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 #56, while OpenText is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.2. IBM holds a 0.2% mindshare in SIEM, compared to OpenText’s 3.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 81% of OpenText users who would recommend it.

IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Read 4 IBM Watson for Cyber Security reviews

383 Views
203 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Sentinel

Read 16 Sentinel reviews

2,289 Views
2,249 Comparison Views

81% willing to recommend

IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Sentinel

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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: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Watson for Cyber Security vs. Sentinel

June 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)

56th

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)

13th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) category, the mindshare of IBM Watson for Cyber Security is 0.2%, down from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sentinel is 3.5%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

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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JaideepSingh

Technology Specialist at a government with 51-200 employees

An automated solution that helped me detect threats in less than half the time it used to take

Sentinel gave us logs to tell us what's going right and wrong in your environment so we could secure the network. We also got multiple kinds of logs. By running some queries from the logs, we could find and fix the anomalies in the environment. Sentinel's threat visibility was great at telling us if we had something going on in our environment. We had to set up alerts in our environment based on the logs. If we had the right alerts set up, we got notified about threats and where security was lacking, so we could also take care of that. Sentinel's threat intelligence helped us prepare and take proactive steps for potential threats before they hit. Having preparation before a threat has helped our security operations. When I was using it, I used to keep going into my dashboards and looking for any threats on a weekly basis, or maybe two or three times a week. Based on that, we would recommend certain changes to the server and infrastructure teams to block or allow some ports. Sentinel's threat intelligence helped plan security against risks.

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

"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."

"IBM Watson for Cyber Security is very stable."

"The customer support is very good."

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

"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 most valuable feature of this solution is that it provides a central locking system for many event sources."

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

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

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

"The most valuable feature is the flexible log for identifying security threats inside an application. Sentinel is very good at this."

"It makes everything easier by automating some tasks and growing with our needs."

More Sentinel pros

Cons

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

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

"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."

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

"I would like to see a better reporting work structure on the dashboard."

"I rate Sentinel a six out of ten for scalability."

"The dashboard and customer view should be improved"

"There is a need for more flexibility in customization, especially when working with different vendors and platforms."

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

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

"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."

More Sentinel cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

"Sentinel's slightly on the expensive side."

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

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

"Sentinel is moderately priced."

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

"Sentinel is a subscription-based solution."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

20%

Computer Software Company

18%

Media Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

Government

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

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?

Sentinel is moderately priced.

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What needs improvement with NetIQ Sentinel?

There are still a few vendor-specific devices for which Sentinel needs to work on integration, such as Netskope devices. Also, we often face region-wise outages during operation due to product team...

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Comparisons

IBM Security QRadar vs IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Compared 60% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs IBM Watson for Cyber Security

Compared 40% of the time

More IBM Watson for Cyber Security Competitors

IBM Security QRadar vs Sentinel

Compared 20% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs Sentinel

Compared 19% of the time

Google Chronicle Suite vs Sentinel

Compared 18% of the time

Wazuh vs Sentinel

Compared 18% of the time

Cortex XSIAM vs Sentinel

Compared 5% of the time

More Sentinel Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

June 2025

Download IBM Watson for Cyber Security product report

Buyer's Guide

Sentinel

May 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

June 2025

Free Report: IBM Watson for Cyber Security vs. Sentinel

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