What is our primary use case?
I have been working with McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator since 2005.
We are a service provider and system integrator, and this is one of the solutions that we provide for our clients. Most of the deployments we have done are on-premises.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of this solution is the ability to configure and deploy everything from a single, web-based interface.
What needs improvement?
This solution ships with SQL Express, and we have issues related to database corruption in the event of power loss. Especially on this side of the world, we have a lot of power outages and most companies do not have backup power solutions. In most cases, when the power goes out, the database tends to corrupt a lot. For example, clients will be having trouble logging on because the login credentials are corrupt. They have to do something to make the solution more resilient or recoverable from power failure events, which may include creating their own database.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution to use. The only problem that I've noticed relates to updates, and it has only started recently. After getting an update, there are issues with connecting. It all comes down to how often the machines update their Windows OS. McAfee tends to have a problem with connectivity and stuff like that.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, McAfee is the best there is from all of the products that I've used. Why I say that is because you can manage a lot of products if you install the endpoint security pack. The is one of the products that has impressed me over the years. There is a version of the solution that actually allows you to manage certain versions of Symantec products. So, this is a good product, and when it comes to scalability, I think it's one of those products that you won't go wrong with.
We do have some larger corporate clients, but there are not many of them. Most of the client base in Zimbabwe is small to medium-sized business. The majority have less than two-hundred and fifty PCs on-site, which I consider being small or medium size. We also do support for hospitals, schools, universities, and even government.
How are customer service and technical support?
McAfee technical support is ok, but we do not contact them very often. Every year, they impose certifications on us, so in most cases, we have certifications for the different products that we support. This means that we hardly require support because we are well equipped when it comes to doing our job. If we do get something that we don't quite understand, McAfee has got a knowledge base that we usually refer to. This is helpful when it comes to some of the problems that we face.
How was the initial setup?
Over the years, I've noticed that the initial setup is very easy. It may be because I've worked with it for a long time, but the initial setup is easy, and even when it comes to doing the configuring for the projects, it is not complex.
Most of the setups that I have done are on-premises, where I have to set up the physical machine, and I haven't had any problems. It usually takes less than thirty minutes for everything to be set up and the deployment complete.
What about the implementation team?
We implement this solution for our clients.
What other advice do I have?
This is a solution I recommend very much. For anybody who is implementing this solution, I suggest that they read through the product manuals and documentation. I have noticed that it is an advantage to read through the manuals because people who do not, tend to miss things, and then blame the product for not working. I would say that McAfee is a good product, and over the years I have found it to be very stable and very effective when it comes to managing other products. We have all that we wanted to do with McAfee.
In the time that I have been using this solution, I've noticed that when I perform a setup on different platforms or different networks, I've gotten to learn new things because each and every network is different. When it comes to troubleshooting network issues, I have learned a lot, especially things related to cybersecurity.
This is a very good product, but they have a database issue. Having a McAfee-only solution, rather than having to bring in a Microsoft product, or one from another vendor would make this solution perfect.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.