We use it for our endpoint detection and response capability.
Cyber Security Specialist at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Good support and valuable EDR feature, but not stable and not suitable for enterprises with lots of other processes and third-party tools
Pros and Cons
- "The EDR feature is most valuable."
- "It is currently more suitable for end-users rather than enterprises with lots of other processes and third-party tools. It needs improvement on that front. We had many issues while integrating it with our enterprise solutions, such as Splunk, and third-party tools. It provides everything via APIs. Other vendors provide integration with third-party tools, but Microsoft doesn't do that. It is also logging too much and is not serialized from the process aspect. It has all the data, but it is not in a proper format or not properly indexed, which doesn't make it easier for enterprises to use this data. Other vendors provide troubleshooting information that can be used to troubleshoot issues, but Microsoft doesn't provide anything like that."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The EDR feature is most valuable.
What needs improvement?
It is currently more suitable for end-users rather than enterprises with lots of other processes and third-party tools. It needs improvement on that front. We had many issues while integrating it with our enterprise solutions, such as Splunk, and third-party tools. It provides everything via APIs. Other vendors provide integration with third-party tools, but Microsoft doesn't do that.
It is also logging too much and is not serialized from the process aspect. It has all the data, but it is not in a proper format or not properly indexed, which doesn't make it easier for enterprises to use this data.
Other vendors provide troubleshooting information that can be used to troubleshoot issues, but Microsoft doesn't provide anything like that.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for six months.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is still a new product, and there are many reported bugs in terms of stability and impact on the endpoints.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have around 80,000 users.
How are customer service and support?
They are good. They take a little bit of time, but they are good.
How was the initial setup?
It was very complex. We had many issues in integrating it with our enterprise solutions, such as Splunk, and third-party tools.
What about the implementation team?
We have seven or eight engineers for its maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others if they don't have many third-party tools. It is a very good solution.
I would rate Microsoft Defender for Endpoint a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Solution Architect at KIAN company
Simple to use, flexible, easy to update, but the central management console needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "This product is flexible, and it is very easy to get updates from the Microsoft website."
- "The central management console should be improved because it provides limited options to configure Windows Defender."
What is our primary use case?
This product is our antivirus for Windows 10 machines, Windows Server 2016, and in our Azure environment. In addition to this, we have a project for an oil company that is implemented in Azure, and we had to migrate the majority of their systems to that platform. Once the migration was complete, we configured Windows Defender as its antivirus.
What is most valuable?
It is very simple to use and easy to scan systems.
This product is flexible, and it is very easy to get updates from the Microsoft website.
We are using the firewall features.
What needs improvement?
The central management console should be improved because it provides limited options to configure Windows Defender. It should provide a lot of options and features, in the same way, that Symantec does, or the Kaspersky Central Management Console does. Essentially, we should have a central management console on Azure that can be used to manage Windows Defender on all of our machines.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a very stable solution and we plan to continue using it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The company that I implemented this for has approximately 2,000 staff and 1,000 virtual machines on Azure.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not been in contact with Microsoft support. Rather, I have learned by using the materials that are provided online.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were originally using a product from Symantec before we switched to using Windows Defender. After that, we adopted the Microsoft solution for Azure.
How was the initial setup?
I have configured Windows Defender for different locations by using Group Policy Settings and each time, it took between five and ten minutes, based on the guidelines.
What about the implementation team?
I configured it personally by downloading and reading materials that I found on the Microsoft website.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is an expensive product and licensing for all Microsoft products is a big issue. However, Volume Licensing and Educational Licensing are good options to decrease the cost.
What other advice do I have?
In general, Windows Defender is a good feature for the Windows Operating System.
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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June 2025

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Director at Darknext
A stable, easy-to-setup ransomware and malware protection solution with live detection capabilities and comes included in Windows 10
Pros and Cons
- "The features I have found most valuable are the ransomware and malware protection. The solution detects malware live and whenever it detects suspicious activity, it quarantines it."
- "With regards to the interface, a challenge I found was that there was not enough documentation on how to tune it. I had to read multiple sources on the internet to learn how to configure the tool appropriately."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case of this solution is to protect our endpoints from malware.
A lot of our work involves exchanging files with clients, both via the internet, by email and by USB. Therefore, we are susceptible to malware and ransomware attacks. We are using this solution to protect against these attacks.
What is most valuable?
The features I have found most valuable are the ransomware and malware protection. The solution detects malware live and whenever it detects suspicious activity, it quarantines it.
We set our protection to the tightest possible settings, which prevents non-approved applications from making any changes to our computers'.
What needs improvement?
One area of improvement for this solution is to have a faster turnaround time on updating definition files. Since there are usually various ransomware variants, this solution may not pick it up in time like other commercial antivirus solutions. However, we have not encountered an issue like this yet with definition updates.
With regards to the interface, a challenge I found was that there was not enough documentation on how to tune it. I had to read multiple sources on the internet to learn how to configure the tool appropriately.
In the next release, I would like to see the solution have a backup feature were my data could be saved to a Microsoft OneDrive account or an equivalent cloud platform so that, in the event of a ransomware or malware attack, I can easily retrieve my data.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for about a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In the past, I have used other solutions from Symantec, McAfee, and RSA.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward. It is just the configuration that takes more time as many features are not very intuitive. As a result, you have to read through what a specific feature does and whether you want to implement it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is an open source version and comes free with a paid version of Windows 10.
What other advice do I have?
I would highly recommend Microsoft Defender Antivirus for an individual looking to protect their endpoints.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Solutions Architect at SC PROSERVICECORP SRL
A simple solution with good integration, price, stability, scalability, and support
Pros and Cons
- "Its simplicity is the most valuable. It also has very good integration. We like it."
- "Its interface can be improved a little bit. We would like to have some sort of centralization. It should have something like a central server that is managing all the other clients. There are solutions from Kaspersky or ESET NOD32 that are really doing this kind of thing currently. We would like to see something similar from Microsoft."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Microsoft Windows Defender for Windows services because it is the default antivirus and protection solution with Windows Server 2016 and 2019. We are using it for Windows servers, file servers, and active directory.
What is most valuable?
Its simplicity is the most valuable. It also has very good integration. We like it.
What needs improvement?
Its interface can be improved a little bit. We would like to have some sort of centralization. It should have something like a central server that is managing all the other clients. There are solutions from Kaspersky or ESET NOD32 that are really doing this kind of thing currently. We would like to see something similar from Microsoft.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for more than two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable. It is highly recommended.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It has good scalability. We are happy with it and plan to increase its usage. We currently have around 20 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is good. We like Microsoft, and they provide good technical support.
How was the initial setup?
It is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented it by ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Currently, for us, Windows Defender is free with the purchase of Windows Server. Pricing is an important point for us when we are looking at the competitors of this solution. If we choose to go with another vendor, we will have to pay some license fees.
What other advice do I have?
We are considering moving to another solution, so we are trying to inform ourselves about the other products in the market that will fit our budget and needs. We are trying to see what the competitors offer in the server market. We are looking into ESET NOD32 because we know the product from back in the day.
I would recommend this solution. It is free, and it is doing its job for Microsoft Windows Server. It is a good product. I would rate Microsoft Defender for Endpoint a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Head Of Information Technology at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Integrates well with Microsoft applications and endpoints and has a good antivirus
Pros and Cons
- "The solution integrates very well with Windows applications and Microsoft endpoint products."
- "The pricing could be a bit better."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for MDM, MAM, and Find Point.
What we did is we replaced our antivirus with Microsoft Defender. There are three products that we implemented, including the Endpoint Defender, which is deployed to all of our end points.
What is most valuable?
The antivirus and their Office Defender are pretty good, although we are still processing that. It seems to be really great at protecting office documents.
The solution integrates very well with Windows applications and Microsoft endpoint products.
The product doesn't take up too many resources. You don't have to install it in different areas. It's very easy to implement and use.
What needs improvement?
As I've only used the product for three months, I haven't really had time to explore the entire solution. However, I haven't found anything that is lacking just yet. Currently, we're actually behind on the current feature offerings and need to explore the system quite a bit more. It fits our needs so far.
The pricing could be a bit better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for three months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is quite stable. It goes well with Windows applications. We haven't had any issues with it so far. It doesn't crash or freeze or glitch. However, we haven't tried the app just yet.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is quite scalable. We've found it to be very easy to expand as needed. If a company needs to scale the solution, they can do so.
Currently, we have 151 people using the solution in our organization. We do plan to continue usage.
How are customer service and technical support?
I personally haven't had any experience with technical support just yet. Only my colleagues have spoken with them. Therefore, I can't speak to their level of knowledge or responsiveness.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using a different product previously, however, I can't recall the name of it at this time. It might have been number three on the market in 2019. I can't recall precisely.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was not complex at all. There was really not much that we had to do due to the fact that we have Intune. Therefore, it was very easy to deploy.
It did not take long to deploy. We did it directly on the control panel, then the rest deployed to the other machines. What took longer was onboarding all the machines to Intune. Once they were there, they were all protected.
We have a partner that handles the maintenance for us. We have two technicians handling that aspect of the product.
What about the implementation team?
We had a partner that helped us with the deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product pricing is definitely in the same range as other products. It's therefore not too expensive, however, it's also not too cheap. It could be better, however, it's Microsoft and they can pretty much set their pricing how they like.
What other advice do I have?
We're just a customer and an end-user. We don't have a business relationship with Microsoft.
We're using the latest version of the solution.
I would recommend this product to other organizations. In fact, I already have.
Currently, I'd rate it an eight out of ten. That's with the knowledge gap I have, as a user that just started working with the solution recently.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Project Director at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Quite effective for preventing virus infections, data leak, or other security breaches
Pros and Cons
- "I am using it for very simple purposes. It is perfect and quite effective. I have been using it for a while, and I have never had any virus infection, data leak, or other security breaches. It works fine for standalone purposes. If you log on to OneDrive, it has ransomware protection."
- "Windows Firewall is integrated with Windows Defender. Over the last few days, I have had a problem with defining a wildcard on Windows Firewall. For example, I wanted to pull out the connection of my program and install a software package with a lot of executable files. I wanted to prevent it from accessing the internet. I could not select executables by using a wildcard. I had to select a single executable with its full name."
What is our primary use case?
Windows Security Essentials is available on Windows 7 and Windows 10. I'm using Windows Defender, and the agent is deployed on-premises on my laptop. I don't know if it has some background cloud services.
I use it for flash memories, portable memories, real-time scanning, threat protection, and capturing the data downloaded from the internet.
What is most valuable?
I am using it for very simple purposes. It is perfect and quite effective. I have been using it for a while, and I have never had any virus infection, data leak, or other security breaches.
It works fine for standalone purposes. If you log on to OneDrive, it has ransomware protection.
What needs improvement?
Windows Firewall is integrated with Windows Defender. Over the last few days, I have had a problem with defining a wildcard on Windows Firewall. For example, I wanted to pull out the connection of my program and install a software package with a lot of executable files. I wanted to prevent it from accessing the internet. I could not select executables by using a wildcard. I had to select a single executable with its full name.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for five years or more.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I don't know about scalability because I have always used it on a single laptop, but I'm sure that there are business options, and you can use it on Windows 7 computers. It must be very scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
I live in Iran, and there is no product support in Iran. If there is a technical issue, I prefer to use online information and resources, such as forums and Wiki pages, to resolve the issue.
How was the initial setup?
It is very easy to install. It is preinstalled when you install Windows. If you install other antiviruses, you have to deactivate it in order to use third-party products.
What other advice do I have?
Microsoft has started to integrate the interface with new Windows 10 settings. Previously, there was a lack of information. Users weren't aware of the status of the product in terms of what it was doing on your computer and whether it was actually protecting you or not. In the background, it must have been doing its job, but you couldn't be very well aware of the status of the software. All those issues are now resolved. The information now is very handy, and the user interface is also great. I would recommend this solution to others.
I would rate Microsoft Defender Antivirus a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Product Manager at a comms service provider with 501-1,000 employees
Good management over endpoints but the technical support needs to be improved
Pros and Cons
- "The scanning is slow when it is working with incoming emails."
What is our primary use case?
We are a system integrator and I specialize in practically everything that is security-related. This is a product that we sell as part of Office 365, and rarely as a standalone solution.
Usually, if we have a customer with Office 365 and they need this type of solution then we increase the subscription to a point where it is included.
From the user's point of view, this is classic anti-virus software. From a management point of view, this product gives better control over endpoint devices because some processes can be stopped remotely. If you have a person that is watching over the system then they have a higher level of control over endpoints.
What is most valuable?
This is a cloud-based product so it is always updated by the end-user.
What needs improvement?
They have to improve the email scanning where email is coming from somewhere other than our private network. The scanning is slow when it is working with incoming emails. Often, I can see the email but the scanning process is not finished and I cannot open the attachment. In general, the scanning has to be faster.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution looks stable. Provided that Windows 10 is updated, everything is okay.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not been in contact with technical support in regards to this product. However, technical support for Microsoft products is always of bad quality. In my experience, if you cannot find the solution yourself then you will have a huge problem because it is not an easy task to have them understand and support you.
You can lose a lot of time explaining the problem before you receive something that works.
My advice to is look for a good support library and try to find the solution yourself. This means that you don't need to contact support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have worked with many different security solutions. For example, we are selling a Security Operations Center as a service. We implement EDR, Privileged Access Management, Identity Management, anti-fraud solutions, web application firewalls, database security, and more. We are working with practically everything in cybersecurity.
We are working with between 10 and 15 different vendors. Sometimes, this is too many, but it is useful to have information about each product, its quality, and how it compares to others. Two products that we are working with now are Cisco AMP and Carbon Black.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a free version of Windows Defender, although the paid version has EDR functionality. We sell this product as part of Office 365 and it is not expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I have never touched this product. I'm just selling it, and I don't recommend it to anybody as a standalone solution.
I would rate this solution a five out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Senior IT Manager at a pharma/biotech company with 1-10 employees
Good protection against phishing attacks and spam, but seamless integration with EDR is needed
Pros and Cons
- "What I like most is the protection against phishing emails and anti-spam."
- "If they integrate with the EDR then it will benefit this solution."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Microsoft Defender ATP to prevent anti-phishing, malware transportation, and unwanted spam emails.
What is most valuable?
What I like most is the protection against phishing emails and anti-spam.
What needs improvement?
The integration of the defense features is something that they are working on but it still needs improvement.
In the next release, I would like to have additional features integrated with DNS security and DNS resolution. It will add to the solution and work more like a firewall.
If they integrate with the EDR then it will benefit this solution.
I would like ATP to be integrated with the EDR as one single license.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Microsoft Defender ATP for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable, but it depends on how you configure the existing ATP and what existing features you need to enable it.
Based on the features that are enabled, it will work perfectly. 60% to 80% will depend on the configuration that is done for the ATP trade products.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Defender ATP is scalable at any point of time.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support was good.
I would rate technical support a four out of five.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was not easy but not complex. It was somewhere in between.
There were many things that needed to be integrated with the existing solution, which took some time. It took us a week to deploy this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
When compared with other vendors, the pricing is very high.
There are several other features that can be integrated with Microsoft Defender ATP such as EDR. But, it doesn't already come integrated with ATP. It's available at an additional cost.
If you want the EDR feature, you would have to purchase an E-file license. The cost is three times higher to have more productivity with the dashboard.
What other advice do I have?
It's a good solution. I would recommend Microsoft Defender ATP to anyone who is interested in using it.
I would rate Microsoft Defender ATP a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner

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