Trend Micro Smart Protection Reviews

The tool detects trends in endpoint switches and includes other protection modules, such as behavioural protection. These can be integrated into identity research for investigating particular incidents.

What I like about Trend Micro Smart Protection is that it detects unknown threats that are not visible on other platforms. It catches low-hanging threats, such as certain binary downloads, that aren't flagged by other tools.

For example, a download might not be marked as malicious, but the tool will detect and flag it based on its behaviour if it tries to connect to a server. The tool has also improved our visibility. 

Sometimes, the tool bases its actions on behaviour, and we lack a policy learning mechanism. If Trend Micro Smart Protection introduced an AI model, its protection capabilities would be enhanced. I used a different browser once, which may have prevented protection. Another time, our own ISP was added to the blacklist, and it took the support team two business days to resolve it.

I don't know how many other people are using it, but the ecosystem has one drawback. If you have other Trend Micro products, they will generally work well. However, when integrating with other tools, there can be some issues. For example, we have another product from Palo Alto for XDR. While the integration process is straightforward, sometimes, there is a delay in triggering incidents or actions for protection.

The solution is stable. 

I rate the solution's overall scalability an eight out of ten. 

The tool's setup is easy. 

The tool's licensing costs are yearly. 

The solution correlates with the firewall and other systems to give a better view of multi-layered protection.  Its integration with other systems is straightforward. I rate the overall solution a nine out of ten. 

The product primarily protects PCs and their data, with additional use of device control features.

The customers benefit from enhanced PC protection, data security, and effective device control.

The platform features for device protection and control are particularly effective. 

Smart Protection works well within our network, but we face limitations when PCs operate outside our network. Enhanced capability to detect and protect against various malicious programs would be beneficial.

We have been using Trend Micro Smart Protection since 2016.

The product is stable.

The platform is scalable up to over 1000 nodes, accommodating new branch offices seamlessly.

We also use Sophos for its affordability in server security, while Trend Micro excels in PC protection.

The initial setup is straightforward, with testing done in advance to ensure smooth production deployment. Its implementation in a testing environment takes about two weeks, with production requiring about one and a half days. We have a team of seven engineers dedicated to setup and monitoring. 

The product maintenance is relatively easy.

We've observed the product ROI within a couple of years.

The product pricing for PCs is reasonable, but server security can be expensive.

I recommend the product especially for small to medium-sized enterprises seeking robust endpoint protection. Ensure it aligns with your organization's security needs and integrates well with existing infrastructure. 

Endpoint security is crucial, complemented by network security measures and robust data protection policies.

I rate it an eight. 

I use the solution in my company for EMS Consulting, which operates as Salesforce's implementation partner.

No online encryption or cloud services are available for the tool, so my company has to install it mostly in an on-premises environment. Encryption or cloud services need to be made available in the product.

Maintenance of databases on a product deployed on an on-premises model is difficult. Nowadays, no one wants to maintain databases on a product deployed on an on-premises model, and they prefer a cloud-based tool.

The product should support a few DLP features and a few more applications. Google and Microsoft currently offer DLP applications.

I have been using Trend Micro Smart Protection for three to four years. My company is a customer of the product.

It is a stable solution.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

My organization can be described as an SMB company.

My company has access to Trend Micro's partner support.

I rate the technical support a ten out of ten.

Positive

My company has experience with Symantec. My company moved from Symantec since it does not offer all the features, like DLP in application security features.

The product is easy to deploy.

The product's deployment process takes time since my company has not opted for managed services.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

Trend Micro is for SMBs, and it is one of the best products when compared to the other solutions in the market, like Palo Alto. The product is not very expensive.

Trend Micro Smart Protection has improved our company's endpoint security posture since it is useful for web security. Trend Micro's zero trust strategy is also helpful, as it works in hybrid, cloud, and on-premises environments.

My company still faces challenges with the product, and I feel that the product needs to be upgraded more in order to be more effective against malware attacks.

For threat detection accuracy and its impact on our company's security operations, my company has access to a firewall, a separate team, and everything else that is required to deal with cyber attacks.

The product is really good for SMBs, especially for businesses with budget constraints.

I rate the tool a six out of ten.

We use Trend Micro for multiple purposes like endpoint security, in some cases for the servers, and smart use like DLP and vulnerability protection, encryption, and application control. These are also the selling points for the product. 

According to the Gartner report, Trend Micro has been the leader for the past eight years in the market. The solution has multiple modules within a single agent deployment. 

Another advantage is the presence of both on-premise and cloud console features. For any type of customer we approach, we can set up their module based on the requirement.

The additional feature of Data Leakage Prevention adds more value to the product. It is overall a good solution in terms of functionality and performance as well. 

Our technical team suggests that the product meets all customer expectations but the DLP side of the product can be improved. Specifically, some functionalities within the IDLP can be improved. 

When the user goes on roaming mode, the data log is not pulled into the management console, this is one drawback we witness in the solution. This solution is also lacking in Shadow Copy. We have noticed these drawbacks from our customer service. 

I have been using the solution for more than a year. 

This is a scalable product. We use this solution to work with all types of clients, from small businesses to enterprises. With this solution, we mostly focus on the government, medical, and insurance sectors.  

Tech support for this solution is outstanding. I will rate the customer support a nine out of ten. Sometimes, there will be a small delay for layers three or four, but for layers one or two, we are getting a very quick response. When escalated to the next level, there is a small delay, but they definitely reach out to us. 

Positive

We don't find something difficult in terms of deployment in comparison to other end-point security solutions. The deployment time required for this solution depends on the network; for example, if it's a network for a hundred users, we can finish in two to three days.

Based on the network size, only one or two engineers are required for complete deployment. The product is easy to maintain and needs only one person for maintenance. As the product has been in the market for a very long time, the customers find the console very flexible and easy to use. 

The solution is a little bit expensive in comparison to other traditional tools like ESET, Symantec, or McAfee; there remains mostly a ten percent difference in cost. The licensing of the solution needs to be done yearly and there are no extra costs. 

We also work with ESET, which we see as an alternative to Trend Micro Smart Protection by considering the performance and functionality. But we prefer Trend Micro Smart Protection as customers consider reports like the Forrester, NSS Labs, or Gartner report, and there we get an advantage. Also in terms of functionality, this solution is one step ahead of ESET. 

When the customer has a product in place, they should try to utilize all the modules available in the product. When we move on to deployment, somebody can stop with the endpoint security due to the engineers not having the proper quality to deploy the product. But when it comes to vulnerability management, DLP modules, and application control, all need to be used in the network. I would rate the product a nine out of ten. 

The software itself is very light. It doesn't consume many resources on the clients. 

The solution is pretty straightforward.

The licensing is very good.

As a Japanese company, it doesn't have any restrictions on usage in our country.

We found an issue on the server-side. Sometimes, it slows down the servers if you install it on the SQL. 

In some cases, the version on the server-side, when you install it on the server, doesn't update when the updates are available. For example, if the virus definitions are getting updated every two days, even though you push the updates to the servers from the management console of Trend Micro, it doesn't update the servers successfully.

On the client-side, on the computers, desktops, and laptops, when you do the restart, the new virus definition appears. We are now working with technical support to find out a way to upgrade or use a patch or do some modifications to get the servers updated frequently. Even though we push twice a week from the management console to the servers, still those definitions are not getting updated. We have quite a number of servers - almost 90 server installations - therefore, it's very hard to restart them just to get the virus definition updated. That's one of our biggest problems at the moment with Trend Micro.

Of course, when you do restart the server, it fetches the updates from the management server but that's not the way you can perfect the server. It should be noted that servers sometimes will not get used for a month or two. That's a challenge for us, keeping them updated. On top of that, the current vulnerabilities that you have up there on the Windows clients and the number of attacks registered, have increased.

It would be ideal if the solution could offer more control of computers from the management console in terms of, maybe, dealing with file-sharing. You should be able to block computers from sharing when they are on an external network. That's one of the things I was hoping they could catch in the new version that was released in July, but we didn't get that option.

In Symantec, for example, you can block file-sharing on your clients so they cannot share any data with anybody in the network if they connect to an external network. It makes things much safer.

I've been using the solution for three years now.

We haven't had any issues with the stability of the product. It doesn't crash, or freeze and there aren't bugs. It's actually very smart. We haven't had any issues with any of our clients or on our computers.

We have scaled the solution slightly. The initial report was for 300 clients. We added on 100 more clients, and there was no problem. There was no performance degradation on the management console, and it was running fine. Therefore, I can say that it can scale pretty well.

We'll likely further increase usage. We were planning a review. We are actually in process of getting a quotation to get it upgraded to increase our license, in order to cover all of our distributors and partners. There are small companies, but they're not running any security protection on their clients. So every now and then they will have an infected machine that will infect their ERP system and the sales on their system will be impacted. Therefore, on behalf of them, we are purchasing the licenses for all their clients to ensure business continuity on their side. We are looking at almost 100 additional licenses.

In our region, we get support from India. There are actually some problems with some latency in getting the support we need. We have to wait until Monday to get the support from them as, in our time zone, we work Saturday until Wednesday. The weekends are Thursdays and Fridays. However, they work from Monday to Friday. Therefore, we will have only three days of office hours overlap. If you want to get support from them, you need to follow their availability. It is also not around the clock. It's only business days in India.

I have experience with Symantec Endpoint as well. I use both solutions.

Initially, there was a challenge where we had to change our server and do the installation, however, that wasn't due to the functionality of Trend Micro. When you change the server you need to have all the clients' requirements related to the parameters of the new server. We did that through group policies and running small scripts in the stackable scripts of the group policy. That way, from the Windows side, certain clients get redirected to the new server.

However, when we wanted to upgrade it to the latest client version in July, we had to do them all manually. It pushes the installation to the client when it comes to implementers. Yet, in terms of changing the version, upgrading the version, or the agent on the client-side, sometimes you need to do that manually. We have 400 clients, and we needed to load them one-by-one. We had to manually remove the old version and install the new version.

If I'm not mistaken, for three years, for 400 licenses, we paid nearly 15,000 euros. We don't have any additional costs that we have to pay on top of that.

We're just a customer. We don't have a business relationship with Trend Micro.

Trend Micro may be planning to launch a new product called Apex or Alex in January. However, right now, we are using the most current version of the solution which was launched in July. This version is compatible with Windows 10.

We actually waited for this release to happen due to the fact that the previous versions of Trend Micro were not compatible with the latest Windows so we couldn't upgrade our Windows clients. We waited nearly three months, or maybe two months, so we would be able to upgrade our clients' Windows builds to the latest version, and ensure everything was compatible.

We have a management server that manages the licenses and the number of computers and the deployment and management of computers.

It companies are considering the solution, it's a good idea to do a virtual benchmark. I wasn't sure that Trend Micro was a good solution, so I ran a benchmark. I had prior experience with Symantec Endpoint Protection, and also Panda software- the Panda Security Cloud Version. BI found that Trend Micro was very reliable in terms of when we did the benchmark on the software, on the licenses, on the management side, and the admin solution overhead. 

Considering the trade sanctions and all the complications we have in Iran, I found Trend Micro to be compatible with those sanctions as well, as it's a Japanese company and they are not using any technology developed in U.S. It was a sanction-compliant solution as well. 

In terms of the cost, you could buy the license for three years or five years. It was almost hassle-free to get the new party license for three years. You don't need to pay for any license renewal every year. 

It's very straightforward and usable. In terms of administration, the liability is better than Panda, Sophos, and Symantec. With Symantec, it's a U.S. product, therefore we couldn't use it in Iran anyway.

Overall, I would rate the solution eight out of ten. However, with the embargo, there isn't as much competition in the market right now. We don't have too many options.

We use the solution for endpoint protection, data leak protection, and email filtering.

The most valuable feature of the solution is its simplicity. You don't have to think about features. You can have some customizations for certain groups or categories of endpoints, but it's something that you can find in many other products. The most important thing is the simplicity of the solution.

The solution’s technical support is not very good and could be improved.

I have been using Trend Micro Smart Protection since 2017.

Around 250 users are using the solution in our organization.

The solution’s technical support is not very good. The technical support is very, very slow. Sometimes, they ask you to send them a lot of information and copies of emails. I don't find the technical support team very agile.

Neutral

The solution’s initial setup was easy.

The solution’s deployment took less than a week. Two people from technical and organizational departments were involved in the solution's deployment.

Some real viruses have trespassed the protection, but it is common for many other products. That's why we have different products. Sometimes, Trend Micro is the best, and other times it is not the best. The solution's data loss prevention capabilities work for important personal information, including information about salaries for the HR department.

The impact of the solution's user interface and ease of use has been normal on our security operations. The solution's user interface is not very heavy and difficult to use, but it does not have other advantages. We have three guys who deal with everything in the administration department, including network security, operating systems, storage, and backups.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

The tool will query the information from the cloud to identify suspicious or malicious files that can be a threat. It will provide you with real-time updates on the latest and ongoing attacks and malware information.

I want the tool to provide the solutions integrated within it to have regular updates. Currently, the solutions integrated with Smart Protection get updates from the cloud. I want to minimize the download from the cloud.

I have been working with the solution for three to four years.

The tool is stable.

The tool is scalable. There are around 20-40 customers for the solution in our company.

We do not face any issues with the product. In case any issue arises, we resolve it ourselves.

The tool’s setup is not complex. It is a Linux-based platform and there is no configuration. We can configure the schedule to update and push through the network server which will take around one hour to complete.

I would rate the tool a nine out of ten.

All the solutions we are using from Trend Micro are all on-prem solutions.

Trend Micro Smart Protection is for endpoint protection for business that can provide protection to guard against all types of threats.

We enabled all the modules with the Apex One Central. It contains Application Control and Advanced Threat Protection. Everything has been enabled and we are using it.

Recently our end users are feeling that their system resources are too occupied and slowed because of the Trend Micro agent - that the agent is doing lots and lots of background activities which include Application Control and Advanced Threat Protection. We raised the complaint with them and are waiting for their technical support. The support could be faster for all the Trend Micro solutions.

We use the port monitoring and ransomware protection things, and everything is running in background. Because of that, that CPU use is getting high. So the user cannot use that machine as much as they like for other applications. That's the issue we have recently been receiving.

I have been using Trend Micro Smart Protection for the past three years.

We procured a bundled product from Trend Micro which included Smart Protection, Deep Security, Apex Central, and IMSVA for email security.

Scalability all depends on our on-premise server. For example, if right now there are 1,500 users, if we increase the license count, we will need to increase the server resources also.

As to whether we are going to increase the usage for Smart Protection, that depends on the business requirement.

Tech support should be faster.

Installation is easy, but applying the rules for policies and things require a technical knowledge.

We used a consultant integrator.

In the forefront, only two people are required for implementation, but they are working with their backend team as well as the Trend Micro support. So it comes to around four to five people for deploying these solutions. That includes level one, two and three engineers. 

I would recommend Trend Micro Smart Protection as part of a core bundle.

On a scale one to ten, I would rate Trend Micro Smart Protection an eight.