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Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection vs. Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection

    Score7.5 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft System Center Endpoint Protection is a malware, spyware, antivirus and endpoint protection application available formerly with System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), which later became Microsoft Endpoint Manager. It is a legacy product, with older versions reaching end of support, and is not available as a standalone product.N/A

    Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/ACortex XDR (formerly Traps) replaces traditional antivirus with multi-method prevention, a proprietary combination of malware and exploit prevention methods that protect users and endpoints from known and unknown threats.N/A
    Pricing
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint ProtectionPalo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint ProtectionPalo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint ProtectionPalo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Palo Alto Networks
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    89%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    88%
    Delivers good value for the price
    7 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    89%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    86%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    6 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    88%
    Implementation went as expected
    7 Answers
    Features
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint ProtectionPalo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Endpoint Security
    Comparison of Endpoint Security features of Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection and Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Feature
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection
    7.9
    2 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    -
    Ratings
    Anti-Exploit Technology7.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)8.52 Ratings00 Ratings
    Centralized Management8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Hybrid Deployment Support6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Infection Remediation9.52 Ratings00 Ratings
    Vulnerability Management8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Malware Detection8.52 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint ProtectionPalo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Small Businesses
    Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Sophos Intercept X for Server
    Score7.3 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Watchguard Endpoint Security
    Score8.8 out of 10
    InsightIDR
    Score9.5 out of 10
    Enterprises
    ESET PROTECT
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Kaspersky EDR Optimum
    Score9.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint ProtectionPalo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.0
    (13 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.6
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint ProtectionPalo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Microsoft
    If an organization is all Windows-based Active Directory systems, then System Center Endpoint Protection is worth deploying and using. If it's a hybrid of operating systems, then an alternative solution is best.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Palo Alto Networks
    Malware that doesn’t leave files behind has become widely available. Anyone who can afford to reverse this trend should purchase technology. Application whitelisting isn’t for everyone, and Palo Alto Networks Traps can help. Enterprises looking for a low-affected, next-generation solution with high protection should consider it. PAN Traps is a great product at a reasonable price, and I highly recommend it.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Microsoft
    • It is easy to use and configure. This is a benefit, not just for the IT/Admin team, but also for the end-user, as they can easily set how and when to run scans.
    • It is good a identifying threats and removing these threats. When looking for a product such as this, it is important to really look at these two areas to really see how the software will work in a real-world environment. SCEP is one such product that does really well at both of these things.
    Incentivized
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    Palo Alto Networks
    • Direct Access to devices via Live Terminal which provides operations with scripting, triage, and preservation of artifacts.
    • Behavioral Indicators of Compromise which provides alerts on events regarding groups of hosts and their signatures.
    • Querying complex data sets involving a variety of devices for network connections, hashes, DNS, etc.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Microsoft
    • Not so much a limitation on the software itself, but the fact that is primarily only "signature" based, it cannot detect threats that have mutated.
    • This software provides virtually no protection against zero-day threats.
    • The System Center Endpoint Protection does not offer protections based on behavioral analysis.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Palo Alto Networks
    • Traps doesn't seem to function as a traditional A/V very well, so it's better as another layer to your endpoint protection
    • Traps can cause issues with some legacy or custom programs, so exceptions may have to be made
    • Traps falsely identifies things as malicious at times, this is not often though
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Microsoft
    It is integrated with Windows and SCCM, making it easy to use, license, manage, and update. Additionally, it is straightforward to diagnose when virus and ransomware alerts are detected on endpoints. IT Service Desk management is also easy.
    Incentivized
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    Palo Alto Networks
    Cortex XDR does a very good job of blocking suspicious and threatening items. However, as with all software of this nature, it will sometimes block known-good items. The difficulty is in manually whitelisting these known-good items. The interface to whitelist is confusing even for a seasoned IT professional and has been the single most frustrating experience of using Cortex XDR
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    Microsoft
    Support is pretty good overall. Since it's a Microsoft product, there are a number of different options for either end-users or IT Admins to get help with this product. This includes phone support, email, web KB articles, community forums, etc. This support is also available 24/7, which can't be said the same for every AV product out there. Also, organizations can opt to buy into Enterprise support, which gives the added benefit of faster response times, training by the vendor, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Palo Alto Networks
    The support we receive from Palo Alto is one of the best aspects of Traps. It is very easy to recommend their support. It seems much easier to connect directly with someone with a deep understanding of the product rather than other companies where you basically have to make an airtight case that it is some kind of non-standard issue that can't be solved with existing documentation. Palo Alto digs deep and helps with advanced troubleshooting to get things working.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Microsoft
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection was the logical choice for our organization since we were utilizing so many other Microsoft solutions. We have since realized the need for more advanced threat protections and primarily use SCEP as an additional level of protection. Our primary protection is being provided by Carbon Black because of it's advanced heuristics and behavioral analysis capabilities
    Incentivized
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    Palo Alto Networks
    Traps is the slickest interface, easy to use and intuitive rule making, and the rest just didn't quite stack up to the performance level of Traps. McAfee and Kaspersky just hog processor and RAM power. I didn't like the interface and functionality of SentinelOne as much as Traps. Palo Alto really put a lot of time into the development of this software, and had some of the founding fathers of IT Security heading the development process. Can't beat that.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Microsoft
    • The Windows 11 version of SCEP is significantly better than the Windows 10 and older iterations, and it has saved us from virus issues in the past.
    • This is faster and less work to deploy to a pc when we build and deploy them.
    • No extra admin and costs for AV licensing in our case, which makes renewal times easier on IT Management.
    Incentivized
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    Palo Alto Networks
    • After putting Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR on a user's system, users came back with a positive response that there are no performance issues now.
    • We are able to track and control granular suspicious and malicious activities.
    • Web controls are missing, which if they would have been there would have been very helpful.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Screenshots

    Screenshot of a Cortex XDR overviewScreenshot of a view of the Cortex XDR dashboardScreenshot of a view of the Cortex XDR dashboardScreenshot of a view of the Cortex XDR dashboard