CrowdStrike Falcon vs Symantec Endpoint Security comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Jul 23, 2023

We performed a comparison between CrowdStrike Falcon and Symantec Endpoint Security based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Features: CrowdStrike Falcon stands out for its machine-learning capabilities, optimal resource utilization, and precise threat detection. Users praised Symantec Endpoint Security for its regular virus signature updates and comprehensive administrator's console. CrowdStrike Falcon could benefit from adding a sandbox feature and more detailed firewall management options. Reviewers said Symantec Endpoint Security could improve its graphical interface, Linux support, and scanning capabilities.

  • Service and Support: CrowdStrike Falcon's customer service is considered prompt and helpful. Some users said Symantec customer service was helpful but slow, while others have expressed general dissatisfaction with support.

  • Ease of Deployment: CrowdStrike Falcon's setup is considered to be simple and efficient, with deployment times ranging from a few days to a month. While there may be some challenges during installation, they are generally manageable. Some users said Symantec Endpoint Security was easy to set up, while others struggled with the installation. Deployment time varies depending on the customer’s environment.

  • Pricing: Some users find CrowdStrike Falcon costly and think the price should be lowered to make it more competitive. The cost of Symantec Endpoint Security depends on the licensing terms and necessary security components. While some users find the price acceptable, others believe it could be more affordable.

  • ROI: CrowdStrike Falcon offers cost savings by decreasing the required number of engineers and eliminating the need for onsite servers. Symantec Endpoint Security demonstrates strong stability and incident prevention, leading to reduced downtime. It offers a favorable return on investment.

Conclusion: Users find the setup for CrowdStrike Falcon to be simple and direct, while the installation process for Symantec Endpoint Security has received mixed reviews. CrowdStrike Falcon is praised for its lightweight nature, efficient resource utilization, accurate threat detection, and strong defense against cyberattacks. However, Symantec Endpoint Security has room for improvement in terms of technical support, integration capabilities, and resource management. Moreover, CrowdStrike Falcon is considered reasonably priced, whereas Symantec Endpoint Security is seen as being within the market standard but not the most affordable option. 
To learn more, read our detailed CrowdStrike Falcon vs. Symantec Endpoint Security Report (Updated: November 2023).
746,723 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"I like FortiClient EMS. FortiEDR has a lot of great features like lockdown mode, remote wipes, and encryption. I can set malware outbreak policies and controls for detecting abnormalities. You can also simulate phishing attacks.""This is stable and scalable.""The solution was relatively easy to deploy.""Fortinet is very user-friendly for customers.""It is a scalable solution...The initial setup of Fortinet FortiEDR was straightforward.""Additionally, when it comes to EDR, there are more tools available to assist with client work.""The stability is very good.""The most valuable feature is the analysis, because of the beta structure."

More Fortinet FortiEDR Pros →

"The solution has improved my organization by automating the detection and reporting of unwanted applications so we're aware of them and can respond appropriately.""I value the overall behavior analysis of CrowdStrike. The engine of this product is what drew us to this solution.""The initial setup was straightforward.""The EDR and XDR features have been most valuable.""The detection is very effective.""CrowdStrike enables the infrastructure managers to visualize all the events and get information about the network.""The features we showcase to potential customers are prevention, malware protection, zero-day protection, and application scripting. Vulnerability assessment is another valuable feature.""The most valuable feature of CrowdStrike Falcon is its accuracy."

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"It is easy to use. Its interface is user-friendly. So, anybody can use it very well, which is a good thing.""The dashboard view and reporting are valuable. It is stable and easy to integrate, and it provides custom options.""The mobile application is valuable. You are able to see the reports of intrusions and the like on mobile devices. That is one of the coolest aspects.""The scheduled scans and the active protection were the most valuable because it allowed me to have the systems protected in real-time and also be able to schedule scans so that as new definitions would update, machines could be scanned to make sure that everything was in tip-top shape and there was nothing lurking in the background.""I like the endpoint detection and response. That's the best feature. I also like the fact that we don't need to use a file on the computer, whereas some anti-malware solutions work with a file on the endpoint. Symantec is a very good option compared to solutions from other vendors.""It is very easy to use and keeps us secure.""Symantec End-User Endpoint Security is easy to use.""I like the malware threat control policy and USB blocker. In Symantec Manager, we use multiple available features, so we created firewall policies to prevent any malware attack from the network or device controls."

More Symantec Endpoint Security Pros →

Cons
"I would like the solution to extend beyond endpoint protection and include other attack surfaces such as other network components.""The EDR console should have more extensive reporting. You shouldn't need to purchase FortiAnalyzer. It should be included in the EDR part. The security adviser cloud platform could be improved with more options for exclusive or intensive rules for devices.""The support needs improvement.""Cannot be used on mobile devices with a secure connection.""The solution's installation from a central installation server could be improved because the engineers had a little bit of trouble getting it installed from a central location.""The only minor concern is occasional interference with desired programs.""ZTNA can improve latency.""The solution is not stable."

More Fortinet FortiEDR Cons →

"This solution could be improved with greater scope for admins to make changes to the solution.""In a future release, I would like to see more integrations for data breaches and security features.""They offered a white glove service that was extremely costly. When we got into it, we saw it was relatively easy. If I was being nitpicky, I'd say that I don't like being sold something that's unnecessary. That's the only downside I've seen to the solution.""CrowdStrike should add support for ransomware protection.""On the firewall management side, there should be more granularity. There should also be more granularity for device control. Everything else is brilliant.""I would also like to see the endpoint firewall component produce some level of logging and feedback.""The technical support could improve because I am in India and the support I receive is from the UK or Australia. It is difficult to manage the time difference. The service could be faster. However, when we do have the support they are knowledgeable.""Tighter integration around XDR could be included."

More CrowdStrike Falcon Cons →

"Must push to EXE files to the endpoints.""In a few cases, when we enable the IPS/IDS feature, there are performance-related issues on the end devices. If we run quite a few features of Symantec, especially the IPS/IDF, it consumes a lot of processing and memory capacity.""The malware and ransomware protections could be improved, which was ultimately the reason why I stopped using the solution.""If a machine is infected by ransomware, it's hard to recover the data. We don't have any data on the client, so we're not overly concerned about that. Still, it would be nice to have this feature if there are any future problems.""There is no local support for Symantec products in Hong Kong.""One suggestion I have for both regular and mobile would be to collect all the information about installed software, such as versions, and give that information to the manager to help with software management. That would be a huge advantage for everyone who administers these tools.""Symantec's application security module needs some improvement. You need to create a lot of fingerprints for application security. For instance, let's say I have different brands of ATMs in my environment, like Wincor and NCR. I use GRG to deploy an application control to whitelist some applications. I have to get the exact image of the different models of ATMs. When I tested in the past, some machines would not connect to the server without that.""We had trouble with the advanced features, such as the firewall builder and all the network protection modules. We were having a lot of issues because it would sometimes block users or the printing, or it would create issues with the network access resources."

More Symantec Endpoint Security Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "The price is comprable to other endpoint security solutions."
  • "The pricing is typical for enterprises and fairly priced."
  • "I'm not familiar with pricing, but it looks a bit costly compared to other vendors I think."
  • "The pricing is good."
  • "I would rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."
  • "The hardware costs about €100,000 and about €20,000 annually for access."
  • "Fortinet FortiEDR has a yearly subscription."
  • "It's not cheap, but it's not expensive either."
  • More Fortinet FortiEDR Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The cost of CrowdStrike Falcon could be reduced. It is quite expensive if you compare it to other solutions, such as Blue Coat, Symantec, McAfee, or Kaspersky."
  • "There is an annual license required to use this solution."
  • "We are on an annual subscription for the solution. There are not any additional costs."
  • "Annual licensing."
  • "The price of CrowdStrike Falcon is reasonable."
  • "The licensing model is straightforward. We choose the features we want and we then can download the package we want."
  • "There is no license required to use this solution."
  • "This solution offers annual subscriptions. The pricing for this solution could be reduced."
  • More CrowdStrike Falcon Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "It could be cheaper."
  • "This is not the cheapest product and I know others that are most cost-effective, although it is difficult to compare because it depends on the features."
  • "I am not sure of the initial cost, but the yearly renewals are quite affordable, which is a good thing. The price seems to have come down in recent years, and with the alternatives that are out there, such as Microsoft Defender, it needs to maintain that affordability to make it attractive."
  • "Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
  • "The pricing is as per the environment. If all the features are there, there will be a cost for them. There were no additional costs for me. Support and other things were included in the pricing."
  • "The pricing was one of the factors that led us to choose this product."
  • "I thought the pricing was reasonable."
  • "The pricing is pretty much at the market standard... Symantec is not that cheap and it's not that expensive compared to CrowdStrike. I would put them in the 'middle block.'"
  • More Symantec Endpoint Security Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:I suggest Fortinet’s FortiEDR over FortiClient for several reasons. For starters, FortiEDR guarantees solid protection… more »
    Top Answer:Additionally, when it comes to EDR, there are more tools available to assist with client work.
    Top Answer:It is expensive and I would rate it an eight out of ten.
    Top Answer:Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. CrowdStrike Falcon Both Cortex XDR and Crowd Strike Falcon offer cloud-based solutions that… more »
    Top Answer:Both of these products perform similarly and have many outstanding attributes CrowdStrike Falcon offers an amazing… more »
    Top Answer:The CrowdStrike solution delivers a lot of information about incidents. It has a very light sensor that will never push… more »
    Top Answer:Aqua Security is easy to use and very manageable. Its main focus is on Kubernetes and Docker. Security is a very… more »
    Top Answer:We use Symantec because we do not use MS Enterprise products, but in my opinion, Microsoft Defender is a superior… more »
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    enSilo, FortiEDR
    CrowdStrike Falcon, CrowdStrike Falcon XDR
    Symantec EPP, Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP)
    Learn More
    Overview

    Fortinet FortiEDR is a real-time endpoint protection, detection, and automated response solution. Its primary purpose is to detect advanced threats to stop breaches and ransomware damage. It is designed to do so in real time, even on an already compromised device, allowing you to respond and remediate incidents automatically so your data can remain protected.

    Fortinet FortiEDR Features

    Fortinet FortiEDR has many valuable key features, including:

    • Easily customizable
    • Real-time proactive risk mitigation & IoT security
    • Pre-infection protection
    • Post-infection protection
    • Track applications and ratings
    • Reduce the attack surface with risk-based proactive policies
    • Achieve analysis of entire log history
    • Optional managed detection and response (MDR) service

    Fortinet FortiEDR Benefits

    Some of the key benefits of using Fortinet FortiEDR include:

    • Protection: Fortinet FortiEDR provides proactive, real-time, automated endpoint protection with the orchestrated incident response across platforms. It stops the breach with real-time postinfection blocking to protect data from exfiltration and ransomware encryption.

    • Single unified console: Fortinet FortiEDR has a single unified console with an intuitive interface, which makes management easier. The solution automates mundane endpoint security tasks so your employees don’t need to do it.

    • Cost savings: With Fortinet FortiEDR you can eliminate post-breach operational expenses and breach damage costs.

    • Flexibility: Fortinet FortiEDR can be deployed on premises or on a secure cloud instance. With Fortinet FortiEDR, endpoints are protected both on- and off-line.

    • Scalability: Because Fortinet can be deployed quickly and has a small footprint, it is easy to scale up to protect hundreds of thousand endpoints.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by Fortinet FortiEDR users.

    An Owner at a security firm says, "The features that I have found most valuable are the ability to customize it and to reduce its size. It lets you run in a very small window in terms of memory and resources on legacy cash registers. The customer has literally about 800 cash registers. That was the use case for Fortinet FortiEDR - to get that down into a tiny space. The only way to do that was to use this product because it had that ability to unbundle services that were a surplus.”

    Chandan M., Chief Technical Officer at Provision Technologies LLP, mentions, “The ease of deployment and configuration is valuable. It's very easy compared to other vendors like Sophos. Sophos' configuration is complex. Fortinet is a lot easier to understand. You don't need a lot of admin knowledge to do the configuration.” He also adds, “The security is also very good and the firewall response is good.”

    Harpreet S., Information Technology Support Specialist at Chemtrade Logistics, explains, "It notifies us if there's any suspicious file on any PC. If any execution or similar kind of thing is happening, it just alerts us. It doesn't only alert. It also blocks the execution until we allow it. We check whether the execution is legitimate or not, and then approve it or keep it blocked. This gives us a little bit of control over this mechanism. Fortinet FortiEDR is also very straightforward and easy to maintain."

    DeAndre V., Senior Network Administrator at a financial services firm, states, “The dashboard is easy to follow and use. The deployment and uninstalling were easy. I like the detailed information about the path of a file that might be suspicious. Being able to check that out was easy to follow. Exceptions are easy to create and the interface is easy to follow with a nice appearance.

    CrowdStrike Falcon is a comprehensive endpoint protection platform, primarily designed to meet the evolving cybersecurity needs of modern enterprises. It employs machine learning, behavioral analytics, and integrated threat intelligence to combat a wide range of cyber threats. CrowdStrike Falcon stands out for its cloud-native architecture, ensuring real-time protection and threat intelligence, essential for safeguarding dynamic environments. Its lightweight agent architecture minimizes system performance impact while offering extensive network visibility.

    CrowdStrike Falcon offers robust, user-friendly cybersecurity measures that are crucial for protecting digital assets and minimizing the risk of data breaches and cyberattacks. Its proactive threat detection and mitigation help maintain business continuity and protect brand reputation. Additionally, its scalability and ease of use contribute to cost-effectiveness by reducing the need for extensive IT resources and training. The platform's seamless integration with existing IT infrastructures makes it a versatile choice for diverse IT environments.

    During our conversations with CrowdStrike's users, they highly regard CrowdStrike Falcon for its efficiency in detecting and responding to threats, ease of use, and minimal system impact. It's praised for its comprehensive coverage, extending beyond traditional antivirus solutions, with strong customer support and continuous improvements.

    General Feedback and Recommendations:

    • Strengths: Its lightweight agent, stability, scalability, positive technical support experience, and improvements over competitors are notable strengths.
    • Weaknesses: The extraction process did not effectively capture the weaknesses, indicating a need for more precise data analysis.
    • Implementation and Usage: Insights include scalability and stability, particularly in cloud solutions, and ease of implementation without external assistance.

    Key Features and Advantages:

    1. Advanced Threat Detection and Response - utilizes sophisticated algorithms and machine learning to identify and neutralize preemptively, crucial for mitigating risks from advanced persistent threats (APTs) and zero-day exploits.
    2. Comprehensive Visibility and Insight - provides deep endpoint activity visibility, enabling IT teams to detect anomalies and respond to incidents effectively.
    3. Cloud-Native Architecture - offers scalability and flexibility, adapting to changing business needs, beneficial for organizations scaling operations or transitioning to cloud infrastructures.
    4. Integrated Threat Intelligence - backed by CrowdStrike's threat intelligence database, the platform stays ahead of attackers with continuously updated information on emerging threats.
    5. Ease of Deployment and Management - Its lightweight agent and cloud-based management console simplify deployment and management, which is practical for businesses of all sizes.
    6. Compliance and Risk Management - aids in meeting compliance requirements with thorough reporting and audit trails, essential for regulatory scrutiny.
    7. User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) - Analyzing user behavior patterns enhances detection capabilities against insider threats and compromised accounts.

    CrowdStrike Falcon offers various pricing plans based on endpoints and required features. The plans cater to different organizational sizes and needs, from basic endpoint protection to comprehensive protection with advanced capabilities. Additional features like DLP, UBA, Endpoint Sandboxing, and MDR are available, with pricing upon request.

    CrowdStrike Falcon emerges as a sophisticated solution for enterprise cybersecurity, offering advanced threat detection, scalability, and user-friendly design. It's well-suited for both IT professionals and business executives, protecting against current cyber threats and adaptable to future challenges in the cybersecurity landscape. For a more detailed understanding, especially concerning its use cases and weaknesses, a manual review of user feedback might be necessary.

    Symantec Endpoint Security is a robust and reliable product that provides complete protection against viruses, malware, Trojans, and malicious files. It offers application and device control, ease of use in deploying and updating, a central control console, stability, scalability, auto-discovery capabilities, patch management, endpoint detection and response capabilities, intrusion detection module. 

    The Symantec Global Intelligence Network (GIN) provides threat intelligence and detection across endpoints, email, and web traffic. It has helped organizations reduce downtime, increase productivity, and improve security posture. Symantec Endpoint Security is easy to use, has a flexible administration, and offers more value than expected.

    Offer
    Learn more about Fortinet FortiEDR
    Get Fast and Easy Protection Against All Threats

    Protect your organization from all threats - not just malware - even when computers and servers aren’t connected to the internet. Start your free trial and deploy CrowdStrike Falcon within minutes to start receiving full threat protection.

    Learn more about Symantec Endpoint Security
    Sample Customers
    Financial, Healthcare, Legal, Technology, Enterprise, Manufacturing ... 
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    Audio Visual Dynamics, Red Deer Advocate, Asia Pacific Telecom Co. Ltd., Kibbutz Ein Gedi, and AMETEK, Inc.
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm22%
    Comms Service Provider11%
    Educational Organization6%
    Media Company6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company16%
    Government8%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company20%
    Financial Services Firm18%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    Insurance Company6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company14%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Government7%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm18%
    Computer Software Company10%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    University7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Financial Services Firm12%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Government8%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business39%
    Midsize Enterprise21%
    Large Enterprise39%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business31%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise50%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business33%
    Midsize Enterprise23%
    Large Enterprise43%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise57%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business42%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise38%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business24%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise61%
    Buyer's Guide
    CrowdStrike Falcon vs. Symantec Endpoint Security
    November 2023
    Find out what your peers are saying about CrowdStrike Falcon vs. Symantec Endpoint Security and other solutions. Updated: November 2023.
    746,723 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    CrowdStrike Falcon is ranked 3rd in EPP (Endpoint Protection for Business) with 49 reviews while Symantec Endpoint Security is ranked 6th in EPP (Endpoint Protection for Business) with 32 reviews. CrowdStrike Falcon is rated 8.6, while Symantec Endpoint Security is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of CrowdStrike Falcon writes "Robust threat hunting and great ability to do on-keyboard remote response and quarantining of devices". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Symantec Endpoint Security writes "The solution has given us visibility into compliance within our whole system and helped us ensure everything is updated". CrowdStrike Falcon is most compared with Microsoft Defender XDR, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Darktrace, Trend Micro Deep Security and Intercept X Endpoint, whereas Symantec Endpoint Security is most compared with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks, Trend Micro Deep Security and Symantec Endpoint Security Enterprise. See our CrowdStrike Falcon vs. Symantec Endpoint Security report.

    See our list of best EPP (Endpoint Protection for Business) vendors.

    We monitor all EPP (Endpoint Protection for Business) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.