BitDefender GravityZone vs. CylanceENDPOINT Protection
BitDefender GravityZone Ultra and CylanceENDPOINT™ are two major competitors in the EPP (endpoint protection platform) market, but which one is superior? You can decide for yourself after we break down the differences between these two cybersecurity solutions. We’ll focus on efficacy and efficiency since these are important benchmarks of any EPP and they were the focus of a 2024 Tolly Group analysis and report.
Analyzing Endpoint Protection Platforms
The Tolly Group, a renowned independent testing lab, provides third-party validation services across the IT industry. Their 2024 analysis of BitDefender GravityZone versus CylanceENDPOINT measured what matters most for evaluating the performance of these EPPs.
The Most Effective Endpoint Protection Platform
Since the primary goal of endpoint protection is to prevent and mitigate cyberattacks, it makes sense to evaluate BitDefender GravityZone and CylanceENDPOINT in this regard.
Tolly Group's tests used 1,000 real-world malware samples in a Windows® 10 environment. They evaluated each product's ability to detect and block threats, both with and without an internet/cloud connection.
EPP Efficacy When Connected to the Cloud
Here is how effective each EPP was at stopping threats, when connected to the cloud.
- CylanceENDPOINT: 100% effective (all threats detected)
- BitDefender GravityZone: 95.4% effective (46 of 1,000 threats remained undetected)
Image: Overall endpoint protection efficacy when scanning 1,000 real-world malware samples (Source: Tolly Group evaluation, 2024).
EPP Efficacy When Disconnected From the Cloud
Another important test metric looked at the effectiveness of the competing EPPs when they are disconnected from the internet. When there is a connectivity outage, what happens to your level of protection? And what about air gapped or legacy IT or IoT devices, how are they protected when disconnected? Here are the test results:
- CylanceENDPOINT: 100% effective (no change when running in isolation)
- BitDefender GravityZone: 92% effective (~80 of 1,000 threats remain undetected)
Based on these findings, here is an important question to ask: How much will this lack of detection at scale increase your risk of a successful attack and operational disruptions?
Going back to the evaluation, the Tolly Group concluded that CylanceENDPOINT, “Delivered superior threat protection both offline and online to ensure safety from malicious files, regardless of internet connectivity status.”
If your organization is looking for a solution that blocks the highest level of threats efficiently and consistently, regardless of connectivity, CylanceENDPOINT is the clear winner. But what about efficiency?
System Resources Used by Endpoint Protection Platforms
CylanceENDPOINT is the most effective EPP when it comes to blocking threats, but how many system resources does CylanceENDPOINT use compared to BitDefender GravityZone Ultra? This is an important question because heavy resource usage can reduce productivity and impact overall business operations. Tolly Group compared CPU usage for each of the competing EPPs.
Image: Endpoint protection platforms, percentage of CPU used while scanning two collections of 1,000 real-world malware samples (Source: Tolly Group evaluation, 2024).
Here are the results:
- CylanceENDPOINT: Utilized just 16% of CPU on average until all malware samples were examined.
- BitDefender GravityZone: Utilized 52% of CPU on average until all malware samples were examined.
BitDefender consumes far greater CPU resources than CylanceENDPOINT. This means that implementing the Cylance solution leaves significantly more system resources available for business tasks.
Conclusion
The Tolly Group's findings reveal the superiority of CylanceENDPOINT in multiple areas. CylanceENDPOINT provides your organization greater protection efficacy with far fewer resource demands than BitDefender GravityZone Ultra.
If you’re interested in a deeper understanding of how these EPPs compare, read the full Tolly Report or reach out to experience CylanceENDPOINT and its capabilities, firsthand.
