Enterprises have relied on conventional antivirus (AV) products for years and with 93.6% of surveyed US enterprises reporting their use in 2017, it is clear that they are still considered essential. However, rapid changes in the threat landscape and an increase in enterprise need for visibility have resulted in conventional AV no longer being enough. In 2016, NSS Labs began assessing a technology category, which we defined as advanced endpoint protection (AEP). The term “advanced” refers not only to the technology used within the products, but also to the challenges they are trying to solve.
In 2018, organizations continue to value the security capabilities of endpoint products. However, security effectiveness metrics are not well suited for inclusion in an RFP; therefore, this paper provides guidelines for enterprises developing RFPs for endpoint security products. The paper reviews template guidelines as well as discusses key product selection categories such as security effectiveness, resilience, forensic visibility, central management, use case, interoperability, agent reliability, product stability, and cost (including operational, functional, and threat-based costs).