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Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Tenable Nessus comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.8
Support quality for Microsoft Defender for Cloud varies, with mixed feedback on response speed, support levels, and documentation effectiveness.
Sentiment score
7.6
Tenable Nessus support is responsive and helpful, though users note response time variability and desire clearer API documentation.
Nobody is checking case details. Nobody is handing over properly on Microsoft's side.
The support team was very responsive to queries.
Being a Microsoft partner company, we have direct lines into Microsoft.
 

Room For Improvement

Sentiment score
5.3
Microsoft Defender for Cloud needs improvements in usability, integration, false positives, policy management, pricing, support, and advanced features.
Sentiment score
5.6
Tenable Nessus requires enhancements in reporting, cloud integration, device support, automation, and security features for enterprise optimization.
There is always room for more transparency, especially in pricing.
I recommend that they extend the scope for legacy infra assets.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is praised for scalability and flexibility, despite potential cost increases and manual configuration challenges.
Sentiment score
6.6
Tenable Nessus is scalable for small to medium users, but large users may face challenges with data and bandwidth.
From a scalable perspective, if your company has hundreds or thousands of subscriptions, there should be some toggle to automatically scan your new subscription and turn different plans on.
The solution seems scalable.
 

Setup Cost

Sentiment score
5.2
Microsoft Defender for Cloud offers competitive pricing but is costly for startups; bundling with other services provides savings.
Sentiment score
6.4
Tenable Nessus offers competitive pricing with flexible licensing and discounts, praised for its value despite occasional cost concerns.
Every time we consider expanding usage, we carefully evaluate the necessity due to cost concerns.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is highly stable, though occasional deployment bugs and configuration changes may require extra work.
Sentiment score
7.5
Tenable Nessus is stable and reliable, with users appreciating its consistent performance despite minor configuration and update issues.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is very stable.
Microsoft sometimes changes settings or configurations without transparency.
 

Valuable Features

Sentiment score
8.4
Microsoft Defender for Cloud enhances security with daily recommendations, multi-cloud support, AI threat detection, and automated incident management.
Sentiment score
8.0
Tenable Nessus is valued for its thorough vulnerability detection, user-friendly interface, fast scanning, and affordable, reliable security management.
The most valuable feature is the recommendations provided on how to improve security.
The most valuable feature for me is the variety of APIs available.
The most valuable features are the different plans it offers and the visibility within them, such as the Defender for Servers plan includes capabilities for vulnerability findings on machines and configurations at the OS level.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
7th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
59
Ranking in other categories
Container Management (10th), Container Security (5th), Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) (3rd), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (3rd), Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) (4th), Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) (3rd), Microsoft Security Suite (3rd), Compliance Management (2nd)
Tenable Nessus
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
78
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Vulnerability Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Cloud is 4.7%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tenable Nessus is 13.2%, down from 16.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Vulnerability Management
 

Featured Reviews

Anurag Awasthi - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers excellent firewall management and visibility into threats in a stable, integrated security suite
The solution's robust security posture is the most valuable feature. We have a lot of firewalls, and we can manage them in the solution through the firewall manager. We can set up an Azure firewall and centralize the management policy. The solution provides excellent visibility into threats, and it's a cloud-based integrated solution, so we don't have to worry about any third-party products or services. Microsoft provides so many options, and that's great. Defender for Cloud generates reports we can use as an assessment, as it allows us to see the services in our environment and our points of highest risk. The solution's threat intelligence helps us prepare for threats before they hit and take proactive steps, which is very useful for analysis.
Matthew Weisler - PeerSpot reviewer
Unlimited assets for one price and quick, agentless results
The solution has a single price for unlimited assets. Value wise, the solution is also great for pen testers and consultants. The solution is useful for vulnerability and patch management from both the internal and public facing sides. Quick assessments, compliance scores, and results are provided without having to do agents.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
Educational Organization
39%
Computer Software Company
10%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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?
The pricing is good. It is license-based, and we are not utilizing all of the features, like API and other functionalities, so the cost is not that high.
How would you choose between Rapid7 InsightVM and Tenable Nessus?
You have full visibility across cloud, network, virtual, and containerized infrastructures with Rapid7 Insight VM. You can easily prioritize vulnerabilities using attacker analytics. Overall, Rapid...
What's the difference between Tenable Nessus and Tenable.io Vulnerability Management?
Tenable Nessus is a vulnerability assessment solution that is both easy to deploy and easy to manage. The design of the program is such that if a company should desire to handle the installation t...
What do you like most about Tenable Nessus?
We have around 500 virtual machines. Therefore, we conduct monthly scans and open tickets for our developers to address identified vulnerabilities. These scans cover the servers, other network equi...
 

Also Known As

Microsoft Azure Security Center, Azure Security Center, Microsoft ASC, Azure Defender
No data available
 

Learn More

 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Microsoft Defender for Cloud is trusted by companies such as ASOS, Vatenfall, SWC Technology Partners, and more.
Bitbrains, Tesla, Just Eat, Crosskey Banking Solutions, Covenant Health, Youngstown State University
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs. Tenable Nessus and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.