VMware Carbon Black vs CrowdStrike Falcon (2024): Which tool is better?

As organizations grow, they will need to acquire endpoint detection and response tools to monitor activity and protect endpoint devices. VMware's Carbon Black EDR and CrowdStrike's Falcon products are two of the leading EDR solutions with features that can help improve an organization's security posture.

SEE: Microsoft Defender vs Carbon Black: EDR Software Comparison (Technological Republic)

In this article, we discuss which EDR solution is best for you and your organization.

Carbon Black vs CrowdStrike: Feature Comparison

Carbon Black Pricing and CrowdStrike

As for pricing, VMWare does not explicitly provide pricing for its Carbon Black EDR products. At the moment, it offers three software packages for EDR: Endpoint Standard, Endpoint Advanced and Endpoint Enterprise.

SEE: CrowdStrike vs FireEye: Compare EDR Software (Technological Republic)

Here's an overview of each:

• Endpoint standard: Next-generation antivirus and behavioral EDR; managed alert and follow-up triage (optional).
• Advanced endpoint: All standard features; assessment and remediation of vulnerabilities prioritized by risks; real-time device evaluation and repair; managed detection (optional).
• Endpoint Company: All advanced features; Enterprise EDR including threat hunting and incident response; option for managed detection.

I wish VMware would offer some sort of free trial or limited product access for potential buyers to try their software for free. Hopefully this is something they can offer in the future, especially since CrowdStrike offers a free trial.

SEE: 10 myths about cybersecurity that you should not believe (TechRepublic Premium)

Speaking of CrowdStrike, their EDR solution can be purchased through their Falcon Enterprise or Falcon Elite subscriptions. Below is an overview of pricing and included features for each CrowdStrike Falcon plan.

• Falcon Company: $184.99 per device; includes antivirus, EDR, XDR, and managed threat hunting.
• Elite Falcon: Contact sales for a quote; includes EDR, XDR, integrated identity and endpoint protection, and threat hunting.

As mentioned, Falcon Enterprise has a free trial for businesses or individuals who want a convenient way to test their solution without an initial subscription.

Head to Head Comparison: Carbon Black vs CrowdStrike

Threat hunting and remediation

Both Carbon Black and CrowdStrike offer powerful threat hunting and remediation capabilities. However, CrowdStrike is a more robust solution based on MITER Engenuity testing. Its alignment with the MITER Framework allowed it to be named a leader in Gartner's 2023 Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms. The product also ranked first for completeness of vision.

In contrast, Broadcom or VMware (Carbon Black) missed some threats when tested with the MITER framework from 2022 to 2018 and rank lower in the same 2023 Magic Quadrant findings.

Single Agent Design

Using a single agent to centrally manage multiple endpoint devices ensures teams can quickly deploy and begin managing threats.

CrowdStrike uses a unique universal agent design. The Falcon platform uses a single lightweight agent deployed on endpoint devices that collects data and sends it to the cloud for analysis.

SEE: CrowdStrike vs Sophos: EDR Software Comparison (Technological Republic)

On the other hand, Carbon Black is a complex security tool with a steep learning curve. Requires important adjustments and configurations. Additionally, their threat detection queries are overly complicated and there are multiple manual processes to manage alerts and remediation.

Behavioral learning

EDR software can be signature-based or signature-less. Signature-based EDR programs rely on a database of known threats, while signatureless EDR programs use machine learning and behavioral analysis to identify suspicious activity.

Both CrowdStrike and Carbon Black offer behavioral analytics and machine learning capabilities to track anomalies and detect suspicious behavior on endpoints and systems.

One difference, however, is that CrowdStrike provides advanced, signature-free protection through integrated threat intelligence, machine learning, and behavioral analysis, while Carbon Black includes a signature-based AV engine. As a result, CrowdStrike can better protect devices against new and unknown threats.

Deployment

CrowdStrike is presented as a platform for all workloads. It provides comprehensive protection coverage that you can deploy on Windows, Linux, and macOS servers and endpoints. Plus, there are no on-premises machines that require maintenance, management, scans, reboots, and complex integrations.

In contrast, Carbon Black comes as an on-premises or cloud solution. The device, including critical servers, may need to be rebooted as part of the sensor update process. Additionally, there is a feature disparity between on-premises and cloud versions.

Device and firewall control

Carbon Black's EDR software allows device control (without firewall management), but is restricted to the Windows operating system and USB flash drives. It also allows you to create your endpoint security policies, which is beneficial for companies that must meet specific regulatory or performance standards.

In comparison, CrowdStrike's Falcon Firewall Management enables customers to move from legacy endpoint platforms to the company's next-generation EDR software, which includes robust protection, improved performance, and efficient management and enforcement of host firewall policies. Additionally, Falcon Firewall Management offers easy, cross-platform management of host/OS firewalls from the Falcon console, allowing security teams to effectively limit any risk exposure.

Additionally, Falcon Device Control enables users to use USB devices securely by offering complete end-to-end protection and detection and response (EDR) capabilities. Its seamless integration with the Falcon agent and platform comes with device control features complemented by complete endpoint security. This provides IT operations and security teams with information about how devices are used and the means to regulate and manage that use.

API Integration

API integration ensures you get the most out of your EDR software. Carbon Black's EDR solution offers over 120 out-of-the-box integrations.

On the other hand, CrowdStrike's Falcon platform is developed as an API-first platform. As new features are released, corresponding API functionality is added to help automate and control any newly added operations.

Pros and cons of carbon black

Advantages

• Intuitive and easy-to-use user experience.
• Lightweight and does not require many resources.
• Good amount of integrations.

Cons

• You must contact sales for pricing.
• May require a higher level of experience to maximize.

Pros and cons of CrowdStrike

Advantages

• Protection without signature.
• Perfect terminal implementation.
• Excellent reputation for safety.

Cons

• The interface could be easier to use.

Should your organization use Carbon Black or CrowdStrike?

CrowdStrike is the best choice if you need comprehensive coverage and protection against new and unknown threats that you can deploy on Windows, Linux, and macOS servers and endpoints. However, if you are looking for an on-premise solution that provides protection against known threats, then Carbon Black may be better.

Ultimately, the decision comes down to your risk profile and your specific needs and requirements.

Methodology

My head-to-head comparison between VMware's Carbon Black EDR solution and CrowdStrike's EDR solution involved conducting a one-on-one analysis of their security features, pricing, and overall value.

In particular, I considered critical EDR functionality such as threat hunting and remediation, ease of deployment, behavioral learning, firewall control, and API integration.

My evaluation of both solutions involved in-depth research into the official product documentation, included features, and potential use cases for different types of businesses. We also consider testimonials from real users and third-party reviews from reputable review sites to complement our final analysis.