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BlackBerry Cylance Cybersecurity vs Microsoft Defender for Business comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

BlackBerry Cylance Cybersec...
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
19th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
4.6
Number of Reviews
44
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Defender for Busi...
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
33rd
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
Microsoft Security Suite (18th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of BlackBerry Cylance Cybersecurity is 1.2%, down from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Business is 1.9%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
 

Featured Reviews

Hadar Eshel - PeerSpot reviewer
Ensures advanced AI-driven threat detection to provide robust endpoint security, effectively preventing both known and unknown threats with minimal impact on system performance
We integrate it into our comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, specifically for antivirus and antiviral purposes. CylancePROTECT provides comprehensive endpoint security, including EDR capabilities. Additionally, BlackBerry now offers XDR, similar to other companies like CrowdStrike and SentinelOne. The AI-driven threat detection of CylancePROTECT has significantly enhanced our organization's security posture. This company has pioneered an AI-based engine that doesn't rely on signatures, thus offering protection for every computer, server, and endpoint without requiring specific signatures for malware or other attacks. Cylance stands out for pioneering the delivery of a complete AI-driven antivirus engine that relies primarily, if not solely, on AI and machine learning for threat identification. Remarkably, it identifies over 99.7% of global threats.
Vincent Gagnon - PeerSpot reviewer
Better security with comprehensive features but has a high cost
I have a lot of clients and I use Microsoft Defender for Business when we have certain types of licenses. It comes with Microsoft Business Premium. However, it is not available for many of my clients due to the high license cost, which makes it difficult to sell. I have a couple of clients who use…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"What's most valuable in CylancePROTECT is the optics feature. I also like its easy-to-use and user-friendly dashboard and monitoring system."
"The solution runs in the background, and I do not need to care about it."
"I rate the tool a ten out of ten when it comes to the ease of use or management part."
"The most valuable features of CylancePROTECT are its powerful machine-learning capabilities and predictive intelligence."
"Does malware analysis. Blocks WannaCry and other attacks that have come out."
"A user can continue to add endpoints and the solution will continue to perform well."
"It does a good job of protecting us."
"The solution is very quick at easily changing the levels of protection for each computer and the server."
"The security features are valuable because they come with more capabilities that other licenses do not have, including the enterprise license like E3."
"I would recommend Microsoft Defender for Business to others, rating it as ten out of ten."
"I recommend Microsoft Defender for Business to startup organizations looking for a plug-and-play solution."
"I haven't had any problems with the tool's stability."
"Microsoft Defender for Business is good for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers solid security flexibility and integration with tools like Microsoft Lighthouse and some other software. It takes some of the features of Defender for Endpoint EDR and provides those services for small and medium-sized business environments."
"Microsoft Defender for Business works well with the Microsoft Azure Security ecosystem, including Defender for Endpoint and Office 365 Cloud."
"A few things are valuable. One is the alerting we see when any kind of intrusion is happening, any kind of malware is being deployed across the endpoints, or any kind of suspicious activity is going on. We have a footprint across all of North America, Canada, and Mexico, so we want to make sure that all our endpoints are protected and we are able to look for any anomalous activity."
"If you're an Intune user, you can bring in certain capabilities like system-hardening policies, which further enhances the security."
 

Cons

"The OPTICS component could be made more user-friendly with respect to giving people more information."
"It should provide more details about the events that they have detected."
"The company that sells us the licenses sometimes doesn't know how to do certain things."
"The product does not do a lot of reporting on what it is taking care of. Enhanced reporting would be a welcome improvement."
"Reporting is an area with shortcomings in CylancePROTECT that needs to be improved."
"CylancePROTECT's dashboard could be more user-friendly."
"rom my experience interacting with the primary or the central administrative console, it's quite complex. You would need a fair bit of technical experience to set it up, implement and maintain it. That would be one area for improvement."
"Enhancing the product's detection rates and streamlining the user interface for easier management in daily operations would be beneficial improvements."
"Defender's reporting is rather scattered, and its URL filtering mechanism doesn't really work."
"We faced some issues while running some applications on Mac."
"Customer service is not bad, yet not great either, and I would rate it maybe five or six out of ten."
"The user interface has a lot of features which can make it complex and hard to adapt to for some users."
"The solution's AI is notorious for false positives, and the time you have to spend training it is ridiculous."
"Additionally, the pricing policy poses a challenge, particularly in multi-year contracts, where other solutions like Trend Micro offer more affordable options."
"Talking with the tool's technician about any problem is very complicated."
"The security could always be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"​Shop around for sure and be assured the price you pay will be close to other solutions available, but even at a slight mark-up from the other solutions, you are getting real endpoint protection versus nothing more than a cheap security blanket that might keep you warm at night."
"The licensing part of the product is too expensive compared to other solutions in the market."
"The tool is not that expensive."
"My company is on a yearly CylancePROTECT subscription. Price-wise, the solution is slightly expensive, so I'd rate it as eight out of ten."
"It is expensive, but not unreasonable."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."
"The solution provides me with competitive pricing."
"Do not get hung up on price. You pay for what you get and expensive will hurt one time, where cheap will hurt forever, especially if you fall victim to a ransom attack, etc.​"
"The tool's cost has been a little high, but I do not think it was terrible."
"The tool is cheap, while some other solutions are more expensive. I remember the tool cost about five euros for a workstation or for a user on a monthly basis."
"It has to get more competitive because we are starting to see some of the competitors providing better pricing, and some of it, of course, is to gain market share. The Defender product pricing is probably a little higher than the competitors."
"Since we're a nonprofit, we get pretty good discounts on the tool."
"Defender for Business is included by default with an Office 365 premium subscription."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
17%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Government
6%
Retailer
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Blackberry Protect?
It is a good endpoint solution. It is very easy to manage and detect the threat immediately. It will take the necessary actions.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Blackberry Protect?
The price is reasonable for us at the moment. I rate the overall solution an eight out of ten.
What needs improvement with Blackberry Protect?
I face challenges with the exclusion policy - it still scans folders we told it not to, causing issues. When we contact support, they tell us to update the latest agent, but we can't do that immedi...
What do you like most about Microsoft Defender for Business?
A few things are valuable. One is the alerting we see when any kind of intrusion is happening, any kind of malware is being deployed across the endpoints, or any kind of suspicious activity is goin...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Business?
The package with Business Premium is good for what you get for the price. The standalone license's cost is a bit higher, and I would rate it as an eight out of ten for pricing.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Business?
It is not quick to make exclusions or specific configurations compared to other antiviruses on the market. It is less quick than Microsoft Defender or other antivirus solutions.
 

Also Known As

Blackberry Protect
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Panasonic, Noble Energy, Apria Healthcare Group Inc., Charles River Laboratories, Rovi Corporation, Toyota, Kiewit
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about BlackBerry Cylance Cybersecurity vs. Microsoft Defender for Business and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.