(Credit: René Ramos)
Endpoint security—the endpoint being you and your PC—is important for corporations. Employees tend to be the weak link in the cybersecurity chain, so most IT departments rely on tools like security software and remote-access VPN services to help protect their organizations from malicious attacks. They can’t afford compromised systems or snoops in their data connections. This extends beyond the walls of the office, too. People who work from home also need protection, as malware can disable mission-critical PCs for hours or days.
If you're keen to protect your company's data, which vendors should you trust with the security of your business? As part of our Business Choice franchise, we asked PCMag readers (and IT managers) to rate the antivirus and security suites they use on their work PCs. These are the brands they recommend.
The Top Work-From-Home Security Software Brand for 2024
When it comes to malware protection for a desktop or laptop you use at home for work, you generally have two options: a standalone antivirus program that only looks for malware attacks, or a full security suite that goes a few steps further and includes different types of protection like firewalls, spam filters, and more.
For the latter, PCMag readers make a definitive choice. Bitdefender is a long-time winner of the Business Choice award, including for top security suite for work last year. In 2024 it has the best numbers in every category except one: It can’t beat Norton for tech support.
(Note: Click the down, left, and right arrows in our interactive charts to view various elements of our survey results.)
Last year’s winner, Trend Micro, doesn't manage to make the standings in our Business Choice Awards this year, but it does earn a Readers’ Choice Award for its consumer-oriented security offering.
Interestingly, while it's well behind Bitdefender, Norton does slightly better than the free option from Microsoft in both overall satisfaction and likelihood to be recommended—the two criteria we consider first when picking a Business Choice Award winner. This is the opposite of how our Readers’ Choice results play out. It appears that working people prefer the paid version of a product for protection...unless it’s from McAfee.
What about standalone antivirus? A majority of our survey respondents indicate that they prefer full security suites, making the winner even more obvious. Malwarebytes towers above second-place Microsoft, more than a full point ahead in overall satisfaction, and even more for likelihood to recommend.
The Top IT-Managed Security Software Brand for 2024
In last year's ranking of IT-managed security software, Bitdefender edged out the competition to win our first-ever Business Choice Award for the category. Here in 2024, the company successfully defends its title and takes home the award for the second year in a row.
The only other contender this year is Microsoft. Its numbers for 2024 are slightly lower than those in 2023, when it managed to tie Bitdefender for overall satisfaction but couldn’t match its other scores enough to earn its own award. This year, the gulf between the two has grown. IT managers give Bitdefender top marks in every category we poll for, with particularly high ratings for setup and reliability.
For more, read The Best Antivirus Software for 2024.
The Top Remote Access VPN Brand for 2024
Although remote access VPN services are typically thrust upon users rather than willingly chosen, their scores are still good. This year's top-rated tool is GlobalProtect, the client-side name for the secure network service from Palo Alto Networks.
GlobalProtect wins every category except reliability, where it's slightly behind second-place SonicWall. The two companies are also tied in a number of categories, including performance, internet speed, and likelihood to recommend. These are good indicators that SonicWall client software is still a solid choice, despite its second-place finish. But Palo Alto Networks has the edge on overall satisfaction and, thus, wins our Business Choice Award.
The Top IT-Managed VPN Brand for 2024
When it comes to VPNs in the workplace, our survey results suggest there's a stark difference in opinion between IT managers who deploy the software and individual employees who use it. Interestingly, the lowest-rated vendor by users is the top choice for IT managers.
It's a close race here, but ultimately Cisco manages to come out ahead of SonicWall with slightly more favorable ratings. It comes out on top in every category where both companies have responses, including reliability, ease of use, device performance, and internet speed while operating. As such, Cisco is the brand that IT managers should consider first when deploying security software across an organization.
For more, read The Best Business VPNs for 2024 and The Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Software.
The PCMag Readers’ Choice survey for Antivirus and Security Suites, plus a separate survey on VPNs, were both in the field from September 10 to November 4, 2024. For more information on how we conduct surveys, read the survey methodology.