No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.
Cyber Threat Hunter at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Oct 3, 2023
Helps prioritize threats across our enterprise and improves security posture
Pros and Cons
  • "Endpoint's most valuable feature is deep analysis."
  • "Microsoft Defender for Endpoint does not provide much flexibility in terms of threats."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for protection, asset onboarding, and service onboarding. We primarily focus on Microsoft-based endpoints. Specifically, we look for processes to determine if malware, viruses, or adware have been installed.

How has it helped my organization?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps prioritize threats across our enterprise. The solution notifies us of new vulnerabilities, including those that have been published, exploited, or are being exploited, and it provides some visibility into these threats.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has a significant impact on reducing the number of affected machines. I personally write custom detection rules to analyze the environment and look for specific patterns, such as ransomware. Although some of the pre-built detection rules in Azure on GitHub are useful, they are not as flexible in terms of use cases. Therefore, it makes sense to write custom rules instead of importing the pre-built ones.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps automate routine tasks and helps automate the finding of high-value alerts.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint improved our security posture and operations by automating some of the mundane tasks, such as analyzing alerts. This allows us to focus on incidents that were created from specific individual alerts.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint saved us time in terms of operational and C- CERT security. It reduced the amount of time we spend analyzing what happened on a particular endpoint, which processes were started, and which ones were suspicious. For example, it helped us to quickly identify suspicious installation protocols.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint reduced our time to detect and respond by 25 percent.

What is most valuable?

Endpoint's most valuable feature is deep analysis. It provides a lot more in-depth findings. However, it only analyzes portable files with the .exe and .drl extensions. It does not analyze other file extensions. Additionally, it does not provide all the necessary information about the file's memory usage or size. I have to download the file to my computer to do further analysis. Therefore, the size of the application that the deep analysis analyzes is the only other red flag I can think of.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint does not provide much flexibility in terms of threats. It only looks at what is currently in the environment. It does not provide flexibility like threat modeling, where we can provide our own threat model within the environment. This would allow Defender to provide us with feedback on threat intelligence that is tailored to our organization's needs and threat landscape.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint's deep analysis shows that it works well with Microsoft's standard applications. However, it does not function as intended when used with Unix or Linux distributions. Therefore, it would be beneficial to improve support for other systems.

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
September 2026
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2026.
913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for one and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In terms of resources, I believe the solution is more resource-intensive because I can initiate multiple automated investigations, which will likely take a day or two to complete.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Our organization has thousands of people using the solution.

What other advice do I have?

I give Microsoft Defender for Endpoint an eight out of ten.

No maintenance is required from our end.

I believe a best-of-breed solution is better because it eliminates some of the limitations of applications that do not provide solid stability in terms of detection time, response time, and eradication. This is because a best-of-breed solution is designed to be the best in its class at each of these tasks. As a result, it can identify threats more quickly, respond to them more effectively, and eradicate them more completely.

When evaluating the solution, we must understand how our environment is structured. Is it a hybrid environment? Does it have Unix, Linux, or Microsoft distributions? And within those distributions, do we plan to purchase multiple enterprise systems to cater to each individual distribution?

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?

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Shashank Gahoi. - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
MSP
Sep 15, 2023
We can directly connect to a machine, access the system, and check if any malicious files are present
Pros and Cons
  • "There are a couple of features, such as isolating the devices or connecting the device and connecting live response."
  • "Microsoft Defender for Endpoint does not offer default templates for alerts, requiring us to configure everything ourselves to avoid numerous false positives."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for anti-malware purposes.

How has it helped my organization?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has good visibility into threats, capturing 95 percent of them.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps us prioritize threats across our organization, which is important.

We have integrated Microsoft Defender and Sentinel. The process of integrating Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Sentinel was easy.

They work natively together to deliver coordinated detection and response across our environment which is important. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Sentinel work together comprehensively to detect and protect against threats. If one solution misses a threat, the other one will pick it up.

Sentinel allows us to gather data from our entire ecosystem, which is crucial for us.

It enables us to investigate threats and respond holistically from one place.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is an effective anti-malware solution. Additionally, it offers the capability to isolate a device in case of more significant issues with a workstation or server. Moreover, we can directly connect with the machine through Microsoft Defender itself to access and check files using live response, allowing us to assess the situation accurately.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offers a unified XDR dashboard that eliminates the need to view multiple dashboards. However, we are only focusing on incidents and log queries.

The threat intelligence helps us prepare for potential threats before they occur, allowing us to take proactive steps, as long as there are alerts and we have properly configured them.

We were previously using IBM QRadar, but it was not quite effective for generating alerts or for data analytics. Additionally, it created numerous alerts, which only sent us notifications for issues like behavioral concerns. This had a significant impact on the workload for InfoSec Operations. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has helped to reduce our SecOps team's investigation time.

Once we invest the initial time to create alerts and queries, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint saves us time by sending alerts and logs directly. This eliminates the need to repeatedly create queries to search for specific alerts, incidents, or events.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has decreased our time to detection and time to respond.

What is most valuable?

There are a couple of features, such as isolating the devices or connecting the device and connecting live response. These are very good features of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint because we can directly connect to the machine, access the system, and check if any malicious files that our Defender or Sentinel is detecting are present or not. This allows us to investigate those files further.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint sometimes fails to detect malware incidents, and when it does manage to stop them, we only receive a notification stating that the issue has been resolved. Unfortunately, we are not provided with any information on how the solution resolved the incident.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint does not offer default templates for alerts, requiring us to configure everything ourselves to avoid numerous false positives.

The pricing needs to be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for a little over one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I give the stability a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I give the scalability an eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

We rarely need technical support, but when we encounter issues with log ingestion, we contact them. Unfortunately, the support isn't very helpful as they suggest trying things we've already attempted, which haven't worked. Consequently, we often find ourselves searching online to resolve the problem on our own.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I also use FireEye, which is now called Trellix, along with McAfee. Each tool has its own advantages and disadvantages. FireEye was solely an EDR solution. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is superior to McAfee due to the higher number of alerts and the ability to isolate and connect to the machine in real-time.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is the default solution for Microsoft, but it can be challenging to integrate with Linux environments. Additionally, if we are using any other EDR or anti-malware solutions, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint will only work passively, not actively, and we cannot convert it to function as an active anti-malware solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint may be more complex compared to other solutions that only require pushing agents to workstations or servers. Each device must be compliant and onboarded to Azure in order to be active, and any non-compliant workstations cannot be uploaded to Azure. On the other hand, with McAfee and similar solutions, we only need to push the agent and it starts reporting to the console. Our deployment process lasted six months and involved a group of three to four people and their respective teams. We had one team for field agents, another for SCCM purposes, and an Operations team as well.

What about the implementation team?

Microsoft assisted with the implementation, and they were efficient.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We are required to pay for the data we ingest, and increasing the data amount incurs additional expenses.

What other advice do I have?

I give Microsoft Defender for Endpoint an eight out of ten.

We currently have around 6,000 Microsoft Defender for Endpoint users in our organization.

We have a team called InfoSec Operations that handles maintenance and consists of approximately five people.

I recommend Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for larger organizations, and they should undergo training if they intend to use it in conjunction with Microsoft Sentinel, as it is a complex tool compared to others like QRadar. For smaller organizations, I suggest using Splunk, which is a reliable solution.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a viable solution, but it does have limitations when it comes to other operating systems. I would not recommend this solution for an organization that operates in a Linux-based environment.

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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
September 2026
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2026.
913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer2169915 - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Security Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Aug 4, 2023
Easily integrates with Microsoft solutions and helps us prioritize threats across our enterprise
Pros and Cons
  • "The integration with all variations of Microsoft Defender, for Endpoint, 365, and Cloud is valuable."
  • "The time it takes to implement policies has room for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to protect our work environment.

How has it helped my organization?

The endpoint provides good visibility into threats. However, working with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and its control panel can be challenging, especially when dealing with features such as compliance and cloud app security details. Nevertheless, with enough experience, it becomes a useful tool for threat detection. Although it may be difficult to work with initially, it is an essential instrument for information security.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps us prioritize threats across our enterprise.

The integration of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint with other Microsoft solutions is easy. The integrated Microsoft solutions work natively with each other.

The level of comprehensiveness provided by all of the integrated solutions is satisfactory.

Microsoft Sentinel allows us to investigate and respond to threats from one place.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps automate routine tasks and find high-value alerts. The solution has a powerful advanced query that we can schedule to run automatically.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint simplifies the use of multiple dashboards by providing a single XDR feature. This is a beneficial feature, but my reliance is on the 50 automated rules that run on a schedule to keep me informed of any incidents.

The automatic rules and policies that we apply using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint save us around four hours per day.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has saved our organization money by protecting the environment from threats.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has reduced our time to detect and respond to security threats by consolidating all relevant information in a single panel within a web portal. This enables us to quickly review and respond to potential threats, thus improving our ability to mitigate risks effectively.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has helped our organization by working to identify threats quickly before they become a problem. 

What is most valuable?

The integration with all variations of Microsoft Defender, for Endpoint, 365, and Cloud is valuable.

What needs improvement?

The time it takes to implement policies has room for improvement. When we create policies or configure file profiles and assign them to specific groups, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint will apply these rules accordingly. If we need to make changes to the policy, it can take up to thirty minutes or even two to three hours for the changes to take effect on Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. This waiting period can be a significant amount of time to implement changes. It is at times quicker to create new policies than to make changes to existing policies.

We are experiencing problems with certain Samsung Android mobile devices that have Microsoft Defender for Endpoint installed. Specifically, when attempting to log into the corporate profile, users are prompted multiple times to enter their credentials.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is extremely stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support team is professional.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used a separate antivirus and endpoint solution called Cynet but it was not very useful. Our organization moved into the Cloud so we decided to use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

What about the implementation team?

We deployed Microsoft Defender for Endpoint across multiple locations in our organization.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Splunk and Microsoft 365 before the head of our company chose Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

What other advice do I have?

I give Microsoft Defender for Endpoint an eight out of ten.

No maintenance is required on our end for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a powerful tool and I recommend it.

Using a single vendor security suite carries inherent risks, but with a well-established company like Microsoft, those risks are significantly reduced, and it's more cost-effective than using multiple best-of-breed solutions to achieve the same level of security.

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?

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Mahmoud Eldeep - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Team Lead at Global Brands Group
Real User
Apr 7, 2023
Real-time detection, easy to deploy, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "Real-time detection and cloud-based delivery of detections are highly efficient."
  • "The application control feature requires improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to secure our customers' networks. One of the main reasons we chose this solution is its seamless integration with other Microsoft products, including Security. This integration enables the efficient exchange of signals and facilitates incident investigation and correlation with other security measures. Therefore, we recommend Microsoft Defender to our customers for robust endpoint security. 

Microsoft has been recognized as a leader in Gartner reports for two consecutive years for their exceptional threat-capturing abilities within their division. In comparison to other solutions, Microsoft Defender Endpoint Security offers a wide range of features, and the benefit of integration with other solutions makes it a more powerful product. This is in contrast to individual products from separate vendors, which lack default integrations and may not offer visibility over other endpoints in our environment.

How has it helped my organization?

The solution provides a high level of visibility into threats and is integrated with other solutions such as Microsoft Defender for Identity. This integration enables the solution to receive signals from Microsoft Defender for Identity, which are then relayed to users who attempt to log in to an infected device. If the threat originates from Microsoft Defender or Office 365, users are alerted and advised not to open any suspicious links or attachments. This integration greatly enhances the investigation experience and is extremely useful in the detection and analysis of potential threats.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps prioritize the threats across our organization.

The automatic investigation response is the key feature of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. It enables us to concentrate on the critical incidents related to the endpoint or machines. This capability enables the security team to focus on the most significant alerts or incidents related to the device's self-analytics. Prioritizing our investigations and responses with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is crucial.

The integration with Microsoft solutions is smooth, and integrating with other products can be done with just one click.

In most cases, the solutions work natively together to deliver coordinated detection responses across our environment, which is very helpful.

The comprehensiveness of threat protection offered by Microsoft's solutions is extensive. These solutions can thoroughly investigate all resources in an organization when deployed correctly according to best practices. They can detect any threats related to email, endpoints, and identity attacks, whether on-premises or in the cloud.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has been instrumental in enhancing our organization's operations. It detects the majority of threats aimed at our devices, aiding us in our efforts to combat threats. Additionally, it expedites the investigation process by running playbooks on incidents. This saves us time and increases efficiency. Furthermore, the integration capabilities of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint allow us to address the source of the threat by partnering it with other solutions. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint can be integrated with Microsoft Intune, allowing us to provide device signals to the latter. This permits us to grant or deny access to specific sources based on device signals.

The solution assists in automating routine tasks and streamlines the identification of high-value alerts. When used in conjunction with Microsoft Sentinel, which is highly effective in detection and comprehensive investigations, the quality of high-value alerts is excellent.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has eliminated the need to access multiple dashboards and provided us with a single XDR dashboard. Instead of logging into five different portals to investigate a threat, we only need to access one portal, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. This portal collects signals from various solutions and integrates them into a single incident, providing a comprehensive view of the detection from different sources in one place. This improves our visibility and simplifies the threat investigation process.

Having a consolidated dashboard saves us a significant amount of time by eliminating the need to log into multiple portals. This single portal can be used for investigation purposes and can relate to various aspects. It simplifies the process of monitoring a multitude of sources or resources in the environment, making it easier to detect and investigate potential issues. A consolidated dashboard improves collections and visibility, streamlining the investigation process.

The threat intelligence provided by the solution helps us prepare for potential threats and take proactive measures before they occur. Many of Microsoft's security solutions now depend on Microsoft's security intelligence. The ISG collects signals from various products worldwide, providing extensive information on recent global threats targeting different products. Integrating with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, this information is particularly helpful.

The solution has helped us save time. I suggested that we check Microsoft Defender for Endpoint daily to review the latest incidents that occurred during the process. We can quickly examine the incident and then take action based on the recommendations provided by either Microsoft Defender for Endpoint or Microsoft 365 Defender, as it consolidates the signals.

This solution is cost-effective since we would otherwise have to pay for multiple licenses if we were to use various solutions. Additionally, we prefer not to subscribe to multiple vendors for different services. By integrating these features, we save time, and they are already integrated by default, unlike other vendors who may not offer this feature or integration.

What is most valuable?

Real-time detection and cloud-based delivery of detections are highly efficient. I have deployed the Microsoft Application Control which I found to be very effective, albeit difficult to deploy. I have implemented point guard and attack deduction rules which enable me to identify attack locations effectively. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has several excellent features, and the correlation of alerts and investigation experiences within the platform helps lead investigations

What needs improvement?

The application control feature requires improvement. It is currently challenging to detect and fine-tune the application control policies. A better GUI is needed for configuring the policies, beyond the current partial console, such as a third-party or Microsoft tool. Additionally, more documentation is required for the application control section as there is currently none available in Microsoft's resources. This lack of documentation can make the process confusing.

The policy configuration has room for improvement. Currently, we require additional solutions to configure policies for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. We need either Microsoft Intune or a new policy object. It seems many individuals find this process confusing. It is perplexing to me why we must configure policies using different solutions when ideally, we should have all configurations for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint in a single portal. It would be more practical to configure policies directly within Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, rather than using external solutions.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is scalable.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I previously used Trend Micro Apex One, but I've found that Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has more benefits. Although I haven't worked with the full suite of Trend Micro, I believe that their Suite is also highly effective. However, I have experience using the full suite of Microsoft Defender, and I find it to be a more powerful tool for threat detection. While Trend Micro Apex One is easy to implement, has a seamless implementation experience, and is superior when it comes to policy configuration; For threat detection capabilities, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is stronger.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward because we just need to onboard devices, through a script, employment, onboarding package, or any other MDM Solution like Intune. The deployment takes between four and eight hours and requires a maximum of two people.

What about the implementation team?

We implement the solution for our customers.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint can be costly as a standalone solution. However, when included in a bundled license with other Microsoft solutions, it becomes a cost-effective option. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides excellent value for our organization.

There is an additional cost for Microsoft Premier support.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution an eight out of ten.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is deployed across multiple locations and departments. The solution can be used for enterprise, medium, and small businesses but can be expensive for SMBs.

To achieve success with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, it is crucial to establish best practices and ensure full deployment without causing any disruptions to business productivity. Simply enabling all features without understanding their impact could lead to interruptions in productivity. By adhering to best practices and carefully assessing the impact of each policy, we can ensure a smooth and effective implementation.

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
PeerSpot user
FrancMlinarek - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Apr 7, 2023
Provides more information than just antivirus hits
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is its ability to bring together all the data, providing more information than just antivirus hits."
  • "There is a lot of information to take in, and the portals tend to change quickly due to the fast-paced nature of the industry."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to manage the firewall and provide endpoint security, such as antivirus protection, on the endpoint.

How has it helped my organization?

The visibility of threats is excellent. The most difficult aspect of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, especially for a small MSP, is the amount of information that needs to be filtered through. There is a lot that can be done in the portal, so it requires someone to spend a lot of time going through all the settings and making sure any issues are resolved. This is why we added Huntress to it, as it helps with the identification of other issues.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps prioritize threats across the enterprise. The great thing about the Defender portal is that if there is a new issue, it highlights the issue for us in the portal, enabling us to easily check the CVE report to see which devices are affected, and make the necessary changes.

The major advantage of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for us is that we receive a great deal of information. Initially, when we encountered the solution, the most difficult thing was that there was a lot more detail to go through, a lot more logs, and settings that we had to configure. However, once we had everything in place, as we are covering so many devices using the same solution, we were able to make a significant impact on our security.

The solution helps automate the high-value alerts to identify the devices that are at high risk of attack, but we still have to remediate ourselves.

We still enjoy jumping between Defender and Huntress' portals. Microsoft has removed the need for a large number of solutions as the Defender portal itself encompasses a great deal. This is both good and bad as they continue to add to the Defender portal. For a small team, it can be quite overwhelming to have to go through the one Defender portal. However, if the team was larger and we had more dedicated staff, it would be great as everything would be in one place.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint's threat intelligence helps us prepare for potential threats before they occur and take proactive steps based on the CVE reports, which advise us which devices have higher threat issues.

Being aware of the issues is a good thing, and with solutions like Webroot Business Endpoint Protection, we may think everything is fine as long as the antivirus is installed. However, with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, we are given a lot of information and become more aware of the issues. This helps us strive to reach the 100 mark on the security score.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has saved time by preventing attacks from occurring, and I have been able to rely on it. In contrast, when we used Webroot Business Endpoint Protection, we installed it and then largely forgot about it, assuming it would take care of itself. Webroot rarely gave us any warnings, which may have been due to the product not knowing what to do or not having anything to alert us about. On the other hand, Defender is constantly active and provides us with updates about the endpoints. This may take up more time, as it is making us aware of a lot of other things.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is more expensive than Webroot Business Endpoint Protection. However, the value is there in terms of the product we are getting. The cost savings with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint come from being aware of the issues and taking steps to prevent them from occurring. The savings come from avoiding the issues.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoints has a quick response time when it detects a threat. From what I've seen, the system is quite fast. It's not instantaneous when changes are made in the portal and sent to the endpoint, but it is still quick.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is its ability to bring together all the data, providing more information than just antivirus hits. Additionally, it has a useful security score that is tied into the Defender platform, giving us a better understanding of what is happening at the endpoint.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft often changes the names of its products, the design of its portals, and what is included in them. This can be confusing for people who are not using them regularly. There is a lot of information to take in, and the portals tend to change quickly due to the fast-paced nature of the industry. This can be frustrating when something that was there one day is gone the next.

I would like to see when NDR solutions become more widespread in other regions. It would be amazing to observe how that progresses. It is something that we are considering, having Microsoft do part of the work using the dependent portal instead of having engineers from our own company do it. Therefore, I am eager to see where that goes.

The stability has room for improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for over one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

When testing to see if the antivirus solution is working properly with a lot of different events occurring on the device, we found that the Defender interface can become cluttered. The solution does not always give us a real-time view of what is happening, making it difficult to navigate the user interface. Therefore, there is potential for improvement in terms of stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We've deployed the solution in small environments and larger ones. So we haven't had any issues going between the two. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

We have encountered two technical issues in the past. The support team was very competent, and when I contacted Microsoft support, they were extremely helpful.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We had previously used Webroot Business Endpoint Protection, Bitdefender GravityZone, CrowdStrike Falcon, and Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is now included in our licenses, making it an easy addition for many of our clients since some of them already had the licenses that included the solution. Moreover, since many of us already use Microsoft products and portals daily, we were comfortable with Microsoft and the solution did not require a lot of retraining. Additionally, the price was another factor that made the solution attractive; CrowdStrike and the requirements associated with it are too costly for some of our clients.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex. It is more cumbersome than Huntress because it is not just an installer. We have a package that needs to be deployed to a few machines. We can run a script, or use a GPO package to distribute it. Although it is not as easy as some of the other smaller solutions, it is still quite simple. We can roll out a group policy. The deployment didn't take long at all. We had already set people up with licenses to access a Hive with Microsoft, so the deployment solution was straightforward. Most of our clients also have directories managed through Azure, which made the rollout easy.

The deployment process requiring engineering numbers or similar is very minimal as it can be done through a single group policy.

What about the implementation team?

The implementations are completed in-house for our clients.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The licensing costs for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint are reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution an eight out of ten. When discussing Microsoft Defender with other engineers, we agree that it can be challenging to become accustomed to and comprehend the UI at first. Once we have a grasp on the UI, it is excellent; however, initially, it is difficult to learn.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is deployed in systems located in data centers and on-premises, providing a wide range of devices. Approximately two thousand endpoint devices are in use.

Since the solution is a Windows subsystem, it is not difficult to maintain. We utilize a management solution to run many of those updates regularly, ensuring that they are completed regularly.

No single solution or vendor has all the answers, and it can be risky to rely on just one source. If an attack occurs and we are only using one form of security, if it is breached, the attackers will have unfettered access. Therefore, I believe it is beneficial to have a multi-layered approach, utilizing multiple solutions and vendors with different technologies that can work together.

I suggest people do some Microsoft training regarding the Defender platform to become comfortable with it before deploying it to understand exactly what is necessary to make it work.

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
PeerSpot user
reviewer1812804 - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate Director-Technology Consultancy at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
MSP
Dec 29, 2022
Proactive, doesn't slow down the systems, and integrates well with Microsoft products
Pros and Cons
  • "The most important feature is the way it monitors the threats and blocks them. About 10 days ago, we were implementing SOC for a particular client. The SOC was not yet implemented, but they had Microsoft Defender. That organization was hit by some ransomware, but the hacker could not succeed. Because of the EDR, the hacker could not install the hacking tools. They were trying to do that, but Microsoft Defender completely blocked that. The hacker could log into the system, but they could not install anything."
  • "It should support non-Windows products better. Microsoft is now one of the leading vendors in the security area. So, they should be product-independent."

What is our primary use case?

We provide solutions to our customers based on their requirements. We started working with Microsoft products because we saw people getting more inclined toward Microsoft security products. For example, previously, for SOC, we saw more organizations working with Splunk or QRadar. However, over the last six months, we have seen a lot of customers migrating to Microsoft Sentinel because they already have Microsoft products in their environment, and it works better with other Microsoft products.

How has it helped my organization?

The main purpose of EDR is threat protection, and Microsoft Defender is most impressive when you are factoring in the E3 and E5 security enhancements. It gives all monitoring alerts on a proactive basis. It generates an alert if it finds suspicious traffic, and it also helps to understand where the risks are.

It helps us to prioritize threats across our enterprise. That's one of the key features.

It helps automate routine tasks and the finding of high-value alerts. Because of the automation, you don't need to do anything. You are not required to do anything manually. It automatically detects threats and blocks them. It reduces a lot of manual effort.

It makes the organization much more secure. Microsoft Defender is one of the leading products. It works perfectly. When you are monitoring daily alerts, you can understand what kind of threats your organization is facing or how it is blocking. Based on this analysis, you can secure your organization more. Based on their automation, they are protecting you, and from that analysis, you can understand what threats your organization is facing. So, you can focus more on that area. It helps you to identify and secure those areas so that the same threats don't come in the future.

It has saved us about 20% of the time from an endpoint perspective. It has reduced our time to detect and respond by 50%.

Our customers also use M365 and Microsoft Sentinel. We have integrated all of these products. The base product is Microsoft Sentinel because that is the SIEM. All M365 logs get ingested for the phishing attack checks, and Microsoft Defender logs get integrated with Microsoft Sentinel to check all the endpoint-related activities. These endpoints include Windows servers, laptops, and desktops. On Windows Server also, we have installed Microsoft Defender EDR. From there, the logs go to Microsoft Sentinel, and from there, a centralized monitoring console works. These solutions work natively together to deliver coordinated detection and response across an environment.

What is most valuable?

The most important feature is the way it monitors the threats and blocks them. About 10 days ago, we were implementing SOC for a particular client. The SOC was not yet implemented, but they had Microsoft Defender. That organization was hit by some ransomware, but the hacker could not succeed. Because of the EDR, the hacker could not install the hacking tools. They were trying to do that, but Microsoft Defender completely blocked that. The hacker could log into the system, but they could not install anything. 

Microsoft Defender is a lot proactive, and it can also analyze the threats on the latest technologies. In the case of the attack that happened just 10 days ago, we immediately logged in and saw various challenges because we didn't have any other logs. SOC was not ready, and we only had EDR logs. From there, we could identify that the hacker couldn't succeed because Microsoft Defender was proactively working. It prevented the complete attack.

It is proficient and proactive in monitoring threats. It can seamlessly monitor all the individual assets in real time. Another thing is that after installing the Microsoft Defender agent, your computer doesn't slow down even though real-time scanning is going on in the background.

What needs improvement?

It should support non-Windows products better. Microsoft is now one of the leading vendors in the security area. So, they should be product-independent.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it for the last year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

I have not faced any issues with their technical support. Our client has a tie-up with Microsoft, and the Microsoft team has provided them with good support, but I'm not sure how they will be in the case of small customers. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We are working with multiple vendors for our clients. We are using CrowdStrike for some of the other organizations. Microsoft Defender has grown in a very big way in a very short period, but CrowdStrike Falcon is ahead of it in terms of protection.

Microsoft doesn't give everything in a single dashboard, whereas with Mandiant or Secureworks, from a single dashboard, you can manage everything, such as your EDR threats, vulnerability detection and response, and network detection and response. Microsoft has not grown up in that way.

How was the initial setup?

It is much easier to deploy for the Windows platform. One of the customers had 3,000 or 4,000 endpoints, and we could do the deployment in two months.

There was a team of 10 members. They were working on multiple things. They were not fully dedicated to it. We had SCCM, and we had to push everything through SCCM. That helped a lot to automatically push to multiple endpoints at the same time.

If it is on the cloud, you don't require any separate maintenance, but when their patch is coming, you have to do the patch upgrade. You can make that automated. It is easy.

What was our ROI?

It is hard to measure the amount of money saved from using this solution because it depends on if you had any attack, and if an attack happens, how much your organization would lose based on the threat. It was published that in the last year, companies have lost millions of dollars because of ransomware and multiple attacks.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

They are now doing it on an endpoint basis. It is based on the number of endpoints, which is good.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We made multiple comparisons between tools. We had not only Microsoft Defender but also CrowdStrike and Tanium. I was working on some of the requirements for one of our clients, and based on that, we started evaluating these three products. We started working with Microsoft Defender based on the endpoints or hosts available on the Windows platform. We saw that most of the organizations are still on the Windows platform. They have Windows laptops as well as Windows servers. 

One of the reasons why the client agreed to go with Microsoft Defender was that it was easy to deploy. We didn't need to spend a lot of time implementing it. It is much simpler compared to other competitive products.

During the PoC, we found Microsoft Defender to be easy to implement. It was able to detect a lot of things, but in a few areas, we found CrowdStrike much ahead of Microsoft Defender. Another difference is that CrowdStrike is product-independent, whereas Microsoft Defender is limited to Microsoft products. Also, if you have any other EDR running on your system and if you implement Microsoft Defender, it'll immediately disable others. In this tenure, if something happens, there is always a risk.

What other advice do I have?

To a security colleague who says it’s better to go with a best-of-breed strategy rather than a single vendor’s security suite, I would agree. I prefer multiple vendors. I am not in favor of implementing Microsoft products in all areas because, in every domain, there are some specialty products. You should focus on that and see how to make your organization much safer. Every organization claims that it has all the products, but all the products are not good. That's why you have to find out the best one and put it there.

I would recommend comparing it with other products and defining what are the most important needs for your organization. You may not require all the features. Microsoft Defender includes a lot of things. Microsoft Defender has its own MCAS solution. It also supports DLP, which is not yet mature. You should see what is required for your organization and then do a testing or PoC on that.

Microsoft Defender works well with Microsoft products. You can implement or install it on the Windows platform, but you will have to find another way to track non-Windows platforms, such as Linux platforms or Unix platforms.

Similarly, Microsoft Sentinel does the analysis for Microsoft products in a better way, but they are yet to catch up when it comes to non-Windows products. It lacks when it comes to analyzing non-Windows products. It isn't able to identify all the threats properly. The number of false positives is much more compared to other products, but still, Microsoft Sentinel is one of the leading products in the market. It has developed a lot as compared to what we saw one year ago. It enables you to ingest data from your Microsoft environment, but I am not sure about the non-Microsoft environment. This data ingestion is very important. Without ingesting all the logs to your SIEM, you can't monitor the threats. When it comes to security products, they need to be product-independent. In terms of cost, it is almost similar to other products, but it is a little bit cheaper than Splunk. In terms of ease of use, on the Windows platform, it is very easy to use, but it is not so easy for non-Windows platforms.

Overall, I would rate Microsoft Defender an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. MSP
PeerSpot user
AlfonsoNaranjo - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technology Consultant at SoftwareONE
Vendor
Oct 23, 2022
Provides complete and secure integration that gives us a full picture of the status of the entire organization
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution provides protections and reports about strange behavior and automatically blocks some of it. I love the way that statuses are represented."
  • "Microsoft Endpoint saved us from a lot of potential problems."
  • "The dashboard customization could be improved. It's not as good as Azure."

What is our primary use case?

I'm a consultant. When we do a project with a client, they want us to make an assessment of their environment so they know how to improve their security through Endpoint. I give advice on how to manage the daily case reports that Microsoft automatically sends. 

The solution is mainly deployed on the cloud. Most of our clients are on-premises, but they are transitioning and moving most of their administrative tasks to the cloud.

We deploy this solution for multi-national companies. For example, the last customer I worked with has several departments and locations in several countries. It's a mixture of everything. It's a multi-national company nowadays.

We use all of the M365 security products. I'm also looking into Sentinel. For on-premise security, we're using Windows Defender managed by Security Center or Intune.

We have integrated the solution with other Microsoft products. For example, integrating Azure Active Directory and on-premises computers with Intune is really easy to accomplish. The security console gives us visibility over all the products that are managed by different Microsoft tools. The integration is amazing. 

The solutions work natively together to deliver coordinated detection and response across our environment.

Using ORCA PowerShell provides us with an extensive report and assessment of the platform. It's officially recommended by Microsoft to get an assessment of their environment. It's easier to get the big picture from this tool than from the Microsoft console.

How has it helped my organization?

The main improvement is that we have complete integration. For example, there were a couple of projects where I integrated the already managed platform from on-premises using Endpoint Corporation Manager with Defender. The integration between the on-premises Microsoft hybrid environment, Intune, and Defender for Endpoint is secure. It gives me a full picture of the status of the entire organization. That was unimaginable a couple of years ago, but now it's real.

This solution helps us train a lot of customers and their employees to be aware of what they shouldn't do with certain behaviors, mail, and files on their corporate computers. It helps customers to be more aware of behaviors that put the entire company at risk.

We realized these benefits from the beginning of using this solution. It gives us information from different points of view and consoles in a convenient way.

It helps prioritize threats across an enterprise. The reporting shows companies what they need to do to resolve abnormalities and prioritize what needs to be solved in order to improve the security level of the company.

Prioritization is important because it's absolutely necessary to know what has been upgraded and what hasn't. Hackers take advantage of that.

Defender gives us the ability to look at all the dashboards from a single screen. The solution's threat intelligence helps us prepare for potential threats before they hit and take proactive steps by configuring some behaviors.

Microsoft Endpoint saved us from a lot of potential problems. It has absolutely saved us time. From the point of view of our clients, the solution saves money because the main tools that are used by the platform are already integrated into their contracts with Microsoft.

What is most valuable?

The solution provides protection and reports strange behavior and automatically blocks some of it. I love the way that statuses are represented.

It provides visibility into threats and gives daily reports about new threats and how to deal with them. We can change configurations so customers are continuously aware of new threats.

What needs improvement?

The dashboard customization could be improved. It's not as good as Azure. The center console isn't very flexible.

The automated remediation could be improved too. If there's a problem, most of the time they open a ticket for another help desk team. They don't remediate these vulnerabilities themselves 90% of the time.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for about five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's stable. From time to time, there's a blackout on the web pages.

How are customer service and support?

The quality of technical support depends on the technicians who are assigned to your case, but the solutions they provided us with have worked every time. The reply time can be fast, but it depends on if you're lucky or not. You can be waiting for a week or two days. 

I would rate technical support an eight out of ten. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The setup is very quick. The amount of time it takes depends on the infrastructure that someone wants to maintain or update.

Only a couple of people were involved in the deployment. From my point of view, I leave the customer's teams in charge of the maintenance of the tools. I recommend taking a look at the weekly reports that Microsoft sends in order to know what changed, what's new, and what has been upgraded.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

There are several free platforms to test all the functionalities and evaluate the solution. If you see that they cover all of your needs, my advice is to buy the product.

I prefer a single vendor's security suite because integration is easier.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
Head of Security at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Sep 15, 2023
Helps prioritize threats, offers good visibility, and saves us time
Pros and Cons
  • "The antivirus is the most valuable feature."
  • "There are alternative solutions that offer a greater range of dashboard insights when compared to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for our antivirus protection.

How has it helped my organization?

The visibility into threats that Defender for Endpoint provides is good because we are using all Microsoft products. 

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint assists us in prioritizing threats throughout our enterprise. This prioritization of threats is crucial for safeguarding end-user devices.

Sentinel allows us to gather data from our entire ecosystem, and the interface is highly impressive. Data ingestion is of utmost importance for our organization, especially concerning the security of our environment.

It allows us to comprehensively investigate threats and respond from a unified platform. This is of great significance to us, as Sentinel plays a pivotal role in our Security Operations Center.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint assists us in automating the prioritization of critical alerts. I am certified in cybersecurity. Recently, I have begun the process of renewing my certification as it is set to expire next year. I have been reading numerous articles regarding Sentinel, Defender for Cloud, Identity, and Endpoint applications, and there is a multitude of information available. Automation is now fully integrated, which holds significant importance for enterprise-level customers.

The solution assists in eliminating the necessity of using multiple dashboards, providing us with a single XDR dashboard integrated across various Microsoft products.

The threat intelligence assists us in preparing for potential threats before they occur, allowing us to take proactive measures to prevent them. The assessment mechanism analyzes and identifies threats, providing clear instructions before we proceed to the security parameters.

It has saved our clients time, mainly with their SOC operations. 

What is most valuable?

The antivirus is the most valuable feature.

What needs improvement?

There are alternative solutions that offer a greater range of dashboard insights when compared to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. The solution needs better integration with third-party vendors.

The analysis that identifies the threats and remedies them can be enhanced in a future release.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for almost four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

The quality of technical support is determined by the customer's priority levels: P1, P2, and P3. Overall, they are known to provide good support.

Sometimes, the support takes a while to respond, and their shifts change, so we have to begin again with the new person on the shift.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward for me. All Microsoft products are easy to configure and integrate data also. To properly utilize all the features the person integrating must understand the architecture code concept as well.

Before deployment, I consistently conduct a rapid assessment to comprehend the customer's infrastructure. Subsequently, I formulate a plan grounded in this information. Typically, we aim for minimal personnel involvement due to the centralized nature of cloud operations. Additionally, we can advocate for either GPO or CCM deployment software. Our approach entails utilizing a singular architect, one resource, and one SME for implementing and overseeing the infrastructure, aligning with the security prerequisites of the customer's locale. Continuous monitoring of the infrastructure is imperative, maintaining a 24/7 vigilance.

The implementation takes around three months to install and configure.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is competitive. The pay model is pay as we use.

For organizations that make use of all Microsoft solutions, the cost is lower, and the visibility is increased.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Microsoft Defender for Endpoint nine out of ten.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is indeed a commendable product. However, despite its implementation, we should consider the integration of other security products. This is due to the escalating variety of cyberattacks prevalent today. While Windows consistently issues patches to update its existing products, I propose the adoption of a dual-product approach within our infrastructure. This approach aims to preempt eleventh-hour security breaches. By juxtaposing and scrutinizing the attributes of different solutions, we can better comprehend their nuances, specifically at the feature level. The pivotal factor lies in how adeptly a solution identifies and mitigates potential threats. Therefore, I advocate for the incorporation of two distinct solutions within our infrastructure. This strategy is poised to yield heightened efficiency, effectively mitigating the risks of both security breaches and data breaches.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
Cyber Security Analyst with 1-10 employees
Real User
Sep 11, 2023
Enables us to see details on vulnerabilities and connections and it identifies any unauthenticated extensions
Pros and Cons
  • "I find the vulnerability management section of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to be very useful for organizations."
  • "The time to generate certain alerts on our dashboard can take between 45 minutes to an hour, and I am unsure of the factors that influence this duration."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to prevent traffic attacks. The solution displays each attack through Symantec. Therefore, we do not need to develop any use cases. It will detect anomalies using machine learning in Defender for Endpoint. It collects logs from the sensor, which include all mission data from the Windows sensor. The machine logs will then be sent to the cloud for analysis, and for every anomaly found, an alert is generated in our console.

How has it helped my organization?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides comprehensive threat visibility. It allows for file analysis, checking unsupported files in the system, and accessing the Mission Live console. Unused files can be deleted, and suspicious files are analyzed and checked for viruses on the platform. In cases where a file has numerous detections from different security vendors, it is quarantined, blocking it in the organization. Care is taken to avoid quarantining legitimate files to prevent disruption. Additionally, there are numerous advanced configuration options available.

It helps us prioritize threats across our entire enterprise. We receive notifications for any advanced threats and can also identify if there is an advanced threat within our organization. Additionally, we can view the different priorities, such as high, medium, or low, and understand the severity of the alerts. For high and medium alerts, we can take immediate action, such as isolating the machines from the network.

We also utilize Microsoft Elastic Cloud and EnCase. I believe the integration is straightforward, but I was only responsible for monitoring after the integration had been completed.

Microsoft offers four products that can seamlessly work together and be accessed through one console. These products are Microsoft Defender for Identity, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender for Office 365, and Microsoft CloudApp Security. With the appropriate license, we can subscribe to all four solutions from the Microsoft security website.

Sentinel allows us to collect data from our entire ecosystem and seamlessly integrate the log files with an API.

Microsoft Sentinel allows us to investigate threats and respond swiftly from a centralized platform. We possess the capability to generate customized queries and delve deep into the logs.

Microsoft Sentinel also has built-in SOAR, UEBA, and threat intelligence capabilities. The playbooks make the security analyst's job much easier. If there is unwanted software, we can configure a notification from the playbook to send the user a message or block the IOCs.

Defender for Endpoint aids our organization by enabling us to monitor the antivirus status on devices to ensure they are up-to-date. We can also access vulnerability details that we can share with the vulnerability team to promptly apply necessary patches. Additionally, it allows us to identify any pending configurations, streamlining our security analysis process.

It helped eliminate having to look at multiple dashboards and gave us one XDR dashboard for everything.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint's threat intelligence assists us in proactively preparing for potential threats before they strike. Any threats detected by Microsoft Defender for Endpoint are automatically blocked, while for those that are not, we have the option to block them manually.

What is most valuable?

I find the vulnerability management section of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to be very useful for organizations. It provides details on vulnerabilities, connection, and software vulnerabilities, and identifies any unauthenticated extensions. The Secure Score option is also helpful for reviewing configurations. In a project to improve Secure Score, we reviewed configurations on a weekly basis and implemented changes gradually. Each section (Identity, Endpoint, Encryption) can be configured phase by phase, and the changes are tracked through a graph. Comparing our Secure Score with other organizations is also possible. From a security perspective, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is easy to understand and facilitates advanced investigations.

What needs improvement?

The time to generate certain alerts on our dashboard can take between 45 minutes to an hour, and I am unsure of the factors that influence this duration. When I analyze the logs, I notice that some incidents occurred an hour before the alert was generated and sent to the console. This suggests that we are not detecting threats in real-time. Additionally, we encountered another issue with the dashboard while monitoring multiple organizations. One organization received a notification that 70 of their machines were at risk, while the other organizations only had five or ten machines at risk. Upon checking all 70 machines, we found no alerts or vulnerabilities in the logs. We submitted a ticket and provided the logs to Microsoft, but they were unable to offer a proper explanation for the triggered alert on those machines being at risk.

We were experiencing high CPU usage issues on the servers and found that Microsoft Defender for Endpoint was the root cause. We reached out to Microsoft and, after two weeks, they provided us with a solution to edit the registry keys and update the software.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support team is good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is simple. We can deploy using Microsoft SCCM and provide the onboarding package to SCCM. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There are different licenses, such as E3 and E5. With an E5 license, we can access all the solutions, which is better, but the cost is high. However, it is still valuable from a security perspective.

What other advice do I have?

I give Microsoft Defender for Endpoint an eight out of ten.

We deployed Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and CrowdStrike together in one organization. While Microsoft Defender for Endpoint displayed valid alerts, there were no alerts in CrowdStrike.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Danny Nagdev - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder at LetsReflect
Real User
Jul 25, 2023
Single console gives me a one-shot view of our whole infrastructure
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution's threat protection is mostly AI and machine-learning based. That is the most important feature of the product. It also offers centralized management so I can remotely manage devices."
  • "The automation could be simpler on the mitigation side. It has a learning curve. Otherwise, it's pretty easy."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for threat protection.

How has it helped my organization?

It protects my endpoints from malware and viruses. Those benefits were immediate.

And the automation of routine tasks, such as finding high-value alerts, had an immediate impact because I can see all the threats in a single console, and how they are mitigated.

It has also definitely eliminated having to look at multiple dashboards, giving me one XDR dashboard. It's really effective because it is very tough to handle two different dashboards or environment consoles. The single console gives me a one-shot view of the whole infrastructure, security-wise.

The solution also saves me time because there is no need to install it on all the machines. That is automated. Even the mitigation is sometimes automated, which definitely saves time. It saves me about 90 percent of the time I would otherwise spend on these things.

I have also seen a clear improvement in time to detect and respond. It is instant.

What is most valuable?

The solution's threat protection is mostly AI and machine-learning based. That is the most important feature of the product. It also offers centralized management so I can remotely manage devices.

In terms of visibility, it gives me all the threats. They are showcased in the management portal. I check there and it's nice.

We also use Microsoft Intune and Azure Information Protection and have them integrated with Defender For Endpoint. The integration was moderately difficult, slightly confusing, but it can be done. But the solutions work natively together to deliver coordinated detection and response. That is very important. Integration is one of the main things I look at. The fact that they work together is the best thing. The threat protection these solutions provide is very comprehensive and very detailed. They cover different aspects and layers of security and that's why it's very important to have them integrated.

What needs improvement?

The automation could be simpler on the mitigation side. It has a learning curve. Otherwise, it's pretty easy.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for one and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's also scalable.

How are customer service and support?

If I have any issues I can relate them to support. But they are quite slow in responding.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used Sophos and we switched because of integration. 

How was the initial setup?

It's deployed on the cloud and the setup is quite fast. I just needed to add the machines and the deployment happened quickly. Within a day, we were up and running. It was straightforward and involved two people.

There is not much maintenance required.

What was our ROI?

We have definitely seen ROI, due to the fact that I only have one dashboard and one solution. Our ROI is around 20 percent.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost is high, compared to other products in the market, if you look at it as a separate product. If you look at the cost where it is part of a bundle, the cost is okay.

What other advice do I have?

Defender for Endpoint doesn't really help to prioritize threats across the enterprise. It's more of a basic threat protection solution. It's more of a reactive approach, once something hits.

With a single vendor, it's much easier to detect alerts and threats beforehand. Having a single vendor helps.

I would recommend Defender For Endpoint. If you are using other Microsoft products, together, this is a better security solution.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: September 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.