There are a wide variety of IT security services on the market, offering different kinds of protection to businesses ranging from side hustles to enterprises.
In this article, we’ll profile ten best-in-class cybersecurity services. Some of these companies focus on endpoint protection, safeguarding the devices your business relies on to operate. Others focus on network security, facilitating secure network access or guarding against unwanted traffic. Many of these companies offer an array of different services – so if the solution we highlight isn’t exactly what you’re looking for, they may have other options that fit the bill.
| IT Security Service | Primary Focus |
| Trend Micro Worry-Free Services | Endpoint security |
| CrowdStrike Falcon | Endpoint security |
| ESET PROTECT | Endpoint security |
| Microsoft Defender for Business | Endpoint security |
| Perimeter 81 | Network security |
| NordLayer | Business VPN |
| Cisco Umbrella | Network security |
| Rapid7 InsightVM | Vulnerability Management |
| Qualys VMDR | Vulnerability Management |
| Astra Pentest Suite | Penetration testing |
Trend Micro Worry-Free Services
Trend Micro offers a variety of cybersecurity services, including Worry-Free Business Security Services, an endpoint security package aimed at small businesses.
At the core of Worry-Free is a lightweight agent that can provide visibility across a variety of different endpoints, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices. Bolstered by machine learning techniques, this agent monitors and protects against ransomware attacks and more.
Worry-Free also offers email security features, which guard against phishing, malware, and other threats, as well as anti-virus capabilities. For the right price, Worry-Free can scale up to Managed Detection & Response, in which Trend Micro employees watch for threats around the clock and support your team in shutting down threats to your business.
Customers love:
- Intuitive, easy-to-use interface
- Practically manages itself
- Agent is very easy to install on a device
- Lightweight agent has low performance impact on devices
- Malware detection & prevention
Customers didn’t love:
- High pricing, especially with price increases
- Mac client not as effective
- Recommended solutions aren’t always effective
- Not a full EDR, as required for some compliance purposes
CrowdStrike Falcon
CrowdStrike Falcon is a unified platform providing visibility and protection to enterprise businesses, with a primary focus on EDR (endpoint detection and response) and XDR (extended detection and response).
The Falcon platform is built off a single lightweight agent that can be installed across devices and environments. This agent monitors devices, and the platform itself unifies this data in one place, providing a very high level of visibility across all kinds of different assets.
Endpoint monitoring, protection, and remediation are at the heart of CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform. They also offer other security services, including cloud security, identity protection, SIEM, and more, as well as a marketplace where customers can purchase add-ons from partner companies.
Customers tend to speak very highly of CrowdStrike Falcon, describing it as a powerful, easy-to-use tool for monitoring endpoints, aggregating and analyzing data, and protecting enterprises from cyberattacks.
Customers love:
- Aggregates tons of data from a wide variety of sources
- Presents information very well, making it easy to analyze
- Lightweight agent has minimal performance footprint on installed devices
- Intuitive, user-friendly interface
- Easy to deploy & manage
- Very low number of false positives
Customers didn’t love:
- Can be expensive
- Alerts aren’t always actionable
- Support can be lacking
ESET Protect Platform
ESET’s PROTECT Platform is a cybersecurity suite offering a variety of features to businesses of all sizes. Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) is the core of this platform, protecting devices from all kinds of threats.
Once up and running, ESET PROTECT unifies information from across all different devices on its security management console, a cloud-based dashboard providing real-time visibility. ESET also offers an on-premises version of PROTECT, as well as a range of upgrades including XDR (Extended Detection and Response).
Customers love:
- Strong protection against malware and other threats
- Can be deployed across a variety of remote devices
- High degree of automation
- Many users report low performance impact on client devices
Customers didn’t love:
- Licensing issues and error messages make admin difficult
- Confusing, unappealing user interface
- Updates sometimes inconsistent, and often force restart
- Some customers report high performance impact on client devices
Microsoft Defender for Business
Microsoft Defender for Business is a security suite aimed at small and medium businesses (SMBs). It protects devices against attacks involving malware, ransomware, phishing, and other vectors, offering a major upgrade when compared against your standard anti-virus software.
Defender for Business offers several core features, with an emphasis on EDR (Endpoint Detection & Response). Though it’s a Microsoft product, Defender can be installed on a variety of devices, including Mac, iOS, Android, and, of course, Windows.
Microsoft Defender for Business is available on its own, and as part of Microsoft 365 Business Premium, a package that includes Windows, Office, and additional features.
Customers love:
- Easy to set up and use
- Simple and effective user interface
- Great at identifying threats
- Seamless integration with other Microsoft products, such as Azure and Office
Customers didn’t love:
- Not as effective with non-Windows operating systems
- Can impact device performance
Perimeter 81
Perimeter 81 is a network security platform that makes it easy for businesses to manage secure corporate networks. It unifies a variety of security technologies into a single cloud-based SaaS product, making things far easier to use than relying on a dozen disconnected technologies and services.
Perimeter 81 operates on a SASE model, which stands for Secure Network Service Edge. This is a comprehensive, cloud-based IT model that operates on zero trust network access principles stretches to the edge of the network via mobile clients and clientless browser access.
The platform essentially functions like a next-level business VPN, offering easier remote access, more comprehensive coverage, and better visibility.
Customers love:
- Easy to use and manage, for both admins and end users
- So lightweight that end users forget it’s even there
- Intuitive user interface
- Stable, reliable, and fast connections
- Helpful, knowledgeable customer support
- Single Sign On integration
Customers didn’t love:
- Some users report occasional connection drops and outages
- Not the cheapest option
NordLayer Business VPN
NordLayer provides a VPN, or Virtual Private Network: an encrypted tunnel through which employees can access a business network. End-to-end encryption ensures that any unauthorized individuals have no access to company resources.
VPNs are vital to establishing secure remote access for employees, and NordLayer is widely regarded as one of the top providers.
Customers love:
- Easy to set up and manage
- Makes secure access easy for end users
- Responsive, helpful customer support
- Reliable, secure, and fast network access
Customers didn’t love:
- Some users report connectivity issues
- High pricing relative to other VPN services
Cisco Umbrella
Primarily a networking company, Cisco offers an array of products and services that can help businesses guard against cyberattacks. These include Cisco Umbrella, a cloud security service that protects at the DNS layer, blocking unwanted traffic.
Their Cisco Secure portfolio covers a variety of cybersecurity services, including endpoint security, cloud security, and more. Another is Cisco Duo, the best-in-class multi-factor authentication service, providing much more secure authentication than a system that relies on passwords alone. Cisco also offers hardware firewalls, VPN clients, endpoint security, and email security services.
Customers love:
- Lightweight performance impact
- Easy to deploy and manage
- Identifies threats quickly
- Reporting includes strong analysis of threats
Customers didn’t love:
- Expensive pricing
- Difficult user interface
Rapid7 InsightVM
InsightVM is a vulnerability management tool that offers on-demand and continuous network scanning. Its real-time dashboard identifies and prioritizes issues, offering step-by-step directions on how to remediate each vulnerability. Users describe this dashboard as clear and to-the-point, making it easy to present to executives and other stakeholders.
Alongside automated scanning, Rapid7 also offers strong hands-on support options, ranging from deployment support to full-on managed VM.
Customers love:
- Robust, continuous vulnerability scanning
- Intuitive user interface
- Clear reporting dashboard is easy to present to stakeholders
- Threat feeds offer up-to-date research on the current threat landscape
Customers didn’t love:
- High pricing
- Report customization can be overwhelming
Qualys VMDR
Qualys VMDR is a comprehensive vulnerability management solution – the name stands for Vulnerability Management, Detection, and Response. This tool can scan across your IT landscape, uncover vulnerabilities, and prioritize issues based on risk. VMDR can even deploy patches and security fixes automatically, quickly solving issues as it identifies them.
Qualys combines network-based scanning with agent-based scanning. You can install lightweight agents on remote and roaming devices, offering visibility with minimal CPU overhead.
Customers love:
- Comprehensive vulnerability management toolset
- Easy to deploy
- Highly customizable
- Clear reporting dashboard is easy to present to stakeholders
- Lightweight Cloud Agent provides visibility with minimal overhead
Customers didn’t love:
- Complex toolset
- Unresponsive support
- High cost, and new features often cost extra
Astra Pentest Suite
Astra is a cybersecurity company focused chiefly on penetration testing. Through a combination of automated and manual efforts, they help assess and diagnose vulnerabilities for web apps, mobile apps, APIs, and the cloud. Astra then presents this information in a reporting dashboard makes information easy to present to executives and other stakeholders.
Customers describe Astra’s Pentest suite as very user-friendly, and exceedingly efficient at diagnosing vulnerabilities. Their methods can help achieve several compliance standards, including SOC-2 and ISO27001.
Astra also offers a separate Website Protection suite, featuring a firewall, malware scanner, and vulnerability scanner.
Customers love:
- Very user-friendly, with an intuitive user interface
- Reporting makes issues clear and offers solid guidance on remediation
- Identifies and fixes vulnerabilities quickly and efficiently
- Helpful and knowledgeable customer service
- Fixed pricing provides strong value for the money
Customers didn’t love:
- Not suited for on-premise devices and environments
- Scans and customer service aren’t immediate
- Occasional false positives