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IT System Administrator at European Space Agency (ESA)
Real User
Reliable, good support, and simple upgrading
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft 365 Defender is simple to upgrade."
  • "The user interface of Microsoft 365 Defender could improve. They could make it simpler."

What is our primary use case?

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

What is most valuable?

Microsoft 365 Defender is simple to upgrade.

What needs improvement?

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

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft 365 Defender for approximately one year.

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Defender XDR
May 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Defender XDR. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft 365 Defender has been a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 1,000 people using this solution in my organization. If we expand then we will increase usage.

How are customer service and support?

The support for Microsoft 365 Defender is good.

How was the initial setup?

The installation of Microsoft 365 Defender was automatic when we did the installation of Microsoft Windows.

What about the implementation team?

My internal IT team does the supporting of the solution.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Microsoft 365 Defender a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Eusebiu Ciorobatca - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Support Technician at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 10
Helps with malware detection and browser protection
Pros and Cons
  • "We are connected to Microsoft and have every laptop enrolled. This acts as an endpoint. The tool helps me check security and compliance. I can also check what a device is doing."
  • "We should be able to use the product on devices like Apple, Linux, etc."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Defender XDR for malware detection and browser protection. We have around 500 devices to protect. We use it to get reports for each of these devices. 

What is most valuable?

We are connected to Microsoft and have every laptop enrolled. This acts as an endpoint. The tool helps me check security and compliance. I can also check what a device is doing. 

What needs improvement?

We should be able to use the product on devices like Apple, Linux, etc. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with the product for three to four years. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The tool's scalability is good. 

How are customer service and support?

I research in forums or contact support whenever I encounter issues. We have four types of support plans available. I rate the cheapest plan a two or three out of ten since responses are slow. I rate ten out of ten for an expensive support plan. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

We have a vendor who gives us a better price. The product is expensive. Selecting the entire Microsoft suite is cheaper than using random services or products. 

Bitdefender costs around five dollars per month per device. However, Microsoft Defender XDR costs 2500 dollars per month. 

We are evaluating Bitdefender for Windows. 

Microsoft Defender XDR helps us save time for clients. 

What other advice do I have?

Microsoft Defender XDR provides unified identity and access management. It is installed on every computer and checked from the Microsoft security admin center. 

The tool is easy to use. You can use one account to log in to any Microsoft service. 

We are aware of our compliance. We can now check the devices and get reports about it. 

The product can adapt to evolving threats. We use it to manage only one tenant. We have Mac devices where Microsoft Defender XDR cannot help us. 

We have the tool deployed across different locations like Germany and Denmark. 

I rate the product an eight out of ten. You need to follow its guidelines.

 

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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Defender XDR
May 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Defender XDR. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer2315640 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director of IT at a government with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
Integrates security into one tool instead of having third-party security tools
Pros and Cons
  • "The product integrates security into one tool instead of having third-party security tools."
  • "The solution does not offer a unified response and standard data."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Defender XDR to secure data. 

How has it helped my organization?

Microsoft Defender XDR has reduced our security staff. 

What is most valuable?

The product integrates security into one tool instead of having third-party security tools. 

What needs improvement?

The solution does not offer a unified response and standard data. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the product for three years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender XDR is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

It takes weeks for the support to respond. They are not helpful. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Negative

How was the initial setup?

Microsoft Defender XDR's deployment was very easy. 

What was our ROI?

We have seen ROI with the tool's use. 

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

Microsoft Defender XDR's licensing is complicated. 

What other advice do I have?

Microsoft Defender XDR has helped us reduce two full-time employees. 

The solution is our identity source, which protects our identities through Microsoft Intra ID.

The solution helped us save time by not flipping between the systems.  

I rate it an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Kyaw Htay - PeerSpot reviewer
Solutions Manager at AMNET Technology
Real User
Malware and endpoint security solution that is easy to use compared with other similar solutions
Pros and Cons
  • "We are able to consolidate licences and make use of many Microsoft products using this solution. If we have any Microsoft customers, we encourage them to use this solution for enterprise defence."
  • "This solution could be improved if it included features such as those offered by Malwarebytes."

What is our primary use case?

We make use of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 for endpoint security and email and we use Defender umbrella for impersonation and sales. Under Defender umbrella, we use a lot of products depending on the customer requirements. As a company, we use Defender for email as well as for endpoint security.

What is most valuable?

We are able to consolidate licences and make use of many Microsoft products using this solution. If we have any Microsoft customers, we encourage them to use this solution for enterprise defence. 

What needs improvement?

This solution could be improved if it included features such as those offered by Malwarebytes. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have used this solution for many years and we are a Microsoft partner. We use this solution on a daily basis.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This is a scalable solution.

How are customer service and support?

We have not yet needed to contact Microsoft for support with Defender. 

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

We have previously used a number of different solutions including Trend Micro, Symantec, Sophos Intercept X and Malwarebytes. Overall, we are more comfortable using Defender.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution a nine 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: Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer2282451 - PeerSpot reviewer
SecOps Engineer at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Saves investigation time and provides advanced hunting capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "Advanced hunting is good. I like that. We can drill down to lots of details."
  • "At times, when we have an incident email and we click on the link for that incident, it opens a pop-up, but there is nothing. It has happened a couple of times."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it for incidents and alerts. It is helpful for threat hunting.

We have tied it to Azure AD or Microsoft Entra, and we are trying to implement it for Linux.

How has it helped my organization?

It saves the investigation time. There is a lot of information about the threats and other things.

What is most valuable?

Advanced hunting is good. I like that. We can drill down to lots of details.

It is user-friendly. It has a lot of parts. For me, it was pretty quick to get a sense of it.

What needs improvement?

It protects from phishing emails, but sometimes, some of the emails are not detected. They are getting delivered into the inbox, not in a junk folder or spam folder. Users are reporting them as phishing emails.

At times, when we have an incident email and we click on the link for that incident, it opens a pop-up, but there is nothing. It has happened a couple of times. 

In terms of additional features, it is too early for me. I am still learning all the parts. I am just scratching the surface of the tool. One year is not enough to get every detail of it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Defender XDR for about a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable, but sometimes, we experience an issue. Clicking the link in an incident email opens a small window, but we cannot find anything there. This has happened a couple of times. There is a bug.

Other than that, we have not experienced any downtime or any big issues. It is pretty stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have plans to maximize its usage. We are trying to see how to get the most out of it, but my older colleagues would know more about it. I am still learning it.

How are customer service and support?

I have not contacted them.

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

I am not sure. I am relatively new. I have only been working here for a year. They already had it in place.

I have not worked on a similar tool before. This is my first XDR tool.

How was the initial setup?

It is on the cloud. I am not aware of its deployment because it was already deployed before I joined.

What other advice do I have?

I cannot recommend it because this is the only tool for XDR that I have used. I have not used any other tool, but it is a good tool.

I would rate Microsoft Defender XDR a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2189508 - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Analyst at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Enhanced visibility, useful automated routines, and scales wells
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Microsoft 365 Defender are the combination of all the capabilities and centralized management."
  • "The support could be more knowledgable to improve their offering."

What is our primary use case?

We rely on Microsoft 365 Defender for workstation detection across a number of categories, including virus detection, potential unknown application detection, and monitoring for suspicious website interactions, including clicks and access attempts.

I have used Microsoft 365 Defender in the cloud.

How has it helped my organization?

We have experienced significant advantages from implementing Microsoft 365 Defender, as it provides enhanced visibility into workstations and the ability to automatically remediate threats. This means that not every incident requires manual intervention, as certain tasks can be handled automatically, often in conjunction with Microsoft Sentinel.

We are able to ingest collected data from our entire ecosystem. This is an important feature.

We are able to prioritize threats accounts our whole environment.

The solution has helped automate routine tasks and help automate high-value alerts.

The threat intelligence has helped prepare us for potential threats before they hit and we took proactive steps. We are able to check our workstations are well.

We have saved some time by using the solution.

I have found that having solutions from multiple vendors is more helpful than from one.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Microsoft 365 Defender are the combination of all the capabilities and centralized management.

What needs improvement?

The support could be more knowledgable to improve their offering.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft 365 Defender for approximately one and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have a few thousand people using this solution in my organization.

The scalability of Microsoft 365 Defender is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

I have used the support and they do not know how to fix the issues. Their knowledge could improve.

I rate the support from Microsoft 365 Defender a seven out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

We have used Microsoft Sentinel. Microsoft Sentinel enables us to investigate threats and respond holistically quickly from one place.

The comprehensive features of Sentinel Security Protection are impressive, particularly its integrated SOIR and UEBA functionalities, as well as its robust threat intelligence capabilities.

I have used McAfee previously and Microsoft 365 Defender is much better.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Microsoft 365 Defender a ten out of ten.

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
Senior IT Executive and Operation at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
A unified enterprise defense suite that's very stable, but the price could be better
Pros and Cons
  • "I like that it's stable. It's been stable for a long time, and Microsoft Defender has done a good job there."
  • "The price could be better. It'll also help if they can continuously update and upgrade the solution. Every day there's a new virus uploaded into the network, and we have to keep updating it to identify all these things."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case for Defender is to control the endpoint systems at the user level. On the networking level, we use it to analyze spam and see if any antivirus services are required or if there's a ransomware attack. As of now, I am just using it for monitoring.

What is most valuable?

I like that it's stable. It's been stable for a long time, and Microsoft Defender has done a good job there. I can see a lot of changes to Microsoft 365 Defender when I compare what we have now to what we had from 2007 to 2010. They have implemented a ransomware feature, and if any virus comes into the system, it triggers an alert.

What needs improvement?

The price could be better. It'll also help if they can continuously update and upgrade the solution. Every day there's a new virus uploaded into the network, and we have to keep updating it to identify all these things.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft 365 Defender since 2007.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender is very stable, and you can see that there is a 99.9% success rate when they give us good service. It's very helpful for configuring anything.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's definitely easy to scale. However, scalability depends on the plan and requirements.

How are customer service and technical support?

They have their norms and regulations that they use once a ticket is created. Whatever the technical issues are, they normally resolve them within the timeline or some days. They are good at the technical side of things.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is totally easy. It's not complex. It takes just a couple of minutes to deploy this solution.

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

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

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend Microsoft Defender to new users. I would advise them to understand their exact requirements and check if it matches before taking it up.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Microsoft 365 Defender a seven.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer909678 - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Engineer at a consultancy with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 5
Helps save time, integrates well, and is stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The integration with other Microsoft solutions is the most valuable feature."
  • "The mobile app support for Android and iOS is difficult and needs improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Defender XDR to centralize our security solutions.

How has it helped my organization?

Microsoft Defender XDR has helped us save some time.

What is most valuable?

The integration with other Microsoft solutions is the most valuable feature.

What needs improvement?

The mobile app support for Android and iOS is difficult and needs improvement. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I am currently using Microsoft Defender XDR.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender XDR is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender XDR is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

In addition to using Microsoft Defender XDR, we also use Fortinet. We implemented Microsoft Defender XDR as part of our organization's policy to use Microsoft solutions because of their integration.

How was the initial setup?

The initial deployment was straightforward. We completed the implementation within one year.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Microsoft Defender XDR a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Defender XDR Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: May 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Defender XDR Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.