IBM Watson for Cyber Security vs Sentinel comparison

IBM and OpenText are both solutions in the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) category. IBM is ranked #57, while OpenText is ranked #21 with an average rating of 7.3. IBM holds a 0.4% mindshare in SIEM, compared to OpenText’s 3.8% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 82% of OpenText users who would recommend it.

IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Read 4 IBM Watson for Cyber Security reviews

500 Views
465 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Sentinel

Read 17 Sentinel reviews

3,118 Views
3,056 Comparison Views

82% willing to recommend

IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Sentinel

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 18, 2024

Sentinel and IBM Watson for Cyber Security compete in the cybersecurity market. Sentinel excels in support and pricing, while IBM Watson stands out for its advanced features.

Features: Sentinel offers robust threat detection, easy integration, and significant ease of use. IBM Watson is known for its advanced AI capabilities, comprehensive threat intelligence, and superior data analysis and predictive capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Sentinel can enhance its reporting and analytics features. IBM Watson needs a more intuitive configuration process, improved documentation, and refinement in usability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Sentinel is known for straightforward setup and responsive customer service. IBM Watson has a more complex deployment process but benefits from strong customer support.

Pricing and ROI: Sentinel is noted for cost-effectiveness and swift ROI. IBM Watson, although more expensive, justifies its price with comprehensive features and long-term benefits.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Watson for Cyber Security vs. Sentinel Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Watson for Cyber Security vs. Sentinel

September 2025

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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

IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Ranking in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

57th

Average Rating

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Sentinel

Ranking in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

21st

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) category, the mindshare of IBM Watson for Cyber Security is 0.4%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sentinel is 3.8%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Sentinel	3.8%
IBM Watson for Cyber Security	0.4%
Other	95.8%

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

Featured Reviews

Elena Stefanovska

Sales Account Manager at InTec System

Knowledgeable support, reliable, and useful compliance policies

IBM Watson for Cyber Security can be deployed on-premise or in the cloud and it is used as a SIEM solution The most valuable features of IBM Watson for Cyber Security are ease of use and out-of-the-box reports and compliance policies. Additionally, if there are aspects that are missing IBM add…

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Simon Johnston

Manager, Customer Success at Coltek Business Soltuions

Simple antivirus solution integrates well but could improve pricing and currency options

I don't really have experience working with these solutions. I promote them for our clients, but I don't work with them. I can't share my experience with these tools as I make assumptions about that. For both Adlumin and CrowdStrike, both confirm that they're scalable and enterprise-ready and all those kinds of things. We haven't had any specific problem with either of those. We just have a preference for which one we would prefer. If somebody says they want to use a different one from the one that we prefer, then we have to find reasons why they aren't. But scalability is not one of the reasons that one is better over the other. I don't really have advice for people that are looking into using Sentinel; just do your research across what is available. On a scale of one to ten, I rate Sentinel a seven.

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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 most valuable features of IBM Watson for Cyber Security are ease of use and out-of-the-box reports and compliance policies. Additionally, if there are aspects that are missing IBM add them in the next release."

"The most valuable feature of this product is innovation, where the research and upgrading of technology never ends."

"IBM Watson for Cyber Security is very stable."

"The customer support is very good."

"The stability is phenomenal and we never had any issues with downtime or even had to restart."

"Sentinel gave us logs to tell us what's going right and wrong in your environment so we could secure the network."

"One of the most valuable features is the business intelligence engine. It's very important because it keeps track of everything that's happening and alerts us if something is different than expected. The first time I used it, I was shocked at how well it performed. Another valuable feature that I think makes this product worth the price you pay for it is that it connects to basically every system that provides some form of logging, and it's very easy to set up what triggers this."

"The solution lets us get all the logs properly and regularly monitor customer infrastructure."

"We can do advanced hunting queries and modify SQL queries to get desired results based on the rules triggering over the console."

"The tool is simple to use."

"In my opinion, Sentinel's best features include that it's a very easy product to use, it's very simple, and the after-sale service is very good."

"The native integration with out-of-the box format is hassle free and allows data to be used advantageously."

More Sentinel pros

Cons

"This is an expensive product, so making it more cost-effective would be an improvement."

"In the future, I would like to see threat intelligence included."

"They need to continue to build the AI capabilities."

"The dashboard could improve in IBM Watson for Cyber Security."

"Creating a drag-and-drop dashboard or workbook in Sentinel is a little more complex compared to other tools like LogRhythm and IBM QRadar."

"This product's connection to certain types of cloud systems could be improved. We can do Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, but there are a lot of other things happening in the cloud that we do not connect well enough to. This product could be improved with better connection to cloud-based solutions."

"The solution does not allow outsourced authorizations."

"You need a lot of Unix scripting knowledge in order to manage the tool, which is one of the main issues that we faced."

"Price is always a consideration, so the price would be nice if it were lower."

"There are still a few vendor-specific devices for which Sentinel needs to work on integration, such as Netskope devices."

"There is no integration in the web-side of the tool."

"The dashboard and customer view should be improved"

More Sentinel cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of this solution should be lower, although I understand why IBM charges a premium price."

"IBM Watson for Cyber Security is very simple to license and is priced well."

"Sentinel's slightly on the expensive side."

"We inquired about getting support from the vendor, Micro Focus, but the cost was very high."

"Sentinel is moderately priced."

"Sentinel is a subscription-based solution."

"We receive a pricing discount because of our ongoing partnership with Micro Focus."

"The solution’s pricing is aligned with its competitors."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about NetIQ Sentinel?

The solution lets us get all the logs properly and regularly monitor customer infrastructure.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetIQ Sentinel?

I don't have too many comments overall about pricing as we're in South Africa, so it makes more sense if it's billed in rand. They nearly always bill it in dollars, so if it can be billed in our cu...

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What needs improvement with NetIQ Sentinel?

I'm not sure what the room for improvement is for Sentinel. It needs to stay current, and it does, so I suppose that's fine. I don't have a high demand for what it should do. Price is always a cons...

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Comparisons

IBM Security QRadar vs IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Compared 51% of the time

Logsign Next-Gen SIEM vs IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Compared 30% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Compared 19% of the time

More IBM Watson for Cyber Security Competitors

IBM Security QRadar vs Sentinel

Compared 15% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs Sentinel

Compared 15% of the time

Wazuh vs Sentinel

Compared 14% of the time

Google Chronicle Suite vs Sentinel

Compared 11% of the time

Cortex XSIAM vs Sentinel

Compared 7% of the time

More Sentinel Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

August 2025

Download IBM Watson for Cyber Security product report

Buyer's Guide

Sentinel

August 2025

Download Sentinel product report

Also Known As

No data available

NetIQ Sentinel, Novell SIEM

Overview

Watson for cyber security can draw security intelligence from millions of security blogs, online forums and white papers - so you can see threats unseen by other systems.

IBM

Sentinel is a full-featured Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution that simplifies the deployment, management and day-to-day use of SIEM, readily adapts to dynamic enterprise environments and delivers the true "actionable intelligence" security professionals need to quickly understand their threat posture and prioritize response.

OpenText

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Faysal Bank, GaVI, Handelsbanken, ISC Mªnster, Lambeth Council, Swisscard, The Municipality of Siena, Tukes, University of Dayton, University of the Sunshine Coast

Buyer's Guide

IBM Watson for Cyber Security vs. Sentinel

September 2025

Free Report: IBM Watson for Cyber Security vs. Sentinel

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