehensive visibility across systems.

Room for Improvement: Akamai Guardicore faces challenges including high licensing costs, limited integration with major appliances, and a need for more flexible dashboards. Improvements in long-term policy management automation are also needed. Symantec requires simplification of its policy structures, increased flexibility and integration options, and better support for newer operating systems.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is versatile, supporting public, private, and hybrid cloud environments. Its technical support is known for quick adaptation and responsiveness. Symantec Data Center Security supports on-premises and private cloud setups, with robust technical support but could benefit from quicker response times and greater expertise.

Pricing and ROI: Guardicore offers flexible licensing scenarios, perceived as competitive despite high costs, demonstrating ROI through enhanced security and reduced resource needs. Symantec is acknowledged for higher costs but offers reasonable ROI according to some users. Guardicore shows potential for higher returns due to its adaptability in protecting diverse applications and systems.

To learn more, read our detailed Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs. Symantec Data Center Security Report (Updated: August 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs. Symantec Data Center Security

August 2026

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Helped 909,099 peers since 2012

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 Cloud and Data Center Security

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) (12th), Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) (6th), Microsegmentation Software (3rd)

Symantec Data Center Security

Ranking in Cloud and Data Center Security

12th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

4.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Cloud and Data Center Security category, the mindshare of Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is 12.2%, down from 23.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Data Center Security is 3.3%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud and Data Center Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation	12.2%
Symantec Data Center Security	3.3%
Other	84.5%

Cloud and Data Center Security

Featured Reviews

Vibin Thomas

Technical Team Lead - Content Security at Valuepoint Systems

Zero-trust micro-segmentation has strengthened security and improves east-west traffic visibility

While Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is a very powerful solution, there are a few areas where it could be improved. One of the main challenges is the initial deployment and policy design complexity. In large environments, understanding all application dependencies and creating the right policies can take time and requires close coordination with application teams. The user interface and policy management can also be improved. As the number of policies grows, managing and organizing them becomes slightly complex. A more simplified or intuitive policy structure would help operational teams. Another area is integration with other security tools such as SIEM or SOAR platforms. While integration is possible, making it more seamless and easier to configure would add value. Additionally, the reporting and dashboard could be enhanced to provide more customizable and business-level insights, especially for management and reporting. One small improvement I would suggest for Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is having more automation capabilities for policy creation and recommendation. For example, AI-driven suggestions based on observed traffic patterns would help reduce manual effort during the initial policy design. It would also help to have more predefined templates for common use cases, especially for industries such as banking, to speed up deployment. Another area is enhanced reporting customization where we can easily generate business-level dashboards for management and compliance teams without any additional effort.

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Muhammad Ejaz ul Hassan

CEO at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Continuous server hardening has protected critical legacy workloads and simplified security control

Symantec is lagging on the reporting side. I have been working for 10 years and I have identified many gray areas. As a user protecting your infrastructure, you need to sell the value to your management. Management buys the tool for preventing threats, and it works for them. However, you cannot sell it because every solution needs to show what happened in the last few years or how you will be protected in the future. Reporting is the most important thing for the CIO level, not the admin level. I have seen Symantec really lag in this area. I am creating my own tool to build a dashboard to share with the CIO level because they want to know what happened last week, last month, and last year. These reports will tell you about activities. Symantec changed the licensing when Broadcom acquired the company. The question of who will provide support became unclear. Support has now changed and they are making money. I have seen that most of the time when you ask implementation questions, they do not answer you. If you have a problem, they give you a low-level engineer at the first level. This delays resolution. Support has to be better.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The real bonus is the fact that we can secure applications, all the way down to the individual services, on each host. It's actually more granular security than we can get out of a traditional firewall."

"Akamai Guardicore Segmentation offers us large visibility in all our environments and helps us to understand network segmentation and traffic."

"Its deception features are great, providing a rich telemetry of lured origins, and are a great resource for any active defense strategy."

"This tool greatly helps in understanding the footprint of the attacks."

"The tool is a complete package that offers many features like visibility. You can get a graph with real-time workflows and visibility into server-to-server communication. We get visibility into many things happening within our environment."

"No one has asked for more, so I find the technical support in my region is pretty good."

"The interface and dashboard are amazing."

"Initially, I liked the telemetry part. But later, we used the microsegmentation features that we were able to deploy and found that they really stood out from other vendors. It allows us to see microsegmentation as distributed services."

More Akamai Guardicore Segmentation pros

"The ability to finely control permissions and restrictions on servers or assets through a customizable rule set is a key strength."

"Overall, this is a pretty good product."

"The granularity of applying the policies is valuable."

"We have not reduced manpower, the number of servers has gone up, but the number of incidents has tricked down to single digits."

"The advantage of Data Center Security is its ease of use and that it serves as a single unified platform, where I can apply all my security policies to protect that server."

"We use the product to prevent unauthorized access to data, systems, and servers. It provides essential features for data center security."

"The console and tools are very user-friendly."

"The most valuable feature is the centralized console, which can handle different products that we have."

More Symantec Data Center Security pros

Cons

"Supports become difficult when it's for a big organization. For a small organization, medium organization, it still makes sense, however, for a big organization, it makes life difficult."

"Kubernetes is not installed in the way we need it."

"The cost of licensing is the biggest issue for clients with GuardiCore."

"The long-term management of the security policies could be improved with some kind of automation platform, something like Chef or Puppet or Ansible, to help you manage the policies after day-one... to then manage the policies and changes to those policies, going forward, through some type of automation process is not turning out to be really easy."

"Customers would want to see the cost improved."

"I think the pricing is very high."

"The maps could go a bit faster. They are useful but slightly slow."

"They can maybe improve their customer service just because they are kind of a small organization, and customer service isn't as big as others such as VMware."

More Akamai Guardicore Segmentation cons

"Could have better reporting capabilities and better support."

"A user or administrator making the policy in the DCS should have a very thorough knowledge of the operating system or policy making. You have to be very specific about the data structure."

"This solution clashes with Microsoft defender, which results in performance degradation on the machine."

"There is plenty of room for improvement with this product, and it could start with platform metrics."

"Adding more compatibility with common products like Microsoft would be a plus."

"Since the acquisition of Symantec, our customers have not been satisfied with this solution."

"There is room for improvement in enhancing its graphical user interface for a more user-friendly experience."

"Agent management is a challenging task."

More Symantec Data Center Security cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The customer would complain about the cost."

"The pricing is too high."

"This is not a cheap solution but you have to consider the bigger picture, which is what it is giving you."

"Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is expensive."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"The solution is reasonably priced and I would rate it a six out of ten. The tool's licensing costs are yearly."

More Akamai Guardicore Segmentation pricing and cost advice

"Compared to some other solutions, such as CrowdStrike, Symantec is more expensive."

"The product is a bit costly."

"It is notably more expensive when compared to other solutions."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

18%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Insurance Company

Construction Company

18%

Outsourcing Company

Government

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	15

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	5

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Guardicore Centra?

Regarding pricing and setup cost, I don't have information because I am from a consulting team and not from the sales team. The licensing is related to the number of assets that the customer has in...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Guardicore Infection Monkey?

Reporting is one area where I think Akamai Guardicore Segmentation can be improved. They are working on it, but as of now, that is the aspect that needs enhancement. Nothing specific comes to mind ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Guardicore Infection Monkey?

My main use case for Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is related to Kubernetes instrumentation and visibility, although it is difficult to specify a main use case. When I work with Kubernetes, it is ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Symantec Data Center Security?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Symantec Data Center Security?

As a partner support, we handle all Symantec products for various clients. Currently, we work with DLP, Symantec Endpoint Protection, Data Loss Prevention, Data Center Security, Email Security, and...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Symantec Data Center Security?

I am still a Symantec partner. Price rating is five out of ten. Symantec Data Center Security is a perfect solution, but it needs to elaborate its functionalities and functions to the market. Peopl...

See all answers

Comparisons

Illumio Segmentation vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

Compared 24% of the time

Cisco Secure Workload vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

Compared 10% of the time

VMware NSX vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

Compared 8% of the time

Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

Compared 6% of the time

TrendAI Deep Security vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

Compared 5% of the time

More Akamai Guardicore Segmentation Competitors

TrendAI Deep Security vs Symantec Data Center Security

Compared 19% of the time

Symantec Endpoint Security vs Symantec Data Center Security

Compared 15% of the time

VMware NSX vs Symantec Data Center Security

Compared 14% of the time

Sysdig Secure vs Symantec Data Center Security

Compared 11% of the time

Cloud Security Cockpit vs Symantec Data Center Security

Compared 4% of the time

More Symantec Data Center Security Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

August 2026

Download Akamai Guardicore Segmentation product report

Buyer's Guide

Symantec Data Center Security

July 2026

Download Symantec Data Center Security product report

Also Known As

Guardicore Centra, GuardiCore

No data available

Overview

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation offers extensive visibility and micro-segmentation capabilities, integrating seamlessly with diverse environments to enhance security measures. Organizations benefit from its platform agnosticism and centralized firewall management, maximizing protection and operational efficiency.

Known for its detailed network visibility, Akamai Guardicore Segmentation streamlines security operations across different platforms. It facilitates ease of policy creation and allows for effective segmentation, even of legacy systems. With advanced threat intelligence and real-time traffic monitoring, organizations optimize security and compliance, reducing attack surfaces through precise process and port control. This capability extends to seamless operation in environments like Kubernetes and data centers, implementing Zero Trust security models and server-to-server segmentation.

What are the key features?

Extensive visibility: Offers comprehensive insight across network environments.
Platform agnosticism: Operates effectively on multiple platforms.
Micro-segmentation: Enables detailed control over network traffic.
Centralized management: Simplifies firewall administration and monitoring.
Threat intelligence: Incorporates AI for dynamic threat assessment.

What benefits or ROI should organizations seek?

Enhanced security: Reduces attack surfaces and prevents lateral movements.
Operational efficiency: Streamlines policy creation and enforcement.
Integration flexibility: Aligns with diverse systems for seamless deployment.
Compliance achievement: Supports adherence to industry standards.

In sectors like banking and financial services, Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is crucial for implementing Zero Trust models and enhancing server-to-server segmentation. These industries utilize its capabilities to replace traditional firewalls and manage complex environments, boosting security through application dependency mapping and optimized east-west traffic control.

Akamai

Symantec Data Center Security provides comprehensive server protection with features like hard disk protection, file integrity monitoring, and centralized management, making it suitable for securing legacy systems and preventing unauthorized access.

Focusing on server integrity and data protection, Symantec Data Center Security delivers robust intrusion prevention, system lockdown, and specific control over server access. With a customizable rule set, it enhances server hardening by fine-tuning access controls without relying on IPS signature detection. While offering significant advantages for managing legacy infrastructure, it also requires improvements in platform metrics, compatibility, speed, and integration with third-party products. Users face challenges with false positives, policy complexity, and compatibility issues, particularly regarding Microsoft and virtualization improvements.

What Key Features Does Symantec Data Center Security Offer?

Built-in Hard Disk Protection: Safeguards data through advanced protection measures.
Centralized Console: Manages diverse product lines from a single interface.
File Integrity Monitoring: Ensures data integrity by tracking changes to files.
Efficient Endpoint Protection: Provides strong defense against endpoint threats.
Robust Intrusion Prevention: Prevents unauthorized access with advanced threat detection.

What Benefits Should Users Consider?

Enhanced Security: Offers comprehensive protection for critical data.
Customizable Rule Set: Provides flexibility to adjust security policies to specific needs.
Centralized Management: Simplifies operations and improves efficiency.
Improved Server Management: Enhances control over server access and permissions.
Comprehensive Integration: Complements other security components like antivirus and anti-malware.

In industries like finance, healthcare, and technology, Symantec Data Center Security is implemented to protect server integrity particularly in environments using Docker containers and legacy systems. It supports remote operations, enforces stringent access policies, and locks down systems while offering valuable audit capabilities for code changes, especially on Linux.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

Santander, Frontier Airlines, OpenLink, Intermountain Healthcare, Cellcom, BancoBASE

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs. Symantec Data Center Security

August 2026

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