| |
NSS Labs |
Magazines |
Analyst Firms |
Other Test and Certification Labs |
| Content Type |
Test-based product analysis |
News and features, some cursory product reviews |
Market share, industry and product trends, definitions and advice |
Certification that product meets minimum standards |
| Do They Test? |
Yes |
Most have stopped testing due to cost reasons |
No |
Yes |
| Test Approach |
Full-spectrum analysis: validate and identify deficiencies and product limitations |
Usually minimal based on cost-constraints; often outsourcing to questionable sources |
N/A |
General focus on validation against minimum standards |
| Who Develops Test Methodology? |
NSS Labs Engineers, based on enterprise and other independent input |
Varies |
N/A |
Typically vendor- or vendor consortium-driven |
| Is Test Methodology Available? |
Yes |
No, or only a cursory document is available |
N/A |
Varies |
| Funding Source for Public Tests |
Report and subscription sales to organizations |
Vendor advertising |
N/A |
Vendor sponsorship |
| Security Categories Covered |
Endpoint and network security (firewall, AV, browser, UTM, IDS/IPS, WAF, SWG, VPN, encryption, SIEM, VA/VM, virtualization) |
Varies |
Varies |
Varies |
| Average Report Length |
10-40 pages |
Less than 500 words |
6-10 pages |
4-10 pages |
