Definition
Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) is the historical product name for Symantec's enterprise endpoint security, dating to the early 2000s. In current usage "SEP" refers to either the legacy product family or the on-prem agent managed by Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager (SEPM). The modern equivalent is SES (Symantec Endpoint Security), with SES Complete being the cloud-managed SKU that includes EDR. Migration from SEPM-managed SEP 14.x to cloud-managed SES Complete is the most common Symantec endpoint engagement of 2025-2026. The agent can convert in place (no re-image) via configuration push from SEPM. See our SEPM-to-SES Complete migration playbook for the full process.
Symantec products that implement this
- Symantec Endpoint Security - AI-driven malware prevention, EDR, application control, and device control across every endpoint - Windows, macOS, Linux, mobile. Cloud-managed (SES Complete) or on-prem (SEPM).
Related terms
- SES (Symantec Endpoint Security) - Modern brand name for Symantec's endpoint security platform; SES Complete is the cloud-managed SKU including EDR.
- SEPM (Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager) - The on-prem management server for the legacy SEP product; in active retirement as customers migrate to cloud-managed SES Complete.
- EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) - Endpoint security capability focused on detection, investigation, and response to threats that have evaded prevention.
Deep-dives on SEP
- Migrating SEPM 14.x to SES Complete: the engineer's playbook - A real-world playbook for moving from on-prem SEPM 14.x to cloud-managed SES Complete. Discovery, tenant prep, agent conversion, policy migr…
- Symantec licensing in 2026: what each SKU includes (and what it does not) - The Broadcom licensing model for Symantec products is dense. A buyer-side guide to what is actually included in SES Complete, DLP, Cloud SWG…