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Many companies claim to offer the best Cyber and Network Security services. Today, there are hundreds of solutions available that address different areas of IT security — from malware protection to encryption or data backup.
Choosing the right cybersecurity provider for your business is like deciding which movie to watch on Netflix. There are just too many choices, and eventually you’ll probably end up not choosing at all because you feel frustrated not being able to make the right choice. It’s the same with cybersecurity solutions, except that not choosing may cost you dearly.
To help guide you in this jungle, this article presents you the 3 most promising security vendors for 2022 and why.
How did we select them?
All vendors highlighted in this article have been carefully selected by Easi’s “Technology Watch”.
This means that at a certain point in time Easi identified a need in the market, did a benchmark of multiple players, tested several solutions & made a choice.
Thanks to Easi’s knowledge of the Belgian security market, the choice is based on the following questions:
- Is the solution considered as a “best of breed” in the market?
- Is it a pragmatic solution? Easy to manage?
- Does it provide a decent Return on Investment?
3 players that are here to stay
1) Fortinet
Fortinet provides customers not just with one point solution, but with a complete Security Fabric. The basis of which is the so called "FortiGate firewall", with Anti-Virus & Intrusion prevention & other built-in security solutions. This Next-Generation Firewall also comes with built-in SD-WAN functionalities.
With a FortiGate on each of their sites, companies get better visibility, availability, enhanced performance, and more freedom of action within their company’s network (often replacing very expensive & not so flexible MPLS networks).
Moreover, Fortinet can also add value by :
- Centralizing all firewall logs via FortiAnalyzer (a cyber insurance requirement these days!);
- Using FortiAuthenticator for user level authentication, leading to improve security & the user experience;
- Network segmentation, in order to divide a company’s network into smaller sections or subnets. Each network segment will then act its own network, providing security teams with increased control over the traffic that flows into the IT systems.
There is no security domain where Fortinet can’t add value. But Fortinet also offers a flexible security ecosystem, which doesn’t only supports Fortinet point solutions, but also 3rd party security products.
Gartner recognizes Fortinet in this domain and names it as one of the cybersecurity mesh architecture (CSMA) leaders. A CyberSecurity Mesh Architecture (CSMA) provides a foundational support layer that enables distinct security services to work together to create a dynamic security environment.
Fortinet continues to evolve and has been steadily building a reputation as one of the top security companies with high customer satisfaction ratings. According to Gartner, Fortinet is also a “clear leader” in the Unified Threat Management (UTM) market, and it’s a good shortlist candidate for all SMBs.
2) SentinelOne
SentinelOne is definitely a player that deserves to be in our top-3. The company helped create awareness with regard to Next-Generation Endpoint Protection, as well as Detection & Response.
Thanks to players like SentinelOne, Belgian companies have seen that a traditional Anti-Virus solution is no longer sufficient against most cyber threats nowadays. Putting forward an Endpoint solution that can easily fend off both signature-based and signature-less attacks with1 single light-weight agent and a very easy to use dashboard, SentinelOne is a “set & forget” type of security solution.
Last year's Log4J vulnerability showed that SentinelOne most advanced license called "SentinelOne Complete" made it possible for customers to proactively “Threat Hunt” for Log4j vulnerability traces, providing peace of mind.
SentinelOne also focuses on providing maximum security for IoT devices in your network. Did you know that hackers once attacked a company through fish tanks thermostats? Simply because it was an unmanaged IP-enabled device. SentinelOne’s optional solution called “Ranger”, addresses this risk by revealing what is known & unknown in your network.
Last but not least they’ve also just launched their own Mobile Threat Defense solution with Singularity Mobile, SentinelOne now expands its endpoint security perimeter to the mobile device landscape.
3) Proofpoint
The user-centric approach to organizational cybersecurity is Proofpoint's security flagship. Rather than designing a security strategy around devices, databases, and files, Proofpoint starts with each user's risk profile and helps to develop a solution to safeguard them. They provide security training, email protection, and Microsoft 365 security, among other security services.
Proofpoint proved to be a very reliable security partner for Easi's customers. By providing one single platform to execute both Phishing and Awareness Training, Proofpoint allows customers to create an end-to-end User Security Awareness Training campaign, with modules for a physical poster campaign, a USB stick campaign, Smishing, etc.
"Gone are the days of lengthy classical trainings where nobody pays attention to what is being said. The 2022 focus is now on performing digital campaigns, phishing & micro learnings to make sure the user gets confronted with cybersecurity all year long" - Geert Van de Steen (Chief Information Security Officer at Easi)
Vendors to keep in mind for 2023
Vectra
Vectra has a very interesting view on cybersecurity. They believe that organizations spend disproportionate amounts of resources and money trying to block a threat that can’t be blocked. That’s why Vectra encourages customers to not only invest in Prevention, but also in Network Detection & Response.
Vectra applies artificial intelligence to detect and respond to hidden cyber attackers inside cloud, data center and enterprise networks. The company’s methodology is interesting because it provides high fidelity alerts instead of more noise. In addition to that, Vectra does not decrypt data. So, end users can enjoy a secure environment while maintaining privacy.
Easi kick-started its partnership with Vectra in 2021 after being really impressed by its dashboard which provides maximal network visibility. The advanced Cyber AI engine is able to learn the difference between "normal" & "suspicious" activity based on behavior analysis.
Exabeam
All these IT, Network & Security platforms require significant time to manage, and they all produce loads of (security) logs. This is where Exabeam kicks in.
Exabeam is the market leader in User & Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA). Contrary to similar software that only show the abnormal behaviors of a user, Exabeam will also show its normal activities. With the help of the automatic grading system, a system analyst can assess much quicker whether an action is usual or rather risky, and all this in real-time!
Exabeam is a Security Incident & Event Management (SIEM) solution, which will hook into the most important security platforms of the customer. It is the logical next step for companies who already invested in a few best of breed solutions.
Having access to all the logs of Active Directory, Proxy, Endpoint & Office 365, Exabeam is able to cover the majority of MITRE's ATTACK framework.
With its Belgian based Security Operations Center (SOC), Easi is often tasked to manage & monitor the main security platforms of its customers. Exabeam helps Easi’s to detect, investigate, and respond more quickly, accurately, and prescriptively to manage a cybersecurity breach and mitigate the potential damage swiftly.
Netwrix
Netwrix Auditor helps to ease the burden of IT auditing. Its mere purpose is to help detect security threats, help customers prove Compliance & increase IT team efficiency.
Its solutions allow getting a consolidated audit trail across a wide variety of IT systems, including Active Directory, Windows Server, and network devices.
This means companies can audit their most important IT systems, but from one centralized platform. No more juggling multiple auditing and reporting tools in an attempt to collect audit information from all on-premises and cloud-based systems. With Netwrix you are able to make a quick risk assessment, while helping to protect sensitive data regardless of its location.
Choosing the right player for you
The purpose of this article was to show you that the quest for the ideal cybersecurity ecosystem is not particularly easy due to the multitude of players and solutions on the market. The listed parties should definitely be on your shortlist, when you are looking for solutions.
At Easi, we also work with many partners that specialize in niche topics such as Data Loss Prevention, Web scanning, etc. Finding a trusted partner for the long run is crucial for any company. Implementing more solutions and spending money on all kinds of tools without having strategic insights is a waste of time and money. However, investing in a strong partnership for the long run will be a better way to go.
Don’t hesitate to contact one of our security experts.
