

In the cybersecurity software market, Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management and Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management offer comprehensive solutions for asset and vulnerability management. Microsoft Defender appears stronger in seamless integration with the Microsoft ecosystem, while Qualys excels in asset discovery and categorization.
Features: Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management provides accurate vulnerability assessments using its security scorecard. It offers real-time threat management and AI-driven notifications, making it effective for comprehensive security solutions across cloud and endpoint environments. The integration with the Microsoft stack enhances its operations. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management is known for its robust asset discovery and categorization features, including dynamic tagging and software rule configurations. It focuses on extensive external attack surface management and offers centralized inventory, essential for companies seeking a thorough cybersecurity posture.
Room for Improvement: Microsoft Defender struggles with report customization and integration challenges, and users want more intuitive query tools and better documentation. Qualys faces challenges in refining its user interface and role-based access control, and streamlining integration with third-party tools and export processes could enhance utility. Users also suggest that its onboarding materials need updating to match product revisions.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Defender is suited for cloud and hybrid environments, benefiting from its Microsoft integration, though some users find its technical support responsiveness inconsistent. Qualys, adaptable across various cloud environments, needs to enhance customer service and streamline integration with service management tools, as its support experiences are mixed.
Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Defender offers tiered pricing, advantageous for existing Microsoft users, with ROI linked to broader Microsoft services. Qualys, while competitively priced, can be seen as costly without bundled services. Its flexible pricing models offer good value for large enterprises, yet both products face pricing challenges for smaller companies.
Organizations typically do not rely solely on Microsoft products to avoid putting all eggs in one basket, which presents a challenge for maximizing ROI.
As a Microsoft partner, we receive significant discounts, making the solution affordable for us.
Improvements to our security infrastructure contributed to overall business growth of approximately 150 percent over the past year.
By automating tasks, it significantly reduces the human resources required, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.
It has reduced the number of development and scripting hours along with maintenance hours.
They are sometimes responsive, however, often issues cannot be reproduced on their end, making it challenging.
The support we receive from Microsoft is declining, and for example, after taking advanced support, we have not received satisfactory answers.
They are familiar with Microsoft products but are not direct Microsoft staff, which is an area needing improvement.
The support team was knowledgeable and offered a variety of quick resolution options.
Their SMEs have sufficient knowledge, and if they are not the right contact, they quickly redirect us to someone who can help resolve issues.
I would rate their customer support a ten out of ten.
The integration is straightforward for those who understand it, though documentation needs improvement.
It is scalable; I evaluated the product and decided to use Defender on over 700 of our company servers.
We have about 300,000 assets installed with agents worldwide.
The scalability is excellent as we manage more than one hundred thousand assets, including over one hundred thousand endpoints, approximately 2,600 servers, and more than 1,200 network devices.
Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management has proven to be a highly scalable solution for us over the past couple of years.
There are compatibility issues occasionally arising with false positives when other security tools are not whitelisted in Microsoft Defender.
It is very resource-intensive, consuming a lot of memory and CPU.
If Microsoft experiences downtime, this solution goes down as it is a SaaS-based solution where we have no control.
I would rate the stability of Qualys CSAM a ten out of ten.
The product stability has notably declined over the last two months, and the performance to fulfill a page request is very slow compared to its previous performance.
They are constantly adding capabilities.
This scoring should be for specific industries as well. If I belong to the healthcare industry using Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management, it should provide me with a risk score and show how I fare against the risk score of my industry.
A vulnerability I patch within 15 minutes takes 24 additional hours for an update.
The product is not stable; it often uses excessive memory and CPU, which makes it slow.
Qualys is currently not able to identify assets lacking DNS information.
Features enhancing the interaction with IT or security teams should be added, such as a ticketing feature that, if an issue arises in the CSAM module, enables direct ticket creation in systems like ServiceNow.
If there's one key aspect to focus on, it's discovery—the ability to identify assets that you are not aware of, even when you can see they are present.
Overall, every organization wishes for cheaper options, but we look at the security side as well, so we are good for now.
For non-partners, however, the cost could be seen as higher, between seven to ten.
The pricing is reasonable, and it's included in the whole Microsoft E5 bundle, so it's all-inclusive.
A cost-effective solution.
I believe that the stability and reliability of Qualys offer great value for the money.
A monthly subscription starting at approximately $72 per month, depending on the specific package and features included.
The main advantage of Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is that it can locate and prevent most threats even when the endpoints are not connected to the corporate network, as long as the internet is available.
The feature for customizing to region-specific and domain-specific requirements in healthcare is particularly beneficial.
The most valuable aspect is the kind of assessment results I get, and the recommendations provided in Microsoft products really help in taking care of the resources.
By correlating this with QDS scores, we can accurately assess the risk level of high or low QDS scores associated with each asset and monitor them accordingly.
The most valuable feature is the real-time visibility Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management provides into all assets across our development and operational environments.
It also performs scans to identify any vulnerabilities, which helps to take proactive measures before those vulnerabilities are identified by any attacker.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management | 1.3% |
| Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management | 2.3% |
| Other | 96.4% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 9 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 2 |
| Large Enterprise | 6 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 8 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 2 |
| Large Enterprise | 23 |
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management enables organizations to identify vulnerabilities, manage patches, and fortify threat detection. It offers endpoint assessments, cloud incident management, and dynamic security through Microsoft's Security Scorecard integration.
Organizations leverage Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management for advanced threat detection and response. It provides robust tools for vulnerability assessment and cloud incident management, integrated with Microsoft's Security Scorecard to enhance dynamic security profiling. Key features include automatic patch deployment, security configuration management, and seamless integration with Microsoft platforms, benefiting both on-prem and cloud environments. Organizations can track vulnerabilities with severity-based reports, helping manage outdated software and minimizing threat exposure.
What are the key features of Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management?In healthcare, Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management helps manage compliance with health regulations, while in finance, it aids in securing sensitive data from cyber threats. Manufacturing sectors benefit from its patch management, keeping operational technology systems less vulnerable to disruptions.
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management provides key features including asset inventory management, end-of-life tracking, dynamic tagging, and integration with CMDB, offering extensive visibility and support for proactive threat response.
Qualys offers comprehensive visibility across hardware and software assets, aiding in tracking unauthorized applications and facilitating automated vulnerability remediation. Its user-friendly interface and dynamic risk scoring enhance security posture management. Users leverage it for vulnerability management and compliance, benefiting from real-time risk identification and efficient operations in cloud and on-premises environments.
What are the key features of Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?Cybersecurity teams in various industries, such as financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing, utilize Qualys to manage technical debt through end-of-life tracking and facilitate robust patch management. It supports compliance and visibility initiatives, essential for maintaining data integrity and operational security in dynamic environments.
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