Report:

A: This research covers a comprehensive 25-criterion evaluation of the most significant endpoint security providers in the market. The evaluation assesses vendors across current offering capabilities (including malware prevention, exploit prevention, behavioral analysis, attack remediation, vulnerability management, and endpoint control functions), strategy (vision, innovation, roadmap, partner ecosystem, adoption, and pricing), and market presence (revenue and customer base). The report includes detailed vendor profiles for 13 providers, scoring them as Leaders, Strong Performers, Contenders, or Challengers based on their endpoint protection platform capabilities.

A: Security and risk (S&R) professionals should use this research to select the right endpoint security provider for their organizational needs. The report helps buyers evaluate vendors based on their specific requirements, whether that's prioritizing prevention capabilities, extending the ability to do more with less staff, ensuring seamless transition to EDR or XDR platforms, or finding solutions with strong cross-platform support. The downloadable Excel-based vendor comparison tool allows clients to adapt criteria weightings to their individual needs and compare vendors based on their unique priorities. This research is particularly valuable for organizations looking to consolidate security products, address cybersecurity staffing challenges, or transition from traditional antivirus to modern endpoint protection platforms.

A: All vendors included in this evaluation must offer a comprehensive endpoint protection platform with most of the following capabilities out of the box: malware and exploit prevention, attack and vulnerability remediation, behavioral-based malicious action detection and prevention, endpoint control, and deep reporting. Additionally, vendors must earn $100 million or more in annual endpoint security revenue with no more than 90% of revenue from a single region, and demonstrate interest from or relevance to Forrester clients through inquiries, interviews, surveys, or through technical capabilities and market presence.

A:

• Annual endpoint security revenue below $100 million
• More than 90% of revenue concentrated in a single geographic region
• Lack of comprehensive endpoint protection platform capabilities
• Missing most core capabilities such as malware and exploit prevention, attack and vulnerability remediation, behavioral-based malicious action detection and prevention, endpoint control, or deep reporting
• Insufficient interest from or relevance to Forrester clients
• Limited technical capabilities or market presence
• Vendor declined to participate or only partially participated in the evaluation

A:

• Prioritize prevention capabilities that protect from the broadest range of attack methods and vectors at the endpoint to reduce time spent on recovery versus investigation
• Evaluate solutions that integrate functions such as vulnerability and patch remediation or secure configuration management to consolidate security tools and extend the ability to do more with less
• Consider endpoint security solutions that allow easy migration to EDR or XDR without reconfiguration or changing endpoints to simplify incident correlation and shorten mean time to resolution
• Assess vendor pricing models and total cost of ownership, including required add-ons for complete functionality
• Evaluate agent performance impact on endpoints across different operating systems
• Consider the depth and quality of reporting and management capabilities
• Assess the strength of the vendor's roadmap and commitment to endpoint security innovation
• Evaluate cross-platform support including mobile threat defense capabilities
• Consider integration capabilities with existing security infrastructure and partner ecosystems

A:

• Endpoint security vendors are building out extended detection and response (XDR) platforms while organizations remain primarily focused on preventing attacks at the endpoint
• Evolution beyond simple malware prevention or next-generation antivirus to incorporate behavioral analysis and prevention, vulnerability and patch remediation, and advanced threat preventions for data, identity, and network
• Cybersecurity staffing challenges driving consolidation of security products that protect the endpoint
• Integration of functions such as vulnerability and patch remediation or secure configuration management to reduce the number of tools customers need to maintain proper endpoint security posture
• Emphasis on seamless transition from endpoint protection to EDR or XDR without reconfiguration or endpoint changes
• Focus on automation to reduce SOC staffing requirements while maintaining necessary attack prevention capabilities

A: Current Offering (vertical axis) evaluates the strength of vendors' existing endpoint security solutions based on technical capabilities including prevention engines, behavioral analysis, attack remediation, endpoint controls, and reporting features. Strategy (horizontal axis) evaluates vendors' forward-looking plans and market approach including product vision, innovation investment, roadmap depth, partner ecosystem strength, customer adoption rates, and pricing models. Current Offering focuses on what the solution can do today, while Strategy focuses on the vendor's ability to evolve and maintain competitive advantage over time.