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Supriya Kumar - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager at Ernst & Young
Real User
Reliable with good features but needs improvements on some of the technical aspects
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution can scale as needed."
  • "In India at least, it seems to be a bit more expensive than other options."

What is most valuable?

The stability has been good so far. 

If I compare its features to the other solutions in the market, it has some good features. It's comparable to others.

The solution can scale as needed. 

What needs improvement?

In India at least, it seems to be a bit more expensive than other options. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've just recently been introduced to the product. I haven't used it for very long. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability has been fine. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. 

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability has been great. If you need to expand, you can.

How are customer service and support?

I have never needed to contact technical support. I can't speak to how helpful or responsive they are. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is a bit high for the Indian market.

What other advice do I have?

We are a partner and we consult clients on security solutions. It's one of the solutions we take to our clients.

For companies that are Microsoft shops, I would recommend the product. It saves a lot of integration requirements as compared to other solutions. It's a good product that does what it says it will do. 

I would rate the product a seven out of ten. There are improvement opportunities in terms of the overall tech and commercial aspects of the product. It needs to be more competitive and technical. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Peter Arabomen - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Engineering, Team Lead at Fidelity Bank Plc
Real User
Top 5
Stable solution that protects networks against viruses and malware; good for endpoint management
Pros and Cons
  • "Stable endpoint manager, antivirus, and antimalware, with fast technical support and a straightforward setup."
  • "More integration with different platforms is an area for improvement for this product, and should be included in its next release."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint as an antivirus and antimalware solution. We also use it for endpoint management.

What needs improvement?

What I'd like included in the next release of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is more integration with different platforms.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is stable, except for occasional internet connection issues, but it's stable.

How are customer service and support?

We contact the technical support team for this solution whenever we have an issue, and once you open a ticket, they respond as quickly as possible, though it would still depend on the severity level that you define.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint was straightforward. It wasn't complicated.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We pay for our Microsoft Defender for Endpoint subscription yearly.

What other advice do I have?

We've been working with various Microsoft solutions, e.g. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Azure, etc.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has been awesome, so far.

I wasn't around during the setup of the solution, so I have no idea on how long setting it up took.

We have 6,000 end users of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint within the company, and it's being used on workstations, servers, and mobile devices.

I'm rating Microsoft Defender for Endpoint nine out of ten. I found it to be a good product. It's a fine product.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Daniel Bagley - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Security Officer at Church of England
Real User
Scalable, good support, and straightforward implementation
Pros and Cons
  • "The technical support from Microsoft is very good. We are part of the Microsoft Suite, and from being part of this we have consistent news regarding Microsoft Defender for Endpoint."
  • "Microsoft Defender for Endpoint could improve by making the reporting better."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for network and endpoint protection.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint could improve by making the reporting better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for approximately three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is stable in my usage.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have found Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to be scalable.

We have approximately 700 people using this solution and we plan to increase usage.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support from Microsoft is very good. We are part of the Microsoft Suite, and from being part of this we have consistent news regarding Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have previously used ESET.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint was straightforward. 

What about the implementation team?

We have two engineers that do the implementation and maintenance of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

What other advice do I have?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has improved a lot over the years and it is a lot better now.

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Microsoft Defender for Endpoint an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior Manager at RP Sanjiv Goenka Group
Real User
Good security, scales well, and automatically updates
Pros and Cons
  • "The patch updates and version updates are very good. Those happen on an automated basis whenever I'm connecting to the organization network, either through LAN or through the VPN."
  • "The price, in general, could always be a little bit cheaper."

What is our primary use case?

We have a dedicated team that handles all security-related aspects of the solution, however, my understanding is that the solution helps guard the endpoints in our organization. 

What is most valuable?

Along with security, there are certain IT policies in terms of accessibility of different sites, which are there in the organization. With everything put together, there haven't been any instances where I have seen any kind of issues such as malware or other malicious event getting through on my laptop. From that perspective, everything is fine. 

The patch updates and version updates are very good. Those happen on an automated basis whenever I'm connecting to the organization network, either through LAN or through the VPN. I never have to worry about anything being out-of-date.

The solution scales well.

I have found the stability to be good.

What needs improvement?

From a general user perspective, I don't see any further improvements needed. 

The price, in general, could always be a little bit cheaper.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for two years or so. It's not much more than that.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the product is good. I have not dealt with bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. the performance is good. It's reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution scales well. If a company needs to expand it, it can.

We have 1,000 to 2,000 people on the solution currently.

How are customer service and support?

I've never directly dealt with technical support for issues related to Defender. Many years ago I had reached out to Microsoft support for an issue related to Visio, a different product.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. There are certain automatic patches as well that keep on updating and those automatically install.

I don't recall how long the product took to deploy. When any new laptop or anything is assigned in an organization, all these things are installed prior to coming to us. Therefore, I wasn't actually a part of the installation process. 

We have a few contractors working with the in-house team. There may be around five to ten people. Any maintenance that is needed would be done by them.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing could be lower. That said, I cannot speak to the exact costs involved as I do not directly deal with that aspect of the product. I'm unsure if the company is set up with a monthly or yearly subscription package. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm just a customer and an end-user.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. I've been very pleased with how it has worked for me over the last two years. 

I would recommend the solution to others, however, I'm just a passive end-users and not as technically involved as those deploying the solution in our company. However, from my perspective, there has never been an issue on my machine with malware and therefore it seems to be doing what it's designed to do.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1629081 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technology Consultant at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
MSP
A very solid security system with advanced hunting capabilities and great stability
Pros and Cons
  • "It's a very solid security system, and the advanced hunting and everything really lets you dive deep into things."
  • "I would just like them to have more consistency, and that's a comment that's across the board with Microsoft. They change things a lot."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is used for endpoint detection and response, however, it also has vulnerability management. I don't use that as much as the endpoint detection and response. I use it in combination with Cloud App Security and Endpoint Manager.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the fact that, if you have the M365 E5, it's included and everything is in the bundle. 

It's a very solid security system and the advanced hunting and everything really lets you dive deep into things.

What needs improvement?

Overall, they're doing a much better job. However, recently, they added the Azure Defender. When you use the Azure Defender licenses, you're already enrolled. 

I prefer that they had the old interface that was not combined with compliance, and still, they've changed that to make it better. I would just like them to have more consistency, and that's a comment that's across the board with Microsoft. They change things a lot.

For how long have I used the solution?

I probably started diving into Microsoft Defender about two years ago.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, I have not had another product that has been as stable and has had fewer issues. It's amazing.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. For example, I helped a 12,000-person company put it in and automated it without any issue.

How are customer service and support?

In terms of technical support, I have not had to call them related to anything on Defender for Endpoint. I'm a CSP, so I'm calling and I'm getting different assistance than, say, a home user. That said, at the same time, it really depends on if you're getting level one or level three support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward. There's a lot of people putting it in that don't understand it, however. They're not using device groups and auto-remediation settings.

I do a lot of security reviews as well, and what I find is that, although it works well out of the box, there are missing components. Another thing is that people will basically use the product, and yet, not set up the integrations with Cloud App Security and Endpoint Manager. When they do that, they're not getting the full functionality of it. I, on the other hand, know the system, so I see people often having trouble with it. If people are trained or go through training, they would be able to get the full functionality out of it.

What was our ROI?

I can't give numbers, however, for the price, when you're increasing from an E3 to an E5 license, the amount of features you get eliminates a lot of other systems. Therefore, you do get a pretty good ROI. On top of that, you only have one management system and one reporting system. Overall, the numbers have been quite impressive.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I don't know the standalone costs. It is my understanding that the M365 E5 is $56 a month or something close to that pricing. That would be for the full suite. Just Defender might be $8 a month. I can't say for sure.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a consultant. I primarily work with Microsoft and I do the threat management and check vulnerabilities on the database. I'm looking for something that is not super expensive yet covers vulnerability management and where you can pick the products, and pick alerts, and you get a weekly digest report, just so that we can better manage everything.

I work with pretty much all of the 365 products. I'm pretty widely experienced in Defender. I work for a managed service provider. I'm one of the people that's, besides having my Microsoft Azure architecture, Azure security, Microsoft 365 expert level, plus M365 security knowledge. I focus on Azure and M365 security.

For Microsoft Defender, the product is cloud-based, therefore it is managed and it's updated constantly.

I would advise users to take advantage of Microsoft integrations. I would suggest that they put it all together, so they can use it as a full bundle.

I'd rate the solution at a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1564452 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of IT at a engineering company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
Provides users protection without impacting their experience
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft Defender is always running. It is doing its job, so it is fine. I don't have any issues with the way it was implemented or how we are running it. We have been upgrading IT throughout the years, but there have been no issues."
  • "From an audit point of view, our auditors would like to have more reports on how things are used, if things go wrong, and how they went wrong. For example, if something got a warning, "Why?" So, we would like more versatility for tracing and reporting. That would improve the product, as long as the user interface doesn't get bogged down."

What is our primary use case?

It is the end defense against anything coming into our computers and through other channels, e.g., we have some other measures. A lot of our users use Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, so all our servers are locked down. The solution handles what nothing else finds along the way. It is a standard endpoint for computers, servers, and tablets.

How has it helped my organization?

What the user doesn't see or experience, the user is happy with. Every time our other services go in and put a stop pop-up in front of what they are doing when they want to visit a website, but the browser says, "No," or they are trying to download a link and then says, "Oh, no. This is dangerous," that upsets users because they can't do what they want to do. As long as we don't get any of that, then users are happy. If users don't feel it or know about it, then they are happy. Everything else will make them unhappy.

Our end users expect to be protected and that everything works. When IT doesn't work as they expect, then they get unhappy in some form. We kind of forced this solution upon them, so they don't have a choice. As long as it doesn't meddle with their normal work, they are fine. For example, when GDPR hit us in May of 2018, that was upsetting because they now had to do some of their work a little differently. So, they don't like GDPR because it interferes with their normal workflow. Normally, users come to me if they have issues with anything. However, if everything works as expected, they are happy. In addition, they expect that they are protected.

What is most valuable?

When you have something fail and you have three or four different vendors where the fail might be located, everyone just says, "Well, it's awful." Then, you have to go and find out where the fault is. That is really annoying and can cost the business money. For that reason, if I can have one single point of contact when I have a problem to help me out, and say, "Let's find the solution." That is much better instead of having me contact multiple companies to track errors down.

What needs improvement?

The protection will always need improvement:

  • From a technical standpoint, I would like better artificial intelligence on how it does its stuff in the background. It will always be behind. However, at some point, it would be nice if it could get better. It is not bad, but it could always be better.
  • From an audit point of view, our auditors would like to have more reports on how things are used, if things go wrong, and how they went wrong. For example, if something got a warning, "Why?" So, we would like more versatility for tracing and reporting. That would improve the product, as long as the user interface doesn't get bogged down.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the current solution since 2014.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We haven't had any issues. I haven't had any bad experiences. I expect it to work, and it works. It is just there. For example, when you have Word or the whole Office package, as long as it works, people are happy. You just have it, and you don't have to say, "Oh, this version is really..." It is just Microsoft. For most users, Microsoft is Windows, Defender, and the Office package. As long as you just use that, then people will say, "Okay, we're just basically using Windows." They don't care about one thing or another, as long as IT works.

As long as things are slowly upgraded, it works, and we don't have any issues, then I am happy.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I let my outsource company handle scalability. I only get involved if there are issues.

We have 50-plus servers with around 125 to 150 endpoints.

How are customer service and technical support?

Our consultancy has a deal with Microsoft where they can get access to Microsoft directly. We are part of that deal. When we have issues that need some type of Microsoft input, we can get it. However, I will let the consultancy do that. I wouldn't do that myself.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We use different email solutions and web solutions to handle incoming and outgoing traffic. However, we have not previously used another endpoint protection solution.

How was the initial setup?

In 2014, we upgraded from Windows 7. It was a completely new deployment of everything. Every server, every endpoint, and even the old laptops and desktops were upgraded. So, it wasn't just Defender. Microsoft Defender wasn't really the issue, as it worked. We had a lot of other IT that was annoying, but I don't remember that we had any struggles with Defender.

Microsoft Defender is always running. It is doing its job, so it is fine. I don't have any issues with the way it was implemented or how we are running it. We have been upgrading IT throughout the years, but there have been no issues.

We had a migration deadline set by our mother company. We had to stop using Windows 7 and server 2003 by 15th of June, and we started in April. So, it was done in just under two months right before June 1st.

What about the implementation team?

We are part of the aircraft industry. We have been going downhill for some time, and now we are sort of going up again. At the time of purchase, we simply bought the outsourcing with the solution, meaning we would get this many machines and servers using these services. They kind of supplied everything.

We outsourced the deployment to another company at that point in time, who put up all the consultants and stuff. Before that, we had everything internally and on-premises. At that point, we moved it out still on-premises, but not in our own house. So, we built a separate system, then moved users over.

We didn't have Microsoft in to specifically help us.

The administration of this solution is outsourced. We use a consultancy who has 50-plus employees/consultants. They take care of nearly all services: Defender, Teams, SQL, etc. I then only have to talk to one or two people who are specialized in what needs to be done.

I have been very happy with our current IT services provider. We have had them for about a year. They took over from the old consultancy who installed our IT in 2014. Our current consultancy took over in 2020 because I wasn't so happy with the old guys.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It provides peace of mind with really good pricing. It won't be upsetting my budgets or anything like that.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Our outsourcer handled the decision that we were to use Defender, Remote Desktop Services, etc. They just said, "If you choose us, this will be your solution." It came as a package. Unfortunately, that company was bought by another IT services company, who bogged everything up. The service went downhill and stuff didn't get upgraded. So, we switched to another Danish supplier with whom we currently are happy.

What other advice do I have?

Go for it. It is a standard solution. If you use Windows, you might as well go for Defender. With this solution, you have your normal dependencies within Microsoft. This means that you don't have to talk to another company; you talk directly to Microsoft. Some people might go for something else, and that is fine too. However, depending on how big your company is, if you are a small or medium business, you may want to have as many eggs in one basket to have fewer points of contacts.

It is a good endpoint. All the administration is handed over to our outsource partner. So far, it has been good. We have been using it for years, so it is the de facto standard for us right now.

As far as I know, its capabilities are okay. It is up there with the rest of them. Sometimes, this is what Gartner says is the best, the next best, the 10th best, etc. That will always change. As long as we don't get hit, we are fine. If we get hit, then there are questions around what we can expect from it, what we can get out of it, what help did we get, etc., but I would let my outsource partner deal with that. Directly, I don't have my hands on it.

I would rate this solution as an eight out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Solution Architect at KIAN company
Real User
Simple to use, flexible, easy to update, but the central management console needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "This product is flexible, and it is very easy to get updates from the Microsoft website."
  • "The central management console should be improved because it provides limited options to configure Windows Defender."

What is our primary use case?

This product is our antivirus for Windows 10 machines, Windows Server 2016, and in our Azure environment. In addition to this, we have a project for an oil company that is implemented in Azure, and we had to migrate the majority of their systems to that platform. Once the migration was complete, we configured Windows Defender as its antivirus.

What is most valuable?

It is very simple to use and easy to scan systems.

This product is flexible, and it is very easy to get updates from the Microsoft website.

We are using the firewall features.

What needs improvement?

The central management console should be improved because it provides limited options to configure Windows Defender. It should provide a lot of options and features, in the same way, that Symantec does, or the Kaspersky Central Management Console does. Essentially, we should have a central management console on Azure that can be used to manage Windows Defender on all of our machines.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a very stable solution and we plan to continue using it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The company that I implemented this for has approximately 2,000 staff and 1,000 virtual machines on Azure. 

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not been in contact with Microsoft support. Rather, I have learned by using the materials that are provided online.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We were originally using a product from Symantec before we switched to using Windows Defender. After that, we adopted the Microsoft solution for Azure.

How was the initial setup?

I have configured Windows Defender for different locations by using Group Policy Settings and each time, it took between five and ten minutes, based on the guidelines.

What about the implementation team?

I configured it personally by downloading and reading materials that I found on the Microsoft website.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

This is an expensive product and licensing for all Microsoft products is a big issue. However, Volume Licensing and Educational Licensing are good options to decrease the cost.

What other advice do I have?

In general, Windows Defender is a good feature for the Windows Operating System.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Solutions Architect at SC PROSERVICECORP SRL
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
A simple solution with good integration, price, stability, scalability, and support
Pros and Cons
  • "Its simplicity is the most valuable. It also has very good integration. We like it."
  • "Its interface can be improved a little bit. We would like to have some sort of centralization. It should have something like a central server that is managing all the other clients. There are solutions from Kaspersky or ESET NOD32 that are really doing this kind of thing currently. We would like to see something similar from Microsoft."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Microsoft Windows Defender for Windows services because it is the default antivirus and protection solution with Windows Server 2016 and 2019. We are using it for Windows servers, file servers, and active directory.

What is most valuable?

Its simplicity is the most valuable. It also has very good integration. We like it.

What needs improvement?

Its interface can be improved a little bit. We would like to have some sort of centralization. It should have something like a central server that is managing all the other clients. There are solutions from Kaspersky or ESET NOD32 that are really doing this kind of thing currently. We would like to see something similar from Microsoft.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for more than two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable. It is highly recommended.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It has good scalability. We are happy with it and plan to increase its usage. We currently have around 20 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is good. We like Microsoft, and they provide good technical support.

How was the initial setup?

It is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented it by ourselves.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Currently, for us, Windows Defender is free with the purchase of Windows Server. Pricing is an important point for us when we are looking at the competitors of this solution. If we choose to go with another vendor, we will have to pay some license fees.

What other advice do I have?

We are considering moving to another solution, so we are trying to inform ourselves about the other products in the market that will fit our budget and needs. We are trying to see what the competitors offer in the server market. We are looking into ESET NOD32 because we know the product from back in the day.

I would recommend this solution. It is free, and it is doing its job for Microsoft Windows Server. It is a good product. I would rate Microsoft Defender for Endpoint a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.