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Akamai App and API Protector vs Symantec Data Center Security comparison

Akamai and Broadcom are both solutions in the Cloud and Data Center Security category. Akamai is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.7, while Broadcom is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.0. Akamai holds a 0.7% mindshare in CDCS, compared to Broadcom’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Akamai users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 81% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.
Akamai App and API Protector
Read 28 Akamai App and API Protector reviews
  • 161 Views
  • 116 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
Symantec Data Center Security
Read 11 Symantec Data Center Security reviews
  • 506 Views
  • 401 Comparison Views
81% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 14, 2024
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Symantec Data Center Security and Akamai App and API Protector are in the security solutions market, focusing on data protection and application security. Symantec has an edge in data protection and cost-effectiveness, while Akamai is preferred for its robust features and performance.

Features: Symantec Data Center Security offers comprehensive data protection with endpoint security, policy compliance, and file integrity monitoring. Akamai App and API Protector provides application and API security with advanced threat defenses, DDoS protection, and scalable cloud deployment.

Room for Improvement: Symantec could enhance its application security, improve threat detection for cloud environments, and update its scalability for contemporary needs. Akamai might improve its pricing model, refine endpoint protection, and enhance policy compliance capabilities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Symantec offers straightforward deployment and solid support services. Akamai features flexible cloud-based deployment, backed by reliable customer support aiding seamless transitions.

Pricing and ROI: Symantec is typically more cost-effective with lower initial costs, providing stable ROI. Akamai, despite a higher upfront investment, offers excellent ROI through continuous security advancements, making it a worthwhile investment for application and API security.

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To learn more, read our detailed Akamai App and API Protector vs. Symantec Data Center Security Report (Updated: March 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Akamai App and API Protector vs. Symantec Data Center Security
March 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

Akamai App and API Protector
Ranking in Cloud and Data Center Security
10th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
Web Application Firewall (WAF) (9th), Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection (4th)
Symantec Data Center Security
Ranking in Cloud and Data Center Security
11th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.0
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Cloud and Data Center Security category, the mindshare of Akamai App and API Protector is 0.7%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Data Center Security is 1.5%, down from 3.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud and Data Center Security
 

Featured Reviews

Bharat Chandra - PeerSpot reviewer
Exceptional support, protects our sites, and provides visibility into traffic
We did a PoC of Akamai and Cloudflare. One area where Akamai can improve is the captcha part. Cloudflare provides a captcha if there are a certain number of threats. For example, I can assign that if there are 10 requests within a second from a single IP, it should send a captcha to the user. The user should fill in the captcha, and only after that, the user should be able to access our website. This captcha feature should be built into Bot Manager. I love this captcha feature of Cloudflare. Other things are good in Akamai. That is why we are using Akamai. Only the captcha part should be implemented.
Read full review
Atul-Vats - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers a complete system lockdown feature and the ability to restrict users but has a complex policy structure
The negative aspect of that particular product is the fact it has a very, very, very complex policy structure. A user or administrator making the policy in the DCS should have a very thorough knowledge of the operating system or policy making. You have to be very specific about the data structure. If you want to secure a Linux server, an administrator should be very confident about how the directory structure of Linux, how Linux works, and where it puts the important logs. You have to be very cautious about the complete path, and you have to write it over there in the policy part. If you are not very specific, there will be a lot of noise in the system. You're going to receive thousands of events that are false positives. The fine-tuning of the policy is a very complex thing in the DCS itself. Another negative aspect that I have observed is if the product gets installed on the kernel level of any non-Windows server, it has some issues, comparability issues. Sometimes the product doesn't work properly, so it shuts down the machine and crashes the system. There are many cases in which I've observed the DCS crashing the system.
Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Features like scalability and uptime are most effective."
"Everything will be handled by Akamai's system before it reaches our infrastructure."
"The support that we got from their technical team has been fantastic. I have never experienced this level of support from other CDN providers."
"The solution can scale extremely well."
"All the solution's features are very good."
"I can attest to its benefits in terms of understanding and mitigating threats...The solution's technical support team seems to be pretty responsive."
"Akamai Web Application Protector is a good solution that provides basic web application protection."
"Adaptive stream delivery and WAF protection are valuable."
More Akamai App and API Protector pros
"The console and tools are very user-friendly."
"The granularity of applying the policies is valuable."
"The tool will then detect any anomalies, such as an intruder who has breached the network, which can trigger the system lockdown feature if it's enabled and meets the defined threshold."
"The monitoring in the management console allows us to find out what is going wrong, and it gets reports even before the user reports it."
"The ability to finely control permissions and restrictions on servers or assets through a customizable rule set is a key strength."
"Good file integrity monitoring features."
"The most valuable feature is the centralized console, which can handle different products that we have."
"We use the product to prevent unauthorized access to data, systems, and servers. It provides essential features for data center security."
More Symantec Data Center Security pros
 

Cons

"The performance of the cloud monitoring tool is low."
"If we talk about application layer attacks, including WAF, CloudFlare is leading. Akamai can focus a bit more on the application layer attacks and how to protect them."
"They are already very flexible, but room for improvement is there. Reports generation could be better and should be improved."
"The WAF features definitely have a lot of room for improvement. A lot of the WAF is really basic. For some products or some of our solutions, we need to run a second layer of more advanced WAF. If it had better layer seven protection then we would not need a second WAF."
"The solution could offer even more integrations."
"We are experimenting with EdgeWorkers to write our own code at the Edge level. It could grow to be much better."
"Akamai App and API Protector is very new to me, so I do not have any insights on improvement areas for the product. However, when we ask for some help, it can take some time. We understand that the job is done by professionals, but if that time can be reduced, it would be great."
"I do not see any area for improvement. Akamai is already maintaining its own databases for the security concerns, vulnerabilities, and attacks that are there. If anything, they should have a solution in the infrastructure security area as well. They should not be only in cloud cybersecurity; they should also be in infrastructure security."
More Akamai App and API Protector cons
"Could have better reporting capabilities and better support."
"This solution clashes with Microsoft defender, which results in performance degradation on the machine."
"The product blocks certain processes, even after allowlisting them."
"There is plenty of room for improvement with this product, and it could start with platform metrics."
"They need to develop a more flexible product that can be scaled such that it fits well into a small business or a bigger, enterprise-level solution."
"It would be advantageous if Symantec or Broadcom, given the rebranding, could simplify the process, enabling users to leverage the antivirus functionality more easily."
"There is room for improvement in enhancing its graphical user interface for a more user-friendly experience."
"Agent management is a challenging task."
More Symantec Data Center Security cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is expensive."
"There is no license at all for Akamai. They are going to charge us only for the usage."
"Price-wise, I would say Akamai's pricing is competitive."
"Akamai is very expensive."
"Its price is slightly high. Every company has a justification for the high price. Overall, it feels worth the money based on how the service has been structured, but we do negotiate it."
"The solution is not expensive."
"The product’s price is high."
"If you want quality, you have to pay the price. Its price is fair. Their account managers are also very helpful. They help you a lot with pricing even though they are working with Akamai."
More Akamai App and API Protector pricing and cost advice
"It is notably more expensive when compared to other solutions."
"The product is a bit costly."
"Compared to some other solutions, such as CrowdStrike, Symantec is more expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
25%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Insurance Company
5%
Manufacturing Company
20%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Akamai Web Application Protector?
The product is user-friendly.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Akamai Web Application Protector?
The price is higher than others. It could be about 80% to 70% more expensive than other tools. So, it’s not just a slight difference.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Akamai Web Application Protector?
It could have better analytics and reporting visibility in the OEM console.
See all answers
What do you like most about Symantec Data Center Security?
The granularity of applying the policies is valuable.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Symantec Data Center Security?
Agent management is a challenging task. We cannot do it from the console. We will have to use other tools.
See all answers
What is your primary use case for Symantec Data Center Security?
One key use case for data center security is protecting files within the data center. This is especially important for Linux systems, where locking down specific files is essential to prevent unaut...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 11% of the time
AWS WAF vs Akamai App and API Protector Logo
AWS WAF vs Akamai App and API Protector
Compared 11% of the time
Prolexic vs Akamai App and API Protector Logo
Prolexic vs Akamai App and API Protector
Compared 8% of the time
Arbor DDoS vs Akamai App and API Protector Logo
Arbor DDoS vs Akamai App and API Protector
Compared 7% of the time
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Trend Micro Deep Security vs Symantec Data Center Security Logo
Trend Micro Deep Security vs Symantec Data Center Security
Compared 53% of the time
Symantec Endpoint Security vs Symantec Data Center Security Logo
Symantec Endpoint Security vs Symantec Data Center Security
Compared 37% of the time
VMware NSX vs Symantec Data Center Security Logo
VMware NSX vs Symantec Data Center Security
Compared 10% of the time
More Symantec Data Center Security Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Akamai App and API Protector
April 2025
Akamai App and API Protector reportDownload Akamai App and API Protector product report
Buyer's Guide
Symantec Data Center Security
March 2025
Symantec Data Center Security reportDownload Symantec Data Center Security product report
 

Also Known As

Akamai Web Application Protector, Akamai Kona Site Defender, Akamai Kona DDoS Defender
No data available
 

Overview

Akamai App and API Protector provides website security by preventing DDoS attacks, acting as an application firewall, managing content delivery, and monitoring APIs. It adapts to threat profiles and is used for fast media delivery and identifying malicious activities.

Akamai App and API Protector offers strong protection, adaptable security features, and efficient traffic management. Its WAF blocks IP addresses and country-specific threats while preventing SQL injections. Companies utilize it for scalable CDN services and comprehensive traffic analysis. Known for its cost-effectiveness and user-friendly dashboard, this protector stands out for its customizable rules and technical support. Users also highlight the ease of integration and detailed attack insights available through its advanced dashboard.

What are the key features of Akamai App and API Protector?
  • DDoS Protection: Strong defense against Distributed Denial of Service attacks.
  • Scalable CDN: Manages content delivery efficiently under high traffic loads.
  • WAF Capabilities: Blocks specific IPs and countries, prevents SQL injections.
  • Traffic Filtering: Analyzes and controls incoming requests to maintain security.
  • Adaptive Stream Delivery: Adjusts content delivery to meet bandwidth needs.
What benefits should users expect?
  • Cost-Effectiveness: Provides robust security tools at a competitive price.
  • Enhanced Security: Comprehensive protection against cyber threats.
  • Scalability: Easily handles increasing traffic and data loads.
  • Ease of Integration: Simple integration with existing systems.
  • Insightful Analytics: Offers data-driven insights into traffic and attack patterns.

In media, Akamai App and API Protector ensures smooth streaming by handling high bandwidth demands. E-commerce companies use it to guard against fraud and data breaches. Financial sectors rely on its ability to protect sensitive transactions. Implementations in healthcare focus on safeguarding patient data while maintaining compliance with regulations.

Akamai

Docker containers make it easy to develop, deploy, and deliver applications where containers can be deployed and brought down in a matter of seconds. This flexibility makes it very useful for DevOps to automate deployment of containers. Symantec Data Center Security: Server Advanced provides agentless Docker container protection that allows you to achieve the performance benefits of Docker without sacrificing security. Full application control enables administrator privilege de-escalation, patch mitigation, and protection against zero day threats in today's heterogeneous data centers.

Broadcom
 

Sample Customers

Douglas Omaha Technology Commission, ZALORA, PrintPlanet
Information Not Available
Buyer's Guide
Akamai App and API Protector vs. Symantec Data Center Security
March 2025
Free Report: Akamai App and API Protector vs. Symantec Data Center Security
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