Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Rubrik Data Security Posture comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Ranking in Data Security Posture Management (DSPM)
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
87
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (8th), Container Management (7th), Container Security (7th), Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) (1st), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (4th), Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) (4th), Microsoft Security Suite (7th), Compliance Management (4th), Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) (2nd)
Rubrik Data Security Posture
Ranking in Data Security Posture Management (DSPM)
15th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
2.9
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Cloud is 8.0%, down from 13.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rubrik Data Security Posture is 1.9%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Defender for Cloud8.0%
Rubrik Data Security Posture1.9%
Other90.1%
Data Security Posture Management (DSPM)
 

Featured Reviews

David Birhange - PeerSpot reviewer
Director, Cloud and Modern Workplace at Informanix Technology Group
Brings together cloud security insights through a unified view and supports agentless protection for virtual machines
Copilot and similar features are already being used, though not necessarily for Microsoft Defender for Cloud specifically. We are trying to get more experience before rolling out most of Microsoft Defender for Cloud's AI capabilities. This is definitely on our to-do list, and the priority is urgent as we seek to learn more about these capabilities. The GenAI threat protection from Microsoft Defender for Cloud has not been enabled yet. There are many unknowns with AI applications. AI agents will operate while you're not present, whether you are sleeping or awake, and it's unclear whether there would be any exfiltration of data or how data is being managed. Microsoft Purview is being used extensively, and there is significant development going on with DSPM that will be rolled out to address security concerns. Data labeling and proper demarcation for sensitivity of data before it is received are being actively pursued.
Neelash Nair - PeerSpot reviewer
Principle Tech Architect at Unisys
Unified dashboard allows seamless threat detection and management while process for sensitive data needs action capabilities
The features of Rubrik Data Security Posture that I have found most valuable include its better detect function for anomalies and cyber threats, along with immutability by default, operating system hardening, MFA, and all the other ZTNA functions, which align well with our needs. Regarding the anomaly detection feature in Rubrik Data Security Posture, the product has a threat detect function that you can run on-demand or by default to identify anomalies, and allows you to perform deeper analysis using YARA rules or other indicators of compromise to determine if a threat is actual or a false positive. I leverage Rubrik's unified dashboard for proactive threat detection and remediation, which I find absolutely fantastic and unmatched compared to other dashboards, allowing visibility into a hybrid environment on a single pane of glass. The positive impact I've seen from using Rubrik Data Security Posture is its superior detection of threats from primary backups, which is built-in and requires minimal setup compared to other tools that need separate scanning engines.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It is very intuitive when it comes to policy administration, alerts and notifications, and ease of setting up roles at different hierarchies. It has also been good in terms of the network technology maps. It provides a good overview, but it also depends on the complexity of your network."
"Threat protection is comprehensive and simple."
"The most valuable feature is the hunting feature, which integrates well into the entire Microsoft ecosystem."
"Having the ability to do what we could not before, such as gaining visibility and securing our full estate, is crucial."
"The most valuable feature is the hunting feature, which integrates well into the entire Microsoft ecosystem."
"The most valuable features offer the latest threat detection and response capabilities."
"The most valuable feature is the comprehensive overview across different workloads. It allows us to see protection not just across one workload, such as virtual machines, containers, infrastructure, or data, but across all our workloads. This overall visibility is really helpful."
"The security policy is the most valuable feature for us. We can go into the environment settings and attach any globally recognized framework like ISO or any benchmark."
"I leverage Rubrik's unified dashboard for proactive threat detection and remediation, which I find absolutely fantastic and unmatched compared to other dashboards, allowing visibility into a hybrid environment on a single pane of glass."
 

Cons

"Microsoft does a fairly good job, but many products are developed from an engineer's perspective rather than the end user perspective, making the intuitive flow of the interface sometimes less than optimal."
"They could always work to make the pricing a bit lower."
"It needs to be simplified and made more user-friendly for a non-technical person."
"There are many unknowns with AI applications. AI agents will operate while you're not present, whether you are sleeping or awake, and it's unclear whether there would be any exfiltration of data or how data is being managed."
"I would like to see more connectors and plugins with other platforms."
"Defender could improve how data is represented. It can be unstructured or slow to load."
"Microsoft Defender for Cloud can be improved because many of the functions involve multiple places to accomplish the same task, which can make it convoluted."
"Microsoft Defender for Cloud is not compatible with Linux machines."
"I assess the effectiveness of Rubrik's sensitive data discovery in my data security strategy as functional but limited, as it identifies sensitive data but lacks clarity on what actions to take next."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are improvements that have to be made to the licensing. Currently, for servers, it has to be done by grouping the servers on a single subscription... We don't have an option whereby, if all those resources are in one subscription, we can have each of the individual servers subject to different planning."
"It is bundled with our enterprise subscription, which makes it easy to go for it. It is available by default, and there is no extra cost for using the standard features."
"Pricing depends on your workload size, but it is very cheap. If you're talking about virtual machines, it is $5 or something for each machine, which is minimal. If you go for some agent-based solution for every virtual machine, then you need to pay the same thing or more than that. For an on-premises solution like this, we were paying around $30 to $50 based on size. With Defender, Microsoft doesn't bother about the size. You pay based on the number of machines. So, if you have 10 virtual machines, and 10 virtual machines are being monitored, you are paying based on that rather than the size of the virtual machine. Thus, you are paying for the number of units rather than paying for the size of your units."
"Defender for Cloud is pretty costly for a single line. It's incredibly high to pay monthly for security per server. The cost is considerable for an enterprise with 500-plus virtual machines, and the monthly bill can spike."
"The tool is pretty expensive."
"We are using the free version of the Azure Security Center."
"Pricing is difficult because each license has its own metrics and cost."
"The product's pricing policy is generally favorable."
Information not available
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) solutions are best for your needs.
881,707 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
6%
University
21%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business27
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise49
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

How is Prisma Cloud vs Azure Security Center for security?
Azure Security Center is very easy to use, integrates well, and gives very good visibility on what is happening across your ecosystem. It also has great remote workforce capabilities and supports a...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Cloud?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Microsoft Defender for Cloud was pretty straightforward. We did have a consultation with a third party to go over different tiers and produ...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Cloud?
Microsoft Defender for Cloud can be improved. An additional feature that should be included in the next release is Zero Trust, similar to ThreatLocker software.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Rubrik Data Security Posture?
The pricing and licensing cost of Rubrik Data Security Posture can be tricky, as it depends on the relationship you have with your vendor and whether you're an established company or a startup.
What needs improvement with Rubrik Data Security Posture?
I assess the effectiveness of Rubrik's sensitive data discovery in my data security strategy as functional but limited, as it identifies sensitive data but lacks clarity on what actions to take nex...
What is your primary use case for Rubrik Data Security Posture?
I have been working with Rubrik Data Security Posture since 2016-2017. I have been working with Rubrik Data Security Posture within the last 12 months as well and have about three to four years of ...
 

Also Known As

Microsoft Azure Security Center, Azure Security Center, Microsoft ASC, Azure Defender
Laminar
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Microsoft Defender for Cloud is trusted by companies such as ASOS, Vatenfall, SWC Technology Partners, and more.
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Wiz, Palo Alto Networks, Varonis and others in Data Security Posture Management (DSPM). Updated: January 2026.
881,707 professionals have used our research since 2012.