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Microsoft Defender for Business vs Symantec Endpoint Security Complete comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 5, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.4
Microsoft Defender for Business boosts productivity, saves up to 30% on budgets, and expands sales through integrated Microsoft services.
Sentiment score
4.2
Symantec Endpoint Security Complete offers strong protection, but high costs hinder ROI, leaving organizations with mixed feelings on its value.
Using Microsoft Defender for Business results in cost reductions as it consolidates various features under one product, saving around 20% to 30% of the budget.
It is pretty good because it offers various features such as Exchange, OfficeSuite, OneDrive, and SharePoint.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.6
Microsoft's customer service is often seen as helpful but challenging to contact, with varied ratings and slow response times.
Sentiment score
5.5
Symantec Endpoint Security support is praised for efficiency, though users suggest improvements in speed and basic information quality.
It is rated ten out of ten for its quality and assistance.
There are challenges with the knowledge and experience of the support staff.
It is generally rated a seven out of ten for support skills and response time.
I don't know the current situation with Broadcom, however, it was good when I was involved.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
Microsoft Defender for Business is highly scalable and reliable, effectively serving diverse industries despite potential configuration delays.
Sentiment score
7.1
Symantec Endpoint Security Complete is scalable, suitable for all sizes, with high ratings, though potential license renewal issues exist.
The cloud-based nature of the solution ensures high scalability.
The scalability of Microsoft Defender for Business is rated as ten, indicating it is very scalable.
In terms of scalability, I find Microsoft Defender for Business to be good and reliable.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Defender for Business offers reliable stability with minor issues, earning user ratings of eight to ten.
Sentiment score
8.6
Symantec Endpoint Security is widely praised for stability, with most users reporting high reliability and minor operational issues.
No customer complaints about its functionality or reliability.
Threat detection capabilities could be improved.
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Defender for Business needs improvements in customization, integration, user interface, management, support, and multi-year contract pricing.
Symantec Endpoint Security Complete needs installation, scalability, interface improvements, and integration with enhanced security features and performance.
There can be improvements in the user interface to make it more intuitive.
Microsoft should provide batch management solutions with the application, integrating pass management with roles.
Features related to Advanced Persistent Threat detection vectors and cyber kill chain integrations are not available out-of-the-box.
They could improve the user interface.
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Defender for Business offers comprehensive security with competitive pricing and integration benefits within Office 365 premium subscriptions.
Symantec Endpoint Security Complete pricing varies, with options for different durations and features, impacting cost-effectiveness perceptions.
The package with Business Premium is good for what you get for the price.
I consider Microsoft Defender to be expensive, however, it offers considerable value for the features provided.
Single-year pricing remains good.
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Defender for Business provides seamless security integration with AI-driven threat detection, user-friendly setup, and extensive monitoring capabilities.
Symantec Endpoint Security Complete offers comprehensive threat protection, encryption, and management features, including ransomware mitigation, firewall, and adaptive protection.
The threat detection capabilities are robust, with a dedicated research team and a continuously updated threat feed.
The security features are valuable because they come with more capabilities that other licenses do not have, including the enterprise license like E3.
Its vulnerability management is regarded as one of the best in the industry.
I have both the antivirus and EDR features constantly, allowing my team's customers to conduct detailed analyses of where attacks have occurred or if any malicious files are present, which devices or files have been targeted.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender for Busi...
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
32nd
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
Microsoft Security Suite (17th)
Symantec Endpoint Security ...
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
33rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Business is 1.9%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Endpoint Security Complete is 0.4%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
 

Featured Reviews

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…
Nikhilesh Verma - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers in-application policies and device blocking and easy to deploy
There are some limitations from the cloud security point of view. Symantec is not a cloud-based security, which means if any endpoints move to different locations, they cannot connect directly. It has to reconnect via VPN through the organization. So remote client control, I don't think Broadcom has developed that as of now, compared to Trend Micro.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) solutions are best for your needs.
832,083 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Retailer
6%
Computer Software Company
19%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Real Estate/Law Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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.
What do you like most about Symantec Endpoint Security Complete?
The solution prevents any damage from viruses and provides risk mitigation for virus threats.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Symantec Endpoint Security Complete?
Symantec Endpoint Security Full/Complete license is not expensive and advise using the full feature.
What needs improvement with Symantec Endpoint Security Complete?
Instead of the updates, the tool needs to come up with a concept similar to zero trust.
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender for Business vs. Symantec Endpoint Security Complete and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
832,083 professionals have used our research since 2012.