IT & Security Keeps Broad Best Consensus but Splits on Practical Constraints
The current IT & Security report finds strong Best reference points alongside different answers for value, deployment, and emerging products in all ten categories.
IT & Security covers ten categories in the current edition. IT & Security pairs broad Best consensus with unusually practical constraint splits. Deployment and cost questions surface different products from the ones that own general recommendation mindshare, which is exactly the distinction a high-stakes shortlist needs.
Across the hub, 166 products rank in Best, while the ten category mastheads total 1,216 Sources and 4,025 Mentions. 4 Best leaders changed week over week, and 4 categories return four distinct leaders across the four direct questions.
How to Read This Report
Each table shows the current Best Top 3. The paragraphs below it keep Most Affordable, Easiest to Set Up, and Rising separate. AIQ is category-relative, so compare products inside the same category and question, not raw scores across unrelated markets. Sources count distinct cited pages; Mentions count verified product-page occurrences across the current category evidence.
In Password Managers, 1Password leads at Best AIQ 88. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #2, Claude #1, and Perplexity #1. Its current category evidence records 30 Sources and 40 Mentions. NordPass is second at Best AIQ 44. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #4, Gemini #1, Claude #4, and Perplexity #4. Its current category evidence records 23 Sources and 28 Mentions. Bitwarden is third at Best AIQ 44. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Gemini #4, Claude #2, and Perplexity #2. Its current category evidence records 30 Sources and 40 Mentions.
The category contains 13 Best-ranked products, 79 Sources and 322 Mentions across all four completed direct questions. 1Password holds #1. The 44-point leader-to-third spread gives the podium a competitive shape. The leader appears in 4 of 4 assistant lists. These coverage counts document the evidence footprint; they do not explain rank.
Most Affordable is led by Bitwarden at Most Affordable AIQ 88. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #3, and Perplexity #2. Its current category evidence records 30 Sources and 40 Mentions. Bitwarden moves up 2 places to #1. Best is led by 1Password, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Easiest to Set Up is led by 1Password at Easiest to Set Up AIQ 73. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #2, Claude #5, and Perplexity #2. Its current category evidence records 30 Sources and 40 Mentions. 1Password holds #1. It also leads Best, although the two rankings answer separate questions.
Rising is led by Proton Pass at Rising AIQ 100. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #1, and Perplexity #1. Its current category evidence records 18 Sources and 19 Mentions. Proton Pass holds #1. Best is led by 1Password, so this is a different category-relative answer.
1Password joins broad recommendation strength with the setup lead. Most Affordable turns to Bitwarden, while Rising belongs to Proton Pass; the category still demands more than one shortlist.
In Identity & Access (SSO/IAM), Microsoft Entra ID leads at Best AIQ 68. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Claude #2, and Perplexity #1. It has no category rank from Gemini in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 19 Sources and 22 Mentions. Okta is second at Best AIQ 42. Its assistant positions are Gemini #1, Claude #1, and Perplexity #3. It has no category rank from ChatGPT in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 3 Sources and 5 Mentions. Okta Workforce Identity is third at Best AIQ 28. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #2. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 8 Sources and 10 Mentions.
The category contains 19 Best-ranked products, 125 Sources and 317 Mentions across all four completed direct questions. The assistant columns complicate the headline in a useful way. Microsoft Entra ID reaches first with coverage from 3 of 4 assistants, while Okta and Okta Workforce Identity show how quickly the ordering changes below it. The full spread is 40 points. These coverage counts document the evidence footprint; they do not explain rank.
Most Affordable is led by AWS IAM Identity Center at Most Affordable AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 2 Sources and 5 Mentions. AWS IAM Identity Center is new to the ranking at #1. Best is led by Microsoft Entra ID, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Easiest to Set Up is led by Clerk at Easiest to Set Up AIQ 59. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1 and Claude #4. It has no category rank from Gemini and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 5 Sources and 7 Mentions. Clerk holds #1. Best is led by Microsoft Entra ID, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Rising is led by Clerk at Rising AIQ 59. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1 and Claude #4. It has no category rank from Gemini and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 5 Sources and 7 Mentions. Clerk moves up 1 place to #1. Best is led by Microsoft Entra ID, so this is a different category-relative answer.
The constraint map partially overlaps but does not collapse: Best is Microsoft Entra ID, Most Affordable AWS IAM Identity Center, Easiest to Set Up Clerk, and Rising Clerk. Reading the prompts separately preserves the distinction.
In Endpoint Management (MDM), Microsoft Intune leads at Best AIQ 88. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #2, Claude #1, and Perplexity #1. Its current category evidence records 33 Sources and 40 Mentions. Jamf Pro is second at Best AIQ 63. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Gemini #1, Claude #2, and Perplexity #2. Its current category evidence records 26 Sources and 28 Mentions. Omnissa Workspace ONE UEM is third at Best AIQ 23. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #3 and Claude #3. It has no category rank from Gemini and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 1 Source and 1 Mention.
The category contains 15 Best-ranked products, 126 Sources and 440 Mentions across all four completed direct questions. Evidence volume and rank remain separate readings here. Microsoft Intune has the largest Sources footprint in the displayed Top 3, while Microsoft Intune owns the Best lead. Microsoft Intune holds #1. These coverage counts document the evidence footprint; they do not explain rank.
Most Affordable is led by ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus at Most Affordable AIQ 90. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #2, and Perplexity #2. Its current category evidence records 12 Sources and 17 Mentions. ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus moves up 2 places to #1. Best is led by Microsoft Intune, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Easiest to Set Up is led by SimpleMDM at Easiest to Set Up AIQ 93. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #2, and Perplexity #1. Its current category evidence records 6 Sources and 18 Mentions. SimpleMDM holds #1. Best is led by Microsoft Intune, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Rising is led by NinjaOne MDM at Rising AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 5 Sources and 9 Mentions. NinjaOne MDM moves up 4 places to #1. Best is led by Microsoft Intune, so this is a different category-relative answer.
In IT Service Management, Jira Service Management leads at Best AIQ 93. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #2, and Perplexity #1. Its current category evidence records 61 Sources and 80 Mentions. Freshservice is second at Best AIQ 58. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Gemini #2, Claude #1, and Perplexity #2. Its current category evidence records 63 Sources and 88 Mentions. Ivanti Neurons for ITSM is third at Best AIQ 32. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #3, Gemini #3, and Claude #3. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 23 Sources and 25 Mentions.
The category contains 12 Best-ranked products, 172 Sources and 642 Mentions across all four completed direct questions. This is a front-loaded shortlist. First and third are 61 AIQ points apart, and the leader appears across 4 of 4 assistant lists. Jira Service Management holds #1. These coverage counts document the evidence footprint; they do not explain rank.
Most Affordable is led by Jira Service Management at Most Affordable AIQ 63. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #4, and Perplexity #3. It has no category rank from Claude in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 61 Sources and 80 Mentions. Jira Service Management moves up 2 places to #1. It also leads Best, although the two rankings answer separate questions.
Easiest to Set Up is led by Freshservice at Easiest to Set Up AIQ 60. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #3, Gemini #1, Claude #1, and Perplexity #4. Its current category evidence records 63 Sources and 88 Mentions. Freshservice holds #1. Best is led by Jira Service Management, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Rising is led by Atomicwork at Rising AIQ 100. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #1, and Perplexity #1. Its current category evidence records 7 Sources and 11 Mentions. Atomicwork holds #1. Best is led by Jira Service Management, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Jira Service Management carries its Best lead into Most Affordable, but implementation moves to Freshservice and Rising to Atomicwork. The overlap is meaningful without making the four rankings interchangeable.
In Remote Support, BeyondTrust Remote Support leads at Best AIQ 64. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #6, Claude #4, and Perplexity #4. Its current category evidence records 6 Sources and 7 Mentions. TeamViewer is second at Best AIQ 42. Its assistant positions are Gemini #1, Claude #1, and Perplexity #3. It has no category rank from ChatGPT in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 30 Sources and 47 Mentions. TeamViewer Remote is third at Best AIQ 28. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #2. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 6 Sources and 11 Mentions.
The category contains 16 Best-ranked products, 112 Sources and 450 Mentions across all four completed direct questions. The useful signal is not only first place. TeamViewer and TeamViewer Remote preserve distinct assistant patterns beneath BeyondTrust Remote Support, leaving a 36-point span across the displayed podium. BeyondTrust Remote Support moves up 5 places to #1. These coverage counts document the evidence footprint; they do not explain rank.
Most Affordable is led by HelpWire at Most Affordable AIQ 82. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, and Claude #9. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 4 Sources and 7 Mentions. HelpWire moves up 1 place to #1. Best is led by BeyondTrust Remote Support, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Easiest to Set Up is led by Zoho Assist at Easiest to Set Up AIQ 65. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #4, Claude #6, and Perplexity #4. Its current category evidence records 20 Sources and 28 Mentions. Zoho Assist holds #1. Best is led by BeyondTrust Remote Support, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Rising is led by NinjaOne Remote at Rising AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 1 Source and 4 Mentions. NinjaOne Remote is new to the ranking at #1. Best is led by BeyondTrust Remote Support, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Every direct question changes the name at the top. BeyondTrust Remote Support owns Best, HelpWire Most Affordable, Zoho Assist Easiest to Set Up, and NinjaOne Remote Rising. The category is clearer as a map of tradeoffs than as a single leaderboard.
In Backup & Recovery, Veeam Data Platform leads at Best AIQ 80. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1 and Gemini #1. It has no category rank from Claude and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 8 Sources and 12 Mentions. Commvault Cloud is second at Best AIQ 43. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2 and Claude #1. It has no category rank from Gemini and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 5 Sources and 6 Mentions. Acronis Cyber Protect is third at Best AIQ 29. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #5, Gemini #2, and Claude #3. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 21 Sources and 28 Mentions.
The category contains 22 Best-ranked products, 159 Sources and 439 Mentions across all four completed direct questions. Veeam Data Platform holds #1. The 51-point leader-to-third spread gives the podium a pronounced front edge. The leader appears in 2 of 4 assistant lists. These coverage counts document the evidence footprint; they do not explain rank.
Most Affordable is led by MSP360 Backup at Most Affordable AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 3 Sources and 5 Mentions. MSP360 Backup moves up 15 places to #1. Best is led by Veeam Data Platform, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Easiest to Set Up is led by Backblaze Business Backup at Easiest to Set Up AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 6 Sources and 9 Mentions. Backblaze Business Backup holds #1. Best is led by Veeam Data Platform, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Rising is led by HYCU R-Cloud at Rising AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 1 Source and 5 Mentions. HYCU R-Cloud holds #1. Best is led by Veeam Data Platform, so this is a different category-relative answer.
In Business VPN, NordLayer leads at Best AIQ 100. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #1, and Perplexity #1. Its current category evidence records 23 Sources and 29 Mentions. Twingate is second at Best AIQ 29. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #3, Gemini #3, and Claude #6. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 10 Sources and 12 Mentions. Tailscale is third at Best AIQ 28. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #2. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 9 Sources and 12 Mentions.
The category contains 19 Best-ranked products, 117 Sources and 329 Mentions across all four completed direct questions. The assistant columns complicate the headline in a useful way. NordLayer reaches first with coverage from 4 of 4 assistants, while Twingate and Tailscale show how quickly the ordering changes below it. The full spread is 72 points. These coverage counts document the evidence footprint; they do not explain rank.
Most Affordable is led by Twingate at Most Affordable AIQ 58. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #3, Gemini #1, and Claude #1. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 10 Sources and 12 Mentions. Twingate moves up 1 place to #1. Best is led by NordLayer, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Easiest to Set Up is led by Tailscale at Easiest to Set Up AIQ 75. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Claude #1, and Perplexity #1. It has no category rank from Gemini in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 9 Sources and 12 Mentions. Tailscale moves up 5 places to #1. Best is led by NordLayer, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Rising is led by Twingate at Rising AIQ 70. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1 and Claude #1. It has no category rank from Gemini and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 10 Sources and 12 Mentions. Twingate moves up 3 places to #1. Best is led by NordLayer, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Twingate connects the value and Rising answers, a pairing worth watching. Best remains with NordLayer, and setup with Tailscale, so the shared leader still covers only two of four buyer questions.
In Endpoint Security (EDR), CrowdStrike Falcon leads at Best AIQ 85. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, and Perplexity #1. It has no category rank from Claude in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 18 Sources and 26 Mentions. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is second at Best AIQ 41. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Gemini #3, Claude #5, and Perplexity #2. Its current category evidence records 20 Sources and 33 Mentions. SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint is third at Best AIQ 35. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #3, Gemini #2, Claude #6, and Perplexity #3. Its current category evidence records 5 Sources and 11 Mentions.
The category contains 14 Best-ranked products, 124 Sources and 449 Mentions across all four completed direct questions. Evidence volume and rank remain separate readings here. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has the largest Sources footprint in the displayed Top 3, while CrowdStrike Falcon owns the Best lead. CrowdStrike Falcon moves up 2 places to #1. These coverage counts document the evidence footprint; they do not explain rank.
Most Affordable is led by Microsoft Defender for Business at Most Affordable AIQ 68. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #3, and Perplexity #1. It has no category rank from Claude in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 10 Sources and 15 Mentions. Microsoft Defender for Business holds #1. Best is led by CrowdStrike Falcon, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Easiest to Set Up is led by Microsoft Defender for Business at Easiest to Set Up AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 10 Sources and 15 Mentions. Microsoft Defender for Business holds #1. Best is led by CrowdStrike Falcon, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Rising is led by Huntress Managed EDR at Rising AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 5 Sources and 8 Mentions. Huntress Managed EDR holds #1. Best is led by CrowdStrike Falcon, so this is a different category-relative answer.
In Security Awareness Training, KnowBe4 leads at Best AIQ 87. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #8, and Perplexity #1. Its current category evidence records 24 Sources and 41 Mentions. Hoxhunt is second at Best AIQ 44. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Gemini #2, Claude #5, and Perplexity #4. Its current category evidence records 16 Sources and 30 Mentions. Proofpoint ZenGuide is third at Best AIQ 20. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #3 and Claude #9. It has no category rank from Gemini and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 5 Sources and 8 Mentions.
The category contains 20 Best-ranked products, 110 Sources and 336 Mentions across all four completed direct questions. This is a front-loaded shortlist. First and third are 67 AIQ points apart, and the leader appears across 4 of 4 assistant lists. KnowBe4 moves up 2 places to #1. These coverage counts document the evidence footprint; they do not explain rank.
Most Affordable is led by CanIPhish at Most Affordable AIQ 57. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1 and Perplexity #3. It has no category rank from Gemini and Claude in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 2 Sources and 4 Mentions. CanIPhish moves up 1 place to #1. Best is led by KnowBe4, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Easiest to Set Up is led by CanIPhish at Easiest to Set Up AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 2 Sources and 4 Mentions. CanIPhish moves up 1 place to #1. Best is led by KnowBe4, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Rising is led by Adaptive Security at Rising AIQ 73. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Claude #1, and Perplexity #2. It has no category rank from Gemini in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 12 Sources and 24 Mentions. Adaptive Security holds #1. Best is led by KnowBe4, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Value and setup meet at CanIPhish, while Best points to KnowBe4 and Rising to Adaptive Security. That shared low-friction answer is useful, but it should not be mistaken for the broad Best recommendation.
In SaaS Management, BetterCloud leads at Best AIQ 93. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #2, and Perplexity #1. Its current category evidence records 20 Sources and 28 Mentions. Zylo is second at Best AIQ 58. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Gemini #2, Claude #1, and Perplexity #2. Its current category evidence records 2 Sources and 4 Mentions. Torii is third at Best AIQ 27. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #4, Gemini #4, Claude #3, and Perplexity #3. Its current category evidence records 19 Sources and 25 Mentions.
The category contains 17 Best-ranked products, 92 Sources and 301 Mentions across all four completed direct questions. The useful signal is not only first place. Zylo and Torii preserve distinct assistant patterns beneath BetterCloud, leaving a 66-point span across the displayed podium. BetterCloud moves up 1 place to #1. These coverage counts document the evidence footprint; they do not explain rank.
Most Affordable is led by Cledara at Most Affordable AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 11 Sources and 14 Mentions. Cledara moves up 4 places to #1. Best is led by BetterCloud, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Easiest to Set Up is led by Nudge Security at Easiest to Set Up AIQ 70. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1 and Claude #1. It has no category rank from Gemini and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 3 Sources and 9 Mentions. Nudge Security holds #1. Best is led by BetterCloud, so this is a different category-relative answer.
Rising is led by CloudEagle at Rising AIQ 76. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #3, Claude #2, and Perplexity #1. Its current category evidence records 12 Sources and 18 Mentions. CloudEagle holds #1. Best is led by BetterCloud, so this is a different category-relative answer.
This is a four-answer market: Best favors BetterCloud, price Cledara, setup Nudge Security, and momentum CloudEagle. A combined winner would erase the most practical information in the result.
The IT & Security Readout
IT & Security makes the case for reading breadth and intent together. A unanimous Best result can be real while the preferred value or setup answer lives elsewhere. Continue with the current Rising AIQ report.
Omnissa Workspace ONE UEM
Freshservice
Atomicwork at Rising AIQ 100. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #1, and Perplexity #1. Its current category evidence records 7 Sources and 11 Mentions. 
Commvault Cloud
Backblaze Business Backup at Easiest to Set Up AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 6 Sources and 9 Mentions. 
Twingate
KnowBe4
Hoxhunt
BetterCloud
Zylo
Cledara at Most Affordable AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 11 Sources and 14 Mentions. 
Nudge Security at Easiest to Set Up AIQ 70. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1 and Claude #1. It has no category rank from Gemini and Perplexity in this ranking. Its current category evidence records 3 Sources and 9 Mentions. 
CloudEagle at Rising AIQ 76. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #3, Claude #2, and Perplexity #1. Its current category evidence records 12 Sources and 18 Mentions. 
