Azure Web Application Firewall vs Microsoft Defender XDR comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Azure Web Application Firewall
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
18th
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
Web Application Firewall (WAF) (14th)
Microsoft Defender XDR
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
82
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (7th), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (5th)
 

Market share comparison

As of June 2024, in the Microsoft Security Suite category, the market share of Azure Web Application Firewall is 1.3% and it decreased by 49.4% compared to the previous year. The market share of Microsoft Defender XDR is 4.9% and it decreased by 53.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Microsoft Security Suite
Unique Categories:
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
6.8%
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
8.4%
Extended Detection and Response (XDR)
23.3%
 

Featured Reviews

SP
Nov 27, 2023
Fast time to deploy and integrates well into the Azure ecosystem, but is expensive
I use the solution as an internal dashboard app for internal customers. We use its different automation features.  We mainly implemented it since it was easy to use and deploy. I was new to Azure and we had to deploy something quickly. The automation gives us a quick turnaround.  The time to…
David Shlingbaum - PeerSpot reviewer
May 27, 2024
It gives you reports and updates about the latest hotfixes and zero-day vulnerabilities
We're a small business. Defender XDR gives us a centralized security solution for monitoring our servers and some user PCs. We have around 30 machines, 10 of which are servers.  Defender XDR saves the security team time by telling us what patches to apply. We also get preemptive notes about things…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution has good dashboards."
"Azure WAF is extremely stable."
"It has been a stable product in my experience."
"The most valuable feature is that it allows us to publish our applications behind the firewall."
"It's quite a stable product and works well with Microsoft products."
"We have found the most valuable features to be the web application, minimal skills required for management, control through policies, and automation."
"It's a good option if you want a solution that's ready to go and easy for your team to learn. It's cloud-based, so you don't need to buy or maintain any hardware infrastructure."
"The initial setup is easy and straightforward...Azure Web Application Firewall is a scalable product."
"The best feature is threat hunting. There are a lot of other features I like, such as the alert mechanism. The chain alert mechanism has a huge impact. It combines all the alerts into one incident and automatically correlates them with AI."
"The most valuable feature is the network security."
"The visibility into threats is also very impressive because Microsoft helps you predict things and provides analytics to help you really improve your security. And all of this technology works across the domain, so it is pretty helpful in terms of threat analytics."
"The timeline feature is excellent. I also like the phishing simulation. We have phishing campaigns to educate employees and warn them about these threats."
"The solution is well integrated with applications. It is easy to maintain and administer."
"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."
"Microsoft 365 Defender is a good solution and easy to use."
"The incident threat response and its ability to facilitate effective remediation against threats are the standout features."
 

Cons

"There is a need to be able to configure the solution more."
"The management can be improved."
"In Brazil, we have some problems with the phone service that affect our connection with the cloud. However, it isn't common."
"Azure WAF should not be deployed in the middle of the traffic."
"From a reporting perspective, they could do more there."
"I would say that Azure's customer service is not that good...I am not very happy with the support offered."
"The documentation needs to be improved."
"The support for proxy forwarding could improve."
"While the XDR platform offers valuable functionalities, it falls short of other solutions in its ability to deliver a cohesive identity experience."
"The support team is not competent or responsive."
"There is no common area where we can manage all the policies for the EDR, third-party solutions, devices, servers, Windows, Mac, etc., but it's on the road map, and we ware waiting for that feature."
"The cost can be high if you want to build custom license packages. Another area for improvement is the policies. In Azure, we need to implement policies in JSON format, but in 365 Defender 365, it would be helpful to use a different format so we can customize the platform."
"I'd like to see a wider solution that includes not only desktop devices but also other devices, such as servers, storage cabinets, switching equipment, et cetera."
"We should be able to use the product on devices like Apple, Linux, etc."
"I would like more of the features in Defender for 365 to be included in the smaller licenses. Even if I buy a small license and don't need everything, security shouldn't be a question. Security is one of the main aspects of all projects from our side, so it would be nice to have more features in the smaller licenses."
"Support is hit or miss. Microsoft wants you to buy premium support contracts. Though they call themselves professional support, it's almost like throwing questions into a black hole. You get an answer, but it's never helpful."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I give the pricing a nine out of ten."
"The price is for this solution is fair and there is a license needed."
"Azure WAF has price advantages over other WAF solutions. The pricing model is flexible because you pay on a scale based on the level of protection you need."
"The price of the solution depends on your architecture and how you manage it. You can control the cost in Azure quite well. The costs do not directly correlate to expenses in the features we are using."
"We have an enterprise agreement with Microsoft and the pricing is good."
"The solutions price is fair for what they offer."
"I find the pricing to be quite competitive, especially considering its inclusion in our E5 subscription, which provides a comprehensive set of functionalities."
"I believe that the pricing of the licensing is fair."
"Sometimes 365 Defender is expensive, but it can be moderate, depending on the organization's size and the license type. We're satisfied with the cost because it gives us a product that protects our entire environment with DLP. To compromise some cost, of course, we are to complete the most secure environment."
"365 Defender is billed per account. I don't know the exact price, but my supervisor told me that Microsoft Defender is cheaper than the alternatives. It's bundled, so you get all the features in one place."
"365 Defender can get expensive because you pay per gigabyte of data ingested. On the other hand, much of the data available in the other Microsoft security solutions are made available relatively cheaply—sometimes at cost or for free. Integrating only a limited set of third-party solutions with Sentinel would be cost-effective. It's much more affordable if companies only have Microsoft stuff."
"We have a lot of problems in Latin America regarding the price of Microsoft 365 Defender, because the relationship between dollars and the money of the different countries, it's is a lot. Many customers that have small businesses say that they would like the solution but it is too expensive. However, large companies do not find the cost an issue."
"We've managed to navigate it effectively through our enterprise agreement, and Microsoft's academic discounts have proven to be quite generous."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
22%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Web Application Firewall?
The pricing is quite high. It's not cheap. The free version doesn't have the capability a user would need.
What needs improvement with Azure Web Application Firewall?
The documentation needs to be improved. It's not ideal. There are multiple deployment options. However, there is a lack of clarity around them. There's no real community to reach out to and no vide...
What do you like most about Microsoft 365 Defender?
Microsoft Defender XDR provides strong identity protection with comprehensive insights into risky user behavior and potential indicators of compromise.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft 365 Defender?
Microsoft Defender XDR is expensive, especially for the full suite functionality. However, when compared to buying multiple-point solutions separately, it may be comparable in price. Overall, it is...
What needs improvement with Microsoft 365 Defender?
Improving scalability, especially for very large tenants, could be beneficial for Microsoft Defender XDR. Additionally, enhancing the privilege access management capability would make it a better s...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Microsoft 365 Defender, Microsoft Threat Protection, MS 365 Defender
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Accenture, Deloitte, ExxonMobil, General Electric, IBM, Johnson & Johnson and many others.
Find out what your peers are saying about Azure Web Application Firewall vs. Microsoft Defender XDR and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
787,061 professionals have used our research since 2012.