Atera vs. Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Atera
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Atera is presented as an Agentic AI platform for IT management, that offers a digital workforce of AI agents that proactively and autonomously support entire IT operations. Atera’s all-in-one IT management platform consolidates RMM, helpdesk, ticketing, and automation, so IT teams and MSPs can manage and protect infrastructure, automate tasks, and boost service quality by reducing downtime and improving SLAs. Atera has shifted focus from automation to AI-powered autonomy in IT. With…
$139
per month per user
Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management
Score 9.9 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management is a service available on Microsoft's Azure, that provides insights into vulnerabilities, risks, and exposures for web-based resources. It defines an organization’s unique internet-exposed attack surface and discovers unknown resources to help users proactively manage security posture.
$0.01
per day per asset
Pricing
AteraMicrosoft Defender External Attack Surface Management
Editions & Modules
MSP - Pro
$129
per month (billed annually) per user
IT Department - Professional
$149
per month (billed annually) per user
MSP - Growth
$179
per month (billed annually) per user
IT Department - Expert
$189
per month (billed annually) per user
MSP - Power
$209
per month (billed annually) per user
IT Department - Master
$219
per month (billed annually) per user
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
AteraMicrosoft Defender External Attack Surface Management
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsUnlimited devices.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
AteraMicrosoft Defender External Attack Surface Management
Features
AteraMicrosoft Defender External Attack Surface Management
Application Performance Management
Comparison of Application Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Atera
9.5
7 Ratings
30% above category average
Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management
-
Ratings
Virtualization monitoring10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
IT Asset Discovery9.07 Ratings00 Ratings
Monitoring Tasks
Comparison of Monitoring Tasks features of Product A and Product B
Atera
9.2
123 Ratings
23% above category average
Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management
-
Ratings
Remote monitoring9.1122 Ratings00 Ratings
Network device monitoring8.3108 Ratings00 Ratings
Activity Monitoring9.07 Ratings00 Ratings
Management Tasks
Comparison of Management Tasks features of Product A and Product B
Atera
9.1
122 Ratings
26% above category average
Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management
-
Ratings
Patch Management8.4121 Ratings00 Ratings
Policy-based automation8.3107 Ratings00 Ratings
Remote Access
Comparison of Remote Access features of Product A and Product B
Atera
7.8
1 Ratings
16% above category average
Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management
-
Ratings
Attended device access10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Unattended device access10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile device access1.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Virtual device access10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple-display support7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple concurrent sessions9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Threat Intelligence
Comparison of Threat Intelligence features of Product A and Product B
Atera
-
Ratings
Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management
9.7
1 Ratings
19% above category average
Network Analytics00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Threat Recognition00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Vulnerability Classification00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Automated Alerts and Reporting00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Threat Analysis00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Threat Intelligence Reporting00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Automated Threat Identification00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Vulnerability Management Tools
Comparison of Vulnerability Management Tools features of Product A and Product B
Atera
-
Ratings
Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management
9.4
1 Ratings
13% above category average
IT Asset Realization00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Authentication00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Configuration Monitoring00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Web Scanning00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Vulnerability Intelligence00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
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AteraMicrosoft Defender External Attack Surface Management
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User Ratings
AteraMicrosoft Defender External Attack Surface Management
Likelihood to Recommend
8.7
(120 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.3
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.8
(67 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.1
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
6.4
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
AteraMicrosoft Defender External Attack Surface Management
Likelihood to Recommend
Atera
Atera is doing well in the monitoring part as it is informing the real time ping of running devices and if any device goes down, it is informing us on the real time. It is helping us to monitor the last reboot status, current logged in users, time zone, IP addresses and other things so that we can track our end devices status. In the patching part Atera is pathing our all devices with the notification stating user to restart device at their convenient time. It is also patching our third party applications. It is good in installing and uninstalling of the third party application but limited to availability in the Atera inventory. Atera is not good in some parts such as in the patching part of applications, sometime it fails to update all 3rd party applications that were not installed via Atera. It is not good if you have to transfer a file to multiple systems at the same time.
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Microsoft
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.
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Pros
Atera
  • Atera is very helpful in monitoring the servers and end-user devices for high CPU, memory, hard disk uses, and temperature monitoring.
  • Atera is good at installing third-party applications and also helps to remove it from the end systems.
  • Atera is perfect for patching as you can select the patches as per your need and reject those that are not required for you or going to disturb any of your internal applications.
  • Atera is good for managing software inventory as it provides you with the complete software list that is used in your infrastructure.
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Microsoft
  • 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
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Cons
Atera
  • Atera does not yet have a MDM system, but I have been told that it is in the works!
  • Sometimes getting around the admin section of the IT side of Atera can be tricky, but the webinars and chat support help.
  • Many of the demo and onboarding agents are based in Israel, so it can be a challenge to find available times during the day while living in the United States.
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Microsoft
  • Asset Attribution and Ownership Clarity
  • Risk Prioritization and Business Context
  • Noise and False Positives
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Likelihood to Renew
Atera
As of right now, we have found nothing that can offer as many features as Atera does along with the affordability. They are doing monthly releases each month and not just making small changes (shared scripting library, chocolatey support, Install packages, Splashtop SOS support, Scheduled tickets to name a few). The uptimes are great and accessibility to the dashboard has yet to be limited. We are a happy customer and bordering on fanboy status now
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Usability
Atera
Atera's remote monitoring feature is one of it's best features. The laptops and servers we used it on responded quickly to our administrative task requests and made our work light. We were able to increase the resources, manage patches, windows updates and quite a few other tasks remotely and that too 24×7.
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Microsoft
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.
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Support Rating
Atera
Atera support provides answers to my questions lightning fast. They have never left me feeling like I'm out there on my own. I can ask questions by email, or by chat, or by opening a ticket with them and they are always on it quickly. They also have a forum where other Atera users can help you if you need it, and you can also add feature requests via the forum.
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Atera
The implementation was performed by the system administrator so I don't have much insight into this
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Atera
Because Atera is a much more effective and efficient solution to manage all our IT operations, it automates each of our business processes. It offers us the best support to respond to any problem that may arise. I think Atera is much more cost-effective and reliable; its value is justified with each function and satisfies all our business needs and requirements.
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Microsoft
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.
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Return on Investment
Atera
  • The intuitive user interface has enabled both users and support technicians to familiarize themselves quickly with the functionality, and the learning curve is less.
  • Some features need to be accessed through documentation; they're not available directly on the dashboard.
  • Sometimes, internet access plays a significant role, whereas low connectivity is a hindrance.
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Microsoft
  • Reduced Business Risk from Unknown External Assets
  • Operational Efficiency and Cost Avoidance
  • Faster Risk Identification During Change Events
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ScreenShots

Atera Screenshots

Screenshot of Atera’s AI-powered solution.Screenshot of Atera's process automation.Screenshot of Atera's real-time monitoring, which gives visibility and control of the IT environment.Screenshot of Atera's ticketing, where users can deliver end-user support and issue resolution at scale.