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Managing Director at Zolitron Technology
Reseller
Jan 12, 2023
Detailed central controls, highly stable and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "It's hard to pick just one valuable feature as almost all of the main features are very useful. However, the ability to manage it centrally and have detailed control over settings, exceptions and other configurations is extremely beneficial."
  • "The areas of Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) could benefit from improvement in terms of how problems are reported and displayed. The way the problems are presented and the information provided could be improved."

How has it helped my organization?

Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra is a comprehensive cybersecurity solution. It includes antivirus, protection against Trojans, ransomware, malware, and web threats on local machines. It provides firewall and network protection for endpoint devices.

We want to have total protection for every endpoint.

What is most valuable?

It's hard to pick just one valuable feature as almost all of the main features are very useful. However, the ability to manage it centrally and have detailed control over settings, exceptions and other configurations is extremely beneficial.

What needs improvement?

The areas of Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) could benefit from improvement in terms of how problems are reported and displayed. The way the problems are presented and the information provided could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra for approximately two years.

Buyer's Guide
Bitdefender GravityZone EDR
August 2026
Learn what your peers think about Bitdefender GravityZone EDR. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2026.
908,800 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We had some small issues with the stability but it was not major issue.

The stability of Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra is a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 15 people using this solution, we do not have a large company.

We have some clients with 150 endpoints and others with 30 using the solution.

The scalability of Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra is a ten out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

I rate the support from Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra a seven out of ten.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used other solutions that are at the same level as Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra is not overly difficult, but if you enter details in the configuration it can become more difficult.

The deployment process was relatively straightforward. We set up the account, connected to the local internet, and synchronized our users. We utilized the Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra server to automatically deploy the solution to all synchronized users. It was a simple process. The whole process two days to complete including configuration.

I rate the initial setup of Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra an eight out of ten.

What about the implementation team?

We deploy the solution for our customers and we typically use one person for the deployment.

What was our ROI?

Using only one technical staff to maintain the solution results in a good return on investment and is not difficult to manage.

I rate the ROI of Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra an eight out of ten.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is affordable.

There are different versions of the solution, such as Ultra and Elite. The separate versions come with different functionality and modules.

I rate the price of Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra a seven out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

The maintenance mainly involves reviewing logs and notifications generated by the GravityZone console. This includes checking for issues such as viruses or suspicious activity. Depending on the organization's changes, some configuration settings may need to be adjusted. While it's not a difficult task, it does require some time to maintain the system properly.

If you have approximately 300 to 400 endpoints the maintenance can be done by one person.

The company offers excellent training for partners and clients, which makes it much easier to deploy the solution. The initial training on the solution is crucial.

I rate Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
Neel Pardeshi - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate Network L1 at 1rivet
Real User
Dec 23, 2022
Easy to set up with a centralized dashboard and good anti-phishing
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is easy."
  • "If we could directly push the agent to the script, it'll be very good."

What is our primary use case?

When we are trying to eliminate the virus from the endpoint, and we are making some policies to block a USB port, we use this solution. We can enable an anti-phishing policy on it. If someone reaches a website that is not good, we directly get a notification. 

We can see if there are patches or if the applications are good or not.

What is most valuable?

The best thing I have found is that we have a centralized dashboard. 

The feature which I like is the anti-phishing feature. We get notified directly if someone might click on a phishing link.

The initial setup is easy.

What needs improvement?

It is easily integrated with our controller. However, it's not directly integrated with it. When we took our system endpoints in our anti-directory, we did not see them in our different antivirus directory. Once we install the agent in it, it'll show that. It would be good if they directly integrate with our anti-directory, so whenever the endpoints come into our domain, we can directly install the agent through the web portal into the endpoint.

If we could directly push the agent to the script, it'll be very good. We don't have to handle it manually.

A new user might have issues with the initial setup. It's easier to handle if a person is knowledgeable.

It would be ideal if they offered application patches.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for four to five years. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Every person in the company uses the solution right now. There are at least 250 people on the solution. It's used on both Windows and Mac OS.

How are customer service and support?

I've never personally contacted technical support.

How was the initial setup?

The setup all depends on the user's knowledge. If a user is new, it'll be difficult. If they're used to it, it'll be easier. In my case, I have had some practice with it, so it will not be difficult for me. I would rate the seven out of ten in terms of ease of setup.

It doesn't take too much time to install the product.

What about the implementation team?

We handled the initial setup ourselves in-house. We directly take the agent and install it on the portal directly. After that, the agent does all the work.

What other advice do I have?

We're customers and end-users. 

We are using the normal version, not plus.

While anyone can use the solution, users should first go with their use cases. You have to see if the software is applicable to your environment or not. You have to know how you are going to protect your endpoints from the outside. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. It's good for protection and has good features. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Bitdefender GravityZone EDR
August 2026
Learn what your peers think about Bitdefender GravityZone EDR. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2026.
908,800 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IT Manager at Esnad
Real User
Jun 4, 2022
Endpoint security solution used to secure networks and is very easy to set up
Pros and Cons
  • "If you detect a virus, you can isolate the PC from the network and prevent access to the internet, network and routers. Once fixed, you can give access back to the client. We have not had this functionality using other solutions."
  • "You can control everything, including monitoring of all websites and blocked devices, from one place."
  • "This solution would be improved if it included antivirus functionality. You currently need to install a plug-in to Outlook for each email to be scanned."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution to secure our networking. We have joined Aramco as a vendor and have specifications that are implemented in our network, firewall, security and multi-factor authenticator.

What is most valuable?

You can control everything, including monitoring of all websites and blocked devices, from one place. If you detect a virus, you can isolate the PC from the network and prevent access to the internet, network and routers. Once fixed, you can give access back to the client. We have not had this functionality using other solutions. 

What needs improvement?

This solution would be improved if it included antivirus functionality. You currently need to install a plug-in to Outlook for each email to be scanned. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

If you wanted to scale this solution, you should make a comparison to other software such as Sophos and Trend Micro.

We currently have 50 users on this solution. 

How are customer service and support?

The technical support for this solution is good but could be improved for Arabic countries.

How was the initial setup?

The Bitdefender setup is very straightforward. You add the email for all users and send them a link to install it. Before they install the solution, you have to specify the settings for your environment. This ensures that when users complete installation, all settings are correct. This process is very easy. 

What about the implementation team?

I installed the solution with the help in configuration from a Bitdefender consultant. This took three to four days. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Licensing is usually for a three year period.

What other advice do I have?

We are moving away from using this solution. Our financial manager requires a contract and not all companies provide this so we are looking for one that can. 

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Head of Implementation and Security at a financial services firm with 1-10 employees
Real User
Jan 9, 2022
One of the best integrator solution with good technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "We have had no issues with the support and consider it to be good, even when it comes to accredited resellers."
  • "We are talking about a very good solution which works for both small and large enterprises."
  • "The installation is not straightforward and should be easier to do."

What is our primary use case?

The solution suits the needs of our business model. 

What needs improvement?

The URL filtering features should be addressed. 

The installation capabilities should be improved, especially when new updates come out. Sometimes, installation requires one to get to the level of having to install the agents. The installation is not straightforward and should be easier to do. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra for over a year. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We find the rollout to be stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. 

As we keep on expanding and opening new businesses, we have definite plans to increase the usage within the coming year. 

How are customer service and support?

We have had no issues with the support and consider it to be good, even when it comes to accredited resellers.

We have made use of technical support and I believe this is something one wishes to experience as time goes by. 

How was the initial setup?

The installation capabilities should be improved, especially when new updates come out. Sometimes, installation requires one to get to the level of having to install the agents. The installation is not straightforward and should be easier to do.

The process lasted three or four minutes. 

What about the implementation team?

The installation can be done on one's own or with the help of a technical team. We have a team that handles this.

We did this at the group level and manage different entities. There are so many factors that are involved in the installation. We must account for the number of endpoint devices that we're working with, their geographical coverage, the time involved, and the network experience website. In cases where we face obstacles on the network, the downloading of the agents prior to the commencement of the installation is quite time consuming. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Each endpoint device we purchased came with its own license. 

Our subscription is yearly. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did evaluate other options and found that they provide good antivirus solutions. However, we felt the added functionality of Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra to suit our business model well. Our business model does not allow us to invest in other, unified, solutions when it comes to other aspects of security. This is because of how the business model is and how the other branches are set up. 

What other advice do I have?

I am satisfied with the overall updates that are introduced and they continue to do so on their central panel, especially on the reporting side. My hope is that they continue with this trend. 

The solution is cloud-based. 

If I'm doing a cumulative account of all the business entities within our group, I would say that there are 5,000 people making use of the solution. 

I consider Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra to be one of the best integrator solutions. We have never faced challenges when it comes to support. We are talking about a very good solution which works for both small and large enterprises. This is an antivirus solution which truly invested in centralized management, something which allows one to centrally manage his policies and do monitoring irrespective of where the endpoint devices are located. 

We have been interacting with different resellers in disparate entities, something which is influenced by the time one buys and the geographical location and which is done to avoid tax issues both here and there. I believe this is something we will look to consolidate in the near future. 

I rate Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra as a nine out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
it_user1686495 - PeerSpot reviewer
Managed IT Services Provider at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Oct 12, 2021
A stable and scalable solution which is robust, flexible, intuitive and provides great technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is scalable, stable, robust and very flexible and intuitive, and it's probably one of the top five, best security solutions on the market at the moment."
  • "There is a need to work on the deployment, when it comes to deploying to Windows machines with regards to downloading the size of the package."

What is our primary use case?

The solution provides security, including endpoint and network security. 

What is most valuable?

The solution is scalable, stable, robust and very flexible and intuitive. It's probably one of the top five, best security solutions on the market at the moment.

What needs improvement?

When one designs for the cloud, the Windows client, no actual package is provided. This is an issue which should be addressed. The package must be downloaded and, when this is accomplished, it does an additional download. On certain older computers this can take  a long while. 

This contrasts with the Mac version, which is very quick. There is a need to work on the deployment, when it comes to deploying to Windows machines with regards to downloading the size of the package.

I suppose that the deployment could be faster, although this is not really a criticism, as this involves the design. There is always a difference in Windows and Mac architecture, so I would not count this as a complaint. It would be nice if the Windows deployment could be improved, although this does not result in any major difficulties. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra for a year or two. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

I have contacted technical support on a couple of occasions. While it takes a bit of time to receive a response, this can only be attributed to the difference in time zones. When they do respond, I find them to be very good and helpful. 

How was the initial setup?

While the solution is easy to install, when one designs for the cloud, the Windows client, no actual package is provided. This must be downloaded and, when complete, an additional download is required. On certain older computers this can take a long time. 

What about the implementation team?

I do everything on my own. I am a managed service provider. Although there are certain people who work with me, I essentially manage the security side of things independently. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

As I am on a different model, my clients pay me on a monthly basis.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

The reason I gave the solution a nine out of ten is because SentinelOne is slightly better, although I do not make use of it. 

SentinelOne requires less hands-on involvement than Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra. One can essentially get it up and running without the need to do very much. While Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra meets 99 percent of this criteria, the remaining one percent requires a bit of manual intervention. This is not to say that the solution could be easier to use. This is not a criticism, as we are talking about different products. I have been using Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra and have no intention of leaving it. 

What other advice do I have?

We are using the solution with nearly 100 endpoints. 

The solution is cloud-based.

I would absolutely recommend it to others. 

I rate Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra as a nine out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
it_user1620096 - PeerSpot reviewer
General Manager at Kristel
Real User
Jul 16, 2021
Thorough detection, great flexibility, and straightforward setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are the solution's thorough detection and ease of use."
  • "I recommend the solution because it has great flexibility and the agility of the solution over time is great."
  • "In terms of improvement of the solution, it could have better features. For example, having a firewall within. This way we would only need one solution."

What is our primary use case?

We are mainly using the solution for management because it contains a variety of different tools. For example, it has EDR and NTSA which are integrated into the solution enabling it to monitor threats on the network and the endpoint site. Additionally, we are using it because of the Patch Management encryption module tool. It essentially provides what we need in terms of our next-generation endpoint. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the solution's thorough detection and ease of use. 

What needs improvement?

In terms of improvement of the solution, it could have better features. For example, having a firewall within. This way we would only need one solution.

In a future release, they should include mobile devices within the cloud setup. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra for three years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We find the solution to be stable. We have not experienced anything to be alarmed about during the time we have used it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is easy to scale. The growth of our company requires only to request for more licenses and does not require additional cost. 

How are customer service and technical support?

The solution has a local technical support office that responds within 30 minutes, which is satisfactory. 

I would rate the technical support of Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra an eight out of ten. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used McAfee, Kaspersky, and ESET.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of the solution was very simple and straightforward. The installation was finished within a day by our technical team.  

What about the implementation team?

The solution requires a technical team for deployment. The team is able to advance it up to the directory, it is very simple. 

The solution does not require much maintenance because the updates happen automatically. However, there are two engineers involved in administration when there is anything requiring attention. For example, when there is a new feature that we want to enable.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is not expensive but there are cheaper options in the market. In terms of competitiveness, the price is reasonable with no other additional costs besides the licensing fees.  

What other advice do I have?

I recommend the solution because it has great flexibility and the agility of the solution over time is great.

I rate Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra an eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
Director, Information Technology at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 10
Jul 5, 2021
Frequent updates, plenty of features, and effective threat avoidance
Pros and Cons
  • "What I have found to be valuable is after every new release of the solution there are more features. At the time that we bought Bitdefender GravityZone, it was their top solution. We went from their Enterprise version to Elite, Elite HD, Ultra, and now there is an Ultra Plus available."
  • "We have been running the solution for a long time through various versions and we have not had any viruses or malware breaches."
  • "I have not had used the EDR portion of the solution to do any custom scripting to allow further advanced operations on the endpoints. From what I understand from reading the comments on reviews is that it is not particularly flexible in this regard."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for advanced protection against threats for our endpoints.

What is most valuable?

What I have found to be valuable is after every new release of the solution there are more features. At the time that we bought Bitdefender GravityZone, it was their top solution. We went from their Enterprise version to Elite, Elite HD, Ultra, and now there is an Ultra Plus available. 

Overall the solution is working well, it can be a little intense and thorough at times, but I would rather have it be a little bit more thorough than not detect what it is supposed to. We have been running the solution for a long time through various versions and we have not had any viruses or malware breaches.

When comparing this solution to others it performs just as well as the majority of the top-level alternatives.

What needs improvement?

The whole suite is unlike most AV consoles, which will inform you when there is an infection or threat, for some inexplicable reason Bitdefender does not do that. The most you will receive is an hourly update or possibly if there is an outbreak that affects 30% of your machines, an email. There is no real-time alerting to inform the user there was a potential attack that recently happened on their system. They could improve by having real-time reporting which is important.

I have not had used the EDR portion of the solution to do any custom scripting to allow further advanced operations on the endpoints. From what I understand from reading the comments on reviews is that it is not particularly flexible in this regard.

Sandbox Analyzer is a feature that comes as part of the Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra Suite. It will start automatically unless you want to manually submit something which I have rarely done. When the feature is in use I do not get a reading back from the analyzer right away, it lacks real-time functionality. For example, if I was executing an admin tool and it was blocked because the Sandbox Analyzer wants to look at it on my local machine, it might take 10 minutes before I can successfully then launch that application to use it. The time it takes to analyze the software is too long. We are busy people and we end up just turning off the detection to allow the use of the program.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for approximately five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Bitdefender has been stable and reliable, there are a few key areas I always look for in an endpoint security platform. A few of them are, how much burden does it put on the endpoint, does it uses more than 10% of the system resources in order to function. If it does not then it is a pretty well-balanced client, it allows the systems to continue to perform at the appropriate level. If it catches a very high percentage of threats, it is doing what you bought it to do, and it does not give off a lot of false positives. However, in the EDR portion, you will receive more false positives, but outside of the EDR component with the client itself, if it has few false positives for viruses and malware detection that is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

They have done a decent job with scalability. The way they have their policies constructed and the ability to manage them. 

I think that the biggest challenge for Bitdefender is simply to move out of the SMB space and really become an enterprise platform.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have been in contact with technical support a few times. They are not the worst or the best. They provide an average quality level of support.

I rate Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra technical support a seven out of ten.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used Sophos and I recall, Sophos released an update for the AV software that destroyed the AV software on every endpoint that ingested it. It was a huge debacle and it took a long time to resolve because it left the solution in a state where you could not repair it, remove it, or update it. 

How was the initial setup?

The installation is straightforward, simple to understand and manage. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra is less expensive than other solutions, such as CrowdStrike. We had a really good deal because it was their year-end and they were trying to do a lot of sales that week. We bought a three-year contract from them and the cost was approximately $17 per endpoint, per year. It is was a very good price. I have spoken to other people who have purchased CrowdStrike at approximately $60 per endpoint, per year. I have no complaints about the price of this solution.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I put a lot of weight on third-party benchmark reviews and Bitdefender always reviews well overall on the spectrum. They review better even when compared to NSS Labs, MITRE, AV-Comparatives, and others. Bitdefender and Kaspersky both typically are the two solutions that are at the top month after month. There are the new technology solutions that are raved about often, such as SentinelOne, Cylance, and CrowdStrike, but they seldom review as well when it comes to defined tests where they test X amount of malware or types of attacks. It has been much harder to get independent confirmation of the efficacy of the new next-generation endpoint solutions than it has been to get the efficacy of the old generation products.

I am currently evaluating CrowdStrike and we considering moving to it once our Bitdefender contract is done.

What other advice do I have?

For those wanting to implement this solution, I would advise them it is worth it and to test it out.

I rate Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Manager, Information Security at Hyundai Capital America
Real User
Apr 2, 2021
Zero false positives with 100% reliable solution
Pros and Cons
  • "With Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra, we don't have to worry about our endpoints or attacks. Our security has become stronger. This has been a reliable solution for our company."
  • "The graphical user interface for EDR could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for this product is prevention, rather than just detections. The solution prevented most APT (advanced persistent threat) attacks at pre-execution stage.  

How has it helped my organization?

With Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra, we don't have to worry about our endpoints or attacks. The endpoint security was always a concern for our company the previous solutions missed detections and prevention, The solution prevented all types of file less and scripts based attacks using its Machine learning and tunable machine learning which is additional layer on top of machine learning, behavior based detection and 30 layers of protection that Bitdefender has to offer at no additional cost. 

What is most valuable?

The feature I find the most valuable the heuristic for malicious scripts and the component is called HyperDetect. This solution actually prevents file-less and script-based attacks at pre-execution where other solution such as Crowdstrike detects but not prevent. An example would be base 64 encoded Powershell script or command line .  With Bitdefender gravity zone ultra scripts are run into agent buffer before it execute to detect and block malicious script weather it is Powershell ,vbs , etc. 

What needs improvement?

The EDR Graphical user interface has improved over the time and is intuitive and less noisy as compared to other solution. I would call the EDR as Next-Gen in it space. It has perfect mapping to Mitre Att&ck framework no other solution is has a rich EDR like Gravity zone ultra. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this Solution for more than 4 years 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Bitdefender Gravityzone Ultra is 100% reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is highly scalable. It's cloud-based and you can deploy to thousands of machines with no issues. You can scale it as demand increases without any issues.

If you're going to scale, you will have to buy more licenses, which can take a few days.

How are customer service and technical support?

I think there is room for improvement for technical support. Although they've been great, honestly, I do see a language barrier sometimes. I ran into a few issues with technical support. But, if you escalate your issue, you will eventually get the right person.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before switching to Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra, we were using Trend Micro OfficeScan version XG. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was not complicated. We were up and running within a day. It's all cloud-based and the deployment agent is easily deployed. The agent can be deployed from the console it self , using email download link , the agent can also be customize to needs , and had active directory integration. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The Bitdefender sales team is always willing to negotiate pricing and beat the deal from other vendors. They are highly competitive and eager to work with make pricing and licensing as smooth as possible.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Yes, before switching, we did evaluate several other options. We were looking for an exhibition product. So, we demoed a lot of different production cleaning solutions like VMware Carbon Black Cloud and CrowdStrike. Both were able to detect attacks but not prevent them, which was what we were looking for. 

What other advice do I have?

Perfect solution , Please Test, Test and Test solution before buying, there is a lot of hype for Crowdstrike and other competitors but no one is even close to the prevention that Bitdefender gravity zone ulrta  could provide.  

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Manny Singh Lubana - PeerSpot reviewer
Manny Singh LubanaManager, Information Security at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User

Great Solution !!

CEO at CSToday
Real User
Dec 24, 2020
Great security with excellent standard policies and extremely stable
Pros and Cons
  • "We like the dashboard, the console, the reporting. It's very easy to deploy."
  • "We have had zero penetrations across our entire client base."
  • "For many, the problems come mostly when they start tweaking or short-cutting - particularly for patch management."

What is our primary use case?

We deploy GravityZone endpoint protection from the admin to every in-office machine, every utility machine, and then to each work-from-home machine that that attorney or paralegal uses when COVID-19 gets bad. There is a weekly centralized review. There is also response to alerts.

The solution is basically a firewall, antivirus, and anti-malware. It's got a heuristic module. It takes a lot of the same core technology that you see in GravityZone, however, with a decidedly more consumer-friendly face. 

How has it helped my organization?

In an office building, there may be other firms on the same floor. In a couple of instances,  an attorney was trying to get a PDF uploaded to the court, or at least that's what he thought he was trying to do. It wouldn't work on his machine so he took it over to his partner's machine. It was a small firm, three attorneys. It wouldn't work on that one. So he took it to his partner's paralegal, and it wouldn't work on that one.

He brought it over to a paralegal from one of my clients, and it immediately detected it as malware and blocked it. That was a vanilla out-of-the-box scan from GravityZone. What's notable about this is the malware was pretty serious and it ended up ransomwaring both of those other firms even though they notified their IT people who went in and attempted remediation. They didn't catch it. We like that because this isn't just defending against network-based attacks, it's successfully defending against everything else.

What is most valuable?

The solution has better UI and better UX tools.

The standard policies are pretty good, right out of the box. We seldom have to tweak them. We have never had to make, and I'm speaking across probably 14 law firms in 2020, we've never had to attenuate for a specific device case like a scanner or a particular piece of software. On three occasions it did block some software paralegals were trying to install, which turned out to be malicious. 

We like the dashboard, the console, the reporting. It's very easy to deploy.

We're pretty strong on GravityZone. We have had zero penetrations across our entire client base.

What needs improvement?

We don't deal with very large organizations. We stay as far away from active directory and combined network typologies, as much as we possibly can. The way I explain it is we don't build our houses out of straw, we don't build our houses out of wood. Each user machine that piggybacks builds a stone house. 

We've cloud migrated everybody, however, it did not happen generically. We've used Google Enterprise or Box Enterprise, so good stuff. AES-256 at rest and AES-128 in transit. We only do scans on GravityZone covered machines via our contemporary APIs. We close every hole we can find. With people who still have servers, whether they're physical or virtual or cloud, and they're still active directory, and they're still 100% Microsoft shops, I've heard them complain. However, I don't care as it doesn't affect any of my clients.

For many, the problems come mostly when they start tweaking or short-cutting - particularly for patch management. A lot of admins will tend to bundle work that we don't think should be bundled, however, they tend to due to the fact that they're underfunded and undermanned. They've got to get all the patches up. They've got to get all the updates done. Therefore, they tend to tweak group policies associated with the active directory. Some of those customizations can create potential security holes.

GravityZone is the only one with the heuristic model, the simulator. We've seen where a thing may pass the script desk, it may pass the node and snippet test, however, it fails the heuristic test. That's where it launches a virtual machine in the high memory and lets the thing do whatever it's going to do, and then looks for where it goes. Of course, a lot of these things then go to the approval area as that's what the admin intended. However, then they get into a bit of a problem with GravityZone as it doesn't want them to do that. GravityZone works fine if you follow best practices in the other areas of your deployments. If you're kind of cheating or cutting corners, GravityZone isn't going to be mean to you, however, it may give you grief. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution as a consumer on behalf of clients. I've been dealing with the solution for four or five years at this point.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is extremely stable. Nothing that I work with is as stable as this product. For example, aside from its default group policies and actions being robust and its very adroit awareness of 'allowable' (you can't get a Kyocera auto-update if you don't have a Kyocera), we log less than one issue per year per client for Gravity Zone.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is amazing. It's pretty much instantaneous. We've very satisfied with the level of service we are provided.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty straightforward.

We create a package depending on the level of sophistication of the user. The average law firm will have three packages. A low-end package, attorney, because attorneys are actually the least significant player in a law firm. They're the least informed. They're the least aware technologically. Then there are the standard paralegals and then advanced technical paralegals. We want to give more power to the advanced technical paralegals. Prior to COVID, we would typically create two or three distribution points, but with all the work from home, we quickly observed it was unnecessary.

For example, let's say you've got 22 users in an office. You can create two or three distribution points in your configuration of the GravityZone download package. Then, those three distribution points, which are serverless and have no central authority, will capture the updates and distribute those to the other machines. That worked fine pre COVID. Post COVID, with everybody at home, fully 40% of the workforce at home, that creates an unnecessary burden. That's why we've suspended that. 

We're using the UI you configure for whether the users are on a Win 64 machine or a Mac, and sometimes Linux. We build the package, send the package, install the package. When we put GravityZone on a machine we're building for deployment. It's all very quick and smooth.

When we're putting GravityZone on a work from home, typically it's a home laptop that has got a lot of stuff on it that isn't necessary. GravityZone installs in three phases. Phase one is a scan, a comprehensive scan. Phase two looks for offending software that is incompatible, such as McAfee. In home deployments, we very often watch it go through and have to unroot junkware. Sometimes that will take intervention on our part.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Although I can't speak to exact costs, in our experience, not only is it much more effective,  it also never costs more, and sometimes costs less than competitors.

What other advice do I have?

The solution is targeted for the consumer community, however, I've seen it deployed a lot this year from all the work from home attorneys and paralegals and such.

I would advise those seriously considering the solution to go for the three-year contract as it'll save you money. If you're changing protection more often than every three years, then you're not really paying attention.

I would rate the solution ten out of ten.

We have problems with Word, we have problems with Google, we have problems with Google Drive, we have some problems with the Box API, we have lots of problems with all IFTTT. However, we never really have problems with GravityZone.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Managing Director at TEPSA (Pty) Ltd
Reseller
Nov 11, 2020
The best protection against malware, ransomware, and any other forms of malicious software
Pros and Cons
  • "Great protection against malware, ransomware, and any other forms of malicious software."
  • "The product is solid, it's why we chose to distribute it, we're very particular about the products we distribute and only take the best, so we don't distribute Symantec or any other AV solutions."
  • "Occasionally websites are unnecessarily blocked due to monitoring software on those sites."
  • "The only issue an end user might have is in the case where a website has some kind of monitoring software included, where they want to track use, and it might unnecessarily block the site for the user."

What is our primary use case?

We provide this solution for anyone from a single user at home wanting to protect their PC, right up to large banking institutions with thousands of users. It's all about protecting computers from malware, ransomware, viruses, and the like. We are in partnership with Bitdefender and we're distributors of the product, functioning as a managed service provider. I'm the managing director of the company. 

What is most valuable?

The valuable features are, of course, the protection against malware, ransomware, and any other forms of malicious software, but the solution also provides application and device control which stops people copying things onto a memory stick, for example. In addition, it provides web filtering and blocking of inappropriate websites. The product covers pretty much every aspect of cyber security, but the primary function that everybody gets it for is the antimalware or antivirus protection.

The product is solid, it's why we chose to distribute it, we're very particular about the products we distribute and only take the best, so we don't distribute Symantec or any other AV solutions. It's value for money. There are some competing antiviruses out there which are at least as powerful. Products like Sophos, but they're about three times the price. The cheaper products, such as  ESET NOD32, for instance, are more suitable for individual use. Bitdefender is a user friendly and intuitive solution but we also have a team that provides support for our customers. 

What needs improvement?

The only issue an end user might have is in the case where a website has some kind of monitoring software included, where they want to track use, and it might unnecessarily block the site for the user. In that event, the user would contact us and we can 'white list' the site for them enabling them to use it. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with this solution for three years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's very stable, it's not going to slow your machine down, it's not going to create instabilities, like programs not working, things like that. We very rarely have issues where a customer has a problem on a PC caused by the antivirus. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The beauty of being in the cloud is that it's completely scalable, and it's completely transparent. You can install it on one machine or on 100,000 machines. We have thousands of users with a single user or two user license, but we also have large organizations with 3,500 or 11,000 users. It's completely scalable, you don't have to change a thing, you just deploy to more machines, and it takes care of everything in the back end.

How are customer service and technical support?

We carry out all the support on behalf of the company. There are five short, simple videos that explain step by step how to deploy. If somebody wants to do everything themselves and they don't want assistance from us, we simply send them the videos, and it's quite easy. We have online documentation as well, of course. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used to use iSheriff and Panda Antivirus but things change in the market, as the threat changes. As a distributor, if we see a product is starting to change focus and move away from an antivirus focus, like Panda did, we let them go. If we are changing products we institute a migration plan for our customers and we carry out the transition for them. 

How was the initial setup?

It's extremely simple to deploy. When we receive an order from a customer, we go in and provision everything. We create the packages, we set the default settings, we do everything in the background. It takes approximately 15 minutes. Then the user gets a link where they download the installation, and they run it and click 'next' about three times and the entire installation takes care of itself. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Everything is included in the licensing, unless you want to add additional solutions such as Full Disk encryption. It's an additional plugin that can be managed from the same console. We are the only company in South Africa able to provide Bitdefender on a monthly billing basis. With any other company, you'd have to buy it annually. About 50% of our customers are annual, 50% of them are monthly. It means that as your staff increases or your staff decreases, your bill will increase or decrease on a monthly basis. 

What other advice do I have?

At the end of the day, it's important to choose a solid product and GravityZone's done that. Once you pass the hurdle of selecting the proper product, it's important to select the right partner who's going to be implementing, and can support you. You can buy a solution online but you get zero support. Buy locally, choose the right partner you know is going to look after you. Don't go to some computer shop in the mall, and go and buy the antivirus, because you're not going to get the support that you require. If it costs 5% more, it's worth it. 

I would rate this solution a 10 out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Distributor
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Bitdefender GravityZone EDR Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: August 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Bitdefender GravityZone EDR Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.