2017 Security 100: 20 Coolest Endpoint Security Vendors
Coolest Endpoint Security Vendors
After a year of rapid growth, the endpoint security market shows no signs of slowing down. According to research firm MarketsandMarkets, the endpoint security market is expected to reach more than $17.3 billion by 2020, up from $11.6 billion in 2015. Driving that is a refocusing on the endpoint by customers, as well as the transformation of legacy security vendors and new entrants in the next-generation endpoint security market. For solution providers, that means new conversations and new streams of revenue to complement their existing security sales. As part of CRN's annual Security 100 list, here are 20 companies making a mark in the endpoint security market.
Avast Software
Vincent Steckler, CEO
Headquarters: Prague
Avast Software, already one of the largest anti-virus vendors in the market, expanded its portfolio significantly in 2016 with its $1.3 billion acquisition of AVG. The acquisition added anti-virus, remote monitoring and management, internet security, and mobile and cloud security capabilities to Avast’s own anti-virus, mobile, email and file server offerings.
Carbon Black
Patrick Morley, CEO
Headquarters: Waltham, Mass.
Carbon Black is one of the largest vendors in the hotly competitive next-generation endpoint security market. Formed by the merger of Bit9 and Carbon Black in 2014, the company further expanded its advanced threat protection and endpoint detection and response offerings with the July 2016 acquisition of next-generation anti-virus company Confer.
CounterTack
Neil Creighton, CEO
Headquarters: Waltham, Mass.
CounterTack is another rising star in the next-generation endpoint security market, with $10 million in new venture capital funding last fall and new forensics, incident response and behavioral analytics capabilities stemming from its July 2015 acquisition of ManTech Cyber Solutions International.
CrowdStrike
George Kurtz, Co-Founder, CEO
Headquarters: Irvine, Calif.
CrowdStrike distinguishes itself in the next-generation endpoint security market with a platform that is entirely delivered in the cloud. The company's flagship Falcon platform has expanded beyond its endpoint detection and response roots, to also offer next-generation anti-virus, managed threat hunting, security hygiene and threat intelligence.
Cyberbit
Adi Dar, CEO
Headquarters: Israel; Austin, Texas
Cyberbit Commercial Solutions, a subsidiary of Israel-based Elbit Systems, is looking to make waves as it expands into the North American market with a 100 percent partner-led sales model, bringing offerings for endpoint detection and response, critical infrastructure and high-value asset security.
Cybereason
Lior Div, Co-Founder, CEO
Headquarters: Boston
Cybereason was formed in 2012 by former members of the Unit 8200, Israel's equivalent to the NSA. The Cybereason endpoint detection and response platform allows companies to gain the full forensics behind an attack, including the root cause, timeline, endpoints affected and tools used.
Cylance
Stuart McClure, CEO
Headquarters: Irvine, Calif.
Cylance is one of the most-recognized companies rising the ranks in the next-generation endpoint security market. The company has attracted incredible growth since its 2012 launch, with $100 million in funding last fall and more than 1,000 percent billings growth for its machine-learning-based alternative to traditional anti-virus.
Dell Security
Michael Dell, CEO
Headquarters: Round Rock, Texas
Dell Security has been expanding its endpoint security offerings, with new industry partnerships and a new portfolio that includes data protection, identity assurance, threat detection and response and unified endpoint management. Dell Security also does much more beyond endpoint security, including network, data, mobile, email and security services.
Kaspersky Lab
Eugene Kaspersky, CEO
Headquarters: Moscow
Kaspersky Lab has been transforming from a traditional anti-virus company to a next-generation endpoint security company, adding forensics, incident response, DDoS protection, anti-ransomware, security awareness training, industrial system security, small-business security offerings and more in the past year.
Malwarebytes
Marcin Kleczynski, CEO
Headquarters: Santa Clara, Calif.
Malwarebytes, long known for its consumer malware prevention and remediation offerings, has been building up its presence in the enterprise, updating its partner program last year and rolling out new offerings geared toward the business market. The company landed $50 million in funding last year.
McAfee
Chris Young, CEO (effective in April)
Headquarters: Santa Clara, Calif.
Intel Security will re-emerge under its heritage name McAfee this year after its spin-out from parent company Intel through a $4.2 billion deal with TPG Capital. As a $2 billion stand-alone security vendor, the strategy will be to provide technologies across the full threat defense life cycle, including detection, remediation and response.
Microsoft
Satya Nadella, CEO
Headquarters: Redmond, Wash.
Microsoft has long held a spot in the endpoint security market with its Windows Defender anti-virus offering. However, the company has been investing big in security – pledging $1 billion a year and rolling out new security offerings for Windows, Azure, Office 365, SQL platform, managed services and more.
ObserveIT
Mike McKee, CEO
Headquarters: New York
ObserveIT is focused on solving the insider threat problem in the enterprise, with a collection of offerings to detect abnormal employee behavior, third-party risk monitoring, privileged user monitoring, and audit and compliance. The company started selling direct, but is now looking to embrace a channel-led model in North America.
PC Pitstop
Rob Cheng, CEO
Headquarters: Sioux City, Iowa
PC Pitstop, well-known for its consumer PC Matic offering, has been seeing increased traction with solution providers for its cloud-based endpoint security portfolio, which uses white listing to identify malware, APTs, zero-days and more. The company's endpoint security suite includes protection technologies as well as endpoint management.
SentinelOne
Tomer Weingarten, CEO
Headquarters: Palo Alto, Calif.
SentinelOne is looking to displace legacy anti-virus offerings with a set of security offerings that use behavioral-based detection and machine learning for signature-less protection, as well as providing forensics and response capabilities. The company has offers a $1 million guarantee against ransomware attacks.
Sophos
Kris Hagerman, CEO
Headquarters: Burlington, Mass.
Sophos has an integrated security portfolio for SMBs that extends across the endpoint, network, email, mobile and more. It saw a number of wins this year with partners with its Intercept X launch, which extended its next-generation endpoint security offerings to include signature-less threat and exploit detection, anti-ransomware, forensics and remediation capabilities.
Symantec
Greg Clark, CEO
Headquarters: Mountain View, Calif.
Symantec stormed back into the security market this year as a stand-alone security vendor, with blockbuster acquisitions of Blue Coat Systems and LifeLock. It also made significant advancements in its endpoint security portfolio with Symantec Endpoint Protection 14, which includes both traditional and next-generation endpoint security capabilities.
Tanium
Orion Hindawi, CEO
Headquarters: Emeryville, Calif.
Tanium's peer-to-peer technology lets organizations continuously scan all endpoints in a network to detect vulnerabilities and unmanaged devices, allowing companies to ramp up their security and management of endpoint devices. The company has formed strong industry partnerships, including with Palo Alto Networks and VMware.
Trend Micro
Eva Chen, CEO
Headquarters: Irving, Texas
Trend Micro is one of the heavyweights in the endpoint security market, with both traditional and next-generation techniques. However, the company's portfolio also extends far beyond the endpoint, with its XGen security approach to tie endpoint to web gateways, data protection, mail gateways, servers, network and more.
Webroot
Dick Williams, CEO
Headquarters: Broomfield, Colo.
Webroot continues to evolve into a next-generation endpoint security and threat intelligence company, launching new offerings for cloud-based threat intelligence integrations and a new portfolio aimed at securing the Internet of Things. The company also has offerings for network, mobile and file security.