Report:
Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms
How does Gartner define the Endpoint Protection Platforms market in 2024?
Gartner defines an endpoint protection platform (EPP) as security software designed to protect managed endpoints — including desktop PCs, laptop PCs, mobile devices and, in some cases, server endpoints — against known and unknown malicious attacks. EPPs provide capabilities for security teams to investigate and remediate incidents that evade prevention controls. EPP products are delivered as software agents, deployed to endpoints, and connected to centralized security analytics and management consoles. EPPs provide a defensive security control to protect end-user endpoints against known and unknown malware infections using a combination of security techniques (such as static and behavioral analysis) and system controls (such as device control and host firewall management). EPP prevention and protection capabilities are deployed as a part of a defense-in-depth strategy to help reduce the attack surface and minimize the risk of endpoint compromise. EPP detection and response capabilities are used to uncover, investigate, and respond to endpoint threats that evade security prevention, often as a part of broader security operations platforms.
Key Facts for Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms in 2024
- Publication Date: 23 September 2024
- Document ID: G00808300
- Coverage: Global
- Authors: Evgeny Mirolyubov, Franz Hinner
- Core Purpose: This Magic Quadrant evaluates endpoint protection platform (EPP) vendors to help security and risk management leaders select solutions that protect managed endpoints against malicious attacks through prevention, protection, detection, and response capabilities.
Strategic Planning Assumptions
- By 2028, 30% of enterprises will adopt preventative endpoint security, endpoint detection and response, and identity threat detection and response from the same vendor, up from approximately 5% in 2024
- By 2029, 50% of organizations will evaluate endpoint protection platforms as part of a comprehensive workspace security strategy, up from approximately 20% in 2024
How was the Endpoint Protection Platforms market evolved in 2024?
- All solutions in this Magic Quadrant offer effective protection against most common attacks
- EPPs are security software designed to protect managed endpoints including desktop PCs, laptop PCs, mobile devices and server endpoints against known and unknown malicious attacks
- EPP products combine prevention, protection, detection and response capabilities in a single agent
- The market includes 16 evaluated vendors across Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries, and Niche Players quadrants
- Growth in cloud-delivered EPP and EDR adoption has flattened, with only moderate increases compared to previous year
- Interest in XDR and ITDR capabilities is increasing with adoption rates of 14% and 9% respectively as of May 2024
- Despite GenAI announcements, adoption of GenAI capabilities among EPP customers remains low
- Most vendors have integrated prevention, protection, detection and response into unified solutions with single agents and consoles
- Vendors are focusing on incremental improvements including GenAI assistants, vulnerability management, and workspace security integration
- The market is mature but no perfect solutions exist, as illustrated by major vendor incidents in 2024
What product features are required to be included in this year's evaluation?
- Prevention of, and protection against, security threats, including malware that uses file-based and fileless attack techniques.
- The ability to detect and prevent threats using behavioral analysis of endpoint, application and end-user activity.
What are the common features of top products in the Endpoint Protection Platforms space?
- Management and reporting of operating system security controls, such as host firewall, device control and endpoint encryption.
- Assessment of endpoints for vulnerabilities and risk reporting based on inventory, configuration, patch and policy of endpoint devices.
- Integrated endpoint detection and response (EDR) functionality enabling raw telemetry collection, detection customization, postincident investigation and remediation.
- Partner- and vendor-delivered service wrappers, such as managed detection and response (MDR) and co-managed security monitoring.
Scope Exclusions
- Russian vendors are not included due to a pause in coverage by Gartner
Inclusion Criteria
Vendors must, among other requirements:
- Solution supports Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems
- Solution combines all security prevention, protection, detection and response functionality in a single agent
- Solution enforces agent-based protection using combination of security techniques and system controls
- Solution includes built-in endpoint detection and response (EDR) functionality
- Solution provides severity rating, process tree, and MITRE ATT&CK mapping
- Solution provides cloud-based, SaaS-style, multitenant security analytics and management infrastructure
- Solution offers tight coupling with partner- or vendor-delivered service wrappers (MDR)
- Vendor must sell EPP software and licensing independently
- Vendor must design, own and maintain most detection content and threat intelligence in-house
- Vendor must have participated in at least two enterprise-focused public tests within 12 months before 1 April 2024
- Vendor must have over 7.5 million licensed endpoints protected as of 29 April 2024, with over 500,000 active production installations with accounts larger than 500 seats
- Proportion of enterprise customers in a single region outside North America or Europe must not exceed 60%
Ability to Execute — Relative Weighting
- Product or Service - High
- Overall Viability - Medium
- Sales Execution/Pricing - Medium
- Market Responsiveness/Record - High
- Marketing Execution - NotRated
- Customer Experience - High
- Operations - Medium
Completeness of Vision — Relative Weighting
- Market Understanding - High
- Marketing Strategy - NotRated
- Sales Strategy - Medium
- Offering (Product) Strategy - High
- Business Model - NotRated
- Vertical/Industry Strategy - Low
- Innovation - Medium
- Geographic Strategy - Low
FAQs
Q: What does this research cover?
A: This research evaluates 16 endpoint protection platform vendors based on their ability to execute and completeness of vision. It covers vendors offering EPP solutions that protect managed endpoints through prevention, protection, detection and response capabilities delivered via single agents. The evaluation includes core EPP functionality, EDR capabilities, workspace security integrations, XDR platforms, managed detection and response services, and vendors' ability to serve enterprise customers globally.
Q: Who should use this research?
A: Security and risk management leaders should use this research when evaluating EPP vendors for protecting end-user endpoints. Buyers should use it to understand vendor positioning, strengths and cautions, and to evaluate vendors in the context of comprehensive workspace security strategies and broader security operations modernization projects. The research helps organizations select appropriate vendors based on their specific needs including organization size, geography, required capabilities (prevention vs. detection focus), deployment preferences (cloud vs. on-premises), and whether they need MDR service augmentation.
Q: What are the mandatory features of vendors included in this market?
A: Vendors must provide prevention and protection against security threats including file-based and fileless malware attacks, and the ability to detect and prevent threats using behavioral analysis of endpoint, application and end-user activity.
Q: What are some reasons for not being included in this report?
A:
- Does not support Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems
- Does not combine all security functionality in a single agent
- Does not include built-in EDR functionality
- Does not provide cloud-based, SaaS-style management infrastructure
- Cannot sell EPP software and licensing independently
- Does not design, own and maintain most detection content in-house
- Has not participated in at least two enterprise-focused public tests in the past 12 months
- Has fewer than 7.5 million licensed endpoints or fewer than 500,000 active production installations with accounts larger than 500 seats
- Has more than 60% of enterprise customers concentrated in a single region outside North America or Europe
- Russian vendors excluded due to Gartner coverage pause
Q: What differentiates Ability to Execute vs. Completeness of Vision?
A: Ability to Execute evaluates vendors on their current market performance, operational capabilities, and delivery effectiveness. It focuses on product quality, financial viability, sales execution, market responsiveness, customer experience, and operational excellence. Completeness of Vision evaluates vendors on their strategic direction and future market positioning. It assesses market understanding, sales and product strategies, innovation capabilities, and geographic/vertical expansion plans. Ability to Execute measures present-day execution while Completeness of Vision measures strategic foresight and market leadership potential.
Reference
- Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms, 23 September 2024, ID G00808300
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