Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Score8.7 out of 10

222 Reviews and Ratings

What is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (formerly Microsoft Defender ATP) is a holistic, cloud delivered endpoint security solution that includes risk-based vulnerability management and assessment, attack surface reduction, behavioral based and cloud-powered next generation protection, endpoint detection and response (EDR), automatic investigation and remediation, managed hunting services, rich APIs, and unified security management.

Categories & Use Cases

Endpoint Security

Media

1 / 5

Screenshot of blocked activities

Infection Remediation
Capability to quarantine infected endpoint and terminate malicious processes.
Category average: 8.8
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
Continuous monitoring and response to advanced internet threats by endpoint agents.
Category average: 9.1
Centralized Management
Centralized management supporting multi-factor authentication, customized views, and role-based access control.
Category average: 8.5

Anti-Exploit Technology
In-memory and application layer attack blocking (e.g. ransomeware)
Category average: 8.6
Vulnerability Management
Vulnerability prioritization for fixes.
Category average: 8.3
Hybrid Deployment Support
Administrators should be able to choose endpoint security on-premise, cloud, or hybrid.
Category average: 8.3

#1 most frequent

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

24.8%

760 installations of 3,060

“Gives good ROI.”

#2 most frequent

Finance and Insurance

12.1%

371 installations of 3,060

#3 most frequent

Manufacturing

11.9%

365 installations of 3,060

Michael Miller

IT Engineer in Information Technology at Carolina West Wireless (51-200 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We used Defender to replace Sophos. Being included as part of the Microsoft 365 package saved us the entirety of the cost of the previous provider. It also provides significantly more detailed security insights into our devices. Dashboard scores are used to help proactively respond to threats. The software also includes threat assessment to see all of the vectors an attacker would use.

Pros

Dashboard for threats.
Ease of installation.
Rapid response to threats.

Cons

PC reporting often lags behind, so scores remain unchanged longer than desired.
The portal interface changes regularly, moving objects and menus.
It needs a more defined client interface to resemble a traditional third-party antivirus.

Return on Investment

Was able to alert us to a malicious event overnight, tracking the incident end-to-end.
Gives management clear insight into the security footprint of the company.
Saved several thousand dollars a year in 3rd party antivirus costs.

Return on Investment

We are currently deployed to around 200 total PCs and servers. Our PCs are mostly Windows 11 with a few Windows 10 PCs that are in the process of being replaced. Our servers are entirely Windows-based, with most using Server 2019. We are not currently using Defender on mobile devices.

Alternatives Considered

Sophos Managed Detection and Response

Other Software Used

Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Exchange Online Archiving, VMware vSphere

Danny Nagdev View profile

Founder in Corporate at LetsReflect (1-10 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint as an antivirus to protect our systems from different types of malware. It helps us uncover attacks which are happening on our machines. Also, it is useful in getting timely alerts for such attacks.

Pros

Detect attacks
Prevent infection from malware
Provide alerts

Cons

Easy to use management interface

Return on Investment

It has reduced the expert manpower requirement to less than 50% for detection
For initial configuration, it took lots of time.

Return on Investment

Mostly Windows clients (around 100 computers)

Alternatives Considered

Sophos Intercept X

Other Software Used

Sophos Intercept X

Matt Cox View profile

Computer Systems Enginner II in Information Technology at Superior Court of San Francisco (501-1000 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We have Microsoft Defender for Endpoint deployed on our workstations, laptops, and other devices.

Pros

Detects bad links
spotting Malware in attachment

Cons

Updates need to be more frequent
access to logs on events

Return on Investment

The basic product is free and comes within Windows
They are constantly improving the product

Return on Investment

Windows 10, 11 mostly

Alternatives Considered

Malwarebytes and McAfee DLP Endpoint

Other Software Used

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention, Fortinet FortiGate

Verified User

Consultant in Information Technology (10,001+ employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

In our organization, we use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to protect against malware, phishing, and other advanced threats. It provides real-time threat detections and automated remediations. This application assists us in improving endpoint compliance and centralized control.

Pros

Endpoint detection and response.
Real time threat detection.
Centralized dashboard.
Role-based access.

Cons

High CPU usage, the application should be lighter.
Improvement needs in UI.
Rules customization in limited.
Mobile support is not as good as a desktop application.

Return on Investment

Strong Microsoft ecosystem.
Integrating multiple security tools.
Threat detections and remediations.
Licensing is expensive.

Usability

Return on Investment

In our organization, we primarily focus on the Microsoft ecosystem. We manage approximately 20,000 endpoints, such as laptops and virtual servers. Although we have Mac & Linux, it's very limited, as the majority of our infrastructure is based on Windows.

Alternatives Considered

Trellix Endpoint Security ENS and Cisco Secure Endpoint

Other Software Used

Sentinel, FortiClient

Verified User

Director in Information Technology (51-200 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to help secure our endpoints and monitor our computer systems for potential threats. With the myriad vulnerabilities and malicious actors casting wide nets to threaten any computer indiscriminately, it is paramount to have a system in place to monitor and respond to these attacks actively. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides us the tools to monitor and react to incoming threats actively.

Pros

Fast detection of incoming threats.
Automatic response and disabling.
Alerting system.

Cons

Incident reporting.
Vulnerability assessments.
Automating deployment.

Return on Investment

Return on Investment.
Sense of security.
Being able to sleep at night.

Return on Investment

We have 97 devices that are onboarded to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. This includes both Windows workstations as well as Windows Servers, hosted both locally and in Microsoft Azure. On top of that, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint monitors the network and has eyes on a total of 200 devices across our networks.

Alternatives Considered

BlackBerry Protect (CylancePROTECT)

Other Software Used

Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Sage 300

Symantec Endpoint Security

Sophos Intercept X

CrowdStrike Falcon

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

What is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?

Categories & Use Cases

Media

Key Features

Top Performing Features

Infection Remediation

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

Centralized Management

Areas for Improvement

Anti-Exploit Technology

Vulnerability Management

Hybrid Deployment Support

Most Frequent Users

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

Finance and Insurance

Manufacturing

Reviews

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Other Software Used

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

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Usability

Return on Investment

Alternatives Considered

Other Software Used

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

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Return on Investment

Return on Investment

Alternatives Considered

Other Software Used

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