Microsoft BitLocker vs Symantec Endpoint Encryption comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2022
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft BitLocker
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
61
Ranking in other categories
Mobile Data Protection (1st)
Symantec Endpoint Encryption
Ranking in Endpoint Encryption
7th
Average Rating
7.6
Number of Reviews
34
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Market share comparison

As of June 2024, in the Endpoint Encryption category, the market share of Microsoft BitLocker is 40.0% and it decreased by 5.2% compared to the previous year. The market share of Symantec Endpoint Encryption is 7.3% and it decreased by 24.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Encryption
Unique Categories:
Mobile Data Protection
42.9%
No other categories found
 

Featured Reviews

JM
Feb 12, 2021
Free, native to OS, and doesn't require any maintenance, but can have better user profiles to allow people to create their own passwords
We've used a few different disk encryption products, and we've kind of settled on BitLocker because it is native to the operating system. It is simple, and there is no maintenance on it. We also use Symantec at the moment, but we are retiring Symantec. We had trouble getting all the machines back into the office to change the disk encryption. We have a few left with Symantec. With Symantec, the version that we had was pretty old, and I wasn't sure if it would actually even work with some of the later builds of Windows 10. In terms of maintenance, with Symantec, every time there is a new build of Windows 10, you either have to defer the update while they update with Symantec, or you can install it and hope for the best. It is not a very satisfactory situation where you might have to wait six months before you can go up onto the latest build of Windows.
it_user1243704 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 12, 2019
Has good messaging features but the hard drive encryption needs to be improved
The hard drive encryption needs to be improved. There is an issue, for example, where we cannot easily do Microsoft updates. The updates stop before the PGP reboot is complete. So when PGP encryption from the hard drive is active, we can't update Microsoft Windows. As a work-around, we have to decrypt the encrypted hard drive, which takes an hour every time, and then do the updates and then encrypt again. It is time-consuming and there must be a better solution. One other improvement I would like to see is the ability to get support directly from the seller. There should be a better way to open tickets directly from the seller to eliminate delays and have a better way that we can contact them and get help when we need it. Technical support is a problem.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The ease of use is the most valuable feature. The ability to import data to build your frontend on top of the data is very simple and very useable."
"Microsoft BitLocker's most valuable features are stability and simplicity in terms of usage."
"The solution is included in Windows 11."
"It maintains security on my computer. Since I travel a lot, it gives me confidence that if, for some reason, my computer is lost, my data won't be compromised."
"It's a straightforward solution for encryption."
"The ease of administering and integrating the solution is great."
"I like the simplicity and ease of use of this solution."
"It holds significant value as it reduces the need for extensive IT management to handle security across networks and environments"
"The most valuable feature is that it works in the background so that the end-users are not aware of what is happening on the laptop."
"It has reduced the number of incidents related to the loss of information."
"It helps us put antivirus solutions in place and prevent malware from getting to our machines."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of use."
"Overall Symantec Endpoint Encryption is a reasonable solution."
"This product is a solid, all-in-one solution for enterprise data management."
"One notable aspect is the ability to customize alerts and other settings."
"The solution’s installation was easy."
 

Cons

"The customizations could be more flexible."
"The encryption takes a long time to complete, and our system runs very slowly while it is encrypting."
"I would like to be able to encrypt our cloud tenancy."
"They should offer better login capabilities that are more secure."
"If the encryption was faster then it would make the experience more pleasant."
"The biggest one for us is revoking access. So, even though someone downloads something to a device, we want the ability to cloak that device or data and bring it back or make that data unusable for that person. Currently, BitLocker doesn't give us that ability. It basically encrypts it. We're seeing if identity management or IAM allows us to do that. We're kind of looking at third-party software that does that for us."
"The migration itself is a nightmare."
"The solution needs to have better protection and improve its pricing."
"One feature that is lacking is integration with Symantec Information Centric (ICT). As it is now, I don't see how to integrate the encryption with ICT, and in my opinion this is an area that certainly requires encryption, even though it's no longer supported by Broadcom."
"We would like some advanced security protection features."
"The instability of the company and lack of presence in the Middle East is affecting product use."
"The product can be expensive. Price was a factor in moving away from the product."
"The UI could be improved."
"The GUI could use some enhancement, particularly in making option sets easier to locate on client machines."
"I do not find the environment to be very user-friendly."
"Symantec Endpoint Encryption can improve by being more secure."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It operates on a subscription model on an annual basis."
"Microsoft BitLocker is a free feature when you are using Microsoft solutions."
"BitLocker is already in Windows 10 and its price has already been "paid"."
"Microsoft BitLocker's pricing is fair; I rate it a four out of ten."
"BitLocker is included in our license and doesn't cost us anything extra."
"We already use Microsoft products, and Microsoft BitLocker is an add-on product that is free of cost for us."
"This solution is included with Microsoft Server and my clients did not have to pay for anything extra."
"The solution is expensive."
"They have two solutions for encryption including Symantec Endpoint Encryption and PGP Endpoint Encryption. With one PGP license, you can deploy the two solutions. The PGP license gives you two options."
"The license is not very expensive."
"There is a license required for this solution."
"The licensing costs yearly are $5000."
"The pricing is fair but there is variability in our area that needs to be addressed."
"The cost of this solution is a little on the higher side."
"Symantec Endpoint Encryption is not expensive."
"It can be expensive. However, if you plan to scale or are at a large enterprise company, this product could be what you need."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Healthcare Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What should one take into account when replacing PGP with Microsoft BitLocker?
Beware to make backup of useful data, then use reverse decryption policy from Symantec panel/McAfee ePO to decrypt the DE partitions while it is sometimes more straightforward and faster to reinsta...
Would you choose Microsoft BitLocker or McAfee Complete Data Protection?
Microsoft BitLocker is very intuitive and easy to maintain. It is basically the global standard solution for drive encryption and successfully fulfills regulatory needs in terms of data protection....
How does Microsoft BitLocker compare with Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
Microsoft BitLocker is very intuitive and easy to maintain. It is basically the global standard solution for drive encryption and it successfully fulfills regulatory needs in terms of data protecti...
What do you like most about Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
Antivirus, URL filtering, and firewall protection are the most effective features for data protection.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
We need to acquire a new license. Considering the fluctuation in exchange rates in our part of the world, we find it generally affordable. However, if there's room for it to be made more cost-effec...
What needs improvement with Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
We are running the product on-premises but are considering migrating to the cloud. Upgrades from one version to another may only sometimes be straightforward, especially if one needs a clearer unde...
 

Also Known As

BitLocker, MS BitLocker
Symantec Drive Encryption
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ACV, Proaxis Therapy, Choice Hotels International, adnymics GmbH, Intermedia, NMBS/SNCB
Citrix Systems Inc., City of Lansing, Commercial & Industrial Property, France T_l_visions, Fujian Mobile Co. Ltd., Group Lotus plc, Hall Booth Smith & Slover, P.C. (HBSS), Portugal Telecom, PostFinance, Public Pension Agency
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft BitLocker vs. Symantec Endpoint Encryption and other solutions. Updated: June 2024.
787,061 professionals have used our research since 2012.