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Head of Security
Real User
Top 20
Feb 18, 2025
We can block suspicious URLs, quarantine malicious files, and conduct a forensic investigation
Pros and Cons
  • "We can run the virus scan across our entire environment."
  • "Some of the integrations that Defender should include involve the use of the web app."

What is our primary use case?

We utilize Microsoft Defender for Endpoint as our EDR solution, which stands for endpoint detection and response. Through this solution, devices are integrated. If new vulnerabilities or novel attacks emerge, Defender for Endpoint promptly identifies them. It serves as our primary EDR solution amidst the variety available in the market.

The current surge in Defender for Endpoint's popularity is attributed to its real-time detection capabilities. Additionally, we can execute SOAR actions, namely security orchestration response. For instance, if we need to isolate a device from the network or run an antivirus scan on a machine, Defender for Endpoint facilitates these tasks.

Consider a scenario where one of the devices becomes compromised. During the investigation, if a malicious IP address is identified, it can be blocked using Defender for Endpoint.

How has it helped my organization?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offers excellent visibility. We can observe all the details regarding the attack process, such as the type of activity that occurred, including the entire MITRE ATT&CK framework. This enables us to view the initial actions, the device involved, the IP address used, and the extent of the impact on users and devices all through a single interface.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint definitely assists us in prioritizing threats throughout our enterprise. Based on the signatures, the alert categories are related to high severity, medium severity, and low severity. Therefore, we can determine which alerts require our focus and prioritize them accordingly.

I am currently the Subject Matter Expert for Microsoft within my organization. This encompasses the entire Microsoft security suite. I specialized in working with Microsoft Sentinel. In the past, I was a part of the Microsoft Sentinel team itself, back in 2017 when Sentinel was in its pilot version, known as Azure Security Insights. 

It's very easy to integrate the Microsoft solutions. We have data connectors and APIs readily available. There are no difficulties. If we teach an unfamiliar person for a week how to use Defender for Endpoint and Microsoft Sentinel, they can likely gain insight into the basics of integrating Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Sentinel, Defender for Identity, or Defender for Cloud Apps.

These solutions work natively together to deliver coordinated detection responses across our environment. When an incident is detected in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, the same incident will be captured in Microsoft Sentinel within a few minutes. The integration capabilities with both Microsoft and third-party solutions are valuable.

The comprehensiveness of threat protection provided by these Microsoft security solutions is combined into a single interface. We can access all necessary features from one place. The combined solutions offer us User and Entity Behavior Analytics, Endpoint Detection and Response, on-premises, and cloud application security. While no single product can handle everything independently, by implementing basic security practices across all Microsoft products, we achieve a comprehensive threat detection system.

The bi-directional sync capability is a feature that allows us to enable safe devices in both Defender for Cloud and Defender for Endpoint.

Sentinel allows us to ingest data from across our entire ecosystem. If we are utilizing third-party firewalls or other products, we can employ APIs to integrate those solutions with Sentinel.

Sentinel allows us to examine threats and respond comprehensively from a single location. Within this location, we can utilize SOAR playbooks to accomplish different tasks, such as blocking all compromised email sign-in sessions with just one click.

Sentinel is a comprehensive security product, owing to its integrated SOAR, UEBA, and threat intelligence capabilities. UEBA employs built-in machine learning to identify users with high, medium, and low-risk profiles. The user interface also includes a feature that enables us to log out of the user. Threat intelligence has the ability to assimilate all access information from third-party solutions and identify threats originating from the internet. Sentinel consistently operates proactively to prevent compromises. 

I used to utilize Splunk back in 2015, but I have recently transitioned into being a Microsoft security advocate due to the cost optimization benefits. Microsoft Sentinel's pricing is based on the data we ingest. We have the flexibility to choose different models, such as the pay-as-you-go model or the bandwidth model. For instance, if we ingest 500 GB of EPS, we will incur charges for that usage; however, a 20 percent discount is applicable in this scenario. The pricing is directly linked to the amount of data we ingest, which is advantageous. I prefer not to ingest certain security events that are intended for operational purposes. By excluding these events, I can effectively reduce the overall cost of using Microsoft Sentinel. Additionally, being a cloud-native tool eliminates the need for any physical hardware. With just one click, the entire installation process is completed.

There are three ways Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has benefited our organization. The primary advantage is the optimization of our organization's scanning process. We have established a bi-weekly scanning process that runs at midnight, encompassing all machines. This stands as the foremost enhancement. The second advantage revolves around obtaining visibility into vulnerabilities within our environment. Considering our role as an MSSP, responsible for managing over 25 clients, this visibility holds paramount importance. Within Defender, a particularly noteworthy feature is the enabled management. This provides us with the latest information regarding vulnerabilities within Microsoft products as well as third-party software. The third and final advantage pertains to responding to emerging threats. For instance, in the case of a new attack, such as the recent CVE 3688, which targets a Microsoft Office vulnerability, including a zero-day exploit lacking an available solution, our Microsoft-oriented threat intelligence block comes into play. Through custom query languages deployed within Defender, we have the capability to identify anomalous activities. Additionally, this third point ties in with the Application Guard rules. These rules have proven instrumental in proactively preventing ransomware attacks. They operate by automatically obstructing any suspicious processes occurring within the Office environment.

Defender for Endpoint assists in automating routine tasks and identifying high-value alerts. We have APIs established, allowing us to develop our own dashboards using the Defender for Endpoint APIs. For instance, we can utilize Power BI to generate a security report, providing a comprehensive overview of the organization's internal activities.

It has eliminated the necessity for multiple dashboards. This pertains to the MXDR dashboard, which stands for Microsoft Extended Detection Dashboard, as well as the Detection Response Dashboard. Essentially, we have consolidated these into a single comprehensive dashboard, developed entirely by Microsoft. This unified dashboard streamlines the process of accessing organizational insights. As a result, there's no longer a need to access different security products to view their respective dashboards. Within Defender for Endpoint itself, we offer an array of security reports, all conveniently accessible with just one click. For those who may not find the reports relevant, we also provide the option to utilize our in-house developers for Power BI integration. This entails having a centralized dashboard where data from all products is collected and displayed in one location, facilitating a holistic view of security reports.

The integration into a single dashboard has simplified our security operations. Previously, our team had to perform numerous manual tasks for all customers. Therefore, with automation, when we present the report to the customers, they are quite impressed with having everything in one place. 

Microsoft Defender for Endpoints' threat intelligence assists us in preparing for potential threats before they materialize, enabling us to take proactive measures. We identify these proactive threats due to the presence of a threat entry system. If any IOCs are obtained, they are undoubtedly identified by Microsoft Sentinel. Moreover, we have set up indicators ingestion for Defender for Endpoint. This process involves creating steps to acquire data from third-party sources and directly inputting it into Defender for Endpoint. Since Defender for Endpoint has a capacity limit of 15,000 indicators of compromise, we can only ingest data up to this extent. Any surplus data will be automatically removed, provided their IOC scores fall below 60 within a month. Consequently, new IOCs will replace the removed ones.

It has saved our organization around 30 percent of our time in terms of not having to worry about malware. When any malware does get in, it is automatically remediated. Now, the main portion of our time is dedicated to conducting in-depth investigations and identifying other occurrences.

We have cut our organization's costs in half compared to our previous solutions. This is mainly due to the automation of most tasks, which means we now only need ten people to manage 20 customers, a significant reduction from the 30 engineers we needed before.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has significantly reduced our time for detection and response. Our Service Level Agreement entails detecting issues within 15 minutes and responding within 30 minutes. Defender for Endpoint has greatly contributed to these time savings. The incidents that we used to address using Splunk required extensive coordination within our team and with our customers, leading to substantial time consumption. Previously, resolving a single incident took around 40 minutes. Presently, this process takes approximately 15 minutes.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the timeline, which allows us to view the details of an event 30 minutes before and after.

Forensic investigation is a valuable feature of Defender for Endpoint.

We can run the virus scan across our entire environment.

We can block suspicious URLs and quarantine malicious files within the Defender for Endpoint portal.

What needs improvement?

Some of the integrations that Defender should include involve the use of the web app. Utilizing the web app implies that the Defender API should be accessible through mobile devices as well. For instance, if there exists a mobile application, it would be beneficial. Let's imagine a scenario where I'm traveling and I receive a new alert. With a Defender mobile application, I could easily isolate the threat, conduct an investigation on my mobile device, or even automatically escalate or assign the alert to my engineers.

There are certain third-party apps that haven't been integrated with Defender. I would be delighted to witness the integration of those apps with Defender for Endpoint. 

The deployment of Defender for Endpoint should be made smoother via Intune.

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,899 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is fine but it takes time to reach them.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

We previously used Splunk but switched to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint because of the cost and smoother operation.

How was the initial setup?

With the proper training, the initial setup is straightforward.

When conducting customer onboarding, the deployment will require a minimum of three days. Therefore, we must ensure everything is executed flawlessly and follow security best practices. Emphasizing precise deployment is crucial. Hence, deploying without careful planning is not an option, aiming to prevent any issues in a larger environment. In contrast, a smaller environment can be deployed within two days.

For a large organization with over 5,000 employees, a team of up to six people is required for the deployment.

What was our ROI?

We are achieving a 15 percent return on investment, which is contributing to the growth and impact of our company.

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

If we are acquiring everything in a single place, the front end becomes cost-effective. We won't need to purchase five separate products for various tasks. Instead, it's one product designed for five tasks, which is certainly a cost-effective approach.

What other advice do I have?

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

We also utilize Defender for Cloud. Defender for Cloud is employed specifically for the Azure product. If we have servers deployed within Azure, the system handles alerting, traceability, and security. Therefore, we certainly use it.

We have three locations where Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is deployed. One is in Australia, another is in Qatar, and the third is in India. Consequently, we employ approximately two hundred personnel.

No maintenance is required for Defender for Endpoint on the customer's end.

A single-vendor security solution approach is better than a best-of-breed strategy. We all are using Microsoft laptops and OS.

I recommend completing a POC before adapting Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

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

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer2595198 - PeerSpot reviewer
Office 365 Subject Expert at a government with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
Nov 27, 2024
Ensures that malicious websites aren't accessed, thereby enhancing desktop and network security
Pros and Cons
  • "Web filtering is the most valuable feature of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint because it effectively maintains security for website access."
  • "Defender for Endpoint has significantly reduced our SOC team's workload by automating threat detection and response, allowing them to focus on other critical projects."
  • "There is a need for improvement in reducing false positives."
  • "There is a need for improvement in reducing false positives."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is desktop security.

How has it helped my organization?

Defender for Endpoint has improved our security posture by ensuring that malicious websites aren't accessed, thereby enhancing desktop and network security.

The visibility into our attack surface provided by Defender for Endpoint is good.

Defender for Endpoint has significantly reduced our SOC team's workload by automating threat detection and response, allowing them to focus on other critical projects. This increased efficiency has minimized security concerns and freed up several hours per week for the team.

We are primarily a Microsoft environment, but we also utilize a few Macs. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint functions effectively across both platforms.

What is most valuable?

Web filtering is the most valuable feature of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint because it effectively maintains security for website access.

What needs improvement?

There is a need for improvement in reducing false positives. Defender flags vulnerabilities based on registry keys or temporary files that are not necessarily vulnerabilities. This creates a lot of false positives. There could also be better clarity in navigating through the GUI to identify and resolve vulnerabilities.

A disconnect exists between the subject-matter experts and Microsoft's Level One support teams, causing delays in issue resolution. Repeated interactions are necessary due to Level One's lack of tools and knowledge, hindering efficient problem-solving and negatively impacting our experience with Microsoft support.

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Defender for Endpoint is a stable product with reliable uptime.

How are customer service and support?

The support from Microsoft is somewhat lacking. The level-one support seems disconnected from subject matter experts, leading to back-and-forth delays in resolving issues.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

CrowdStrike's GUI is more user-friendly and provides easy-to-follow instructions, while Defender for Endpoint requires more effort to access detailed file information and vulnerability assessments. For instance, locating a specific device involves navigating through reported vulnerabilities, clicking on associated devices, and then searching for the device name to identify the vulnerabilities and their origins. The switch to Defender for Endpoint was likely motivated by cost savings and compliance requirements.

What was our ROI?

Defender for Endpoint is a good security product that provides a good return on investment.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Microsoft Defender for Endpoint a seven out of ten. It has effectively improved our security posture, but there are areas where support and usability can be enhanced.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,899 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Azure Consultant at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 20
Jan 12, 2023
Eliminates the need to look at multiple dashboards by automatically providing one XDR dashboard to show the security score of each subscription
Pros and Cons
  • "File protection is the most valuable feature. Antivirus security on the Level OS, Microsoft Defender, and Microsoft Guard for 2019."
  • "The solution should be updated by Microsoft with new features from time to time."

What is our primary use case?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoints supports any changes to file permissions, file access, and modifications to file delivery, as well as anti-virus and anti-malware protection. We enable Microsoft Defender on subscription. We depend on the solution for anti-malware, antivirus, and threat protection.

How has it helped my organization?

Regarding visibility into threats, Automatic integration enables Microsoft Defender on the level of subscription on the virtual machine. On the level of resources, and OS services, the direct integration between Azure Resources and Microsoft Defender is very smooth. The solution is perfect compared to using third-party software such as antivirus, Symantec, or any other option. We may face some issues in some integrations, but Microsoft Defender for Endpoint integration with Azure Resources is much better than trying to integrate with other solutions.

We use additional Microsoft solutions such as Gateway which is automatically integrated with Microsoft Defender by enabling it from the portal.

The integrated Microsoft products we are using work together to provide a coordinated detection response. The logs are all integrated and sent to a Log at network spaces. Level network spaces and Azure Monitor are already integrated with Microsoft Defender, and if an alert appears in the environment from a firewall, the web, or any other security component, it will automatically generate a security alert on Microsoft Defender. Microsoft Defender becomes the interface or supporter that manages all the security alerts in the environment.

All of our subscriptions are on the Cloud. We don't use anything on-prem. Microsoft Defender is a portal that manages all Endpoint Defender resources in an environment. This includes Defender for Endpoint on virtual machines, Defender for Cloud, Defender for App Service, and any other Defender resource.

We integrated Microsoft Sentinel with Defender Endpoint enabling us to ingest data from our entire ecosystem.

We utilize the interface for our Security Environment. We don't install any other third-party products such as Microscan at the outset, but we are a partner of Microsoft, and we only use Microsoft products.

We act according to the automatic alerts triggered by the Microsoft Center.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps us eliminate the need to look at multiple dashboards by automatically providing one XDR dashboard to show the security score of each subscription and the vulnerability that needs to be remediated for each resource.

Having a consolidated dashboard allows us to address the vulnerabilities that automatically appear on the portal sooner using the recommendations provided by the solution.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint automatically protects our environment once a virus or malware is detected without any action from our end.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has saved us time detecting viruses, but we still have to manually manage any viruses related to the Windows updates batching in order to fix vulnerabilities on a monthly basis.

The solution has decreased our time to detect and respond to threats. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint should secure the environment automatically. We just act when any threat is detected on the back end by the SOC team.

What is most valuable?

File protection is the most valuable feature. Antivirus security on the Level OS, Microsoft Defender, and Microsoft Guard for 2019. 

Threat protection is a critical part of Azure security and is managed under the umbrella of Microsoft Defender. All threat protection services work directly with the Microsoft Defender agent or the Qualys vulnerability scanner.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is enabled on the machines to automatically route tasks and help us automate the findings of high-value alerts. The alerts appear on the security alert under the Microsoft Defender for Cloud.

What needs improvement?

The solution should be updated by Microsoft with new features from time to time. The backend may have been changed to be more stable and secure, but there have been no major changes to the portal itself.

For the next update, I would like a link that connects directly to the resource, instead of having to connect manually. This will make it easier to identify any issues related to App Service.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution automatically scales to our requirements and we currently have plans to scale up.

How are customer service and support?

The quality of Microsoft's technical support depends on the service type. Some services are okay, and some are not. Sometimes we open a case and get the result the first time, and sometimes it takes more than one session.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward and takes about an hour.

We enable all subscriptions, which come with free basic services, and we can upgrade to premium services by selecting the required resources. If we have Azure Sequel, or infrastructure, such as virtual machines, we enable it at the virtual machine level. We enable services according to the current resource.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was completed in-house by a team of two people.

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

Bundling our Microsoft products is more effective and cost-efficient.

The license cost is around $35 per machine, which is not expensive compared to other products. In addition to the solution's license fee, Azure DevOps Standard costs around $30,000. I believe this is too expensive and hope that the cost can be lowered in the future.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution a nine out of ten.

The solution is used for a website and is deployed in one location. We have 1,000 users.

Maintenance is completed once a month for batching the products in the environment for Sequel, SharePoint, and Microsoft products. Two people are required for the maintenance.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a very good solution. I recommend the solution to others and suggest using only Microsoft products in order to receive all the support from one place.

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: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer2151291 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Consultant - Cloud & Infrastructure Security at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
MSP
Apr 13, 2023
Assists our organization in prioritizing threats across our enterprise by providing security recommendations based on the weaknesses in our organization
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable aspect is information, specifically the automatic investigation of packages."
  • "The profiling method currently in use is not very user-friendly and has ample scope for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint as an enterprise security solution.

How has it helped my organization?

The visibility is great. For example, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint's portal has a section called threat analytics. There's a threat intelligence box. So all new threats and trending threats are visible. If any of our devices in our organization are susceptible to this threat, the solution will let us know because it searches for that specific particular vulnerability, which can be exploited. The Microsoft threat analytics tool gives us that type of visibility into the threats that might affect our organization. For example, the threat analysis updates every half hour to one hour with the top ten latest threats. The scan tries to ensure that these threats don't belong to our organization and if they do, it identifies the infected device. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint makes a lot of security recommendations when we onboard it to quarantine a lot of security recommendations that help to improve the security posture of our environment.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint assists our organization in prioritizing threats across our enterprise by providing security recommendations based on the weaknesses in our organization. It includes a department that provides management licenses and uses analytics to identify high-priority threats in our environment. This is connected to a common protocol that assigns a priority level of five to devices with vulnerabilities, indicating what actions should be taken. Thus, we have all the necessary information in one place.

Prioritization is crucial because there is a possibility of a high-priority threat entering our environment. This is how the solution determines the priority of threats. For instance, if one of our high-impact business devices is vulnerable to a top-priority security five threat we need to address it first. Alternatively, we may choose to address the sixty computers with a level two or three security threat, which are mostly associated with lower impacts. Therefore, prioritization aids in determining which critical business infrastructure requires immediate attention.

There are several lines with multiple solutions, but Microsoft offers a comprehensive solution with its E5 license. This license includes a wide range of features such as purview information protection, data protection, and other business-related tools. In my previous experience, I have noticed that some organizations utilize multiple Microsoft products, such as Defender for Endpoint, Identity Management, Defender for Cloud Applications, and Defender for IoT. This combination of different products can be quite useful.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud on Azure can be easily integrated with Defender for Endpoint, including on-premise solutions that can be onboarded to Azure with different subscription values. The integration will already onboard it to the device with Defender for Endpoint, along with additional features such as Just-in-Time Access, Defender for Vulnerability Management, and Control Sign-in Monitoring. These features provide robust cloud security monitoring and can be added to Defender for Endpoint. Moreover, Defender for Cloud is integrated with Defender for Endpoint portals, enabling a one-stop shop for onboarding devices with all the cloud posture management required for a single computer or software. This integration is highly beneficial, and other applications can be similarly integrated.

It is easy to integrate Microsoft Defender for Endpoint with other solutions.

These solutions seamlessly integrate to create a zero-trust platform, as offered by Microsoft. This platform ensures protection from various threats such as networks, applications, and infrastructure, with the added benefit of Microsoft Sentinel. The Sentinel tool combines threat analytics from multiple sources into a user-friendly workspace, providing optimal productivity. Additionally, sending logs from any of these products, including Sentinel, to the cloud connector is a simple process.

The integrated Microsoft security products offer comprehensive threat protection, such as Microsoft Defender for Office. With these products, our office is now able to identify and address email threats in a single platform, instead of checking each platform individually for application, identity, vulnerability management, and endpoint security. Moreover, these products can be easily integrated into a single workspace solution. With the help of pre-existing methods in Sentinel, we can efficiently handle a large number of alerts that we receive. Rather than going through each alert individually, we can activate a playbook that provides solutions for common alerts and takes actions in parallel to resolving them. This integration simplifies the process of achieving a complete security solution.

When we transition from on-premise servers to Azure ARC resources and activate Defender for Cloud Applications, it becomes easier to manage our servers from different networks, especially when it comes to security features. For example, we can check the compliance of our devices and organization with PCI DSS or other security protocols. Running compliance checks during the transition while syncing data with a different SL Cloud provides us with a significant amount of data and valuable information, including recommendations for improving compliance. This process involves bi-directional communication between devices, the cloud, Azure, and different network clouds.

Microsoft Sentinel allows us to easily ingest data from our entire ecosystem.

Microsoft Sentinel allows us to investigate threats and respond holistically from a single platform. Sentinel is both a SOAR and SIEM solution, meaning we can perform responses, but we must create a separate playbook for them. The default method may include some pre-built responses. The most important aspect is that if our company uses SentinelOne instead of Defender, we can still easily send logs through our Sentinel Workspace using API calls. This can be accomplished with a few connections, and we can create our own playbooks for different types of alerts. For example, if SentinelOne is not sending data, we can generate alerts of this type and respond accordingly. This significantly reduces user effort.

The security protection offered by Sentinel is extensive. It can be integrated with any Microsoft solutions, including information protection, and can be connected directly to Microsoft's threat intelligence sources and other resources. This allows for comprehensive protection.

Our clients have reported that Sentinel's cost and ease of use, in comparison to other stand-alone SIEM and SOAR solutions, are favorable. They find the user-friendliness of Sentinel to be worth the cost.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint assists in automating routine tasks and identifying high-value alerts. We can automate actions based on the alert's sensitivity, and in case we are uncertain of how to handle those alerts, we have the option to seek assistance from a Defender expert. This feature is particularly valuable, as it can provide guidance in identifying and investigating such alerts.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps eliminate multiple dashboards by giving us one XDR dashboard.

The solution's threat intelligence helps us detect and respond to threats proactively by identifying suspicious behavior.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has been instrumental in saving us time by alerting us about potential threats and automatically guiding us through the necessary steps to eliminate them. The solution logs all the actions taken, saving us from having to spend valuable time retracing the steps.

By detecting threats in advance before they can propagate, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps our organization save money. The tool helps to identify potential security risks early, preventing their escalation and the associated costs of mitigation.

Our detection and response time has improved. This is thanks to Microsoft Defender, which has Endpoint Detection and Response capabilities. Before, we used to manually create policies to address security incidents, but now the system can automatically remediate issues without us having to intervene.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable aspect is the information, specifically the automatic investigation of packages. For instance, during an automated investigation, data and information are collected. Additionally, there is an encapsulated view that shows the origin of the package, how it was propagated, and any blockages or attacks that may have occurred. The most critical factor is the information gathered regarding various types of incidents, including how they are mapped and propagated, and what actions should be taken in response.

What needs improvement?

Creating antivirus profiles for Linux is a more challenging task compared to other operating systems. The profiling method currently in use is not very user-friendly and has ample scope for improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for over four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint can scale effectively to meet the needs of our environment, regardless of its size.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support team is highly knowledgeable, and in cases where they are unable to provide a solution, they escalate the issue to the second level of support. Their services are available around the clock, and if the assigned representative is unavailable, they promptly transfer the ticket to another capable person to ensure a seamless resolution of the issue.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I previously utilized SentinelOne, Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response, Symantec Endpoint Detection and Response, and Carbon Black CB Defense. However, I find Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to be more user-friendly than the other solutions. The information provided by Defender is valuable, and the deployment process is easy. Additionally, it offers several valuable features.

How was the initial setup?

The complexity of deployment depends on the client's environment. The number of people required for the deployment depends on the number of servers the organization has. For example, in a deployment of 700 workstations and 500 servers, one full-time and two part-time consultants are required.

What about the implementation team?

We implement the solution for our clients in-house.

What was our ROI?

We experienced a positive return on investment by using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. This solution allows us to streamline our operations by consolidating all necessary components under a single umbrella and eliminating the need for additional vendors and extra costs.

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

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is included with a Microsoft E5 license.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution an eight out of ten.

The most cost-effective and user-friendly option for security is a single-vendor security suite. This approach also eliminates the need for multiple integrations.

I recommend that organizations avail themselves of Microsoft's trials and demos, and compare Defender with other solutions in their environment to determine the best fit. With a Microsoft E5 license, organizations can access all of Microsoft's solutions and use whatever they need.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Infrastructure Engineer
Real User
Nov 30, 2022
Provides excellent virus scanning and web activity tracking in an integrated security suite
Pros and Cons
  • "The virus scanning capability is excellent, and it feeds all the logs into the Microsoft 365 Defender portal, making them easy to search for."
  • "The integration and effectiveness of email security could be better. It's already built-in to the solution and checks emails, scans the links they contain etc."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for protecting Windows 10 endpoints. We use it for email scanning and application control, we can run analytics through it, and the product enables web content filtering. The Defender 365 package is all-encompassing now; it's a good product.

The solution is deployed across our whole business with 3,000 endpoints, including phones, laptops, tablets, and desktops, with 1,700 end users.

We use multiple Microsoft security products, including Defender, Defender for Cloud Apps, Identity Manager, and Intune. We have the whole security package.  

I was the infrastructure engineer who integrated the products, which was elementary; we rolled out via Intune and used SCCM to build the endpoints.  

The solutions work natively together to deliver coordinated detection and response across our environment, and it's better than using Symantec, for example. Defender is the best product out there; it's built into Windows, and it makes sense to use built-in products. This coordination is strategically important to us, as it makes passing knowledge on to the team easier because it's all in one place.   

How has it helped my organization?

The solution offers better management of endpoints when it comes to antivirus and malware. It allows us to separate the functionality of managing that security area rather than putting it with the infrastructure team. The infrastructure team handles the monitoring services. At the same time, virus and threat detection can go to the core security team, which takes a load off the infrastructure team and allows the security team to concentrate fully on security.

Defender for Endpoint helps automate routine tasks and the finding of high-value alerts. Once we set our rules, including attack surface reduction (ASR) rules, there's a lot of automation capability. We can apply definitions for all endpoints across our organization.  

The solution helped eliminate having to look at multiple dashboards and gave us one XDR dashboard, which positively affected our security operations. There are four staff in the department, so they appreciate this kind of management. They can see everything from one place, and our security picture is more integrated. They can even carry out basic auditing from the dashboard.  

Defender for Endpoint saves us time because we can quickly go in and search for issues raised by the security department and eliminate the threat. We have 3,000 assets, so it saves the network around half an hour and the infrastructure staff a couple of hours.   

What is most valuable?

The virus scanning capability is excellent, and it feeds all the logs into the Microsoft 365 Defender portal, making them easy to search for.

We can track web activity and see what users are logged into. The solution picks up a lot of information from machines and pushes it into the Defender 365 portal and Cloud App Security portal.

The product provides good visibility into threats. We can also log in anywhere, which is handy for the security teams.  

Defender for Endpoint helps us prioritize threats across our enterprise; we can configure specific rules concerning viruses, malware, and threat detection.   

In terms of the comprehensiveness of the threat protection provided by Microsoft security products, it's the best in the marketplace. The top three are Defender, Sophos, and Symantec; the others don't come close to these. 

The solution's threat intelligence helps us take proactive steps to prepare for potential threats before they hit because it tracks definitions and threat footprints from the cloud. These can then be identified and stopped at the front door, which is the whole idea of antivirus products these days.

What needs improvement?

The integration and effectiveness of email security could be better. It's already built-in to the solution and checks emails, scans the links they contain etc.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution since its first iteration came out in 2005, so about 17 years. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable; we have it deployed across our entire organization to 3,000 endpoints, and 1,700 end users. 

How are customer service and support?

The support is good; I don't have an issue with them. It's straightforward to go into Azure and raise a ticket, although you must know how to ask the right question.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

As far as I know, my organization used Defender for Cloud Apps for a long time and Symantec for service. Symantec is configurable, but it isn't always quick enough to deal with threats, as it has different quarantining methods.

I installed Darktrace for a data center and prefer to work with MS security products.

How was the initial setup?

I wasn't involved in the initial setup; I was a global admin.  

In terms of maintenance, the product is lightweight; any patches are downloaded automatically, and we can configure when they're installed in our patch definitions.

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

We have the E5 security license, and the solution comes with that.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution ten out of ten.

We use Defender for Cloud and make use of its bi-directional sync capabilities, or use Intune, so all our computer objects are synced via Azure ID and pushed into Intune. This capability is there, and it functions, though there are more important features.

It isn't easy to say if the product saves us money and the business is not overly concerned about the cost of Endpoint. You get what you pay for, it's an integrated solution, and there isn't a better one on the market. It does the job, is configurable, and has limitations like all products.

Once Defender for Endpoint becomes more mature in a couple of years, it'll be the Holy Grail like Windows 7 was.

To a security collogue who says it's better to go with a best-of-breed strategy rather than a single vendor's security suite, I'd say Microsoft is the best of breed for those who want a unified approach or integrated solution. I wouldn't use other security products because it's not necessary. I'd integrate the Microsoft security suite anywhere I go.   

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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
AfsareHassane - PeerSpot reviewer
Formateur Cybersecurité and SOC Analyst at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 10
Oct 22, 2024
Advanced hunting and alert management made efficient
Pros and Cons
  • "You can query and access useful information from logs and events, which is powerful and efficient."
  • "Sometimes, there are difficulties in downloading a file considered as malicious."

What is our primary use case?

I use Defender for Endpoint every day, for example, when a user downloads an unwanted application, we get an alert. Sometimes we have suspicious processes in an endpoint, and we receive an alert for those activities.

How has it helped my organization?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps in detecting different alerts and potential threats by providing alerts and timelines with detailed explanations, which is useful to understand and close or address the issues.

What is most valuable?

In Microsoft Defender, there is a security portal that allows advanced hunting. You can query and access useful information from logs and events, which is powerful and efficient. Additionally, the timeline feature helps in understanding which process launched what and identifying errors.

What needs improvement?

Sometimes, there are difficulties in downloading a file considered as malicious. We encounter a bug that requires several attempts to download, which is a bit of a challenge.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint since February, which is approximately eight months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the solution is rated an eight out of ten. It is quite stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution is rated as eight, suggesting it is reasonably scalable.

How are customer service and support?

I contacted Microsoft support for personal use of Defender, and they were very nice, providing solutions quickly. This was a positive experience.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

Before using Defender for Endpoint, I used SentinelOne. Defender is easier to use than SentinelOne.

How was the initial setup?

For the initial setup, I’d give it an eight out of ten, suggesting it’s quite straightforward.

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

The price for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is about three euros, which is considered reasonably priced. I'd rate it seven out of ten for cost.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have previously evaluated SentinelOne before using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

What other advice do I have?

I'd advise others to use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint because it's a good solution with many experts behind it. Additionally, it's compatible and easy to use with Windows environments.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

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

Other
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
IT Architect at a real estate/law firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Nov 24, 2023
We have seen improvement in all our endpoint vulnerabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "The detection features are valuable, as is the fact that it is easier to port these logs into Sentinel. That is also useful for us. It is more comprehensive."
  • "If the solution could be integrated more with Defender for Cloud, to be more unified, that would help. It is good now, but even more integration could be done with Defender for Cloud. We see two different portals. If Defender for Endpoint could be ported to the CSPM, Defender for Cloud, that would make things even easier for us."

What is our primary use case?

We use it to protect our servers and endpoints, which include our employees' laptops and our own endpoint portal, where we see the single pane of glass reports. It is our first line of defense.

How has it helped my organization?

We have seen improvement in all our endpoint vulnerabilities, which is very crucial for us. If this had not been implemented, we would be in trouble because our endpoints would be unprotected. It has definitely improved the security posture of our organization.

Also, automated investigation, protection, and alerts have affected our security operations in a positive way. We get to see the vulnerabilities quicker, and we get to see the root cause analysis as well.

Defender for Endpoint has also eliminated having to look at multiple dashboards. The Endpoint portal is sufficient. It is easier for our security operations team to look at the vulnerabilities and reports and plan for remediation actions.

In addition, the moment the solution's threat intelligence provides a suspicious IP or a suspicious URL, we block it right away. We are more secure. It has helped our security operations detect things in advance and preempt any vulnerabilities.

We have seen productivity gains in terms of the mean time to resolve issues, on the order of 20 to 30 percent. We have the unified dashboarding and reporting, the investigation, and automated remediation. Saving 20 percent of our time translates to saving money.

What is most valuable?

The detection features are valuable, as is the fact that it is easier to port these logs into Sentinel. That is also useful for us. It is more comprehensive.

The visibility into threats that Defender for Endpoint provides us with is quite deep and mature. The threats that we find help us understand our vulnerabilities and remediate them if required.

Another very important point is that it prioritizes threats across our enterprise. This is important; the solution is the first line of defense. Defender for Endpoint is very crucial for our defense, considering that we all work remotely.

We also use Defender for Cloud, Purview, and Microsoft Sentinel; all of these are integrated and go into Sentinel. It was easy to integrate them because we are using Azure Cloud, and all of them are native to Azure Cloud. The connectors also make it easy. The fact that these solutions work natively together, providing coordinated detection and response, is very important to us. That is precisely why we got into Azure. This does provide us with a comprehensive view of the threats, incidents, alerts, investigations, and threat-hunting processes. Overall, it gives us multiple ways of securing things.

What needs improvement?

If the solution could be integrated more with Defender for Cloud, to be more unified, that would help. It is good now, but even more integration could be done with Defender for Cloud. We see two different portals. If Defender for Endpoint could be ported to the CSPM, Defender for Cloud, that would make things even easier for us.

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have never had any downtime or any other issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have scaled up to 3,000 endpoints, and there is scope for it to be scaled more. When more employees join or more departments come in, we'll be scaling up.

How are customer service and support?

Defender for Endpoint's technical support is fairly good. We haven't encountered many problems with them. We initially had some problems when we integrated Sentinel, but that was resolved internally.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We did not have another EDR solution. We started with Azure.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment was straightforward because it's all native. We are integrating within the Azure environment, so it is easy.

This solution specifically would have taken a week or so to deploy, but it was part of our overall deployment along with the other Microsoft products. After a week, we started utilizing or pushing the data into our security operations.

We had multiple servers and laptops that were endpoints to be protected by Defender for Endpoint, almost 3,000 endpoints. We had to go one by one. Initially, we implemented 500, and eventually we built on top of that.

It doesn't require much maintenance unless we add more endpoints. That's when we need to push it. Otherwise, there is not much activity involved.

What about the implementation team?

It was all done in-house and required three full-time resources.

What was our ROI?

We have easily seen 20 to 30 percent savings, year on year.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

They would have definitely evaluated other solutions, but the clear preference for a native solution is what made this stand out.

What other advice do I have?

A single-vendor security suite has its advantages in terms of ease of porting, ease of connecting to the SOC, and also dashboarding. For ease of use, a single vendor strategy is valuable. But cost-wise, if you go for multiple vendors, you may be able to negotiate the cost, but that approach makes things difficult to integrate.

It detects suspicious malware and credential access issues, and it even maps to the Mitre ATT&CK framework. It's a pretty good product. Try it out and implement it as soon as possible.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Project Manager at a tech consulting company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Mar 28, 2023
Provides good visibility into threats, integration with other Microsoft products, and effective threat intelligence
Pros and Cons
  • "Defender for Endpoint provides good visibility into threats and has favorable threat intelligence."
  • "The solution has minimal customization options, especially compared to Mandiant, so we want to see more scope for customization. A single portal for customization would also be a welcome addition."

What is our primary use case?

We deploy the solution for our customers, typically with Plan 1, as they generally have E3 licenses. We also use Microsoft Purview, the compliance system consolidating every security aspect into its portal. This offers centralized management and tight integration with Azure and Intune, which are identity and device management tools, respectively.

Our customers have a variety of cloud providers; Azure and GCP are the most popular, but we have some AWS users too. 

We use multiple Microsoft security products, including Azure Information Protection and DLP, in addition to the other flavors of Defender, such as Defender for Cloud and Defender for Identity.  

We integrated all of these products and the integration was easy. 

These solutions work natively together to deliver coordinated detection and response across our environment, which is essential. The beauty of Microsoft is the tight integration of their various products.  

How has it helped my organization?

The solution helps us prioritize threats across the enterprise, which is essential for every organization. If a malicious actor or another type of threat gets into the network, we need to know exactly what's happening, how it happened, who triggered it, lateral movement, etc.  

Defender for Endpoint is a 360° solution that sees and covers all areas. Microsoft also has a zero-day protection framework, so they are thinking ahead.

The product decreased our time to detect and respond to threats.

What is most valuable?

Defender for Endpoint provides good visibility into threats and has favorable threat intelligence. 

The product helps us automate routine tasks and the finding of high-value alerts; it discovers all threats and categorizes them as low, medium, or high priority, then begins remediation automatically based on the threat severity. It's also possible to automate the isolation from the production network of a device infected with ransomware. As always, the workflows and configurations should be optimized based on the environment.

The solution's threat intelligence helps us prepare for potential threats and take proactive steps before they hit. Some bots take care of remediation and an automatic ticketing system whereby open items trigger tickets sent to the team concerned.  

What needs improvement?

The solution has minimal customization options, especially compared to Mandiant, so we want to see more scope for customization. A single portal for customization would also be a welcome addition. 

A high level of expertise is required to maximize visibility into threats as the tool provides the data, but it isn't crystal clear. Other products are more straightforward and user-friendly, so admin and management-level staff can easily understand the root cause of a threat, which isn't the case with Microsoft. The threat detection and response are there, but significant expertise is required if we want the same level of visibility provided by third-party tools.

There are some issues around ingesting data from MS Sentinel. If we configure Purview, then our compliance is configured for our entire Microsoft tenant, but the integration isn't easy, and there are some known challenges.

We can't see all the data in one place, so we have to log into different portals to access various data, and this needs to be more straightforward. We want to see a single portal with one URL, so those with the appropriate credentials can gain access and see the big picture regarding the threat landscape.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using the solution for over five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Defender for Endpoint is scalable.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment was relatively straightforward, but one issue is the knowledge base articles are not particularly accessible.

Regarding implementation strategy, we do discovery, make an assessment, and match with business needs; then, we know precisely what we have to do and which license is required. We can then start the implementation and deployment.

For maintenance, two team members are sufficient to manage 5,000 users or devices. 

What about the implementation team?

We're a service provider, so we carry out the deployments ourselves. 

What was our ROI?

We have seen an ROI. 

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

I'm not too familiar with costs as I'm an architect, though I know about online pricing, as I help two teams with online purchasing and procurement. Nowadays, everyone has an enterprise agreement, such as an E3 license, which we provide to our customers.

The solution saved us money. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated many solutions, including Mandiant, Cortex XDR, McAfee MVISION, and Fortinet FortiClient.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution nine out of ten, and I recommend it.

We use Microsoft Sentinel, and it allows us to ingest data from our entire ecosystem.

Sentinel enables us to investigate threats and respond holistically from one place, which is important to us.  

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
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.