Microsoft Defender XDR vs Microsoft Entra Permissions Management [EOL] comparison

Microsoft Defender XDR and Microsoft Entra Permissions Management [EOL] are both solutions in the Microsoft Security Suite category. Additionally, 98% of Microsoft Defender XDR users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Microsoft Entra Permissions Management [EOL] users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Defender XDR

Read 109 Microsoft Defender XDR reviews

13,321 Views
3,197 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Microsoft Entra Permissions...

Read 2 Microsoft Entra Permissions Management [EOL] reviews

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender XDR

Microsoft Entra Permissions...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Microsoft Defender XDR and Microsoft Entra Permissions Management [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Security Suite Report (Updated: April 2026).

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Microsoft Security Suite

April 2026

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Helped 893,244 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 XDR

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

109

Ranking in other categories

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (8th), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (4th), Microsoft Security Suite (4th)

Microsoft Entra Permissions...

Average Rating

7.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Archana-Singh

Manager at Softcell Technologies Limited

Centralized threat detection has improved response times but still needs better integrations

Microsoft Defender XDR simplifies cross-domain investigations for the SOC team. Instead of switching between separate endpoint, email, identity, and cloud security tools, the analysts can investigate correlated incidents from a single console with unified telemetry and timelines. The best features Microsoft Defender XDR offers are cross-domain incident correlation, automated investigation and response, and unified visibility across endpoint, identity, email, and cloud workloads. The attack timeline and correlated incident view are especially valuable because they help analysts understand the full attack chain quickly without manually stitching data from multiple security tools. The automated investigation and response capabilities in Microsoft Defender XDR save a significant amount of manual effort for the SOC team. Routine tasks like alert correlation, endpoint isolation, malware analysis, and remediation recommendations are automated, which reduces analyst workload and improves response time for common incidents. One underrated feature in Microsoft Defender XDR is the unified attack timeline and identity correlation capabilities. It gives analysts a clear end-to-end view of user, email, data, device, and identity activity during an incident, which makes root cause analysis and lateral movement tracking much easier. Microsoft Defender XDR has improved our overall security visibility and helped reduce the time required to detect and respond to threats across endpoints, identities, email, and cloud workloads. It also improved our SOC efficiency by centralizing investigations and automating repetitive response actions, which reduced operational overhead significantly.

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Sameer Bhat

Vice President at Goldman Sachs

Provides resource-based access and security, but time-bound access can be a problem

Entra ID is the core of the identity management that we have. This is the key product that we are using. I am currently also looking into Entra Private Access because we are planning to deploy about 50,000 desktops into Azure and use Azure Virtual Desktop. We would like to give access to the users from the desktop to on-premises applications. I learned that Entra Private Access is a good solution. That is not yet GA, but that is what we are looking for. Entra provides a single pane of glass for managing user access, but because our company also integrates with Nebula API, only administrators use Entra's pane. A normal person who wants to get onboarded can do self-service using Nebula. The features for whitelisting and other things are definitely there. That is what we use specifically. Application IDs, enterprise applications, and all those things are already there, so we have more efficiency. There is also security because we usually do not allow user identities to get direct access to Azure resources. Usually, we use the service principles from Entra ID, so this way, it increases security. Entra has helped to save time for our IT administrators. We tend to automate a lot of things. We can do automation using Graph APIs and save time. It is hard to quantify the time savings, but there has been a medium amount of time savings. Entra has helped to save our organization money. We care about security and risk more than money, but it also saves money. We are premium customers, and because we have a commit-to-consume contract with Microsoft of multi-million dollars, the money does not come into it because we have to consume those resources.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Microsoft XDR's system of analysis and investigation is super convenient for our customers. It integrates with other Microsoft solutions like Defender for 365 to protect email traffic from malicious external web links and phishing."

"The stability has been great."

"For technical support, I would definitely give a rating of nine out of ten."

"We use Microsoft 365 Defender to help secure threats of the Office package, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and additionally, it can fix issues."

"The most valuable feature is the network security."

"If you are considering Microsoft Defender XDR, my advice is that if you are looking for an XDR tool, Microsoft Defender XDR is the easiest to use."

"The 'Incidents and Alerts' tab is a valuable feature where we can find triggered alerts."

"Microsoft 365 Defender is a stable solution."

More Microsoft Defender XDR pros

"The solution integrates well with our infrastructure and other systems without any issues."

"Multifactor authentication is valuable."

Cons

"The user interface of Microsoft 365 Defender could improve. They could make it simpler."

"One of the biggest downsides of Microsoft products, in general, is that the menus are often difficult to find, as they tend to move from place to place between versions."

"Their support is bad. They weren't at all able to solve my problems."

"The solution could enhance the threat Intelligence feature by making it more relevant to specific industries. Much of the threat intelligence information isn't directly applicable to our environment. It would be beneficial if the threat intelligence were tailored to the industry, such as healthcare or fintech, where the solution is being used."

"The only issue I've had is, when it comes to deployment, the steps I must take around policy setup. That is challenging."

"Defender's AI for identifying suspicious activity could be improved. Also, I do a lot of home updates. Maybe there is a way to set it up faster. For example, let's say that I want to automatically update seven computers, servers, etc. I wouldn't do it to a user, but maybe the server. I don't mind if the server restarts automatically."

"The customer support aspect can be better because it's the biggest complaint I hear about Microsoft."

"There should be better information for experts on features in the solution. What I see when reading about features in Microsoft 365 Defender is that it is always general information."

More Microsoft Defender XDR cons

"We use a third-party API called Nebula API to integrate the account for authorization. The time-bound access area in Entra can be a problem. It can be improved in terms of the granularity of the permissions."

"The solution's pricing and support services need improvement."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I believe the pricing is fair and acceptable. I consider it to be reasonable and satisfactory."

"I would like to have more security features in the lower licenses because not every customer is able to buy E5 licenses. The bundling isn't always easy for our customers to understand. Compared to other tools, it's a good price."

"It can be complex to navigate since customers have varying licensing agreements across Microsoft. If they go straightforward with E5 for all users, it's simple, but combinations based on budget constraints can complicate things."

"While Microsoft Defender XDR carries a higher cost, its ease of use compared to Defender may justify the investment."

"Microsoft Defender XDR is priced high."

"Microsoft is not competitive with the pricing of the solution. The competitors are able to offer lower discounts. The price of the solution is higher."

"There are no issues with pricing, but sometimes, the clarity in licensing is a concern."

"The price could be better. Normally, the costs depend on the country you're located in for the license. When we were in the initial stage, we went with the E5 license they call premium standard. It cost us around $5.20 per month for four users."

More Microsoft Defender XDR pricing and cost advice

"We are a Fortune 500 company, so we always negotiate with Microsoft."

"The product cost is in the mid to high range."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

16%

Government

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	46
Midsize Enterprise	29
Large Enterprise	40

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft 365 Defender?

Microsoft Defender XDR provides strong identity protection with comprehensive insights into risky user behavior and potential indicators of compromise.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft 365 Defender?

My experience with the pricing, setup costs, and licensing of Microsoft Defender XDR is that we are on an E5 license, so it is incorporated there. It is part of our Microsoft package.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft 365 Defender?

From my perspective, Microsoft Defender XDR can be improved with better visibility in certain areas where I can trigger host isolation on one machine. It should at least provide the option to isola...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Entra Permissions Management?

The product cost is in the mid to high range. You need to have a good budget to implement it, so it is considered fairly expensive for our market. I rate the pricing a seven out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Entra Permissions Management?

The solution's pricing and support services need improvement.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Entra Permissions Management?

Our clients primarily use the product from a security management perspective.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 4% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Microsoft Defender XDR

Compared 4% of the time

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Compared 3% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs Microsoft Entra Permissions Management [EOL]

Compared 11% of the time

Microsoft Purview Data Governance vs Microsoft Entra Permissions Management [EOL]

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Intune vs Microsoft Entra Permissions Management [EOL]

Compared 9% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender XDR

April 2026

Download Microsoft Defender XDR product report

Buyer's Guide

Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM)

May 2026

Microsoft Entra Permissions Management [EOL] report

Download Microsoft Entra Permissions Management [EOL] product report

Also Known As

Microsoft 365 Defender, Microsoft Threat Protection, MS 365 Defender

CloudKnox Permissions Management

Overview

Microsoft Defender XDR is a comprehensive security solution designed to protect against threats in the Microsoft 365 environment.

It offers robust security measures, comprehensive threat detection capabilities, and an efficient incident response system. With seamless integration with other Microsoft products and a user-friendly interface, it simplifies security management tasks.

Users have found it effective in detecting and preventing various types of attacks, such as phishing attempts, malware infections, and data breaches.

Watch the Microsoft demo video here: Microsoft Defender XDR demo video.

Microsoft

Microsoft Entra Permissions Management [EOL] provides robust access control and identity management, enhancing security by optimizing permissions and reducing risk.

This advanced platform offers comprehensive capabilities designed to streamline identity management. It empowers organizations to manage permissions efficiently, enhancing security frameworks while addressing compliance needs. By focusing on visibility and control, it optimizes access to ensure the right resources are available to the right users, reducing excessive permission grants and potential security vulnerabilities.

What are the main features of Microsoft Entra Permissions Management [EOL]?

Advanced Visibility: Gain insights into permissions to identify and address security risks.
Access Optimization: Align permissions with actual usage to prevent over-privileged access.
Compliance Integration: Streamline compliance processes with built-in reporting tools.

What benefits should you consider when evaluating Microsoft Entra Permissions Management [EOL]?

Improved Security Posture: Reduces risk by eliminating excessive permissions.
Enhanced Compliance: Eases regulatory compliance with robust auditing features.
Operational Efficiency: Saves time and resources by automating permission management.

In specific industries like finance and healthcare, Microsoft Entra Permissions Management [EOL] plays a crucial role in maintaining data integrity and regulatory compliance. Its implementation allows organizations to seamlessly integrate permission management into existing security infrastructures, providing tailored solutions that address sector-specific requirements and challenges.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Accenture, Deloitte, ExxonMobil, General Electric, IBM, Johnson & Johnson and many others.

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Security Suite

April 2026

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