Action1 vs. Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management

Any place that has multiple computers that need to be managed can benefit from using Action1. Currently that means Windows PC's and servers, Linux PC's and servers and devices running MacOS can be managed by Action1 and benefit from their patch management and software management tools. Mobile OS need not apply at this point.

Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management is particularly well-suited for discovering, inventorying, and continuously monitoring the external attack surface, especially in environments with heavy Microsoft adoption. It is less suitable as a standalone solution for internal scanning, real-time attack detection, automated remediation, or advanced application testing. Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management es especialmente adecuado para descubrir, inventariar y monitorear continuamente la superficie de ataque externa, sobre todo en entornos con fuerte adopción de Microsoft. Es menos adecuado como solución única para escaneo interno, detección de ataques en tiempo real, remediación automática o pruebas avanzadas de aplicaciones. Parts of this review were originally written in Spanish and have been translated into English using a third-party translation tool. While we strive for accuracy, some nuances or meanings may not be perfectly captured.

Incentivized

• Automations. We utilize scheduled tasks that we define within Action1 to provide additional controls for reporting, alerting, and for endpoint management. It is a unique way to expand functionality by use of centrally managed scripting events.
• Able to create and view reports showing detailed information of all types of endpoints within my enterprise. We can also create custom reports from a large set of available data points and can also create custom alerts based on these data points.
• Vulnerability detection and resolution management. Able to detect vulnerabilities and apply controls or actions based on the vulnerabilities found. Along with the Security patching, this adds and extra layer of visibility and control to secure my environment.
• Custom application deployments. Action1 provides a large set of third part applications you can deploy and patch updates for, but if you have custom applications built in-house or just an application that is not available in the software repository that Action1 has, you can build your own custom deployments easily.

Incentivized

• Lack of visibility of external assets
• Reduction of the risk of external attacks
• Falta de visibilidad de activos externos
• Reducción del riesgo de ataques externos

Incentivized

• Remote Access could use added functionality
• The deployment screens for update deferrals can be hard to understand at first and easy to skip since it carries some default info when you create a new automation rather than a more conspicuous prompt to update.

Incentivized

• Asset Attribution and Ownership Clarity
• Risk Prioritization and Business Context
• Noise and False Positives

Incentivized

it is an excellent product

Incentivized

Easy to use. Straight Forward. No hidden settings or stuff that's buried several layers deep and you have to watch a video before you do it. Point. Click. It works and I can feel assured that my CVE issues are being handled.

Incentivized

We rate Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management’s overall usability as 10 out of 10 because it delivers a strong balance between depth of capability and ease of use, particularly within organizations already operating in the Microsoft security ecosystem.

Incentivized

I never contacted support services

Incentivized

very easy to start using it.

Incentivized

Freshdesk and Freshservice are great products with Freshservice being the better of the two. However, in comparison to Action1 with regards to our budget, it was an easy choice to select Action1. I selected Action1 not only because of the "free" price tag, but also because I didn't need a full fledged ITSM product. Action1 is cheaper, easier to setup and use, and is cloud based as well so you don't need to install it on a server to utilize.

Incentivized

Because Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management is part of the broader Microsoft Defender family (including Defender XDR, Entra ID, Azure Security, Sentinel, etc.), it:
Shares identity, endpoint, and threat context across tools
Reduces the need for custom integrations or connectors
Works in a “single pane of glass” experience for SOC analysts
Why it matters:
Organizations already invested in Microsoft security tools gain greater contextual insight and lower operational overhead.

Incentivized

• It's pretty hard to negotiate investments / costs in IT when you have a small team in a mid size company. Everything is seen as useless cost and not investment. As of now, I'm pretty sure that if we ever cross the free-tier, I'll have no problems with investment approval since the tool is proven and useful on a daily basis. I believe this was the single most importat decision that Action1 took in their sales model.

Incentivized

• Reduced Business Risk from Unknown External Assets
• Operational Efficiency and Cost Avoidance
• Faster Risk Identification During Change Events

Incentivized