Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs Symantec Data Center Security comparison

Akamai and Broadcom are both solutions in the Cloud and Data Center Security category. Akamai is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.7, while Broadcom is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.0. Akamai holds a 15.2% mindshare in CDCS, compared to Broadcom’s 3.0% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Akamai users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

Read 26 Akamai Guardicore Segmentation reviews

8,556 Views
5,476 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Symantec Data Center Security

Read 12 Symantec Data Center Security reviews

1,400 Views
924 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

Symantec Data Center Security

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 14, 2024

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation and Symantec Data Center Security compete in the field of data center security, both offering distinct advantages. Akamai Guardicore appears to have the upper hand due to its advanced micro-segmentation, ease of deployment across various environments, and customer service adaptability.

Features: Akamai Guardicore Segmentation provides advanced micro-segmentation, broad visibility across data centers, and flexible policy management. It ensures quick compliance with auditing requirements and offers proactive threat detection. Symantec Data Center Security offers granular control with robust hardening of systems, providing unified security policy enforcement. It emphasizes precise access controls and comprehensive visibility across systems.

Room for Improvement: Akamai Guardicore faces challenges including high licensing costs, limited integration with major appliances, and a need for more flexible dashboards. Improvements in long-term policy management automation are also needed. Symantec requires simplification of its policy structures, increased flexibility and integration options, and better support for newer operating systems.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is versatile, supporting public, private, and hybrid cloud environments. Its technical support is known for quick adaptation and responsiveness. Symantec Data Center Security supports on-premises and private cloud setups, with robust technical support but could benefit from quicker response times and greater expertise.

Pricing and ROI: Guardicore offers flexible licensing scenarios, perceived as competitive despite high costs, demonstrating ROI through enhanced security and reduced resource needs. Symantec is acknowledged for higher costs but offers reasonable ROI according to some users. Guardicore shows potential for higher returns due to its adaptability in protecting diverse applications and systems.

To learn more, read our detailed Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs. Symantec Data Center Security Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs. Symantec Data Center Security

April 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

Ranking in Cloud and Data Center Security

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) (10th), Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) (6th), Microsegmentation Software (3rd)

Symantec Data Center Security

Ranking in Cloud and Data Center Security

10th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

4.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Cloud and Data Center Security category, the mindshare of Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is 15.2%, down from 24.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Data Center Security is 3.0%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud and Data Center Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation	15.2%
Symantec Data Center Security	3.0%
Other	81.8%

Cloud and Data Center Security

Featured Reviews

Vibin Thomas

Team Lead, Technical Content Security at Valuepoint Systems

Zero-trust micro-segmentation has strengthened security and improves east-west traffic visibility

While Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is a very powerful solution, there are a few areas where it could be improved. One of the main challenges is the initial deployment and policy design complexity. In large environments, understanding all application dependencies and creating the right policies can take time and requires close coordination with application teams. The user interface and policy management can also be improved. As the number of policies grows, managing and organizing them becomes slightly complex. A more simplified or intuitive policy structure would help operational teams. Another area is integration with other security tools such as SIEM or SOAR platforms. While integration is possible, making it more seamless and easier to configure would add value. Additionally, the reporting and dashboard could be enhanced to provide more customizable and business-level insights, especially for management and reporting. One small improvement I would suggest for Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is having more automation capabilities for policy creation and recommendation. For example, AI-driven suggestions based on observed traffic patterns would help reduce manual effort during the initial policy design. It would also help to have more predefined templates for common use cases, especially for industries such as banking, to speed up deployment. Another area is enhanced reporting customization where we can easily generate business-level dashboards for management and compliance teams without any additional effort.

Read full review

Muhammad Ejaz ul Hassan

CEO at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Continuous server hardening has protected critical legacy workloads and simplified security control

Symantec is lagging on the reporting side. I have been working for 10 years and I have identified many gray areas. As a user protecting your infrastructure, you need to sell the value to your management. Management buys the tool for preventing threats, and it works for them. However, you cannot sell it because every solution needs to show what happened in the last few years or how you will be protected in the future. Reporting is the most important thing for the CIO level, not the admin level. I have seen Symantec really lag in this area. I am creating my own tool to build a dashboard to share with the CIO level because they want to know what happened last week, last month, and last year. These reports will tell you about activities. Symantec changed the licensing when Broadcom acquired the company. The question of who will provide support became unclear. Support has now changed and they are making money. I have seen that most of the time when you ask implementation questions, they do not answer you. If you have a problem, they give you a low-level engineer at the first level. This delays resolution. Support has to be better.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Guardicore makes its own rule set automatically, so we can work fast when creating a rule set."

"The label-based segmentation is the most valuable feature."

"No one has asked for more, so I find the technical support in my region is pretty good."

"Guardicore Centra offers the best coverage specifically in backward compatibility with legacy operating systems."

"Its deception features are great, providing a rich telemetry of lured origins, and are a great resource for any active defense strategy."

"The most important feature or use case, because of micro-segmentation, is the visibility you get when you deploy this product."

"Application Ring-Fencing and Deception Server, which is basically like a honeypot, are pretty useful features."

"The most valuable features of the solution are the maps and ring fencing that help monitor events."

More Akamai Guardicore Segmentation pros

"The real strength lies in its straightforward approach, offering just two key policies: prevention and detection."

"The console and tools are very user-friendly."

"We use the product to prevent unauthorized access to data, systems, and servers. It provides essential features for data center security."

"Overall, this is a pretty good product."

"The file integrity monitoring features are the most valuable features of this product."

"The console and tools are very user-friendly."

"The tool will then detect any anomalies, such as an intruder who has breached the network, which can trigger the system lockdown feature if it's enabled and meets the defined threshold."

"The advantage of Data Center Security is its ease of use and that it serves as a single unified platform, where I can apply all my security policies to protect that server."

More Symantec Data Center Security pros

Cons

"In our version, when using the terminal server, we cannot exclude user tasks for each session."

"The maps could go a bit faster. They are useful but slightly slow."

"Customers would want to see the cost improved."

"Reporting is one area where I think Akamai Guardicore Segmentation can be improved."

"The product needs a few features like enhanced user policies and payload-level inspection to improve the offering."

"The maps could go a bit faster. They are useful but slightly slow."

"The integration with other tools could be improved."

"Incident tagging could be improved. Other vendors offer semi-automatic tagging, which Guardicore doesn't yet have."

More Akamai Guardicore Segmentation cons

"There is room for improvement in enhancing its graphical user interface for a more user-friendly experience."

"Since the acquisition of Symantec, our customers have not been satisfied with this solution."

"There is plenty of room for improvement with this product, and it could start with platform metrics."

"The product blocks certain processes, even after allowlisting them."

"It would be advantageous if Symantec or Broadcom, given the rebranding, could simplify the process, enabling users to leverage the antivirus functionality more easily."

"They need to develop a more flexible product that can be scaled such that it fits well into a small business or a bigger, enterprise-level solution."

"A user or administrator making the policy in the DCS should have a very thorough knowledge of the operating system or policy making. You have to be very specific about the data structure."

"Could have better reporting capabilities and better support."

More Symantec Data Center Security cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is too high."

"The solution is reasonably priced and I would rate it a six out of ten. The tool's licensing costs are yearly."

"Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is expensive."

"Compared to the pricing we were seeing from both Illumio and Edgewise, Guardicore was very competitive."

"GuardiCore has made some new changes to the license now. We've seen monthly and annual licenses based on a subscription. We have a few clients that pay anywhere from $25,000 a year."

"This is not a cheap solution but you have to consider the bigger picture, which is what it is giving you."

"The customer would complain about the cost."

"Guardicore Centra provides better value for money than NSX, was the other solution that we looked at, which was too expensive for what it does."

More Akamai Guardicore Segmentation pricing and cost advice

"The product is a bit costly."

"It is notably more expensive when compared to other solutions."

"Compared to some other solutions, such as CrowdStrike, Symantec is more expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

18%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Insurance Company

Construction Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	15

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	5

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Guardicore Centra?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is great. It has a fair cost for our business.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Guardicore Infection Monkey?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Guardicore Infection Monkey?

Our main use case for Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is to implement micro-segmentation and Zero Trust security across hybrid environments, including both on-premises and cloud workloads. We primar...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Symantec Data Center Security?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Symantec Data Center Security?

As a partner support, we handle all Symantec products for various clients. Currently, we work with DLP, Symantec Endpoint Protection, Data Loss Prevention, Data Center Security, Email Security, and...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Symantec Data Center Security?

I am still a Symantec partner. Price rating is five out of ten. Symantec Data Center Security is a perfect solution, but it needs to elaborate its functionalities and functions to the market. Peopl...

See all answers

Comparisons

Illumio vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

Compared 29% of the time

VMware NSX vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

Compared 9% of the time

Cisco Secure Workload vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

Compared 9% of the time

TrendAI Deep Security vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

Compared 5% of the time

Zero Networks vs Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

Compared 3% of the time

More Akamai Guardicore Segmentation Competitors

TrendAI Deep Security vs Symantec Data Center Security

Compared 32% of the time

Trellix MOVE AntiVirus vs Symantec Data Center Security

Compared 13% of the time

Symantec Endpoint Security vs Symantec Data Center Security

Compared 11% of the time

Check Point CloudGuard CNAPP vs Symantec Data Center Security

Compared 10% of the time

Cloud Security Cockpit vs Symantec Data Center Security

Compared 5% of the time

More Symantec Data Center Security Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation

May 2026

Download Akamai Guardicore Segmentation product report

Buyer's Guide

Symantec Data Center Security

April 2026

Download Symantec Data Center Security product report

Also Known As

Guardicore Centra, GuardiCore

No data available

Overview

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation offers extensive visibility and micro-segmentation capabilities, integrating seamlessly with diverse environments to enhance security measures. Organizations benefit from its platform agnosticism and centralized firewall management, maximizing protection and operational efficiency.

Known for its detailed network visibility, Akamai Guardicore Segmentation streamlines security operations across different platforms. It facilitates ease of policy creation and allows for effective segmentation, even of legacy systems. With advanced threat intelligence and real-time traffic monitoring, organizations optimize security and compliance, reducing attack surfaces through precise process and port control. This capability extends to seamless operation in environments like Kubernetes and data centers, implementing Zero Trust security models and server-to-server segmentation.

What are the key features?

Extensive visibility: Offers comprehensive insight across network environments.
Platform agnosticism: Operates effectively on multiple platforms.
Micro-segmentation: Enables detailed control over network traffic.
Centralized management: Simplifies firewall administration and monitoring.
Threat intelligence: Incorporates AI for dynamic threat assessment.

What benefits or ROI should organizations seek?

Enhanced security: Reduces attack surfaces and prevents lateral movements.
Operational efficiency: Streamlines policy creation and enforcement.
Integration flexibility: Aligns with diverse systems for seamless deployment.
Compliance achievement: Supports adherence to industry standards.

In sectors like banking and financial services, Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is crucial for implementing Zero Trust models and enhancing server-to-server segmentation. These industries utilize its capabilities to replace traditional firewalls and manage complex environments, boosting security through application dependency mapping and optimized east-west traffic control.

Akamai

Symantec Data Center Security provides comprehensive server protection with features like hard disk protection, file integrity monitoring, and centralized management, making it suitable for securing legacy systems and preventing unauthorized access.

Focusing on server integrity and data protection, Symantec Data Center Security delivers robust intrusion prevention, system lockdown, and specific control over server access. With a customizable rule set, it enhances server hardening by fine-tuning access controls without relying on IPS signature detection. While offering significant advantages for managing legacy infrastructure, it also requires improvements in platform metrics, compatibility, speed, and integration with third-party products. Users face challenges with false positives, policy complexity, and compatibility issues, particularly regarding Microsoft and virtualization improvements.

What Key Features Does Symantec Data Center Security Offer?

Built-in Hard Disk Protection: Safeguards data through advanced protection measures.
Centralized Console: Manages diverse product lines from a single interface.
File Integrity Monitoring: Ensures data integrity by tracking changes to files.
Efficient Endpoint Protection: Provides strong defense against endpoint threats.
Robust Intrusion Prevention: Prevents unauthorized access with advanced threat detection.

What Benefits Should Users Consider?

Enhanced Security: Offers comprehensive protection for critical data.
Customizable Rule Set: Provides flexibility to adjust security policies to specific needs.
Centralized Management: Simplifies operations and improves efficiency.
Improved Server Management: Enhances control over server access and permissions.
Comprehensive Integration: Complements other security components like antivirus and anti-malware.

In industries like finance, healthcare, and technology, Symantec Data Center Security is implemented to protect server integrity particularly in environments using Docker containers and legacy systems. It supports remote operations, enforces stringent access policies, and locks down systems while offering valuable audit capabilities for code changes, especially on Linux.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

Santander, Frontier Airlines, OpenLink, Intermountain Healthcare, Cellcom, BancoBASE

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs. Symantec Data Center Security

April 2026

Free Report: Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs. Symantec Data Center Security

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