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Microsoft Defender for Identity vs Saviynt comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 5, 2024

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 Iden...
Ranking in Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR)
3rd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (8th), Microsoft Security Suite (4th)
Saviynt
Ranking in Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR)
8th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
User Provisioning Software (3rd), Identity Management (IM) (5th), Privileged Access Management (PAM) (7th), Identity and Access Management (1st), Identity Security and Posture Management (ISPM) (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Identity is 11.1%, down from 19.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Saviynt is 3.4%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Defender for Identity11.1%
Saviynt3.4%
Other85.5%
Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR)
 

Featured Reviews

RK
Cloud Security & Governance at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Protect on-premises and hybrid environments with advanced threat detection and seamless integration
Our Active Directory implementation is a hybrid one. The advanced threat protection is one of the strengths of Microsoft Defender for Identity, as it utilizes user and entity analytics and can detect indicative attacks. It identifies lateral movements, privilege escalations, and alerts on potential attacks. The tool is also used for security posture assessment. The seamless integration with other Microsoft solutions within our Microsoft-centric environment is also a major advantage.
reviewer2774067 - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Engineer at a tech consulting company with 11-50 employees
Has reduced manual work and shortened project timelines through faster deployment and intuitive workflows
One of the challenges regarding Saviynt is the lack of material available on the web, as searching on Google or YouTube often yields little information. Advertising Saviynt is necessary because I was not aware of it a couple of months ago, and it is a very helpful product for many organizations. In India, IGA solutions are not widely recognized, and Saviynt can utilize this point by promoting itself in the cybersecurity field. A significant challenge is the lack of people discussing Saviynt in the open market, as the forums provide slower responses compared to platforms like Reddit. Advancements related to AI would be very helpful. Saviynt should provide pricing for their university certifications, which is currently not publicly available. Information about enrolling requires an ID that is not easily obtained, as it can only be acquired through an organization. Some small wishlist features are related to APIs. As I work on projects, I find certain features to be much needed, but at a glance, they may not seem necessary. As I continue working with Saviynt, these small API-related features become apparent and would greatly enhance the experience.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"All the integration it has with different Microsoft packages, like Teams and Office, is good."
"It is easy to set up. Based on the number of devices you would like to set up, you can use scripts, Group Policy, etc. It takes five minutes to set up."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Defender for Identity are the simulations; whenever something happens, it provides complete step-by-step process details, including the hierarchy, how it happens in the environment, and the lateral movement, which is amazing."
"Defender for Identity has not affected the end-user experience."
"In the security portfolio that we manage, Microsoft Defender for Identity is very important because it is the professional service that we sell the most."
"I would rate Microsoft Defender for Identity at nine out of ten."
"It automates routine testing and helps automate the finding of high-value alerts."
"I recommend Microsoft Defender for Identity because it is easy to implement."
"It is a flexible tool because it works on JSON."
"The product is flexible to use."
"The product's initial setup phase is simple."
"Saviynt risk-based access requests and intelligent access controls have made a significant impact on our company."
"The repository has many features where you can define primary and secondary owners."
"Saviynt has positively impacted my organization by significantly reducing the time for a project where we previously used a spreadsheet for manual work to keep the data."
"It is very easy to use. It addresses most of the trends in identity governance and risk management."
"The product has a great attestation feature."
 

Cons

"Microsoft Defender for Identity does not save me time, but I think it is the way that I secure the data."
"The areas of Microsoft Defender for Identity that can be improved include its cost, which is quite expensive when integrated into Sentinel. Additionally, there is room for improvement in its integration with non-Microsoft applications and systems."
"The tracking instance needs to be configured appropriately."
"The documentation provided by Microsoft is often seen as a waste of time."
"One improvement I would recommend is the integration of an admin application within Teams, allowing easy access to attack information on a mobile platform to promptly alert affected users and their friends."
"I would like to be able to do remediation from the platform because it is just a scanner right now. If you onboard a device, it shows you what is happening, but you can't use it to fix things. You need to go into the system to fix it instead."
"One potential area for improvement could be exploring flexibility in the installation of Microsoft Defender for Identity agents."
"The technical support needs significant improvement. Documentation for more minor issues in the form of guides or walkthroughs could help to resolve this issue. The number of tickets raised would decrease, removing some pressure from the support team and making it easier to clear the remaining tickets."
"An area for improvement in Saviynt is that there's a limitation on the number of logs you can get from the past twenty-four hours. For example, if the data is huge, the tool can only give you a maximum of one hundred logs. You can't get any further than that. In the next version of Saviynt, however, you can get more logs and you'll see them inside the log rotation. For example, when you're trying to search inside the log, you can select a date range, and then you can search for a particular log. We haven't used that new log rotation feature yet, but it's included in the next release of Saviynt. Another area for improvement in the tool is that it doesn't have a server monitoring feature, so if your server has a high load, it should give you a warning. You're supposed to get an alert similar to what's being done in WebLogic. In WebLogic, we had a separate facility, but in Saviynt, that feature's missing."
"Compared to other vendors, Saviynt's Privileged Access Management feature is not complete."
"It is time-consuming to troubleshoot issues."
"One of the challenges regarding Saviynt is the lack of material available on the web, as searching on Google or YouTube often yields little information."
"The product's stability is not easy to maintain."
"The custom application integration is a little complex, and this tool doesn't provide so many plugins or additional applications."
"The product lacks a broad user base which makes it difficult sometimes to find answers to questions about the product."
"Considering the shortcomings of the tool, I would say that the training part of the product needs improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"You won't be able to change your tenants from where you deploy them. For example, if you select Canada, they will charge you based on Canadian pricing. If you are also in London, when you deploy in Canada, the pound is higher than Canadian dollars, but your platform resources are billable in Canadian dollars. Using your pounds to pay for any of these things will be cheaper. Or, if you deploy in London, they will charge you based on your local currency."
"The product is costly, and we had multiple discussions with accounting to receive a discounted rate. However, on the open market, the tool is expensive."
"It is very affordable considering that other SIEM solutions are much more expensive and have many more licensing restrictions and fees."
"Microsoft Defender for Identity comes as part of the Microsoft E5 licensing stack."
"Defender for Identity is a little more expensive than other Microsoft products. Identity and Microsoft Defender for Cloud are both a bit costly."
"If you are investing in securing your data and avoiding any non-compliance issues, then yes, it is certainly recommended. To put it plainly, if you're willing to pay fines and aren't concerned about the misuse of data, then there might not be a problem. However, if you intend to safeguard the data of your employees, vendors, and customers, it becomes crucial. In this context, managing data security requires preventive and detective measures, such as enforcing segregation of duties and regularly reviewing permissions. Throughout an individual's life cycle within an organization or customer life cycle, various access permissions are granted. Without taking action on these permissions, there is a risk of exposure later on. If individuals retain access after leaving the organization, it poses a serious security threat. Implementing solutions like Saviynt can address these challenges, ensuring continuous access review, generating reports, alerts, and identifying potential risks."
"We are not into the licensing part. The clients take care of the licensing part."
"Saviynt's pricing is reasonable."
"The solution has a pay-as-you-go licensing model, and you can subscribe monthly or yearly."
"Saviynt has a competitive price."
"Saviynt's pricing is acceptable and licensing costs are yearly."
"The price of the license for this product is quite expensive."
"If you need to make any changes then there are additional fees."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Healthcare Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise14
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise15
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Identity?
I really would have to sit down to think about how Microsoft Defender for Identity can be improved. I didn't take stock in what needs to be improved because I appreciated having the tools right the...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender for Identity?
My main use cases for Microsoft Defender for Identity include Conditional Access, checking risky users, remediating risky users, and user sign-ins. I can easily remediate or determine what the user...
What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Defender for Identity?
I don't really use Microsoft Defender for Identity a lot because my new role doesn't allow me to take time to do so. I don't really use the threat intelligence feature of Microsoft Defender for Ide...
What do you like most about Saviynt?
It is very easy to use. It addresses most of the trends in identity governance and risk management.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Saviynt?
Saviynt is very affordable compared to its competitors. It is cloud-based, making it significantly cheaper than on-premises solutions. This cost-effectiveness aligns well with the Saudi market, whe...
What needs improvement with Saviynt?
One of the challenges regarding Saviynt is the lack of material available on the web, as searching on Google or YouTube often yields little information. Advertising Saviynt is necessary because I w...
 

Also Known As

Azure Advanced Threat Protection, Azure ATP, MS Defender for Identity
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Microsoft Defender for Identity is trusted by companies such as St. Luke’s University Health Network, Ansell, and more.
Shell, McKesson, Kimberly-Clark, Ingram Micro, Intermountain Health Care, Forterra, CoreLogic
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender for Identity vs. Saviynt and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.