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In today’s crowded market, picking an endpoint security solution that fits your business needs is not an easy task. Competition is good to spur innovation, but how can IT managers decide when there are so many vendors out there that claim to offer the best solutions?

To distinguish a good security solution from the bad, you should assess these three critical areas: real-world performance, the vendor’s vision, and end-user reviews. Thankfully, you don’t have to start from scratch as there are various independent market research reports available that can help you to make up your mind.

Let us show you why ESET checks all the right boxes and scores extremely well in all three areas.

Real-world performance
Independent testing labs undertake tests to assess the real-world performance and usability of various security solutions in the market. They often use large samples of in-the-wild threats for testing to provide accurate performance indicators. As these reports are data-driven, it allows you to take out the guesswork and make an informed decision to ensure you pick the right security solution for your business.

Here’s what the leading independent testing labs have to say about ESET security solutions.

AV-TEST
AV-Test is an independent evaluator with over 15 years of testing security solutions under its belt. In their March - April 2021 report, AV-Test assessed the capabilities of 18 business endpoint security solutions on several critical considerations, namely protection against malware infections, the impact of security software on computer speed and usability. ESET received a perfect total score of 18/18 for all three categories and had been doing so in the past three assessments conducted by AV-Test.

 Figure 1: ESET received the perfect score for the third time running

In the Protection Test, over 17,000 malware samples consisted of zero-day attacks, web threats and prevalent malware were used to evaluate the effectiveness of security software in a real-world setting. ESET recorded an impressive 100% protection against such threats in the tests conducted in March and April 2021.

This was achieved without compromising the computer’s performance as indicated by a six out of six rating in the Performance Test, which assessed the system load on various tasks such as slower copying of files and slower launch of standard software.

As false alarms can disrupt work routine, AV-Test also measured the number of false positives flagged or blocked when visiting websites and using legitimate software. ESET recorded zero false positives in more than the 1.7 million samples tested.

IT managers should keep in mind that a security solution can be fast but inaccurate with high false positives and a low detection rate. It can also be accurate but consume too many resources for scanning, which slows down PCs. ESET emerged as the top solution because it is both fast and accurate.

AV-Test’s assessment showed that ESET’s endpoint protection solution is suitable for all types of PCs, including low and mid-performance ones. It strikes the perfect balance between accuracy, speed, and resource consumption for optimal performance. As a business owner, you could even potentially stretch your PCs’ lifespan.

MRG Effitas
MGR Effitas’ 360 Degree Assessment & Certification is another test report that is useful to measure the efficacy of an endpoint security solution. In Q3 2020, MGR Effitas tested eight endpoint security solutions, and only five fulfilled its strict standards of excellence.

Do security solutions autoblock malware, or do they also require user’s intervention? Unlike other tests, MRG Effitas also evaluates a solution’s autoblock and behaviour block (postpone the execution of a file that is suspected malicious while awaiting user input). Solutions that missed malware were also given a second opportunity after 24 hours in a second scan.

If you want a solution that autoblocks, ESET is the right choice for you. ESET scored the highest with respect to autoblock with 98.51% vs. the reported average of 93.78% for the ‘In the Wild 360 / Full Spectrum test’. When combined with malware blocks that required user intervention, ESET scored 100%. It was one of only two vendors with a 100% detection rate on the first scan.

Thanks to our high auto-block rate, ESET had the lowest behaviour block of almost a third vs. the other vendors. This means end-user can expect minimal pop-up disruption as most of the threats had been blocked automatically without the user’s input.

Figure 2: ESET scored the highest autoblock for the In the Wild 360 test

ESET’s solution was the only security solution that obtained a 100% block rate (automatic and behaviour block) for all of the samples tested in every threat category, namely in the wild, ransomware, financial malware, and PUA/adware. ESET auto-block capability was unmatched as our solution scored 100% auto-block in 3 out of 5 categories. No other vendors came close.

What’s even more impressive was ESET’s solution achieved this with a small memory footprint at merely 190.1Mb vs. 402.6Mb for the second vendor and 300Mb lower than the average. These tests were conducted based on the 'enterprise' environment, highlighting that ESET's solutions are not designed only for SMBs.

SE Labs
SE Labs tests enterprise-grade endpoint security solution capabilities such as ESET Endpoint Security by using a “full attack chain” to evaluate the effectiveness of every layer of detection and protection. In their 21Q1 Enterprise Endpoint Protection report, ESET scored 100% in legitimate accuracy (no mistakes in distinguishing legitimate websites and applications), 99% in total accuracy, and 97% in protection accuracy. As SE Labs put it, “ESET achieved extremely good results due to a combination of their ability to block malicious URLs, handle exploits and correctly classify legitimate applications and websites.

Market Research from Leading Firms
While the aforementioned tests are a good indication of 'current' performance, the cybersecurity threat landscape isn't static. New threats emerge all the time. When choosing an endpoint security solution, IT Managers should ask: Can the vendor enable my business to stay ahead of evolving threats?

The right vendor for your business should continuously develop and invest in their products to ensure your business is always protected from current and future threats. Market research from leading firms can answer these questions and many more.

AV-Comparatives Endpoint Prevention and Response (EPR) 2020
Thanks to the capabilities of the ESET Protect Enterprise bundle, ESET was named a Strategic Leader in the AV-Comparatives’ Enterprise EPR CyberRisk Quadrant. ESET is at the top right of the quadrant!

Figure 3: ESET’s position in the AV-Comparatives’ Enterprise EPR CyberRisk Quadrant

ESET also scored the highest in Response Capability. Strategic Leaders like ESET were recognised for having a high return on investment and providing a low total cost of ownership (TCO). Why does TCO matter? An organisation doesn’t only pay for the solution but also breach costs and operational accuracy costs. This means a vendor that offers the lowest upfront per agent cost might not necessarily be the cheapest as a business will incur losses or operational costs during a breach or false positive investigation.

According to AV-Comparative, ESET had the lowest 5-year TCO – almost 60% lower than the average of all the vendors evaluated!

Figure 4: Total Cost of Ownership Formula

Figure 5: Key Metrics based on 5,000 clients

Radicati
ESET was recognised as a Top Player in Radicati’s 2020 Endpoint Security Market Quadrant, which evaluates 17 leading vendors in this niche. It was placed in this quadrant for the third year in a row. ESET was also named a Top Player for the second year in a row in Radicati’s 2021 Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) Protection Market Quadrant. This report examines 12 leading security vendors in the market. ESET was one of six vendors to be recognised as a Top Player.

 Figure 6: ESET, a Top Player in the Radicati Magic Quadrant

IDC
International Data Corporation is a market research and analysis organisation that evaluates devices, networks, applications, and services across various industries. The IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Mobile Threat Management Software 2020 Vendor Assessment recognised ESET as a global leader in cybersecurity for the second year in a row.

This IDC evaluation states that “ESET is strong in the areas of threat research, especially around Android malware identification and behaviour detection. Organisations looking to consolidate security products and operations around a unified endpoint security model should also consider ESET for its broader portfolio of endpoint and security management tools on top of Mobile Threat Management."

Forrester
Forrester Research is a market research and advisory company that helps consumers identify high-performance businesses. ESET was included in Forrester’s Now Tech: Enterprise Detection and Response (EDR) Q1 2020 report and was recognised as an Enterprise Architecture EDR solution provider.

End-User Insights
It’s not a secret that we usually check out peer reviews when purchasing a big-ticket item. It is human nature to seek feedback that validates our choices. This principle also applies to our purchase decisions. Luckily, there are so many review sites that specialise in verified end-user reviews.

Gartner Peer Insights and Voice of the Customer
Gartner is a global research and advisory firm that supports different business industries. Voice of the Customer is a report that translates Gartner Peer Insights into actionable insights. It is the go-to review and rating platform for IT managers and decision-makers.

Customer feedback is compiled into an average star rating and individual ratings for several subcategories. ESET scored 4.5 stars out of 5 from 110 reviews, including 4.5 ratings in Evaluation and Contracting and Product Capabilities. Based on ratings and the level of review coverage, ESET is a Customers’ Choice security solution with an overall rating of 4.6.

G2
G2 is a review and rating platform that uses consumer feedback with social data to provide insights for various business software solutions. ESET holds 4.5 stars out of 5 from 415 reviews on G2’s platform. “It is ahead of the competition in Malware Detection and Endpoint Intelligence. ESET is also leading against its competitors in several ratings, including Meets Requirements, Ease of Use, Ease of Setup, Ease of Admin, Quality of Support, and Ease of Doing Business With. The reviews note that ESET has outstanding support and offers “complete protection against hackers, malware, and data loss.”

Thanks to this, ESET maintained its ‘Leader’ position in G2 Grid® for Endpoint Protection Suites, outperforming most of our competitors.

Figure 7: ESET in the Leaders quadrant in G2 Grid® for Endpoint Protection Suites

Summary
There's no better way to assess a software solution than to consult the evaluation of independent IT experts and the feedback from real users. Combining expert opinions, market research and end-user insights paint a complete picture.

So, how does ESET fare in the market? Well, ESET is leading the pack in all of these areas. IT managers looking for a high-performing solution for business cybersecurity should have ESET on their radar.