5 Alternatives to The Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection

Gartner is one of the loudest voices in enterprise technology— they’re world’s largest information technology research and advisory company, and generally, the first source consulted when it comes to evaluating enterprise IT solutions, and cybersecurity is no exception.

But while the Gartner’s flagship Magic Quadrant report for Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP) is a great resource for finding out who the top contenders are, it doesn’t give a particularly in-depth analysis behind what each solution offers or how they perform across different industries and use cases. Nor do Magic Quadrants typically don’t include a very broad spectrum of solutions.

Gartner’s yearly reports don’t exactly move at the speed of business, and you can’t base an entire RFP off of one resource (though I’m sure some do). A well-informed decision requires a well-rounded research process.

IT workers, CIOs, and CISOs need to conduct extensive research to correctly plan, assess, and deploy the right solution for their organization.

That means multiple sources—and lots of work. Luckily, we’ve done some of the work for you. Below, you’ll find the top five alternatives to Gartner’s Magic Quadrant reports.

Since each organization needs a tool to match up with their own specific use cases, these resources allow researchers to sift through solutions that satisfy a wide range of endpoint protection requirements.

But should you feel the need for even more resources, check out our endpoint security resource library, which features eight top resources, and is constantly updated with the latest and greatest InfoSec best practices.

Forrester Wave Report & Vendor Landscape Reports

Forrester offers a wide variety of resources to assist business leaders in selecting the right enterprise technology solutions. As one of the most well-established technologies research outlets, Forrester is a trusted source of information, offering expansive market studies that encompass a multitude of charts, graphics, and figures. Forrester’s flagship methodology lies in the company’s ever-evolving quarterly Wave reports as well as their in-depth vendor landscape reports. Forrester currently offers a Wave report for Endpoint Security

View Resource: Forrester Wave Report for Endpoint Security

KuppingerCole 

KuppingerCole is an international analyst firm that specializes in offering thought leadership in multiple areas of cybersecurity including endpoint protection, IAM, SIEM and Real-Time Security Monitoring and Intelligence. KuppingerCole offers multiple resources and blog posts on endpoint security that give in-depth analysis and opinion of a variety of information security tools. Likewise, this blog on building a ‘future proof’ security operations center is great fodder for understanding what makes an efficient SOC.

View Resource: KuppingerCole Endpoint Security Posts

Gartner’s Ancillary Research & Reports

In addition to their Magic Quadrant reports, Gartner offers multiple ancillary reports designed to supplement its main research and help guide buyer’s through the evaluation and decision-making process. These reports, including the less well-known Critical Capabilities, Security Primers, and Evaluation Criteria, allow the reader to compare vendors based on specific use cases which relate to their own environments.

The 2017 Mobile and Endpoint Security Primer, for example, is designed to “guide you to deliver simple, easy to implement, effective, comprehensive and manageable endpoint security programs,” according to Gartner.

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Gartner Peer Insights

Another Gartner alternative to the MQ, the Gartner Peer Insights is Gartner’s answer to crowdsourced review sites like G2Crowd and IT Central Station—a crowdsourced review site of their own. With their Peer Insights program, Gartner is trying to present the collective experiences of thousands of qualified (and verified) tech buyers and end users who have already gone where you are headed. Perhaps most importantly, Gartner’s Peer Insights democratizes the evaluation process, allowing for vendors not typically included in Magic Quadrants and Critical Capabilities reports due to their stringent requirements. Gartner’s Peer Insights on Endpoint Protection features 676 reviews on 27 vendors—far more than considered in the Magic Quadrant and Critical Capabilities reports.

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Solutions Review Buyer’s Guide 

Solutions Review’s 2017 Endpoint Protection Buyer’s Guide is the perfect primer for selecting the right endpoint protection solution. The 30-page document includes a category overview, 5 questions to ask potential EPP providers, 5 questions to ask yourself before buying, plus a capabilities reference and complete profiles of the top 28 endpoint protection and security solutions providers, making it easy for companies considering EPP implementations to compare and contrast solutions and find their best fit. By using the Endpoint Buyer’s Guide in conjunction with other tools on this list, solutions-seekers will be armed with all of the materials they need to ensure selection of the best software for their company.

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You can catch up with the 2018 Gartner Endpoint Protection Platforms Magic Quadrant here.