SEPM is a product for anti-virus security. It provides endpoint security for all client machines. It protects the client machines from malware or ransom attacks.
IT Security Lead at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Provides endpoint security for all client machines protecting them from malware or ransom attacks
Pros and Cons
- "Scalability."
- "We were having a problem in Version 14, where the client machines used to go into the health state and once it restarted, and never came back again."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
- Support
- Scalability
- Flexibility
How has it helped my organization?
It keeps our machines up-to-date with the definitions of the current zero day attacks, which happens in real-time scenarios. It protects our data and the clients' data, which can be secured by using this product.
What needs improvement?
I am happy to say that the Symantec comes into the picture where the issues are reported from the product, it might be a product bug or it might be a product defect. The product engineer works on this and the latest upgrade has it built into the peer cost, where we can upgrade our involvement and support our clients again.
So, we were having a problem in Version 14, where the client machines used to go into the health state and once it restarted, and never came back again. But as far as one of the defaults, this was reported and not an issue in new versions of Symantec 14 and SEMP 2. Apparently, this is works well for now, and we are happy with this.
Buyer's Guide
Symantec Endpoint Security
October 2024
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For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the product is good to where it has had the effect of increasing the workload by adding more machines, so I should have a good scaled back-up for this supporting both lines.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate them a 10 out of 10. They supply good support and have a good knowledge.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did have a previous solution. They are all equal in giving the definitions on a timely routine, but the bandwidth extent was an issue for me. This is why we changed to Symantec.
How was the initial setup?
Everything was straightforward. Nothing was complex. The installation was very user-friendly, where the engineer from Symantec had helped us to migrate this product from the older version to the newer version of Symantec.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
What we have paid for this product is good value for the work and the services that they are providing to us.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We were going through the multiple products out on the market and we chose Symantec, because we had proposed multiple products to the client and the client had chosen Symantec for these two perspectives: One is for the best service and support, which Symantec provides, and the other is the pricing, which was a constraint for our client.
What other advice do I have?
If you have a good involvement and maybe your clients are not connected to a domain, you can use this product. This is one advantage of this product, where you can use the product for protecting your machines.
You need to keep track of the definitions and releases on a daily basis. This is one of the disadvantages.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT Manager at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Has an easy setup process, but the technical support needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "The product has valuable features for insights."
- "There could be definition updates installed and running for the product, similar to new EDR solutions that receive updates from the internet."
What is our primary use case?
We use Symantec Endpoint Security as an antivirus solution to protect our servers.
What is most valuable?
The product has valuable features for insights.
What needs improvement?
There could be definition updates installed and running for the product, similar to new EDR solutions that receive updates from the internet. We still have legacy concepts where clients have installed definitions themselves. It could be more effective. Additionally, the memory usage by the product could be reduced.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Symantec Endpoint Security for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the platform’s stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 13000 Symantec Endpoint Security users in our organization. I rate its scalability an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support team’s response time is slow.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup process is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate the product's pricing a six out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Symantec Endpoint Security a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Symantec Endpoint Security
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Symantec Endpoint Security. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
816,562 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Technical Support Executive at Adit Microsys Pvt Ltd
Doesn't utilize lots of resources, provides excellent protection, and is highly scalable
Pros and Cons
- "We are using it on 1,600 computers. All the systems and servers are protected with the Symantec solution. Our environment has an uptime of 99.9% because we never had any attack or issue related to viruses. There is zero downtime."
- "Its interface needs improvement. Its interface is very old, and it needs a new look. Other solutions, such as Sophos and BitDefender, have a better and more modern interface, whereas Symantec has had the same interface for a while. There has been no enhancement in the interface. They should update and provide a better interface in 2022 for a better user experience for their customers."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Symantec Security for the server and the client. For the server, we are using Symantec Data Center Security (DCS), and for the client, we are using Symantec Endpoint Security.
We work with all deployment models. We have cloud and on-premises deployments, and we also have hybrid deployments. The cloud provider varies based on the customer, but mostly, our customers have AWS and Azure.
How has it helped my organization?
We are using it on 1,600 computers. All the systems and servers are protected with the Symantec solution. Our environment has an uptime of 99.9% because we never had any attack or issue related to viruses. There is zero downtime.
It works very smoothly. There is no high utilization of the hardware.
What is most valuable?
EDR and ATP features are most valuable.
What needs improvement?
Its interface needs improvement. Its interface is very old, and it needs a new look. Other solutions, such as Sophos and BitDefender, have a better and more modern interface, whereas Symantec has had the same interface for a while. There has been no enhancement in the interface. They should update and provide a better interface in 2022 for a better user experience for their customers.
Currently, Symantec's EDR functionality is expensive, and it is an add-on, whereas other devices have built-in EDR functionality. It would be beneficial for customers if Symantec does the same.
Their support also needs to be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for 11 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is average in terms of stability. It works fine, but when we do the upgrades, there are stability issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Its scalability is very good. We are able to scale up to 10,000 users, and it is working fine. There are no issues with it.
We are working with government institutions and corporations in various industries. We are also working with educational institutes. It is being used in all sectors.
We don't have any plans to increase its usage as of now.
How are customer service and support?
We have been a Symantec partner for a long time. Since the Broadcom takeover, we have been facing many issues with support. In the last three years, we have not received proper support from them. We have had the worst experience with their support. They don’t understand the issue. I explain the problem, and after two or three days, they again come back asking for the log. I would rate them a five out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We didn't use any other solution previously. We have been using only Symantec. It is the best solution for us and our customers.
How was the initial setup?
I'm involved in its implementation from the start to the end, which includes project discussions, deployment, and handover. I work with my colleagues and provide guidance on what to perform, how to perform, and how to configure policies.
The deployment depends on the environment of a customer. Some customers have a small environment with 100 to 200 users. In such a case, the deployment is simple, and there’s no complexity. If a customer has 5,000 to 10,000 users, and they are working from different locations, requiring server configuration at different locations across the world, it gets complex. We have done successful implementation in complex as well as simple scenarios.
The deployment duration varies based on the number of users. Usually, one to two days are enough. The number of people required for deployment also varies based on the customer environment.
What about the implementation team?
We create a document for implementation, and when we are handling a large implementation with 5,000 users, we deploy the 100 or 200 from our side, and then we guide and train the customer's engineer who takes care of the remaining deployments.
For 5,000 users, 5 to 10 people are enough to handle the deployment and maintenance. They all have different roles. For example, one of them handles the policies, and one of them takes care of the implementation. Similarly, one of them works with the updates. They take care of all the functions.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We do evaluate other solutions when a customer asks for a comparison with another solution, such as Sophos. We then need to do a PoC in the customer environment.
What other advice do I have?
I would strongly recommend this product. It is better than all other antivirus products. It is a brilliant product when it comes to functions or features. There is no doubt about its antivirus capability. It is far better than other products, but they need to focus on its UI.
Overall, it is a very good product. I would rate it an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Administrator at a real estate/law firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
A user-friendly, reliable product with good protection and support
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to use. Its interface is user-friendly. So, anybody can use it very well, which is a good thing."
- "Automation of tasks should be improved on SEPM. It is currently manual, and we should be able to automate installation and deployment from the client side."
What is our primary use case?
We were facing many problems related to AV definitions not being updated and viruses, and we could solve these problems with the help of Symantec.
How has it helped my organization?
It is a good product. It has saved us from external attacks and viruses.
What is most valuable?
It is easy to use. Its interface is user-friendly. So, anybody can use it very well, which is a good thing.
It is a reliable product, and its performance is also good.
What needs improvement?
Automation of tasks should be improved on SEPM. It is currently manual, and we should be able to automate installation and deployment from the client side.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for the last seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability is good. It is reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Its scalability is good. We have more than 50,000 clients in our environment, and Symantec is installed on all the clients. It has been working properly, and it is easily able to detect viruses and malicious files. We currently don’t have any plans to increase its usage.
How are customer service and support?
Their support is good. Every time we are facing an issue, their technical support team is able to help us. I would rate them a ten out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I didn’t use any other solution previously.
How was the initial setup?
I wasn’t involved in its deployment. In terms of maintenance, it doesn't require any maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
I would 100% recommend it. I would rate it a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Technical Manager at Digital World
Stable, scalable, quick and easy to install
Pros and Cons
- "There are no issues with scalability."
- "After selling this product, what we have observed is that the system gets slower, which is a major issue."
What is our primary use case?
We are service providers. We use this solution for endpoint response and detections.
We use this in the banking sector regularly.
We also use it for automatic threat protection and for DLP (Data Loss Protection).
What needs improvement?
After selling this product, what we have observed is that the system gets slower, which is a major issue.
We would also like to see better pricing. It's almost double when compared to other products.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for more than seven years.
We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. If you get the proper licenses then it scales well. There are no issues with scalability.
We are service providers with many different clients. Some of our customers have 100 users, whereas others have 200, and even as many as 300.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have completed several installations but have never contacted technical support.
How was the initial setup?
We do a direct installation. It is cloud-based and we can create a diary on the Symantec site.
We create the ID and download the client package.
It can take five to seven minutes to install per node.
If it is in the same network, we don't require much manpower to maintain it. All of the usernames and passwords are in the system. We can deploy remote deployment and installation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Symantec is expensive.
When compared with Trend Micro and Sophos, it is expensive.
Customers are required to purchase a license.
What other advice do I have?
We recommend this solution to others who are interested in using it. In some organizations, it is compulsory to use Symantec.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Information Security Admin at a retailer with 201-500 employees
This is still a solid product but is lagging behind the competition in keeping up with modern needs
Pros and Cons
- "It is a solid antivirus security product."
- "The whitelisting feature does not work as expected."
- "The enterprise edition does not report attacks on external devices."
What is our primary use case?
We use the product as an antivirus solution and install it on every end-user machine.
What is most valuable?
I think Symantec is a good antivirus solution. There is not really a specific feature that I think stands out. If you consider the protection as a feature, I would say that antivirus protection is the most valuable feature the product has.
What needs improvement?
We have had some problems with the Symantec solution. The problems were bad enough that I was compelled to start to research into other products. The biggest issue was the whitelisting feature. The Symantec software has a feature that detects certain things as malicious and it takes care of the issue. It is supposed to do that. Sometimes the things it flags are not real issues — they are essentially false positives. Sometimes there are things we want it to let through that it would otherwise flag. We put these things on a whitelist so they get allowed. We were having a problem keeping a particular file on the whitelist. It was an EXE and Symantec kept flagging it even when it was whitelisted.
To fix the issue, we had to do in-house software development. We had to run some extra code. The process was not smooth and, in the long run, it basically did not work. The support by Symantec on the issue was of no further help and it remained a problem.
A feature that seems to be missing from Symantec is reporting on external devices. For example, if a remote user gets a virus on their computer and they are accessing our system, I want to know. The Symantec agent should be checking this in the cloud and informing us that a particular end-user got a virus. I should get a report or alert somehow. The computer in question should be isolated — or something like that — to mitigate the potential of the threat. Instead, nothing happens.
The enterprise product that we have now does not have that feature. Maybe Symantec has that feature implemented in other products, but I do not know about it. Maybe it is not there at all or maybe it is some type of cloud feature. But the end result is I have looked for the solution in the product, can not find it, support did not inform me that it can be resolved, and we are essentially left with a vulnerability. That is really not acceptable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Symantec Endpoint security for about 2 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable. We do not really have problems with the product crashing.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Endpoint Security is not that scalable right now because it is hard to even get a new quote. It is part of the problem happening during the transition when they got bought up by Broadcom. The whole process of renewing and buying new licenses has become a pain. It takes forever to get a quote.
On a daily basis in our company right now there are around 300 people using the product. The system is monitored by the system admin and myself. We have a cooperative situation.
How are customer service and technical support?
The Symantec customer support team is responsive by email. I would say it is between 80% to 90% effective.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have not used other antivirus products as an admin. The Symantec product was already in use at the company when I came here.
How was the initial setup?
I would say that the initial installation is moderately straightforward. It is not really completely straightforward and it is not really complex. It is somewhere in the middle.
The deployment of the server takes more time, but I am not the one who deployed it. I do not know exactly how long it took. I am not aware of any surprises or difficulties with the deployment.
What about the implementation team?
The system admin did the installation without external assistance.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I was not the one who implemented Symantec at our company. The decision was made before I arrived and I inherited the product.
I am now researching products in consideration of deploying a replacement option for Symantec because it is not totally meeting our security needs.
What other advice do I have?
The honest advice I would have for someone considering this solution at this point in time is to move on. I say this because Symantec is being bought out by Broadcom. That may not be a bad thing on its own. Symantec has traditionally been a very good company and still was up to this point. But being bought by another company just means that there will be a mess because of the transition and integration between these companies and products. Developers of the product will be spending time focusing on that merger rather than core product issues. It creates a little bit of a mess that the client should not have to suffer through when there are other capable solutions.
Another thing is that Symantec still needs to implement some features that it does not have. They have very good, strong protection, but they are behind other products on the market. There are a lot of more features they have failed to implement. Especially now when everyone is working remotely and with cloud products, the security does not seem complete.
Maybe the cloud version addresses these issues. I have not used the cloud version because I am on the enterprise version and like in-house deployment. Our version is missing a ton of features that are very important to security especially in the current environment.
On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate Symantec End-User Endpoint Security as a seven-out-of-ten. It is missing too much to be rated higher.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Director at a consultancy with 201-500 employees
Great administrative control, reliable technical support, and easy to implement
Pros and Cons
- "The single-pane management is the solution's most valuable feature. It makes administrative control very easy."
- "I know they were just bought out by Broadcom and there have been some difficulties with Broadcom as far as getting license renewals, etc. Mostly, due to the fact that it's confusing, even for the vendor, people are turned off by it. The vendors are telling us that it can take weeks for them to get a renewal quote, nevermind the actual renewal."
What is our primary use case?
We basically use the solution for endpoint protection.
What is most valuable?
The single-pane management is the solution's most valuable feature. It makes administrative control very easy.
What needs improvement?
I'm not sure if the solution can improve that much more. Right now, for me, I'm asking the question "How does Defender stack up against the product we're paying for?"
Defender comes with Windows 10 and we have Windows 10 throughout our environment. With that being free, we're asking ourselves why we would pay for another solution that's sort of redundant.
I know they were just bought out by Broadcom and there have been some difficulties with Broadcom as far as getting license renewals, etc. Mostly, due to the fact that it's confusing, even for the vendor, people are turned off by it. The vendors are telling us that it can take weeks for them to get a renewal quote, nevermind the actual renewal.
I've actually had to call Symantec myself because my vendor said "Well, we're going to try it, but it's going to take weeks to get an answer from them." In the end, it was internally expedited and I got the answer the next day, however, that's an exception, not the rule.
I know a number of people that have left just because of the fact that when Broadcom first bought them, and their licensing ran out, the company provided a temporary license and then another instead of dealing with a proper license. One had to argue for another renewal or for them to promise to give them the proper license in the third month. He finally got it, however, it took three months of begging. That doesn't seem right.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for about ten years at this point. It's been at least a decade.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
From a usage point, it's very stable. With the new company Broadcom, that's taken them over, I know they've had some shakeups. My concern is whether or not Broadcom continues to support it going forward. If they do I'm fine with it. If they don't or they start having failures in their support, then I'm going to have to leave them.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I don't know enough about the scalability to really have an opinion on it, one way or the other. I wouldn't be able to comment on it.
Currently, we have anywhere between 100 and 500 users on the solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
I've used technical support in the past. They've always been okay. We've had very few incidents where we've had to have to call them and ask for assistance. Out of those incidents, in my recollection, the last one was probably a couple of years ago, but those incidents were quickly resolved.
I would say, overall, we've been satisfied with their level of service in the past.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup wasn't complex at all. It was very straightforward. However, in our case, the initial set up was 10 years ago. Its been a very, very long time. I can't speak to what it is like right now. It may be different, or just as easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We're a not-for-profit. We do get exceptionally good pricing, however, I cannot say exactly what the costs are for us on a monthly or yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
We're just a Symantec customer. We aren't a partner or reseller.
We're currently using the latest version of the solution.
Overall, we're pretty happy with the product.
I would tell other organizations considering implementing it that it's a great tool. My concern again would be if Broadcom doesn't really invest in the product's success. Often companies will buy out their competitors and/or they'll buy out a product line thinking that they want to get into that field. Then they turn around and they dump the product line after a year or two and decide, "Well, I guess we don't want to go this way," or they are just buying it out to get rid of the competition.
My concern lies in the new company failing to come through on updates or the delivery of the service. It remains to be seen whether they're going to fail, or whether they're going to continue to support the product and keep it as a high-end solution.
So far I've been very happy with them. I would rate them overall as fairly high, maybe a nine out of ten. The only thing that worries me as a user is whether or not Broadcom is going to continue to support them going forward.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Head of IT Department at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
It is a stable product. A good improvement would be altering the console in the console manager.
Pros and Cons
- "It is a stable product."
- "Sometimes tech support is a bit slow to find a solution."
What is our primary use case?
The primary key is because it doesn't impact much in the performance of the endpoint.
How has it helped my organization?
For me, the end point is almost a commodity. So, an advantage with Symantec is the integration. The integration with our two directories for taking control to administrate people, and then follow up with the segmentation to different people. To be able to manage a subset of the endpoint registering the solution, the distribution is in geographical sounds. The dashboard can be emailed, and I can receive the solution.
What is most valuable?
I find the most valuable features are the security features that have been developed in the past few years.
What needs improvement?
A good improvement would be altering the console in the console manager. Sometimes we need to add and improve the security to access to the console because the indicators and we can take management activities into the console, and it's, nice to have to improve the security access to the console.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable. I do not have any problems with it at all.
How is customer service and technical support?
I only use the technical support once or twice a year. I find that sometimes they are a bit slow to find a solution.
What was our ROI?
The most imprortant criteria for me to find a proper solution in this sphere are:
- Knowledge of the market
- Study of the solution
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I also looked at McAffe, but I noticed that Symantec was the better performing solution when I researched respected user performance.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Updated: October 2024
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It is a stable product and good improvement