

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform compete as top cybersecurity solutions. Based on feature integration and user needs, Microsoft Defender seems to hold an advantage due to its seamless integration with the Windows operating system, making it widely accessible and cost-effective within Microsoft environments.
Features: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offers comprehensive antivirus features integrated into Windows, providing robust threat protection, centralized management, and automatic updates. Its collective threat intelligence leverages a large user base. ThreatLocker focuses on specialized cybersecurity measures, offering application allowlisting, ringfencing, and zero trust strategies, which provide rigorous control and block unauthorized applications effectively.
Room for Improvement: Microsoft Defender could improve its user interface and real-time threat detection, and better integrate with non-Microsoft systems. It also needs to bolster ransomware resilience and streamline management consoles. ThreatLocker might enhance its support accessibility and create a more intuitive user interface, aiming for quicker troubleshooting of unique applications and clearer portal management to reduce overhead.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Defender's deployment is straightforward in Windows environments, but exhibits challenges with cross-platform compatibility and support complexity. Professional tiers promise quicker responses. ThreatLocker offers easy deployment with competitive pricing accessible to smaller businesses and emphasizes customer service through knowledgeable technical support and a commitment to continuous user feedback-driven improvement.
Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is generally cost-effective, especially within the Microsoft ecosystem, although its E5 license bundle implies higher initial costs but extensive features. ThreatLocker offers reasonable pricing for its zero trust capabilities and specialized application controls, often viewed as cost-efficient. Both solutions offer substantial ROI, with Microsoft providing broader integration and ThreatLocker focusing on strict application control environments.
Without detection and protection measures, organizations would face substantial payments and reputational damage, including the necessity to inform customers about data breaches, potentially leading to loss of business.
We have seen a return on investment when using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, as it saves labor by reducing the need for staff to focus on it.
The biggest return on investment for me when using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is the time saving.
If something were to happen without ThreatLocker, the cost would be huge, and thus, having it is definitely worth it.
The main return on investment is peace of mind, knowing that with ThreatLocker on any endpoint, it will almost always block all malicious code or exploits, even zero-day exploits.
It keeps malware, Trojans, and ransomware at bay.
The Microsoft agent, who did not actually work for Microsoft, is one of the vendors that Microsoft uses for support, said, 'Just to set expectations, my lunch break is in an hour and I am going to go away then.'
The level-one support seems disconnected from subject matter experts.
I rate Microsoft support 10 out of 10.
They have been very responsive, helpful, and knowledgeable.
I would rate their customer support a ten out of ten.
Their support is world-class.
We managed to scale it out in a short amount of time, with two months of planning and three months of implementation on 10,000 computers.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is scalable enough to handle various devices across environments, whether they are laptops, Android devices, or operating in hybrid environments.
Compatibility is its main feature.
I started off with just the servers, and within a month and a half, I set up the entire company with ThreatLocker.
It seems to primarily operate on the endpoints rather than at a central location pushing out policies.
I would rate it a ten out of ten for scalability.
I haven't seen any outages with Microsoft.
I rate Defender 10 out of 10 for stability.
Defender for Endpoint is extremely stable.
For five years, we have not had a problem.
Once deployed, it downloads the policies locally, so even if the computer doesn't have internet, it doesn't matter.
It has been very stable, reliable, and accessible.
Repeated interactions are necessary due to Level One's lack of tools and knowledge, hindering efficient problem-solving and negatively impacting our experience with Microsoft support.
In contrast, competing products offer reduced pricing for long-term commitments, which makes it difficult for us in that environment.
We use Microsoft partners to help govern the platform, and as part of an alliance, we want to gather data from each tenant and combine them for a complete view.
Controlling the cloud environment, not just endpoints, is crucial.
This is problematic when immediate attention is needed.
Comprehensive 24-hour log monitoring is a valuable enhancement for both business and enterprise-level users.
That has been the trend we have seen with Microsoft lately—it is just getting more and more expensive.
Given our extensive Microsoft licensing, transitioning to Defender for Endpoint did not affect licensing costs.
It costs $15 per VM for the P2 plan, which is seen as affordable for customers.
After conversations with other partners, it became clear we underpriced it initially, which caused most of our issues.
We are moving towards the Unified solution, where they basically bundle everything together, providing us better stability with the ability to bring in new product offerings without having to go back to the customer and say, 'This is going to cost you.'
I had a really good deal at the time, and it continues to be cost-effective.
Defender for Endpoint's coverage across different platforms in our environment is pretty good. We have devices running Linux, Mac OS, Windows, iOS, and Android. It covers all of them.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides a unified management interface allowing customers to manage their on-premises and hybrid infrastructures from a single pane.
One of the best features of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is its database for identifying zero-day attacks or malware attacks.
ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform's ability to block access to unauthorized applications has been excellent.
It protects our customers.
The major benefit is fewer breaches overall, as nothing can be run without prior approval. This helps my company protect its data and secure itself effectively.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Defender for Endpoint | 8.1% |
| ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform | 1.1% |
| Other | 90.8% |

| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 80 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 40 |
| Large Enterprise | 92 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 32 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 4 |
| Large Enterprise | 3 |
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a comprehensive security solution that provides advanced threat protection for organizations. It offers real-time protection against various types of cyber threats, including malware, viruses, ransomware, and phishing attacks.
With its powerful machine-learning capabilities, it can detect and block sophisticated attacks before they can cause any harm. The solution also includes endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities, allowing organizations to quickly investigate and respond to security incidents. It provides detailed insights into the attack timeline, enabling security teams to understand the scope and impact of an incident.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint also offers proactive threat hunting, allowing organizations to proactively search for and identify potential threats within their network. It integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft security solutions, such as Microsoft Defender XDR, to provide a unified and holistic security approach. With its centralized management console, organizations can easily deploy, configure, and monitor the security solution across their entire network.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a robust and scalable security solution that helps organizations protect their endpoints and data from evolving cyber threats.
ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform empowers organizations with application control, selective elevation, and ring-fencing to enhance security and prevent unauthorized access.
ThreatLocker provides comprehensive security management using application allowlisting to ensure only approved software operates across servers and workstations. The platform's centralized management simplifies security processes by consolidating multiple tools, and its robust capabilities align with zero-trust strategies by actively blocking unauthorized applications and ensuring compliance. Users note intuitive features such as mobile access, helpful training resources, and responsive support, which effectively reduce operational costs and help desk inquiries. The managed service providers prefer ThreatLocker to maintain network integrity by preventing malicious scripts and unauthorized access attempts. However, users identify room for growth in training and support flexibility, the interface, and certain technical challenges like network saturation from policy updates.
What are the most important features?Organizations utilize ThreatLocker for application allowlisting, ensuring only authorized software operates to prevent unauthorized access efficiently. Deployed across servers and workstations, its features support zero-trust principles and are favored by managed service providers for application management and network integrity.
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