F-KEY Solutions E-List Distributor v4.1 serial key or number
F-KEY Solutions E-List Distributor v4.1 serial key or number
Vcds Key Programming
Top Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Solutions
Most Recent Products Articles
Endpoint security is a cornerstone of IT security, so our team put considerable time and thought into this list of top endpoint detection and response (EDR) vendors.
IT security isn't just about raw test scores, although independent testing is very important in our view.
It's also the advanced features that provide additional protection, the ease of implementation and use, management control of endpoints and threats, value and support, and so we rate EDR software products in all those areas.
Generally, the more you pay, the more advanced features you get, and many vendors offer multiple levels of products at different price points.
What is EDR?
Endpoint detection and response (EDR) gives security teams a centralized platform for continuously monitoring endpoints and responding to incidents as they arise, often via automated response.
One important trend to note: EDR software products have been rapidly converging with endpoint protection platforms (EPP), which go beyond traditional antivirus software to offer protection against advanced threats such as fileless malware, so one thing EDR buyers should look for is a product that combines both, or gets EPP and EDR tools to work together as seamlessly as possible. All our top EDR products have that feature, and they also all offer machine learning-based detection, advanced fileless threat protection, correlation and automatic Indicators of Compromise (IoC). For more, see our section on key EDR features.
We rated more than 30 EDR products in seven key areas and measured data points for each vendor to come up with our list of 12 top EDR providers, plus an additional 10 notable EDR products. For more on our methodology and ratings, see our Methodology section.
Jump ahead to:
Top EDR Software Products
CrowdStrike Falcon
Key takeaway: CrowdStrike is for those willing to pay for advanced features that are hard to beat.
Pros:
- Happy customers
- Easy cloud-based implementation
- Advanced features that deliver
Cons:
- Can get pricey
- A few vendors have higher raw independent test scores – but in any other product, we'd place that in the "Pros" section
- Web content filtering and VPN needs would have to be met in other ways
CrowdStrike Falcon is popular with analysts and users alike – and it came out on top in our analysis too. Falcon is near the top in raw security scores, but when factoring in the product's advanced features, it wound up with an overall Detection score well above any other vendor on this list. It also scored high in Response, Management, Ease of Use, and Support. Pricing is above average, but as all EDR products save millions of dollars in breach and remediation costs, price is relative, and well-executed advanced features pay for themselves. Falcon offers almost all the standard features you'd expect in a top EDR product, although automated remediation costs extra. Web content filtering and VPN aren't offered, and for encryption it merely reports on the status of Windows BitLocker, but none of those features are widely offered enough to be considered a standard EDR feature. Users score it high in capabilities, implementation, cloud-based management, and Linux and technical support, among other areas. But CrowdStrike's biggest strength is the additional services offered with Falcon, including threat hunting, vulnerability assessment and more.
Detection | Response | Management | Deployment | Ease of use | Value | Support | |
CrowdStrike |
Check Point Software SandBlast
Key takeaway: A good match for companies of all sizes seeking strong endpoint security at a good price point, particularly those who want their EDR solution to do some of the work for them.
Pros:
- Automated response
- Ease of use and management
- Full-featured at reasonable cost
Cons:
- Custom rules missing
- Some implementation challenges reported
Check Point's SandBlast offering was tied for second overall on the strength of its top-notch security and support at a good price. It received the highest score in Ease of Use and came in second in Management, and its automated response capability is also good, making it a strong candidate for smaller companies or those with less sophisticated security teams. In NSS Labs testing, SandBlast handled everything thrown at it, with the sole exception of targeted (hand-crafted) attacks, where it stopped 40%. It offers full-featured management, although users report some challenges with implementation. Check Point also offers a remarkably full-featured product for a price that's toward the lower end of EDR products, with custom rules the only missing piece. There may be cheaper products and there may be more advanced ones, but none offer better security for the price.
Detection | Response | Management | Deployment | Ease of use | Value | Support | |
Check Point |
SentinelOne
Key takeaway: A good choice for companies willing to pay for advanced features without sweating the details too much.
Pros:
- Automated response
- Strong security at a reasonable price
- Good security for less sophisticated teams
Cons:
- Missing features: full-disk encryption, VPN, mobile support, web content filtering
- Rogue device discovery offered at an additional cost
- Not for those buying on price alone, but otherwise a good value
SentinelOne tied for second overall, with top scores in Detection, Deployment and Value. SentinelOne users are among the happiest in the EDR space, and they have good reason to be. The product's automated response features are rated highly by users, which could make SentinelOne a good choice for smaller companies and those without a sophisticated security team. Security scores are good, and SentinelOne even came out on top in the second round of MITRE testing – that's no small feat, as participants are basically trying to stop Russian nation-state hackers across areas. Missing features include full-disk encryption, VPN, mobile support and web content filtering, and rogue device discovery can be had at an additional cost, but as only about half of top vendors offer those, it would be hard to call them standard features. SentinelOne isn't the cheapest EDR product on the market, but even there, price is often cited as a reason for buying.
Detection | Response | Management | Deployment | Ease of use | Value | Support | |
SentinelOne |
F-Secure
Key takeaway: If top-notch security is a requirement, F-Secure is a good one to add to your shortlist.
Pros:
- Top security
- Full lineup of advanced features, but some cost extra
- Ease of use and value
Cons:
- Advanced features can cost extra
- Some implementation challenges
F-Secure, headquartered in Helsinki, matched Palo Alto for the highest independent test scores. The company offers some of the best security on the EDR market for a price that's about average, with some of the highest scores in the MITRE evaluations. It gets high scores for Ease of Use and Value too. F-Secure boasts a solid lineup of advanced features, but they can come at an additional cost: vulnerability monitoring, custom rules, advanced threat hunting, rogue device discovery, rollback, VPN. Still, the list of features is pretty thorough. Users report some difficulty with implementation, but support and services are there if you need them.
Detection | Response | Management | Deployment | Ease of use | Value | Support | |
F-Secure |
Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
Key takeaway: A natural for Palo Alto customers, but anyone seeking top security and a product that goes beyond endpoints should take a look.
Pros:
- Top scores in third-party security tests
- Ability to handle advanced attacks
- AI and behavioral analytics, strong alerting capabilities
- Tracks threats across endpoints, networks and cloud
Cons:
- vulnerability monitoring, patch management, web content filtering, rogue device discovery, and rollback are missing features
- Management and implementation can be complicated
- Palo Alto customers make up a big part of the market; need for broader visibility
Palo Alto Networks matched F-Secure for the highest independent test scores, with strong results from both NSS Labs and MITRE. And that security can be had for a price that's about average. Palo Alto's Cortex XDR system is priced solidly in the midrange of EDR products, where a majority of vendors seem to price their EDR offerings. NSS Labs found that the product handled all manner of attacks, including handcrafted (targeted attacks), and Palo Alto came out on top in the first round of the rigorous MITRE ATT@CK evaluations, and in the top two or three in the just-released second round results. The only weak spot in the NSS tests was social exploits embedded in documents, where Palo Alto stopped just over 60% of attacks. Alerting capabilities are solid, and AI and behavioral analytics track threats across endpoints, the network and the cloud. Users report some issues with integration and support, and some of the less common EDR features are missing: vulnerability monitoring, patch management, web content filtering, rogue device discovery, rollback. Strong integration with Palo Alto firewalls and technologies could limit the product's market to current Palo Alto customers, but anyone seeking top security and a product that goes beyond endpoints should take a look.
Detection | Response | Management | Deployment | Ease of use | Value | Support | |
Palo Alto |
Kaspersky
Key takeaway: A good choice for any company looking for solid security and ease of use on a budget.
Pros:
- Solid security for a low price
- Feature-rich
- Ease of use
- Support
Cons:
- Can be resource-intensive
- VPN costs extra
- Underwhelming MITRE round two evaluation
Kaspersky's EDR offering offers solid security at bargain-basement prices, which also makes the product one of the more popular ones on the market. It's a feature-rich product too, with an additional cost for VPN the only noteworthy omission. Users like the product's automation features that surface the most critical issues, investigation and response capabilities, top-notch research, ease of implementation and use, and support. Some users have said the product can be resource-intensive, straining CPUs, and Kaspersky's raw score in the just-released second round of MITRE testing was below average. The Moscow-based company has also moved much of its data processing to Switzerland to ease any suspicions about ties to the Russian government.
Detection | Response | Management | Deployment | Ease of use | Value | Support | |
Kaspersky |
Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection
Key takeaway: With its integration into Windows source code, Defender ATP is a natural for Windows environments, but the product's strong security makes it a contender elsewhere too.
Pros:
- Strong security
- Windows source code integration
- Management and ease of use
- Lots of standard features like vulnerability and configuration management
Cons:
- Analyst workflow a missing feature
- Rogue device discovery and VPN cost extra
- Some reports that it can get pricey
Microsoft has invested significantly in its security capabilities and in-house development, and the result was an impressive performance in both rounds of the rigorous MITRE ATT@CK evaluations. By virtue of including its endpoint security software in Windows 10, Microsoft is number one in deployed endpoints, but the company is taking the Mac and Linux markets seriously too, and has also addressed licensing concerns by making Defender Advanced Threat Protection available as a standalone EDR product or as part of a suite. Microsoft turned in top-tier performances in the first two rounds of MITRE ATT@CK evaluations, proof that the software giant intends to be a player in endpoint security. Management and Ease of Use were two areas the product scored high in. Defender ATP is feature-packed, with analyst workflow the lone missing feature, and rogue device discovery and VPN available for an additional cost.
Detection | Response | Management | Deployment | Ease of use | Value | Support | |
Microsoft Defender ATP |
Trend Micro
Key takeaway: Trend Micro Apex One should be considered by those seeking strong security on a budget.
Pros:
- Price, value and TCO
- Cloud office support
- Strong security
Cons:
- Missing features: analyst workflow, custom rules, rollback
- Features that cost extra: patch management, full-disk encryption, device control, threat intelligence feed integration, VPN
- Some deployment issues
- Some reports of malware needing to be removed manually
Apex One, Trend Micro's combined EPP/EDR offering, scores highest in value, not surprising since it's priced at the low end of the EDR market. With a top-tier performance in the just-released second round of MITRE evaluations, it's one of the biggest bargains in the market. Apex One's combination of low cost and good security effectiveness gave it one of the best total cost of ownership (TCO) scores in NSS Labs testing last year. Office and Google G Suite integration are a focus, a plus for cloud office suite users. There have been some issues with deployment, and users have reported occasionally needing to manually remove malware found by the product. A number of features are missing or cost extra, like patching, device control, analyst workflow, custom rules, and rollback, but as the product is at the low end of the pricing spectrum, those features can be added at a pretty reasonable cost when available.
Detection | Response | Management | Deployment | Ease of use | Value | Support | |
Trend Micro |
VMware Carbon Black
Key takeaway: Carbon Black is popular with sophisticated security teams, but those needing more standard features may find value too.
Pros:
- Ease of use and product capabilities are strengths
- Well integrated EPP and EDR
- Advanced threat hunting may cost extra, but it's well done
Cons:
- Features that cost extra: advanced threat hunting, vulnerability monitoring and patch management
- Features not offered: full-disk encryption, web content filtering, device control, guided investigation, rollback, VPN
- Despite relative value, a few users report that the product can get pricey
Ease of Use and Value were the areas VMware Carbon Black scored highest in, perhaps a little surprising for a product priced in the middle of the pack. Users are pretty high on the product's capabilities, which were solid enough to give it a very good TCO score in NSS Labs testing last year. Security is good too, with solid scores in NSS Labs and MITRE testing. One downside is that a number of features that might be expected in a mid-to-high end product are missing or cost extra: vulnerability monitoring, device control, guided investigation, advanced threat hunting and rollback among them. Predictive Security Cloud is the flagship offering, with options for threat hunting and response, and audit and remediation, and is popular with sophisticated security teams, but those needing more standard features may find value in Carbon Black too.
Detection | Response | Management | Deployment | Ease of use | Value | Support | |
VMware Carbon Black |
Symantec
Key takeaway: A comfortable choice that gets the job done.
Pros:
- Many standard features: vulnerability and patch management, device control, analyst workflow, guided investigation, custom rules, advanced threat hunting, rogue device discovery
- Good security
- Overall balanced scores
Cons:
- Full-disk encryption, web content monitoring and threat intelligence feed integration are available at extra cost
- Rollback isn't offered
- Pricing can be high
- Can be resource-intensive on endpoints
Now owned by Broadcom, the EDR market leader hasn't been resting on its laurels, not that any vendor could afford to in such a competitive market. Symantec Endpoint Security (SES), the vendor's combined EPP-EDR offering, offers advanced features such as vulnerability remediation, threat hunting and targeted attack analytics. Response, Management, Ease of Use and Value were all good, indications that Symantec has put together a solid product. Pricing can range from low-cost to very expensive, depending on features selected. Standard features include vulnerability and patch management, device control, analyst workflow, guided investigation, custom rules, advanced threat hunting, rogue device discovery and more. Full-disk encryption, web content monitoring and threat intelligence feed integration are available at extra cost, while rollback isn't offered, the only missing feature on our item checklist. Symantec recently posted a very good raw score of 85% in the second round of MITRE testing, but as quite a few detections were made by MSSP only, we expect that Symantec's EDR and services teams are getting together to make sure that both products get maximum benefit from the MITRE evaluations. Symantec has made some good choices and gets solid marks from users across the board.
Detection | Response | Management | Deployment | Ease of use | Value | Support | |
Symantec |
Bitdefender
Key takeaway: Bitdefender is one that SMBs should be taking a look at, and even some enterprises too, as the company has basic and advanced offerings for both SMBs and enterprises.
Pros:
- Good security
- Popular with SMBs
- Good automation features
Cons:
- Missing: guided investigation, threat intelligence feed integration, custom rules
- Available at a premium: patch management, full-disk encryption, rogue device discovery
- Can get pricey
Bucharest-based Bitdefender is popular with small and mid-sized businesses that want their endpoint security to do a lot of the work for them, and Bitdefender GravityZone can do that with machine learning, behavioral monitoring, risk analytics and automated remediation. Those features come at a cost, however, and for a product that can get pricey, a number of advanced features are missing, like guided investigation, threat intelligence feed integration and custom rules. Patch management, full-disk encryption, and rogue device discovery can be had at a premium. Security is good, with solid scores in NSS Labs and MITRE evaluations.
Detection | Response | Management | Deployment | Ease of use | Value | Support | |
Bitdefender | 4 | 4 |
BlackBerry Cylance
Key takeaway: BlackBerry Cylance is for enterprises willing to pay extra for protection against unknown threats, but that extra cost may pay for itself in reduced remediation time.
Pros:
- Automated remediation
- Time-saving response and management capabilities
- Stops unknown threats
Cons:
- Missing features: behavioral detection, patch management, full-disk encryption, web content filtering, guided investigation, rogue device discovery, rollback
- Some implementation challenges
- Can be pricey
Rounding out our top vendor list is Cylance, acquired by BlackBerry last year. One standout feature is its automated response abilities, and users are also high on the ability of CylancePROTECT EPP and CylanceOPTICS EDR to stop ransomware and unknown threats. NSS Labs and MITRE scores have been solid, but the product can be pricey. Threat hunting and custom rules are some of the advanced EDR features offered, but a number of advanced features are missing, like behavioral detection, patch management, full-disk encryption, web content filtering, guided investigation, rogue device discovery, and rollback. OPTICS in particular may present some implementation challenges, but users are generally pleased with the results.
Detection | Response | Management | Deployment | Ease of use | Value | Support | |
BlackBerry Cylance |
Additional EDR Software Market Leaders
Here are a number of additional EDR products that impressed us. Many of these have posted impressive scores in rigorous third-party testing. Vendors in this category are more likely to have an offering that is best for specific uses cases, or are emerging and worthy of consideration.
Sophos: Sophos Intercept X had a strong showing in NSS Labs testing last year and is priced toward the low end of EDR products, making it a security bargain. Users have had their complaints – false positives, implementation and performance overhead are a few – but you won't find many complaints about its security performance. We'd like to see Sophos join the MITRE ATT@CK evaluations to confirm that strong security. In the meantime, it remains a bargain worth considering.
McAfee MVISION: A relative newcomer to the EDR market, McAfee has been quick to offer advanced features such as behavioral blocking, credential theft monitoring, rollback options and more. McAfee scored among the leaders in Value and posted a solid performance in the first round of the rigorous MITRE ATT@CK evaluations, but didn't fare as well in the second round. McAfee has the pedigree to continue to evolve in the EDR (and any security) market, so they're one to watch. Certainly one for McAfee users to consider, as well as others.
Elastic/Endgame: A recent acquisition combining two strong security companies – Endgame in endpoint security and Elastic in SIEM – makes Elastic a vendor to keep an eye on. MITRE and NSS Labs scores were particularly impressive, so anyone valuing strong security should have a look.
Cybereason: An up and coming vendor with an impressive vision for the future, Cybereason scored well in the first round of MITRE ATT@CK evaluations and roughly average in the second round, serving notice that this next-gen EDR vendor is for real.
Cisco AMP for Endpoints: Solid security at bargain prices; particularly well matched for Cisco shops. We'd like to see Cisco join the MITRE evaluations, which are rapidly becoming a standard measure in the field.
FireEye: Positioned more as a security platform vendor, but EDR is part of that platform, and with a solid performance in both rounds of the MITRE ATT@CK evaluations, it's one worth considering, particularly if you're looking to add other services to your EDR system.
Fortinet/enSilo: Fortinet may be best known for its firewalls, but with a low-cost, solid, easy-to-use EDR offering and the recent acquisition of the more advanced enSilo, the company is one to watch in the EDR space.
WatchGuard/Panda: A recent acquisition combines Panda's strong EDR security, which received high marks from NSS Labs, with WatchGuard's strength in firewalls and network security.
Comodo: Strong test results from NSS Labs and solid user reviews should bring Comodo some notice. Users report some challenges with implementation and ease of use, but otherwise satisfied.
ESET: An established EDR vendor with a strong presence with SMBs and a global reach.
Key Features of EDR Security
Our top vendors share a number of critical features, among them:
- A unified EPP-EDR platform and agents
- Machine learning-based detection
- Advanced fileless threat protection
- Correlation and automatic Indicators of Compromise (IoC)
Additionally, there are a number of advanced features that a majority of vendors offer, either native to their EDR products or added via integration with another product, often as part of an integrated security suite. Here are 10 of those key EDR features:
Methodology and ratings
We analyzed third-party test data, user reviews, product features, analyst reports and reseller pricing, and winnowed an initial list of more than 30 EDR vendors to come up with our list of 12 top vendors and 10 honorable mentions.
Here's an explanation of our ratings categories, in order of our weighting:
- Detection: Not just whether the EDR product stops a high percentage of threats, but also whether it offers advanced features to protect more than a traditional endpoint security platform might, such as threat hunting, correlation and fileless threat detection, and user opinions of the product's capabilities.
- Response: How well the product removes threats, alerts security teams and guides response. Advanced features, such as automatically surfacing the most important threats and guided investigation, are also considered.
- Management: Ease of use plays a role here, but more important are features that give a security team control over endpoints, such as vulnerability assessment, patching, endpoint control and more.
- Ease of use: The higher the score, the more suitable the product may be for SMBs or less experienced security teams.
- Support: Everyone contacting support has a problem that needs solving, so responsiveness matters.
- Value: Value isn't just price – where a product is truly low-cost, we note that, but value is also about advanced features and high security that cost less than competing products, and save companies data breach costs and security staff time in the process.
- Deployment: Not just how easy a product is to implement, but also how well it integrates with user environments and how easy it is to deploy new endpoints.
Endpoint Security
EDR is just one part of endpoint security. There are a number of other security practices and technologies that organizations should be looking at.
What is Endpoint Security?
Endpoints are one of the most common entry points for malware and malicious actors - and thus one of the most important elements of IT security. Keeping endpoints safe and secure and catching attacks before they spread is one of the critical functions of EDR and EPP solutions (and of consumer-grade antivirus software too).
Endpoint Security Challenges
Complicating endpoint security is the myriad devices that connect to a corporate network, from laptops and workstations to servers, mobile devices, BYOD users, routers, WiFi access points, IoT devices and point of sale systems. All represent potential attack points.
The devices themselves aren't even the weakest link of endpoint security: it's the users themselves who click on malicious links and open questionable email attachments with little thought to what they contain. That alone makes employee security training an important part of endpoint security.
Unknown threats like zero-day exploits and advanced threats like fileless malware make it essential that your endpoint protection vendors have the research and development teams necessary to respond to the constantly shifting threat landscape.
Employee onboarding and departure can be security risks too, making account, network and application control other essential security tasks.
Endpoint Protection Steps
There are a dizzying array of endpoint security concerns, from malware to data theft to network and application access - and each one of them has a corresponding control or product that organizations can deploy.
EDR solutions can contain a great many of these security technologies, so create a checklist of what you need and look for the vendor that best meets your requirements. Possibilities include:
Endpoint Encryption
That last point merits its own discussion. Endpoint encryption has increasingly become a must-have for enterprises dealing with sensitive data, from corporate secrets to compliance regulations like PCI-DSS that require encryption. Encryption can protect data from unauthorized access, even when a device is lost or stolen.
There are two basic kinds of endpoint encryption: full disk and file-based. Full disk encrypts everything on a drive except what's needed to boot up, but then is no longer encrypted once the user accesses the data. File-based, on the other hand, stays encrypted until an authorized user opens it. Both encryption types could be used together to maximize security.
EDR systems offer a way to centrally monitor and manage that encryption. Roughly half of EDR vendors offer encryption with their products, either as part of the product or an add-on solution. Some monitor the status of BitLocker, the native encryption tool that comes with Microsoft Windows. But regardless of how you implement it, encryption is becoming a must-have for organizations of all types and sizes.
At the heart of ITIL is Service Management. Whether it is sports gear or pedicure, the reason that organizations exists is to deliver quality services that enable the customer to achieve their goals, while at the same time providing value for money for the organization. Service Management is defined as a set of specialized organizational capabilities for enabling value for customers in the form of services. These capabilities include tangible things like capital, people and equipment, and can also include intangible things like knowledge, management and skills. The goal of IT Service Management is to maximise the value delivered and obtained from technology-driven products and services.
Download Now: ITIL 4 Best Practice e-Books
These all-new for ITIL e-books highlight important elements of ITIL 4 best practices. Quickly understand key changes and actionable concepts, written by ITIL 4 contributors.
Free Download ›
Value Co-Creation
The purpose of an organization is to create value for stakeholders. And here, value is defined as the perceived benefits, usefulness, and importance of something. Value is subject to the perception of the stakeholders, whether they be the customers or consumers or the organization itself. Think about a ride sharing service: for some people the value is convenience, for others cost, and for others flexibility. So value can be very subjective, dependent on the point of view.
In the past, organizations viewed themselves as “service providers”, and saw their role as delivering value to their customers in a mono-directional manner, with the provider delivering value to the customer, while the customer themselves plays no role in value creation. However, this model has become outdated, with organizations recognizing that value is co-created through an active collaboration between providers and consumers, often augmented by the work of other stakeholders which are part of the relevant service relationships.
Stakeholders in Service Management
Because of this new perspective of value co-creation, there is a critical need to identify all the players who are involved. This could include suppliers, consumers, financiers, regulators and even influencers. Let’s identify some of the main stakeholders in service management:
| Stakeholder | Definition | Example |
| Organization | A person or a group of people that has its own functions with responsibilities, authorities, and relationships to achieve its objectives. | A company, an institution or an individual |
| Service Provider | An organization that takes up the role of creating and delivering services | An airline that provides air transportation services |
| Service Consumers | An organization that takes up the role of receiving services | A business that buys and uses internet services from an ISP |
The term “Service consumer” can be seen to be generic in nature and therefore can be decomposed further to:
- Customer: A person who defines the requirements for a service and takes responsibility for the outcomes of service consumption e.g. the IT Manager.
- User: A person who uses services e.g. the company employees.
- Sponsor: A person who authorizes budget for service consumption e.g. the Finance Manager.
Note that these terms can be used by a single individual who can act as the customer, user and sponsor of a service they have bought and consumed.
Beyond the consumer and provider roles, there are usually many other stakeholders that are important to value creation. It is important to identify these roles in service relationships to ensure effective communication and stakeholder management.
Service Relationships
Service relationship is defined as a co-operation between a service provider and service consumer. Service relationships are established between two or more organizations to co-create value, and at any time an organization can play the role of provider or consumer interchangeably depending on the situation. Service relationships include service provision, service consumption, and service relationship management. Service relationship management is defined as joint activities performed by a service provider and a service consumer to ensure continual value co-creation based on agreed and available service offerings.
The service relationship model is used to showcase the ever changing interaction between service providers and consumers. An organization can procure services and use them to deliver services to another consumer, thus moving from being a consumer to a provider. For example, a call center may purchase internet services from a supplier, and use them to provide customer relationship management services for its customers.
Products and Services
In ITIL, the service is the ultimate center of focus in every aspect of service management. A service is defined as a means of enabling value co-creation by facilitating outcomes that customers want to achieve, without the customer having to manage specific costs and risks. The services that an organization provides are based on one or more of its products. A product is defined as a configuration of an organization’s resources designed to offer value for a consumer. Resources can include people, capital, equipment, IT software etc.
Service providers usually present their services to consumers in the form of service offerings, which describe one or more services based on one or more products. A Service offering is defined as a description of one or more services, designed to address the needs of a target consumer group. The three main components of service offerings are goods, access to resources and service actions as shown:
| Component | Description | Example |
| Goods | Supplied to the consumer Ownership is transferred to the consumer Consumer takes responsibility for future use | Appliances Consumer goods
|
| Access to Resources | Ownership is not transferred to the consumer Access is granted or licensed to the consumer under agreed terms and conditions The consumer can only access the resources during the agreed consumption period and according to other agreed service terms | Web hosting Cloud Storage Online gaming subscription |
| Service Actions | Performed by the service provider to address a consumer’s needs Performed according to an agreement with the consumer | Car maintenance IT user support |
Different offerings can be configured for different target consumer segments depending on demand and capacity to pay among other factors.
Value: Outcomes, Costs, and Risks (VOCR)
Service providers help their consumers to achieve outcomes, and in doing so, take on some of the associated risks and costs. However, the service relationship can also result in negative outcomes as well as introducing new risks and costs that were previously unseen. Service relationships are perceived as valuable only when they have more positive effects than negative with regard to impact on outcomes, costs and risks.
Value as a function of outcomes, costs and risks
Acting as a service provider, an organization produces outputs that help its consumers to achieve certain outcomes. An output is defined as a tangible or intangible deliverable of an activity e.g. transportation from one location to another. On the other hand, an outcome is defined as a result for a stakeholder enabled by one or more outputs e.g. having an interview or doctor’s appointment. Depending on the relationship between the provider and the consumer, it can be difficult for the provider to fully understand the outcomes that the consumer wants to achieve. In some cases they will work together to define the desired outcomes.
Costs are defined as the amount of money spent on a specific activity or resource. From the service consumer’s perspective, there are two types of cost involved in service relationships:
- Costs removed from the consumer by the service (a part of the value proposition). For example, for a car sharing service, the customer does not pay for the actual cost of purchasing the car.
- Costs imposed on the consumer by the service (the costs of service consumption). For example, for a car sharing service, the customer ends up paying for internet services to request the service.
The two types of cost must be fully understood if a service provider is to obtain value for money and ensure the right decisions are made about the service provision. Providers need to ensure that services are delivered within budget constraints and meet the financial expectations of the organization
A risk is defined as a possible event that could cause harm or loss, or make it more difficult to achieve objectives. It is also considered to be an uncertain outcome that can be positive or negative. There are two types of risk that are of concern to service consumers:
- Risks removed from a consumer by the service (part of the value proposition). For example, for an online streaming service, failure of equipment involved in delivering the service.
- Risks imposed on a consumer by the service (risks of service consumption). For example, for an online streaming service, the threat of lawsuit for copyright infringement.
It is the duty of the provider to manage the detailed level of risk on behalf of the consumer. However the consumer has a role to play in contributing to risk reduction as a function of value co-creation. The consumer contributes to the reduction of risk through:
- Actively participating in the definition of the requirements of the service and the clarification of its required outcomes, often on an ongoing basis.
- Clearly communicating the critical success factors (CSFs) and constraints that apply to the service.
- Ensuring the provider has access to the necessary resources of the consumer throughout the service relationship.
Utility and Warranty
How do we know that a service is delivering value for the consumer and meeting the requirements of the service provider? We can do this by evaluating in totality the utility and warranty of the service. Utility is defined as the functionality offered by a product or service to meet a particular need, perhaps “what the service does” or whether a service is “fit for purpose”. To have utility, a service must either support the performance of the consumer and/or remove constraints from the consumer.
On the other hand, Warranty is defined as the assurance that a product or service will meet agreed requirements: “how the service performs” or whether a service is “fit for use”. Warranty often relates to service levels aligned with the needs of service consumers such as availability, capacity, security and/or continuity.
The assessment of a service must take into consideration the impact of costs and risks on utility and warranty to generate a complete picture of the viability of a service. Both utility and warranty are essential for a service to facilitate its desired outcomes and therefore help create value. For instance, if one is using a courier delivery service, utility involves the delivery of your packages while warranty is about speed and handling of your packages.
ITIL® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited. IT Infrastructure Library® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited.
Last updated: 04/18/
These postings are my own and do not necessarily represent BMC's position, strategies, or opinion.
See an error or have a suggestion? Please let us know by emailing blogs@manicapital.com
ITIL
What’s New in the F-KEY Solutions E-List Distributor v4.1 serial key or number?
Screen Shot
System Requirements for F-KEY Solutions E-List Distributor v4.1 serial key or number
- First, download the F-KEY Solutions E-List Distributor v4.1 serial key or number
-
You can download its setup from given links:
F-KEY Solutions E-List Distributor v4.1 serial key or number & Crack
F-KEY Solutions E-List Distributor v4.1 serial key or number& Serial Key Download
F-KEY Solutions E-List Distributor v4.1 serial key or number
About Author
