Microsoft Defender for Identity vs Trellix Advanced Threat Defense comparison

Microsoft and Trellix are both solutions in the Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) category. Microsoft is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.7, while Trellix is ranked #22 with an average rating of 9.0. Microsoft holds a 4.1% mindshare in ATP, compared to Trellix’s 2.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 76% of Trellix users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Defender for Iden...

Read 28 Microsoft Defender for Identity reviews

6,602 Views
1,651 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Trellix Advanced Threat Def...

Read 9 Trellix Advanced Threat Defense reviews

776 Views
729 Comparison Views

76% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender for Iden...

Trellix Advanced Threat Def...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

Trellix Advanced Threat Defense and Microsoft Defender for Identity are both leaders in the cybersecurity category. While Trellix stands out with its sophisticated threat detection features, Microsoft excels in identity protection and seamless integration, offering comprehensive security solutions for Microsoft environments.

Features: Trellix Advanced Threat Defense offers advanced malware analysis, real-time behavioral detections, and sandboxing capabilities. Microsoft Defender for Identity shines with features like anomaly detection, deep integration with Microsoft 365, and detailed identity analytics.

Room for Improvement: Trellix could improve in aspects of integration within complex network environments and better support for non-standard protocols, as well as reducing the learning curve for deployment. Microsoft Defender for Identity might focus on enhancing its user interface, increasing support for third-party applications, and providing more customizable alerting options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Defender for Identity offers seamless integration, especially for those already using Microsoft products, making deployment straightforward and supported by proactive customer service. Trellix Advanced Threat Defense can be more challenging to deploy, requiring specialized skills, though it is supported by a responsive customer service team.

Pricing and ROI: Trellix may come with higher initial costs due to tailored threat protection capabilities, yet it offers significant ROI through its detection prowess. Microsoft's pricing is tailored for cost-effective integration within Microsoft environments, leveraging existing infrastructure to provide strong ROI, particularly appealing for those already utilizing Microsoft products.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Defender for Identity vs. Trellix Advanced Threat Defense Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Identity vs. Trellix Advanced Threat Defense

March 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 884,933 peers since 2012

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 Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)

8th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Microsoft Security Suite (5th), Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) (3rd)

Trellix Advanced Threat Def...

Ranking in Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)

22nd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Identity is 4.1%, down from 5.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Trellix Advanced Threat Defense is 2.1%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Defender for Identity	4.1%
Trellix Advanced Threat Defense	2.1%
Other	93.8%

Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)

Featured Reviews

Oluwa Adetunji

CyberSecurity Engineer | Information Security Management at Self Employed

Automation and threat intelligence streamline threat response and user management

In Microsoft Defender for Identity, I would appreciate improvements in providing information on conditional access. They have added more control that can be put in place, which was not present years ago. They have also integrated Azure Information Protection where policies can be configured. The Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR) allows users to reset their passwords, which is a valuable tool for remote workers. They have added more features into conditional access that integrate with other components, including SSPR and Identity Information Protection, trusted IPs, and locations. These configurations in trusted IP addresses are integrated into conditional access and control the applications I want to secure. Regarding impossible travel scenarios, I can either block the user or grant access while requesting multi-factor authentication. They should improve the automation for impossible travel detection. When connected to Wi-Fi and then to VPN, the system sometimes interprets the IP address change as impossible travel. If Microsoft could develop a feature that indicates when impossible travel is caused by VPN connections, it would prevent unnecessary password resets and session disruptions, especially for VIP users in organizations.

Read full review

Philippe Panardie

RSSI at SDIS49

Ensuring long-term reliability while seeking internal email management enhancements

Prisma is a commercial name of the firewall now, but we don't work with the cloud product. Only our company is using it and we do not recommend it to customers. For us, it's transparent because it's a cloud product, so we don't really know the version as it's always updated. We have not had any problem, but it's difficult to report on what's going on because some days they can wash out perhaps 100 mails, and then it's difficult to say how many attacks you have reached. The right email has been washed out and then nobody has complained. We do not use the Threat Visualization feature; as we are in MX, the mail is washed out before it is in the mail inbox of the user, thus avoiding any problem requiring a reservation. In fact, there is no integration with existing security frameworks. The only problem we can have is that as we have no API interface, there is no inspection of internal mail. I rate Trellix Advanced Threat Defense a nine out of ten.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable aspect is its connection to Microsoft Sentinel and Defender for Endpoint, and giving exact timelines for incidents and when certain events occured during an incident."

"Microsoft Defender for Identity helps me automate routine tasks and find alerts that I set up to receive, so it helps me get where I'm trying to go easier and faster."

"The basic security monitoring at its core feature is the most valuable aspect. But also the investigative parts, the historical logging of events over the network are extremely interesting because it gives an in-depth insight into the history of account activity that is really easy to read, easy to follow, and easy to export."

"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."

"We use AD Connect to sync on-premises AD to Azure AD, and so far, it has been effective."

"The feature I like the most about Defender for Identity is the entity tags. They give you the ability to identify sensitive accounts, devices, and groups. You also have honeytoken entities, which are devices that are identified as "bait" for fraudulent actors."

"We do not see any issues with the stability of Microsoft Defender for Identity. I can say it is 100% stable."

"The best feature is security monitoring, which detects and investigates suspicious user activities. It can easily detect advanced attacks based on the behavior. The credentials are securely stored, so it reduces the risk of compromise. It will monitor user behavior based on artificial intelligence to protect the identities in your organization. It will even help secure the on-premise Active Directory. It syncs from the cloud to on-premise, and on-premise modifications will be reflected in the cloud."

More Microsoft Defender for Identity pros

"The fact that in 10 years, we have had no problem is the most valuable feature for us; it's really a washing machine, but the only problem we face is that it's difficult to report on this product."

"It stops in excess of twenty-five malware events per month, all of which could be critical to the business."

"The features I find most valuable are: the management, the ability for automatic remediation of threats and it can successfully detect a threat, and to act upon it."

"The most valuable features are the administration console and its detection and response module."

"If a system admin can put in the patience to read and constantly update the ePO system in terms of rules, enforcing them at regular intervals, you can safely go to sleep every night."

"The most valuable features are the administration console and its detection and response module."

"I see ROI, as it stops in excess of twenty-five malware events per month, all of which could be critical to the business."

"Its greatest strength is the DXL client which can rapidly disseminate attack information to all clients via the McAfee Agent instead of going through the ePO server."

More Trellix Advanced Threat Defense pros

Cons

"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 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."

"An area for improvement is the administrative interface. It's basic compared to other administrative centers. They could make it more user-friendly and easier to navigate."

"They should improve the automation for impossible travel detection. When connected to Wi-Fi and then to VPN, the system sometimes interprets the IP address change as impossible travel."

"Fixing the solution isn't very seamless."

"The impact of the sensors on the domain controllers can be quite high depending on your loads. I don't know if there's any room for improvement there, but that's one of the things that might be improved."

"We observe a lot of false positives. Sometimes, when we go for a coffee break, we lock our screens. Locking the screen has a separate Windows event ID and sometimes I see it is detected as a failed login."

"Feedback on sync issues with the Microsoft portal highlighted its slow nature, with syncs sometimes taking eight hours."

More Microsoft Defender for Identity cons

"We'd like them to be better at dealing with script threats."

"This solution needs to be made "cloud ready"."

"It was not complex, but there are things to look out for, because it's an intense product. It scans intensely and there are major obstacles to overcome if it scans while users are using a network, then it is not a good thing."

"Make the ATD system a part of the whole product and take the whole thing onto the cloud. While it is there already, it is not to the same level as the on-premise version."

"Lacks remote capabilities not dependent on the internet."

"Make the ATD appliance a part of the whole product offering and take the whole thing onto the cloud."

"This product does the job, but it is not flexible enough to do new environments yet."

"The initial setup was industry standard complex. It takes awhile and has a lot of planning involved. It could be simplified with product redesign."

More Trellix Advanced Threat Defense cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"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."

"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."

"It is very affordable considering that other SIEM solutions are much more expensive and have many more licensing restrictions and fees."

"Our licensing fees for this solution are approximately one million dollars per year."

"The product is expensive, but it is better than the rest of them in the industry."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

14%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Performing Arts

12%

University

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	14

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	5

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about McAfee Advanced Threat Defense?

I recommend this solution because of its ease of use.

See all answers

What needs improvement with McAfee Advanced Threat Defense?

I would like to see an API interface for internal email and control of outgoing email to make it closer to 10. It's necessary; today we have an MX interface, and it would be interesting to have an ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for McAfee Advanced Threat Defense?

We are working with Palo Alto products, specifically firewalls. We are only using Palo Alto Firewalls and not Cortex. With FireEye and Trellix, we only work with ETP now because the NDR function wh...

See all answers

Comparisons

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender for Identity

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management vs Microsoft Defender for Identity

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID Protection vs Microsoft Defender for Identity

Compared 7% of the time

BloodHound Enterprise vs Microsoft Defender for Identity

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Microsoft Defender for Identity

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Identity Competitors

Check Point Infinity vs Trellix Advanced Threat Defense

Compared 13% of the time

Fortinet FortiSandbox vs Trellix Advanced Threat Defense

Compared 12% of the time

Digital Guardian vs Trellix Advanced Threat Defense

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Trellix Advanced Threat Defense

Compared 8% of the time

Anomali vs Trellix Advanced Threat Defense

Compared 7% of the time

More Trellix Advanced Threat Defense Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Identity

March 2026

Download Microsoft Defender for Identity product report

Buyer's Guide

Trellix Advanced Threat Defense

February 2026

Download Trellix Advanced Threat Defense product report

Also Known As

Azure Advanced Threat Protection, Azure ATP, MS Defender for Identity

McAfee Advanced Threat Defense

Overview

Microsoft Defender for Identity offers real-time threat detection and protection for hybrid Active Directory environments. It integrates with Microsoft 365 components for seamless security and monitors advanced behaviors, enhancing identity protection across cloud and on-premises environments.

Microsoft Defender for Identity provides detailed threat insights and user behavior analytics to detect unauthorized access and notify anomalies. It allows setting custom detection rules, enhancing threat response automation. While it needs improvements in cloud security, SIEM integration, and access controls, users leverage its ability to mitigate identity threats like suspicious logins and ransomware. Enhanced integration with Microsoft security products ensures a coordinated threat response for identity control and privilege management.

What are the key features of Microsoft Defender for Identity?

Active Directory Federation: Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365 for comprehensive security.
Real-time Security Monitoring: Provides immediate insights into advanced user behaviors and potential threats.
Threat Insights: Delivers detailed analysis of threats with the ability to customize detection rules.
User Behavior Analytics: Analyzes user activities to detect anomalies and potential risks.
Identity Protection: Offers comprehensive protection in both cloud and on-premises environments.

What benefits should users expect from reviews of Microsoft Defender for Identity?

Unauthorized Access Prevention: Identifies potential unauthorized activities with advanced detection mechanisms.
Anomaly Notification: Alerts users to unexpected activities within their environments.
Threat Response Automation: Facilitates rapid response to threats with automated solutions.
Enhanced Cloud Security: Strengthens identity management across hybrid and cloud frameworks.

In specific industries, organizations implement Microsoft Defender for Identity to secure on-premises and hybrid Active Directory environments through user and entity behavior analytics, malicious activity detection, and integration with Microsoft security tools. This approach enhances security posture assessment and helps mitigate identity threats like identity harvesting and unauthorized access.

Microsoft

Powerful advanced threat detection

Uncover Hidden Threats

Combine in-depth static code analysis, dynamic analysis (malware sandboxing), and machine learning to increase zero-day threat and ransomware detection.

Threat Intelligence Sharing

Immediately share threat intelligence across your entire infrastructure—including multi-vendor ecosystems—to reduce time from threat encounter to containment.

Enable Investigation

Validate threats and access critical indicators of compromise (IoCs) needed for investigation and threat hunting.

Trellix

Sample Customers

Microsoft Defender for Identity is trusted by companies such as St. Luke’s University Health Network, Ansell, and more.

The Radicati Group, Florida International University, MGM Resorts International, County Durham andDarlington NHS Foundation Trust

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Identity vs. Trellix Advanced Threat Defense

March 2026

Free Report: Microsoft Defender for Identity vs. Trellix Advanced Threat Defense

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender for Identity vs. Trellix Advanced Threat Defense and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Microsoft Defender for Identity vs. Trellix Advanced Threat Defense report.

See our list of best Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) vendors.

We monitor all Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.