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Microsoft BitLocker vs Symantec Endpoint Encryption comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft BitLocker
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
64
Ranking in other categories
Mobile Data Protection (1st)
Symantec Endpoint Encryption
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
6th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
36
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Endpoint Encryption category, the mindshare of Microsoft BitLocker is 41.0%, up from 39.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Endpoint Encryption is 10.1%, up from 10.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Encryption
 

Featured Reviews

Douglas Curry - PeerSpot reviewer
Users can easily deploy and manage it
The solution's most valuable feature is that it is simple to deploy and manage. I can't say what features of the tool I like since it is very much a deploy-and-forget product. We don't use any advanced features of the tool in my company. The tool's recovery options are good, especially since it integrates with Active Directory, making everything a simple process. The product's integration capabilities are good.
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

"One significant aspect is that without the BitLocker key, you can't log in to the user's laptop. I appreciate the capability to encrypt the user's hard drive, ensuring access only with the recovery key. In an enterprise setup, we store all BitLocker keys on our server. So, whenever a user attempts to log in, the architecture authenticates with the key. This ensures that our data is secure. Even if the user's laptop is lost, we have confidence that the data remains inaccessible. So far, our user data is well-protected."
"Microsoft BitLocker can be used to ensure that stolen PCs or laptops do not lose their data."
"The solution is included in Windows 11."
"Being able to encrypt an entire hard disk has been most valuable."
"The most valuable feature is the TPM (Trusted Platform Module), which makes the PC security stronger because somebody who is not from the team cannot access the PC without the decryption PIN."
"The most important aspect of this solution is that if your laptop gets stolen, the information is encrypted."
"The best thing about it is the encryption type and the way it requires TPM when someone tries to access the drive."
"There's a lot of manageability within the solution. This is very helpful."
"The solution was used to find harmful files and viruses on laptops."
"You get updates and other encrypted files easily."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of use."
"Their cloud features such as Cloud Endpoint security, ransomware modules, malware, and other modules are very effective."
"One notable aspect is the ability to customize alerts and other settings."
"The installation process is pretty straightforward."
"The most valuable features are the messaging features and shared folders."
"The encryption feature is very good."
 

Cons

"We recently found some stability issues with Microsoft BitLocker."
"More customization options would have been nice, such as password selection, actions when the screen is locked, etc."
"The solution should offer encryption for other items such as shared folders, removable media, etc."
"I would like to be able to encrypt our cloud tenancy."
"The solution needs to have better protection and improve its pricing."
"The only thing that could be slightly improved is the occasional stability issue."
"If integration with Active Directory are not mandatory for him, I think that there are many other solutions in the market that equal or are much stronger than Microsoft."
"I would like to see improvement in the solution's central management of passwords. Currently, we install it separately."
"One feature that is lacking is integration with Symantec Information Centric (ICT). As it is now, I don't see how to integrate the encryption with ICT, and in my opinion this is an area that certainly requires encryption, even though it's no longer supported by Broadcom."
"It's difficult to integrate the solution with the DLP"
"Its remote deployment should be improved. Currently, there is no remote deployment for Symantec Endpoint Encryption. You have to install it manually. There are some issues with AD integration and the time taken to reflect a password on the Endpoint Encryption Manager when a new user has changed the password, but they are already working on these issues, and these will be resolved in the next release."
"Symantec Endpoint Encryption can improve by being more secure."
"The security could be improved."
"I would like to see some features or functionality enhanced in Symantec Endpoint Encryption."
"I can only patch monthly. I don't know what the solution is there, besides being vulnerable for three weeks out of four. But there's got to be an option somehow."
"There are other solutions in the market that have new features. The feature could improve."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We already use Microsoft products, and Microsoft BitLocker is an add-on product that is free of cost for us."
"The solution is cost efficient."
"The solution is priced low. I would rate the product's pricing one out of ten."
"The solution is expensive."
"This solution is included with Microsoft Server and my clients did not have to pay for anything extra."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is expensive and ten is cheap, I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."
"BitLocker is already in Windows 10 and its price has already been "paid"."
"Microsoft BitLocker is a free feature when you are using Microsoft solutions."
"The license is not very expensive."
"It can be expensive. However, if you plan to scale or are at a large enterprise company, this product could be what you need."
"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 licensing costs yearly are $5000."
"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."
"There is a license required for this solution."
"Considering the fluctuation in exchange rates in our part of the world, we find it generally affordable."
"The solution is good, but it is more expensive than other solutions in the market. Other solutions, such as BitLocker are less expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Healthcare Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What should one take into account when replacing PGP with Microsoft BitLocker?
Beware to make backup of useful data, then use reverse decryption policy from Symantec panel/McAfee ePO to decrypt the DE partitions while it is sometimes more straightforward and faster to reinsta...
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....
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.
What needs improvement with Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
I would like to see some features or functionality enhanced in Symantec Endpoint Encryption.
 

Also Known As

BitLocker, MS BitLocker
Symantec Drive Encryption
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ACV, Proaxis Therapy, Choice Hotels International, adnymics GmbH, Intermedia, NMBS/SNCB
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 Microsoft BitLocker vs. Symantec Endpoint Encryption and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.