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BigID Next vs Sentra comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 22, 2026

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

BigID Next
Ranking in Data Security Posture Management (DSPM)
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (9th), Data Governance (5th), Data Privacy Management Software (1st), AI Data Analysis (2nd)
Sentra
Ranking in Data Security Posture Management (DSPM)
13th
Average Rating
10.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
Data Detection & Response (DDR) (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) category, the mindshare of BigID Next is 5.7%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sentra is 1.7%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
BigID Next5.7%
Sentra1.7%
Other92.6%
Data Security Posture Management (DSPM)
 

Featured Reviews

Aniruddha Nath - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Security Consultant at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Data discovery has transformed compliance workflows and automation now speeds up requests and remediation
The best feature that BigID offers is data discovery and classification, which is the most powerful engine. It allows connecting to many different data sources, ranging from cloud to on-premises to structured to unstructured data. If there is no connector available, you can build your own classifiers as well. Regarding the custom classifier option, you can build custom classifiers using regular expressions, and I have done that if you know how to create regular expressions. Custom connectors are something you create to connect to a database where the connector is not available. BigID has positively impacted my organization as it's a very powerful tool, especially with the increasing regulatory compliances for different countries such as GDPR, CCPA, and India's recent DPDPA act. Having these tools in place greatly helps organizations avoid any penal charges for not being compliant with the regulatory compliances. For example, regarding compliance or reduced risks for my clients, the DSAR process I was talking about allows organizations to respond quickly to user data deletion requests under GDPR law, which traditionally has a 30-day or 60-day timeline. In larger organizations, when the number of requests is high, it becomes tedious. However, using DSAR automation with BigID, it's almost instantaneous; instead of 30 days, you can respond in just one day to what users have requested.
reviewer2795433 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Ops Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Cloud audits have become smoother and data risks are reduced through automated discovery
I cannot think of any improvements, really. Sentra does what it's meant to do, finding shadow data. If the data classification feature was improved ever so slightly, maybe a little bit quicker to use, that would be good, but that's the type of thing where it's never going to be perfect anyway, so there are no real improvements that I can see with Sentra, no big ones anyway. The only area where I see potential for improvement is making it quicker to use the data classification section. Other than that, I haven't seen any areas where I'd want it to be improved.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"BigID is more advanced than Microsoft Purview when it comes to machine learning and AI development tools."
"The most valuable feature of BigID is its large number of classifiers, which allow us to scan for specific data such as SSN numbers."
"The most valuable feature of BigID is its large number of classifiers, which allow us to scan for specific data such as SSN numbers."
"I like BigID's in-depth discovery and scanning capabilities, especially for unstructured data. This feature is a standout compared to competitors. The tool's data classification capabilities are impressive. It offers custom classifiers and a blend of regular exploration and artificial intelligence, making it a next-generation solution. This enhances data security, and its security posture management is straightforward and user-friendly."
"The best feature that BigID offers is data discovery and classification, which is the most powerful engine, allowing connection to many different data sources ranging from cloud to on-premises and from structured to unstructured data, with the ability to build your own classifiers if no connector is available."
"One of the most valuable things in a data-focused world is a tool, a technology that's data-centric, not trying to master data management or whatever else. It's a source of truth for what data an organization holds, giving it the ability to catalog, categorize, and understand its data."
"Although I was serving the client rather than my own organization, BigID has made scans faster and more efficient, and the DSR results are much more accurate."
"It provides a unified view across different databases and supports a wide range of data source types, including cloud and on-premises systems."
"Sentra has increased the security of our cloud estate."
 

Cons

"Some users find catalog navigation challenging due to the lack of a search-by-column feature, which makes it difficult to locate specific data quickly."
"BigID's user interface was problematic as it was not very user-friendly, though I believe it improved over time."
"BigID is making some forays into the GRC space, and that's a natural progression. I'd like to see that improve so that data governance is better, data risk is identified, and the ability to control and mitigate it."
"I want them to focus on data mapping, assessment, automation workflow, and privacy incident management."
"BigID is expensive. I prefer McAfee."
"One improvement I would suggest is addressing the intermittent failures of BigID scans, as there are times when some errors occur."
"There are some shortcomings when it comes to Calvirus authentication, which is not yet supported by BigID."
"The tool currently lacks security features."
"If the data classification feature was improved ever so slightly, maybe a little bit quicker to use, that would be good, but that's the type of thing where it's never going to be perfect anyway, so there are no real improvements that I can see with Sentra, no big ones anyway."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is not licensed per user but rather based on capacity. For instance, organizations with large amounts of data, such as 50 GB or more, are the ones that typically qualify for BigID."
"The solution is expensive."
"The product is expensive, but so are all competitor tools"
"I think that BigID's pricing is very reasonable."
"The pricing depends. If you have thousands of data sources to connect and manage, and you struggled with an MDM package in the past, you'll find BigID valuable and even cheap. But if you're a small business, it's probably not the right tool for you."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
20%
Insurance Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Large Enterprise11
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about BigID?
I like BigID's in-depth discovery and scanning capabilities, especially for unstructured data. This feature is a standout compared to competitors. The tool's data classification capabilities are i...
What needs improvement with BigID?
One improvement I would suggest is addressing the intermittent failures of BigID scans, as there are times when some errors occur. I think the BigID team is aware of this and works on resolving iss...
What is your primary use case for BigID?
BigID's main use case is connecting to various data sources to perform the data discovery process, classify the data within those systems, and identify sensitive information across various structur...
What needs improvement with Sentra?
I cannot think of any improvements, really. Sentra does what it's meant to do, finding shadow data. If the data classification feature was improved ever so slightly, maybe a little bit quicker to u...
What is your primary use case for Sentra?
My main use case for Sentra is agentless data discovery. Sentra offers the ability to identify across the entire cloud estate data which is in the wrong environments, sensitive data which is unencr...
What advice do you have for others considering Sentra?
I would say that audits could be anywhere from 10 to 20% smoother from using a tool such as this, because if data is classified properly and you're able to prove that very clearly, and also data is...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Home Depot, Grant Thornton LLP, Cimpress, Fidelity Investments
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