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Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection vs. Sophos Intercept X

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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

    Sophos Intercept X

    Score8.9 out of 10
    N/ASophos Endpoint Protection (Sophos EPP) with Intercept X is an endpoint security product providing an antivirus / antimalware solution that when upgraded with Intercept X or Intercept X Advanced provides advanced threat detection and EDR capabilities.

    $28

    per year per user

    Pricing
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint ProtectionSophos Intercept X
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Intercept X Advanced
    $28
    per year per user
    Intercept X Advanced with XDR
    $48
    per year per user
    Sophos Managed Threat Response
    $79
    per year per user
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint ProtectionSophos Intercept X
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsPricing is for a 3-year commitment. Government and Education pricing available.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint ProtectionSophos Intercept X
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Sophos
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    90%
    Would buy again
    18 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    20 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    20 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    18 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    89%
    Implementation went as expected
    17 Answers
    Features
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint ProtectionSophos Intercept X
    Endpoint Security
    Comparison of Endpoint Security features of Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection and Sophos Intercept X
    Feature
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection
    7.9
    2 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Sophos Intercept X
    8.9
    18 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Anti-Exploit Technology7.02 Ratings7.118 Ratings
    Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)8.52 Ratings9.018 Ratings
    Centralized Management8.01 Ratings10.018 Ratings
    Hybrid Deployment Support6.01 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Infection Remediation9.52 Ratings10.018 Ratings
    Vulnerability Management8.02 Ratings8.44 Ratings
    Malware Detection8.52 Ratings10.018 Ratings
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    User Ratings
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint ProtectionSophos Intercept X
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.0
    (35 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.6
    (2 ratings)
    8.1
    (12 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft System Center Endpoint ProtectionSophos Intercept X
    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
    Sophos
    To be frank, this product is fairly expensive. So I would recommend this to companies that are mid-sized or larger to condone the cost of the purchase. It does save me a significant amount of time in my day - being able to glance at the dashboard and see if there are any outstanding issues that require my attention, as not much digging must be done to accomplish this. So for our company, with a short-staffed IT department, it's incredibly helpful to us. We also qualify for Educational pricing which brings the cost down - which helps tremendously
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Sophos
    • Sophos Intercept X is great at preventing malware infections and rolling back their effects. I have seen this happen hundreds of times since we installed it
    • When combined with Sophos Central, you have an easy to use dashboard where you can manage all installations from a single pane of glass.
    • It's easy to deploy on machines and stays updated.
    • Good reporting features including alerts sent to the admin if there's ever something wrong with it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Sophos
    • Sophos OOTB policies are very strict and they don't offer anything less strict without you creating new custom policies. I'm sure this is deliberate because the product starts you out in the safest way possible but it means that you will have lots of calls to your tech support desk when you first deploy it unless you do somewhat extensive testing beforehand.
    • Sophos Intercept X is currently broken (at least the DLP component) by having secure boot turned on in the UEFI/BIOS. If any user wants to be able to write data to a USB drive or floppy from their PC (yes we still have a couple users who need to use floppies) we have to turn off secure boot on their PC, even if the DLP policy for that user/PC combination specifies that the user and PC are allowed to write to USB/floppy. This would be a very serious problem if it weren't for the fact that we have very few users who need to write files to USB. For us it's OK but I bet it would be a deal-breaker for others.
    • I don't see a whole lot of evidence that Intercept X is any different than any other anti-virus, so maybe their admin alerts just don't clearly identify when they have identified a zero-day threat or maybe we just haven't had any zero-day threats.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Sophos
    We have gotten a great product for the price. Easy to maintain and set up on new devices. Support is great and easy to work with and understand.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Sophos
    The usability has never been a problem. Sophos Intercept X is a program you can install and let protect your company without much intervention. Apart from a few policies, Sophos will keep you protected better than most any product on the market. Sophos Intercept X works quite well when you are looking to "tighten your grip" on user's access to websites, programs, and add-ons.
    Read full review
    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
    Sophos
    Most of the support reps are fantastic. There have been a few though that have had to be escalated via Account Manager when they haven't followed up but this is a rare instance, and often followed up by the Support Manager for APAC.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Sophos
    Best thing was the help pushing out via group policy and was able to get instructions for that on sophos site
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Sophos
    Webroot Endpoint Protection is not even in the same league as Sophos Intercept-X. I have tested and compared both sides by side, run simulations and it's not even close. Plus the Sophos central management is so much better. Easier to view user activities and apply policies and remediate threats. Sophos is the clear winner between these two products.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Sophos
    • Once our technical and commercial areas got certified, the ROI over the time spent, is great. Actual customers, and/or new ones with other tools, feel safe and advised, once they get in touch with us.
    • When Sophos EndPoint is being compared against Web Management Tools (competitors), we have failed to deliver, nevertheless, there is a version of Sophos Central (Cloud) which achieves this requirement at 100% and more, since is Cloud Based (on AWS).
    • We are grateful to be on Sophos "Radar" as a Platinum Partner, and "The Americas" valued partner, we have seen our business grow, thanks to this kind of technology, throughout the years.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Sophos Intercept X Screenshots

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