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Idira Endpoint Privilege Manager vs Symantec Protection Engine comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 2, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Idira Endpoint Privilege Ma...
Ranking in Anti-Malware Tools
10th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
38
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Compliance (5th), Privileged Access Management (PAM) (7th), Application Control (5th), Ransomware Protection (5th)
Symantec Protection Engine
Ranking in Anti-Malware Tools
18th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Anti-Malware Tools category, the mindshare of Idira Endpoint Privilege Manager is 1.3%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Protection Engine is 0.7%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Anti-Malware Tools Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Idira Endpoint Privilege Manager1.3%
Symantec Protection Engine0.7%
Other98.0%
Anti-Malware Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Sumit Chavan - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead Consultant at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
Helps secure the infrastructure and control users with admin rights
There are many features that are currently missing. A customization option is required for certain policies. For instance, if we need to stop PowerShell scripting, we have to create a different policy for that. Being able to create a sub-level policy within a top-level policy would be good. Currently, no user-based policy option is available inside the EPM console. We can only create computer-based policies. The database is available, but there is a drawback in not being able to create local groups on the EPM console. We only have to depend on Active Directory. This limits infrastructure security as we depend on the Active Directory team to manage user groups. If they remove any users, we lose control. If we could create groups locally and block them or set specific policies, we would have more control. Local endpoint management is missing from the EPM site. Moreover, there is an issue with policies not running as expected when we make enhancements. We have to find multiple ways to whitelist applications or enhance policies.
Abhimanyu Das - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Cybersecurity Engineer at Kyndryl
Real-time file security has reduced incident tickets and improves threat detection accuracy
The best features of Symantec Protection Engine include machine learning, file reputation, and real-time scanning. It efficiently handles heavy loads through ICAP and cloud-based processing, reducing the burden on endpoints compared to Trend Micro and other endpoint security solutions. Its centralized control is also noteworthy. Through machine learning, it detects both known and unknown malware and malicious URLs, in addition to performing signature-based scans that assist SOC teams in analysis. The solution is highly effective in leveraging both machine learning and file reputation. Regarding centralized control, it offers a unified management console for policy deployment and provides real-time visibility through dashboards, helping save significant administrative time. Symantec Protection Engine has had a positive impact on our organization by enhancing our overall security posture. It effectively blocks a high volume of file-based threats across more than 200 servers, saves SOC analysts time in endpoint remediation, and streamlines compliance processes. It further strengthens security through real-time scanning and machine learning-based quarantine, blocking phishing payloads in SharePoint uploads before they reach endpoints, thereby reducing incidents by 30–40% compared to signature-only tools.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It allows whitelisting."
"The stability of CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager is excellent, with an uptime of 99.99 percent."
"CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager has had a positive impact on my customers' security posture."
"The most valuable feature is that it does lifecycle management and that it will change to whatever the end target is."
"The most valuable feature of CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager is its high performance, it's the best identity security platform. The security is good. It's easy to showcase the feature and capabilities and compare it with other competitors. It competes well with other solutions. Additionally, it is a complete solution."
"The solution allows me to give access and privileges to each user individually"
"Users can scale the solution."
"The feature called PTA, which stands for Privileged Threat Analytics keeps track of what admins are doing and works with Centimeters. If something fishy is going on with a user's credentials, it alerts the security team so they can act fast. Plus, it automates stuff like resetting credentials or blocking users. So, if there's a potential hack, CyberArk can change passwords and lock out users in a snap. It also gives you a heads-up if anything unusual is going on with server activities, like someone creating new users with uncontrolled credentials."
"Symantec Protection Engine's been a game-changer for us at Kantar—blocks like 80-85% of file-based threats right at the gateway before they hit our 200 servers, cutting down endpoint incidents big time."
"Symantec Protection Engine is a cheaper and rock-solid product where basic anti-spam features and threat intelligence are needed."
"Symantec Protection Engine has improved my security posture by helping me identify potentially malicious files before they reach users or critical systems, and the automated scanning process has also reduced manual efforts for my team, allowing us to focus on other security tasks and respond to threats more efficiently."
"The operational efficiency with the high-performance scanning of Symantec Protection Engine is very good."
"Symantec Protection Engine provides me with the option of both cloud and on-premise solutions, which stands out for both me and my clients."
"What I appreciate in Symantec Protection Engine is the Virtual Policy Manager (VPM) and the Application Name feature, which are really effective."
"The biggest advantage of Symantec Protection Engine is that one tool protects all, and it is centrally managed."
"The best features that I like the most include the threat intelligence network, which is effective in protecting against evolving threats."
 

Cons

"The installation process is pretty difficult."
"They need much better integration with Azure AD."
"The solution is good but can be improved by allowing computers to be excluded from policies."
"The CyberArk team is working on a feature to identify devices without the Endpoint Privilege Manager running, which is currently missing."
"CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager is not suitable for the current situation because when you compare it to OTP, OTP is the strongest password solution. You can use it as a one-time password, but you have to log into the password manager itself and if you don't change your password, it will be the weakest link in the security. In OTP, you don't have that weakest link."
"There are many features that are currently missing. A customization option is required for certain policies."
"CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager could be improved by simplifying the administration process, specifically when setting up policies and applications."
"While CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager is a great tool, I believe the functionality could be wider. If it could work not only with permissions but also involve pure EDR tasks or User and Entity Behavior Analytics, it would be great."
"As for pricing, I would say it is a little expensive compared to competitors, and I think the vendor could achieve more market growth if the pricing were more reasonable."
"We have scenarios in which Symantec Protection Engine misses some threats, spam, and targeted attacks that Proofpoint can catch with AI security features."
"For the improvement of Symantec Protection Engine, the engine did not work with their basic engine when I was working, which was almost three or four years before."
"To improve Symantec Protection Engine, I suggest simplifying its integration with other tools, as it is more complex compared to Trend Micro and CrowdStrike."
"While I have mentioned many advantages of Symantec Protection Engine, there are areas for improvement, particularly the dashboard features."
"I would like to see improvements in reporting and troubleshooting capabilities for Symantec Protection Engine, as more detailed insights and simplified diagnostics would make day-to-day administration easier."
"I have concerns about scalability."
"Price is a significant area for improvement. The pricing is quite expensive, and it is particularly high for regular customers."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager is expensive. The solution is priced based on the number of accounts onboarded and the number of concurrent sessions. Everyone else is included in the price, such as support."
"licensing for this solution is based on the number of APV (privileged users), and the number of sessions that you want to record."
"We pay about $17 per user."
"The professional services for one eight-hour day would be $1,800."
"I believe it's quite a reasonably priced solution. It's not very common to use CyberArk because it's a niche solution, but customers who are willing to control administrative accounts are willing to pay this money."
"CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager is slightly expensive, but costs can be negotiated to become more competitive."
"I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten since the price can be too high for smaller businesses."
"Pricing depends on how many devices you use. Right now, on-premise, it costs us a little, but it's worth it. It seems like the cloud solution is much more expensive. We got this solution one year ago, and it's like we bought the solution, and now they are not going to support it on-premise anymore. We are in the implementation phase, and we missed this, and we already paid for the licenses. This is wasted time from my perspective, and CyberArk should be more customer-friendly."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Construction Company
7%
Outsourcing Company
16%
Healthcare Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Construction Company
11%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise20
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Large Enterprise4
 

Questions from the Community

Looking for recommendations and a pros/cons template for software to detect insider threats
This is an inside-out --- outside-in --- inside-in question, as an insider can be an outsider as well. There is no short answer other than a blend of a PAM tool with Behavioral Analytics and Endpo...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager?
I believe it's quite a reasonably priced solution. It's not very common to use CyberArk because it's a niche solution, but customers who are willing to control administrative accounts are willing t...
What needs improvement with CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager?
While CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager is a great tool, I believe the functionality could be wider. If it could work not only with permissions but also involve pure EDR tasks or User and Entity ...
What needs improvement with Symantec Protection Engine?
For emerging threats, content scanning is not enough anymore. We recently started talking about alternative products such as Proofpoint or other mail gateways which have AI features. Symantec is la...
What is your primary use case for Symantec Protection Engine?
Customers prefer Symantec Protection Engine for the licensing fees over the alternatives. The product has basic protection which is a bit lower than expectations recently, but it is an adequate pro...
 

Also Known As

Viewfinity
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Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Idira Endpoint Privilege Manager vs. Symantec Protection Engine and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
917,433 professionals have used our research since 2012.