ISG Research is happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Buyers Guide, an assessment of how well software providers’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The Endpoint Detection and Response: ISG Research Buyers Guide is the distillation of a year of market and product research by ISG Research.
Chief Information Officers (CIOs), Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and
ISG Research defines Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) as a modern cybersecurity strategy focused on detecting, investigating and responding to advanced threats on endpoint devices, including computers, laptops and servers. As the endpoints are often the primary attack vectors for adversaries, effective EDR approaches provide enterprises with comprehensive visibility into endpoint activity, enabling rapid detection of potential threats. EDR tools continuously monitor endpoints for suspicious behaviors and indicators of compromise (IOCs) that may signify a security breach.
By leveraging advanced analytics, machine learning (ML) and behavioral analysis, EDR approaches can differentiate between normal and anomalous activities, allowing security teams to respond in real time. Upon detection of a threat, EDR tools can automate response actions, such as isolating infected systems, terminating malicious processes or quarantining suspicious files, thus minimizing damage and reducing response times. Additionally, EDR software tools often include incident investigation capabilities, offering security teams the ability to conduct forensic analysis, understand attack vectors and identify root causes.
Beyond detection and response, EDR also emphasizes proactive threat hunting and vulnerability management, enabling enterprises to identify weaknesses before they can be exploited. Modern cyber threats are continually evolving, so integrating robust EDR capabilities is crucial for bolstering an enterprise’s defenses. By focusing on endpoint
Adopting EDR can significantly contribute to enhancing an enterprise's security posture by focusing on detecting, analyzing and responding to threats at the endpoint level. With the proliferation of remote work and an increasing number of devices accessing corporate networks, endpoints have become prime targets for cyberattacks. EDR tools provide visibility into endpoint activities, enabling security teams to detect suspicious behaviors and potential threats in real time. This proactive monitoring is essential for early threat identification, reducing the risk of data breaches and system compromises.
An EDR approach can also streamline incident response capabilities by automating containment and remediation actions. When a threat is detected, EDR can autonomously respond, isolating compromised devices to prevent lateral movement within the network. This rapid response capability not only mitigates threats quickly but also minimizes downtime, which is critical for maintaining business operations and productivity.
Additionally, EDR approaches often incorporate threat intelligence and analytics, empowering security teams to hunt for hidden threats before they can exploit vulnerabilities. By enhancing overall endpoint security, EDR supports enterprise goals such as operational resilience, regulatory compliance and customer trust. In an environment where cyber threats are increasingly sophisticated, a robust EDR strategy is indispensable for enterprises looking to strengthen their cybersecurity posture while achieving their business objectives.
Generative AI (GenAI) is transforming enterprise cybersecurity software by automating complex processes and enhancing decision-making. By leveraging GenAI, enterprises can streamline threat detection, optimize resource allocation and proactively identify vulnerabilities, leading to improved operational performance. Additionally, GenAI enables teams to extract valuable insights from extensive data, fostering informed strategic planning and collaboration. As enterprises navigate digital transformation, integrating cybersecurity software with GenAI capabilities becomes crucial for maintaining a competitive edge and enhancing organizational resilience.
GenAI is already making significant strides within EDR software, enhancing various enterprise applications. For instance, it elevates threat hunting by automating the analysis of endpoint telemetry and prioritizing alerts based on risk, allowing security teams to focus on the most pertinent issues. This AI-driven approach empowers security professionals to identify vulnerabilities and suspicious activities proactively, fostering a more preemptive security stance. In addition, during incident response, GenAI tools can recommend immediate containment actions and efficiently synchronize responses across multiple endpoints, ultimately streamlining the process and improving the quality of post-incident reviews. The combination of these capabilities not only increases productivity but also enhances the overall effectiveness of security personnel in managing endpoint threats.
Looking toward the future, the integration of Agentic AI functionalities into EDR software promises transformative changes for enterprise security management. With this capability, Agentic AI could take on the role of an autonomous guardian, consistently monitoring endpoints for signs of compromise while making real-time decisions about threat response without human intervention. For example, it might isolate infected devices instantly, implement remediation tactics and conduct system rollbacks to restore safe operating conditions, all while learning from ongoing incidents to fine-tune its detection and reaction strategies. This approach would improve the agility of EDR systems, allowing security teams to redirect their focus toward more strategic initiatives, confident that intelligent systems are effectively managing immediate threats. As a result, enterprises could achieve a greatly enhanced security posture, better equipped to handle the evolving landscape of cyber threats.
CIOs and security leaders should approach cybersecurity software incorporating GenAI, large language models (LLMs) and future agentic AI capabilities with enthusiasm and caution. While these technologies offer significant benefits, they also come with unique challenges and prerequisites. A holistic evaluation must include technical aspects and business, ethical and strategic considerations. Other areas of focus include risk awareness, critical infrastructure, organizational readiness, governance and compliance, and a long-term perspective on the sustainability and scalability of AI approaches.
Our Cybersecurity Buyers Guide research is designed to provide a comprehensive view of a software provider’s capability to enhance the effectiveness, performance and governance of cybersecurity measures within an enterprise. Separate Buyers Guide research reports are available for SIEM, IAM and Data Recovery software.
ISG believes a methodical approach is essential to maximize competitiveness. It is critical to select the right software provider and product to improve the performance of your enterprise’s people, process, information and technology components.
The insights gained from understanding current cybersecurity software providers are invaluable for enterprise CIOs, CISOs and VPs of InfoSec who aim to align their technology investments with organizational goals, enhance security workflows and cultivate a culture of resilience. By investing in the right cybersecurity tools, these leaders can unlock new avenues for protection and transformation, positioning their enterprises to thrive.
The ISG Buyers Guide™ for EDR evaluates products based on a variety of capabilities, including the use of GenAI and machine learning, automated response, incident forensics, integration with other tools, threat detection, threat hunting and the ability for an enterprise to migrate to an MSP relationship with the product later. To be included in this Buyers Guide, software providers must meet or exceed the inclusion criteria and have commercially available products marketed for large enterprise licensing.
This research evaluates the following software providers that offer products addressing key elements of EDR: Acronis, Arctic Wolf, Bitdefender, Broadcom, Check Point, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Cybereason, ESET, Fortinet, ManageEngine, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, Qualys, SentinelOne, Sophos, Trellix, Trend Micro and WithSecure.
This research-based index evaluates the full business and information technology value of endpoint detection and response software offerings. We encourage you to learn more about our Buyers Guide and its effectiveness as a provider selection and RFI/RFP tool.
We urge organizations to do a thorough job of evaluating endpoint detection and response offerings in this Buyers Guide as both the results of our in-depth analysis of these software providers and as an evaluation methodology. The Buyers Guide can be used to evaluate existing suppliers, plus provides evaluation criteria for new projects. Using it can shorten the cycle time for an RFP and the definition of an RFI.
The Buyers Guide for Endpoint Detection and Response in 2025 finds Microsoft first on the list, followed by SentinelOne and Palo Alto Networks.
Software providers that rated in the top three of any category ﹘ including the product and customer experience dimensions ﹘ earn the designation of Leader.
The Leaders in Product Experience are:
The Leaders in Customer Experience are:
The Leaders across any of the seven categories are:
The overall performance chart provides a visual representation of how providers rate across product and customer experience. Software providers with products scoring higher in a weighted rating of the five product experience categories place farther to the right. The combination of ratings for the two customer experience categories determines their placement on the vertical axis. As a result, providers that place closer to the upper-right are “exemplary” and rated higher than those closer to the lower-left and identified as providers of “merit.” Software providers that excelled at customer experience over product experience have an “assurance” rating, and those excelling instead in product experience have an “innovative” rating.
Note that close provider scores should not be taken to imply that the packages evaluated are functionally identical or equally well-suited for use by every enterprise or process. Although there is a high degree of commonality in how organizations handle endpoint detection and response, there are many idiosyncrasies and differences that can make one provider’s offering a better fit than another.
ISG Research has made every effort to encompass in this Buyers Guide the overall product and customer experience from our endpoint detection and response blueprint, which we believe reflects what a well-crafted RFP should contain. Even so, there may be additional areas that affect which software provider and products best fit an enterprise’s particular requirements. Therefore, while this research is complete as it stands, utilizing it in your own organizational context is critical to ensure that products deliver the highest level of support for your projects.
You can find more details on our community as well as on our expertise in the research for this Buyers Guide.