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McAfee Complete Data Protection vs Symantec Endpoint Encryption comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

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

McAfee Complete Data Protec...
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
4th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
33
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Symantec Endpoint Encryption
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
5th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
36
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Endpoint Encryption category, the mindshare of McAfee Complete Data Protection is 7.5%, down from 10.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Endpoint Encryption is 10.0%, down from 10.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Encryption
 

Featured Reviews

ObaseunAwoyinfa - PeerSpot reviewer
Encrypts the hard drive, offers data protection policies and effective part of DLP strategy
The only thing that I think could be improved is the data classifier. It's not a very robust classifier, which is where its limitation lies. For example, you see a lot of higher-end solutions where people can classify data more effectively, adding labels like transcription labels and such. McAfee’s classifier doesn't handle all those tasks. It doesn’t offer the same level of functionality as other data classification tools. You can't do things like fingerprinting and other advanced classification methods. However, if you were to make it more robust, the product could become too heavy to run effectively on endpoints and servers. So, to be honest, I can't think of anything else off the top of my head that could be added. I think it's a great solution as it stands. If anyone wants extended data classification, they can leverage other tools like Titus, Fortra's Classifier Suite (previously known as Boldon James Classifier), or even Microsoft AIP if they have the budget. You can also leverage Trellix to enhance your data protection. From my point of view, McAfee Complete Data Protection is one of the best solutions out there, if not the best, to be honest.
Bharath Kumar Gajula - PeerSpot reviewer
Robust data protection with user-friendly deployment, competitive pricing, and comprehensive features like customizable alerts and effective detection capabilities but needs GUI improvements
The stability is relatively good. Occasionally, certain clients may experience disconnection from the management servers, requiring a manual process to rectify. Even in instances where the link is severed, restoring client connectivity can be challenging, sometimes necessitating the uninstallation and reinstallation of the software. Additionally, when clients go out of sync, we do not receive alerts, indicating an area for potential improvement. I would rate it seven out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The interface is very good. You can create and manage your own dashboard."
"It is part of the DLP and works well for that use case."
"With McAfee Complete Data Protection, you can managed all your security solutions from one single server and one interface. This might be the most powerful advantage of McAfee's solution."
"In addition, it is easy to use, and you can define rules that protect the database beyond the built-in rules of the product. I found another purpose for the product besides the basic things that it does, protecting the database: privileged use, weak authentication, SQL injection and and database platform vulnerability."
"McAfee Complete Data Protection provides stability and is a good product."
"The server software console is exquisitely designed and organized for handy access and manipulation by the administrator."
"The interface is user-friendly and it provides a large number of options."
"With proper policies and configuration, it prevents sending corporate data to both cloud storage or to flash drives and data extraction."
"Their cloud features such as Cloud Endpoint security, ransomware modules, malware, and other modules are very effective."
"It has reduced the number of incidents related to the loss of information."
"Antivirus, URL filtering, and firewall protection are the most effective features for data protection."
"Overall Symantec Endpoint Encryption is a reasonable solution."
"It is fairly stable."
"The most valuable features are the messaging features and shared folders."
"It helps us put antivirus solutions in place and prevent malware from getting to our machines."
"This product is a solid, all-in-one solution for enterprise data management."
 

Cons

"They could be better in terms of Complete Data Protection."
"There was an option for SQL setup in the older versions of this product and it has been removed, but we would like to see it made available as an add-on."
"I want simplicity. A new user opening the dashboard will be confused. It needs to be more user-friendly."
"The dashboard is not user-friendly"
"It is difficult to manage."
"The only thing that I think could be improved is the data classifier."
"Some clients still receive spam and malware in their attachments, so the data protection isn't working correctly. We have configured it and enabled the features in the client's system, but some policies have failed to work once or twice."
"The solution's pricing could be better."
"More features need to be included in the encryption software."
"The instability of the company and lack of presence in the Middle East is affecting product use."
"The security could be improved."
"They have too high of a price tag. That's why they're losing the market share."
"The solution does not have endpoint control."
"The agent can be improved on the solution. Right now, we have an Endpoint Protection agent as well as an encryption agent and another for the DLVs and other services. We would prefer a single agent for the entire product."
"The GUI could use some enhancement, particularly in making option sets easier to locate on client machines."
"Symantec Endpoint Encryption can improve by being more secure."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This solution is reasonably priced."
"McAfee Complete Data Protection is a little bit expensive."
"The licensing is yearly."
"The solution is more expensive than one of its competitors."
"The solution is affordable"
"I think the price could be a little bit less."
"The pricing is better than that of some competing products."
"The pricing is quite reasonable compared to other vendors."
"We hold an annual license, and their pricing is competitive, falling into the affordable range."
"Although the performance and stability of this solution are good, our challenge is the price tag. You buy the solution once, but you also have to keep on buying the licenses yearly."
"The pricing is fair but there is variability in our area that needs to be addressed."
"Depending on how many modules you will use (up to five) the licensing will be more expensive."
"Symantec Endpoint Encryption is not expensive."
"Considering the fluctuation in exchange rates in our part of the world, we find it generally affordable."
"It can be expensive. However, if you plan to scale or are at a large enterprise company, this product could be what you need."
"They have two solutions for encryption including Symantec Endpoint Encryption and PGP Endpoint Encryption. With one PGP license, you can deploy the two solutions. The PGP license gives you two options."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Government
14%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Healthcare Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Would you choose Microsoft BitLocker or McAfee Complete Data Protection?
Microsoft BitLocker is very intuitive and easy to maintain. It is basically the global standard solution for drive encryption and successfully fulfills regulatory needs in terms of data protection....
What do you like most about McAfee Complete Data Protection?
It worked for me: it's easy to use and has been very effective.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for McAfee Complete Data Protection?
The huge problem I see is pricing. We understand that DLP is not cheap anywhere in the world, but we constantly lose our protection because of pricing. Sometimes, this is because end users prefer t...
How does Microsoft BitLocker compare with Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
Microsoft BitLocker is very intuitive and easy to maintain. It is basically the global standard solution for drive encryption and it successfully fulfills regulatory needs in terms of data protecti...
What do you like most about Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
Antivirus, URL filtering, and firewall protection are the most effective features for data protection.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
I am not sure about the pricing and licensing cost of Symantec Endpoint Encryption.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Symantec Drive Encryption
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Xcel Energy
Citrix Systems Inc., City of Lansing, Commercial & Industrial Property, France T_l_visions, Fujian Mobile Co. Ltd., Group Lotus plc, Hall Booth Smith & Slover, P.C. (HBSS), Portugal Telecom, PostFinance, Public Pension Agency
Find out what your peers are saying about McAfee Complete Data Protection vs. Symantec Endpoint Encryption and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
839,255 professionals have used our research since 2012.