Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management comparison

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs. Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management

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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 for Cloud

Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite

4th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Vulnerability Management (7th), Container Management (9th), Container Security (4th), Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) (2nd), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (4th), Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) (4th), Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) (3rd), Compliance Management (3rd)

Microsoft Purview Insider R...

Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite

30th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Insider Risk Management (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Microsoft Security Suite category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Cloud is 6.6%, down from 11.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management is 0.6%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Microsoft Security Suite

Featured Reviews

Vibhor Goel

Senior Cloud Platform Engineer at Deutsche Börse

A single tool for complete visibility and addressing security gaps

Currently, issues are structured in Microsoft Defender for Cloud at severity levels of high, critical, or warning, but these severity levels are not always right. For example, Microsoft might consider a port being open as critical, but that might not be the case for our company. Similarly, it might suggest closing some management ports, but you might need them to be able to log in, so the severity levels for certain things can be improved. Even though Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides a way to temporarily disable certain alerts or notifications without affecting our security score, it would be better to have more granularized control over these recommendations. Currently, we cannot even disable certain alerts or notifications. There should be an automated mechanism to design Azure policies based on the recommendations, possibly with AI integration. Instead of an engineer having to write a policy to fix security gaps, which is very time-consuming, there should be an inbuilt capability to auto-remediate everything and have proper control in place. Additionally, enabling Defender for Cloud at the resource group level, rather than only at the subscription level, would be beneficial.

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Dogan Colak

IT Consultant at freelancer

The solution's graphing is highly specific and useful

Implementing policies in the solution isn't easy, and it takes time. For example, you need to use some secrets in Windows or Mac to execute your policies, and you can assign these policies with Microsoft Intune. However, when you execute a policy, you still need to wait up to two days to see alerts. Some of our customers aren't happy because they didn't expect it to take so long. They're satisfied once it starts working because they see the alerts and graphs. The user interface also isn't user-friendly. When we introduce Insider Risk Management to our clients, they often find it difficult to understand. There is too much information, and the UI is not scalable. Also, entry-level IT technicians are not always interested in learning something new. It should be clearer and easier to understand. Microsoft is still working on machine learning and AI components. They're constantly updating the product. However, from my experience, most of my customers are not ready or able to use the AI solution. They are creating some project plans and specific policies. They don't want to see dozens of alerts when they use Microsoft's recommendations or the AI-based solution.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It has seamless integration with any of the services I mentioned, on Azure, such as IaaS platforms, virtual machines, applications, or databases, because it's an in-house product from Microsoft within the Azure ecosystem."

"The solution is used for risks, vulnerabilities, and compliance."

"Provides a very good view of the entire security setup of your organization."

"Defender is a robust platform for dealing with many kinds of threats. We're protected from various threats, like viruses. Attacks can be easily minimized with this solution defending our infrastructure."

"I would rate Microsoft Defender for Cloud a ten out of ten."

"Microsoft Defender has a lot of features including regulatory compliance and attaching workbooks but the most valuable is the recommendations it provides for each and every resource when we open Microsoft Defender."

"Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a valuable tool that integrates seamlessly with Azure Policy and our Security SIEM, simplifying implementation and enhancing security posture."

"The most valuable feature is that it's intuitive. It's very intuitive."

More Microsoft Defender for Cloud pros

"Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management was helpful in performing investigations after alerts were received."

"The best thing about Purview is that it's easy to integrate with our day-to-day environment. We have Active Directory, and Word and Excel. Using a third-party vendor and trying to integrate with our existing environment would be much more challenging."

"Insider Risk Management's graphing is highly specific and useful. You can see the last six months of data for the Microsoft tenant. You can easily find what you need. For example, you can filter for alerts about devices, emails, etc."

Cons

"There is no perfect product in the world and there are always features that can be added."

"Integration into other third-party products, particularly those from tier three vendors like ManageEngine and Hexcode, has proven difficult."

"The range of workloads is broad, but we'd love to add more workloads and make it a single security solution that covers all those workloads. Covering more would allow us to see and protect more workloads from a single pane of glass. Additional features should include protection for more AI workloads as it currently focuses primarily on OpenAI."

"However, some Copilot features aren't available in the GCP environment. This is something we hope will be addressed in the future."

"The overview provides you with good information, but if you want more details, there is a lot more customization to do, which requires knowledge of the other supporting solutions."

"Azure Security Center takes a long time to update, compared to the on-premises version of Microsoft Defender."

"Microsoft Defender for Cloud could be improved by adding capabilities for NetApp files and more PaaS resources from other vendors, not just Microsoft."

"The pricing could be improved, as it is somewhat high for smaller companies."

More Microsoft Defender for Cloud cons

"The reporting capabilities sometimes leave a little to be desired. It could be improved in terms of producing reports to provide information to the C-suite or others."

"The user interface also isn't user-friendly. When we introduce Insider Risk Management to our clients, they often find it difficult to understand. There is too much information, and the UI is not scalable. Also, entry-level IT technicians are not always interested in learning something new. It should be clearer and easier to understand."

"For certain things, you need to install an agent. I understand it's for integrity, but if there could be a clientless solution for certain aspects, it would make life easier."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It has global licensing. It comes with multiple licenses since there are around 50,000 people (in our organization) who look at it."

"There are two different plans. We're using the secure basic plan, but we have used the end security plan as well. There are additional costs, but it gives us more functionalities compared to the basic plan."

"I'm not privy to that information, but I know it's probably close to a million dollars a year."

"The pricing is very difficult because every type of Defender for Cloud has its own metrics and pricing. If you have Cloud for Key Vault, the pricing is different than it is for storage. Every type has its own pricing list and rules."

"Our clients complain about the cost of Microsoft Defender for Cloud."

"I am not involved much with the pricing but the bundle offering is good."

"There are improvements that have to be made to the licensing. Currently, for servers, it has to be done by grouping the servers on a single subscription... We don't have an option whereby, if all those resources are in one subscription, we can have each of the individual servers subject to different planning."

"Microsoft's licensing and pricing are sometimes complicated. If someone is new to Microsoft's licensing, they might have difficulty with it."

More Microsoft Defender for Cloud pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

29%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

How is Prisma Cloud vs Azure Security Center for security?

Azure Security Center is very easy to use, integrates well, and gives very good visibility on what is happening across your ecosystem. It also has great remote workforce capabilities and supports a...

What do you like most about Microsoft Defender for Cloud?

The entire Defender Suite is tightly coupled, integrated, and collaborative.

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

Initially, the cost was reasonable, but additional services from Microsoft sometimes incur extra expenses that seem higher than expected.

What needs improvement with Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management?

The reporting capabilities sometimes leave a little to be desired. It could be improved in terms of producing reports to provide information to the C-suite or others.

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management?

The primary use case for Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management was data loss prevention. This was my main objective.

What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management?

I would recommend Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management to others. I would rate the overall solution as a nine.

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Product Reports

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Also Known As

Microsoft Azure Security Center, Azure Security Center, Microsoft ASC, Azure Defender

Microsoft Insider Risk Management

Interactive Demo

Demo not available

Overview

Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a comprehensive security solution that provides advanced threat protection for cloud workloads. It offers real-time visibility into the security posture of cloud environments, enabling organizations to quickly identify and respond to potential threats. With its advanced machine learning capabilities, Microsoft Defender for Cloud can detect and block sophisticated attacks, including zero-day exploits and fileless malware.

The solution also provides automated remediation capabilities, allowing security teams to quickly and easily respond to security incidents. With Microsoft Defender for Cloud, organizations can ensure the security and compliance of their cloud workloads, while reducing the burden on their security teams.

Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management is used to identify and mitigate internal threats, monitor risky activities, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards, tracking confidential information, detecting unusual behavior, and managing data protection.

Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management provides actionable insights and automates risk management processes to enhance security and safeguard sensitive data. Users benefit from its ability to detect insider threats early and appreciate its comprehensive auditing capabilities and customizable risk indicators. It seamlessly integrates with existing systems, allowing for easy policy configuration and leveraging advanced machine learning algorithms. Users find the real-time alerts to enhance security monitoring and proactive risk mitigation. Its detailed incident reporting and efficient data protection are frequently commended.

What are the key features of Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management?

Early Detection: Identifies insider threats at an early stage.
Comprehensive Auditing: Offers extensive auditing capabilities for thorough investigation.
Customizable Risk Indicators: Allows for tailoring risk indicators to specific needs.
Seamless Integration: Integrates effortlessly with existing systems.
Easy Policy Configuration: Simplifies the setup of security policies.
Advanced Machine Learning: Utilizes sophisticated algorithms for better threat detection.
Real-time Alerts: Provides instant notifications to enhance monitoring.
Detailed Incident Reporting: Generates comprehensive reports on incidents.
Efficient Data Protection: Ensures confidential information is secure.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Enhanced Security: Improved threat detection and mitigation.
Actionable Insights: Helps in making informed security decisions.
Automated Processes: Reduces manual effort in risk management.
Compliance Assurance: Ensures adherence to regulatory standards.

In industries such as finance, healthcare, and legal, Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management is implemented to secure client data, ensure regulatory compliance, and proactively mitigate internal threats. Organizations leverage its real-time alerts, advanced machine learning capabilities, and detailed reporting to maintain stringent security standards in highly regulated environments.

Sample Customers

Microsoft Defender for Cloud is trusted by companies such as ASOS, Vatenfall, SWC Technology Partners, and more.

Information Not Available

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs. Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management