RSA NetWitness vs Zscaler: What are the differences?

Introduction

RSA NetWitness and Zscaler are both cybersecurity solutions that aim to protect an organization's network and data from various threats. However, there are significant differences between the two platforms in terms of their focus and capabilities.

1. Deployment Model: RSA NetWitness is an on-premises security monitoring platform that requires organizations to deploy hardware and software within their network infrastructure. On the other hand, Zscaler is a cloud-based security platform that operates by routing traffic through its global network of data centers.

2. Visibility and Monitoring: RSA NetWitness provides deep visibility and monitoring capabilities, allowing organizations to capture, analyze, and investigate network traffic and logs. It offers advanced threat detection and forensics analysis features. In contrast, Zscaler primarily focuses on providing secure web gateways and protection against web-based threats, including web filtering, URL filtering, and antivirus scanning.

3. Scalability: RSA NetWitness is designed for larger organizations with extensive network infrastructure and higher security needs. It can handle large volumes of network traffic and offers scalability options to meet the needs of enterprise-level deployments. Zscaler, being a cloud-based solution, is more suitable for organizations of any size and can easily scale up or down based on the requirements.

4. Integration and Ecosystem: RSA NetWitness has a wide range of integration capabilities with various security products and technologies, allowing organizations to consolidate their security operations. It can integrate with SIEM solutions, threat intelligence feeds, firewalls, and other security tools. Zscaler also offers integration capabilities, but its primary focus is on integrating with cloud-based services and applications to ensure secure access.

5. Threat Intelligence and Analytics: RSA NetWitness leverages advanced analytics and machine learning algorithms to detect and respond to sophisticated threats and anomalies. It provides comprehensive threat intelligence and analysis capabilities to help organizations detect and investigate security incidents. Zscaler, on the other hand, focuses more on real-time threat prevention and blocking malicious traffic using its cloud-based security infrastructure.

6. Management and Control: RSA NetWitness provides extensive management and control capabilities, allowing organizations to customize security policies, configure dashboards, and define user roles and permissions. It offers granular control over security operations and allows organizations to meet their specific security requirements. Zscaler, being a cloud-based platform, provides centralized management and control through its web-based interface, enabling organizations to apply consistent security policies across their network.

In summary, RSA NetWitness and Zscaler differ in their deployment models, visibility and monitoring capabilities, scalability, integration and ecosystem, threat intelligence and analytics, and management and control features. RSA NetWitness focuses on providing deep visibility and advanced threat detection, while Zscaler offers cloud-based web security with a strong emphasis on real-time threat prevention.