Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management vs Microsoft Defender for Business comparison

Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management and Microsoft Defender for Business are both solutions in the Microsoft Security Suite category. Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management is ranked #34 with an average rating of 7.5, while Microsoft Defender for Business is ranked #15 with an average rating of 7.6. Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management holds a 0.2% mindshare in Microsoft Security Suite, compared to Microsoft Defender for Business’s 2.9% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Microsoft Defender for Business users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Defender External...

Read 2 Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management reviews

108 Views
69 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

Read 17 Microsoft Defender for Business reviews

2,082 Views
1,539 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender External...

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management and Microsoft Defender for Business based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Microsoft Security Suite solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management vs. Microsoft Defender for Business Report (Updated: February 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management vs. Microsoft Defender for Business

February 2025

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Helped 848,207 peers since 2012

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

Microsoft Defender External...

Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite

34th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Attack Surface Management (ASM) (12th)

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite

15th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (25th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Microsoft Security Suite category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management is 0.2%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Business is 2.9%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Microsoft Security Suite

Featured Reviews

AndyChan3

General manager at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

Enhanced visibility and exposes vulnerabilities but needs more integration

I am currently in the pilot stage of implementing Microsoft External Attack Surface Management (EASM). My organization is transitioning to a comprehensive track of Microsoft solutions, and we will move to full-scale production in another year, maybe Microsoft External Attack Surface Management…

Read full review

Syed Abid

Snr. Infrastructure Architect at LogicEra

Advanced threat protection secures diverse workloads with cost-effective deployment

If I need logs and don't have local storage bundled with Defender, I need to add workspace and log analytics, which is costly for storing logs of 2 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB. A default storage of 5 GB for logs should be included with Defender. There are limitations in whitelisting folders and files, and the whitelisting feature for Defender threat protection was deprecated. A straightforward feature for this should be added.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Microsoft External Attack Surface Management helps improve the visibility of my exposed vulnerabilities and provides an overview of my security posture across the globe."

"It seems to be better at protecting from cyberattacks."

"Microsoft External Attack Surface Management helps improve the visibility of my exposed vulnerabilities and provides an overview of my security posture across the globe."

"The most effective features of Microsoft Defender for Business include its threat detection and response capabilities in managing vulnerabilities and ransomware attacks."

"I haven't had any problems with the tool's stability."

"The security features are valuable because they come with more capabilities that other licenses do not have, including the enterprise license like E3."

"Microsoft Defender for Business stands out due to its ease of use, particularly due to the fact that many of my customers already use Microsoft and Azure."

"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."

"The interface is quite user-friendly."

"I recommend Microsoft Defender for Business to startup organizations looking for a plug-and-play solution."

"Everything is stable. There have been no technical errors or stability issues."

More Microsoft Defender for Business pros

Cons

"Further integration across different Microsoft products would be an improvement."

"With Microsoft, support is always crazy, it's not easy to get support."

"The integration is not as seamless compared to competitors like Palo Alto."

"Pricing could be lowered as it is expensive and not suitable for low-budget organizations."

"Defender's threat protection should be fine-tuned to reduce false positives. It could be more targeted, reflecting a continuous evolution in detecting. Also, it could be easier to integrate into other environments."

"It is not quick to make exclusions or specific configurations compared to other antiviruses on the market."

"The biggest one is that Defender needs to be more proactive to the emerging threats. There can be tighter integration with email, especially how it integrates with our email system, which is the Microsoft Outlook suite. There should be the ability to react a lot quicker to emerging threats because sometimes, it takes a few days before some of these new threats are fully identified, and we need that to be a few hours."

"We face a licensing issue with Windows 11 Enterprise not reflecting in our portal, which affects activation. Microsoft's support did not resolve this issue, even after sharing remote desktop and screen details."

"We faced some issues while running some applications on Mac."

"Additionally, the pricing policy poses a challenge, particularly in multi-year contracts, where other solutions like Trend Micro offer more affordable options."

More Microsoft Defender for Business cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"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."

"Defender for Business is included by default with an Office 365 premium subscription."

"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."

"The tool's cost has been a little high, but I do not think it was terrible."

"Since we're a nonprofit, we get pretty good discounts on the tool."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Insurance Company

Computer Software Company

18%

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management?

I rate the pricing of the solution as eight out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management?

Further integration across different Microsoft products would be an improvement. Introduction of more AI automation into the products would also be beneficial. The integration is not as seamless co...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management?

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Business?

Microsoft Defender for Business offers the best pricing option in the market and is very cost-effective.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Business?

The areas where Microsoft Defender for Business could improve include the support, installation process, and wiki. I should be able to find solutions to issues quickly without having to delve too d...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 20% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management

Compared 12% of the time

Bitsight vs Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management

Compared 12% of the time

Mandiant Advantage vs Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management

Compared 10% of the time

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HP Wolf Security vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 25% of the time

Trend Micro Worry-Free Services Suites vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Defender XDR vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 7% of the time

Norton Small Business vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Business Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Attack Surface Management (ASM)

April 2025

Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management report

Download Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Business

March 2025

Download Microsoft Defender for Business product report

Overview

In this era of hybrid work, shadow IT creates an increasingly serious security risk. Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management helps cloud security teams see unknown and unmanaged resources outside the firewall.

Microsoft

Microsoft Defender for Business is a new endpoint security solution that was designed especially for the small and medium-sized business (up to 300 employees). With this endpoint security solution, your company's devices are better protected from ransomware, malware, phishing, and other threats.

Microsoft

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management vs. Microsoft Defender for Business

February 2025

Free Report: Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management vs. Microsoft Defender for Business

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management vs. Microsoft Defender for Business and other solutions. Updated: February 2025.

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