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Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Formerly Microsoft Defender ATP

Overview

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…

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Recent Reviews

Secure workstations with MDE

8 out of 10
November 03, 2023
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offers exceptional threat insight and protection. Its KQL powered Advanced Hunting provides deep analysis. …
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Popular Features

View all 7 features
  • Malware Detection (52)
    8.5
    85%
  • Infection Remediation (51)
    8.2
    82%
  • Anti-Exploit Technology (50)
    8.0
    80%
  • Centralized Management (51)
    7.9
    79%

Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Pricing

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Academic

$2.50

On Premise
per user/per month

Standalone

$5.20

On Premise
per user/per month

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Demos

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Overview

YouTube
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Features

Endpoint Security

Endpoint security software protects enterprise connected devices from malware and cyber attacks.

8.2
Avg 8.5
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Product Details

What is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?

Presented as an epicenter for comprehensive endpoint security, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps users rapidly stop attacks, scale security resources, and evolve defenses across operating systems and network devices.

Rapidly stops threats: Protects against sophisticated threats such as ransomware and nation-state attacks.

Scales security: Puts time back in the hands of defenders to prioritize risks and elevate the organization's security posture.

Evolves the organization's defenses: Goes beyond endpoint silos and mature the organization's security based on a foundation for extended detection and response (XDR) and Zero Trust.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Features

Endpoint Security Features

  • Supported: Anti-Exploit Technology
  • Supported: Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
  • Supported: Centralized Management
  • Supported: Infection Remediation
  • Supported: Vulnerability Management
  • Supported: Malware Detection

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Screenshots

Screenshot of blocked activitiesScreenshot of Detects & respondsScreenshot of discovers vulnerabilityScreenshot of Eliminates blind spotsScreenshot of Risk management

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Video

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Competitors

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise
Operating SystemsWindows
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

CrowdStrike Falcon, Symantec Endpoint Security, and Sophos Intercept X are common alternatives for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

Reviewers rate Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Malware Detection highest, with a score of 8.5.

The most common users of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint are from Enterprises (1,001+ employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(174)

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-5 of 5)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
Joe Aldeguer | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
MDE is Microsoft's latest cybersecurity tool which takes a holistic approach to protect my organization from known and zero-day threats. I love the fact that I don't need to stitch together a diverse solution to increase my organization's security posture. I only have to use one login to manage my dashboard. MDE is compatible with all endpoints in my organization. I have macOS, iOS, Windows server, Windows 10, and Ubuntu Linux on-boarded. It is an EDR, XDR that is mapped against the MITRE ATT&CK framework.
  • Compatible with macOS, iOS, Android, Windows Server, Windows 10 and Linux
  • It runs natively on Windows it is not a bolted on solution. Once you have the correct license it is easy enough to light up the application to protect the endpoint
  • Integrated with Microsoft Intune
  • It is designed to detect and remediate adversary tactics from the MITRE knowledge base.
  • Microsoft analyzes billions of signals daily to detect attacks against O365 tenants these same signals are fed into ML to further fine-tune MDE. How many other solutions out there will have access to this vast amount of data to analyze to train their ML?
  • Automated detection and remediation of threats with a graphical timeline view of how the treat got into the device and was stopped
  • It has its own vulnerability scanner to feed data into the dashboard so you can see daily which endpoints need to be patch first based on its value
  • It comes with an advanced hunting tool using the kusto query language to search your tenant for threats
  • It can keep 180 days of log data
  • From one bundled license I can protect Exchange online email, Sharepoint, Microsoft Teams, One Drive, Azure identities, AD, endpoints
  • Web filtering on the macOS it not available yet
  • They recently made it easier to on-board macOS endpoints using Microsoft Intune by deploying it as an app. It used to take a lot of more configuration profiles to set up. For older macOS Sierra using the older extensions it will still require the multiple steps to on-board to MDE
  • They need to integrate Microsoft Cloud app into the new dashboard of MDE
  • Reduce the memory overhead of the mdatp agent running on Linux
Small or large organizations will benefit from using MDE. They need to provide a way to buy MDE as a standalone add-on product not only make it a bundled feature in Microsoft 365 E5. I wish it had the ability to deploy updates to 3rd party apps when the vulnerability scanner discovers a vulnerability. Currently, I have to use a 3rd party tool to address this gap.
  • Holistic cybersecurity tool
  • Compatibility with all of my OS
  • It is like having my own SOC for my small organization
Endpoint Security (7)
100%
10.0
Anti-Exploit Technology
100%
10.0
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
100%
10.0
Centralized Management
100%
10.0
Hybrid Deployment Support
100%
10.0
Infection Remediation
100%
10.0
Vulnerability Management
100%
10.0
Malware Detection
100%
10.0
  • You will have to move up to Microsoft 365 E5
  • You can get rid of other 3rd party security tools and just use the Microsoft ecosystem
MDE is a complete solution from one vendor.
Yes
I was using Avast Business edition to protect my macOS endpoints. I decided to go with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to get deeper protection. I don't like the idea of having to log in to different portals to manage my endpoint protection.
  • Product Features
  • Product Reputation
The cross-platform solution providing protection to all of the operating systems we used at work.
The first time I tried to onboard my macOS endpoints to MDE I struggled for quite a bit. I had to reach out to Microsoft's MDE support team. The tech was very helpful in walking me through the steps during a screen share session.
No. Tech support through phone or email comes with Microsoft 365 E5 license.
No
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Microsoft Defender ATP to get visibility into systems, as well as provide antivirus protection for our Microsoft 365 resources. We currently have it set up for just our IT department and a select few users as we consider transitioning our entire organization away from our current, more traditional Antivirus to something like ATP.
  • Visibility: It's great to be able to see what KBs are missing, etc.
  • Lightweight AV protection built on the already included Windows Defender Application
  • Deployment: We've had some issues deploying, especially outside of the Windows environment.
  • Offboarding: There is currently no way to delete a computer. They disappear over time. We even renamed a computer, and it kept both the old and new name in there. Eventually, the older machines do go away, but there is no manual way to do this at the moment.
Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection is the perfect solution for a company that is completely invested in a Microsoft environment. We have Windows 10 machines joining our Azure Active Directory. We use Exchange Online for emails, and it feels like Defender ATP gives you visibility into each and every corner of our environment. It's super lightweight and fairly easy to deploy (though we had some isolated difficulties), and end users seem to not notice it, which is, in my opinion, a very positive thing.

Where it may not be great is in mixed-OS environments. It requires a bit of determination to get ATP installed on OSX or Linux. While these platforms do get fewer viruses in general, it's good to have the layer of visibility and security for web and browser based threats.
Endpoint Security (7)
80%
8.0
Anti-Exploit Technology
90%
9.0
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
90%
9.0
Centralized Management
100%
10.0
Hybrid Deployment Support
30%
3.0
Infection Remediation
80%
8.0
Vulnerability Management
80%
8.0
Malware Detection
90%
9.0
  • It's less expensive than our previous AV, which was a bit more traditional and included a support suite of apps.
  • It's prevented viruses, which in turn increased production.
Panda Adaptive Defense, in combination with Panda Systems Management, was a pretty big and powerful suite of AV software. However, the AV is pretty traditional, all things considered. ATP will always have a slight advantage due to its ability to seamlessly integrate with the Windows OS.

We also used to use Kaseya to get visibility on stuff like patches, etc. To be honest, most of the data we can get from ATP is sufficient, and another product like that, or Panda Systems Management, seems so close to redundant, bar one or two small features.
Every time I've had a question or a problem, I was able to get it addressed quickly. Microsoft has a huge database for ATP support, and it has contained 90% of what I have looked for. It was a lifesaver during initial setup.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Microsoft Defender is being used across our organization by all the departments. The major reason why we are using the software is, of course, data protection. In this day and age, when data has become such a valuable asset, one needs to keep their data safe from hackers or rival companies.
  • One of the undeniable strengths of Windows Defender is that it is free. It already comes packaged with Windows. You don't have to install separately or pay extra for the excellent kind of protection it provides.
  • Unlike all the other anti-virus software out there, the service is very light on the system and one doesn't even get to know when a background check is going on in the background. I never had to open the application to run scans. It automatically keeps running in the background and informs if anything fishy is going on in the background.
  • When it comes to the latest threats and malware, it is not the most updated antivirus software in the market. It can always benefit from quick virus definition updates.
  • It is not a complex antivirus solution when it comes to its feature sets. People who are finicky about each and every feature will be a little disappointed with the lack of options/settings available to configure the antivirus.
In my opinion, It is well suited for small start-ups and entrepreneurs who have just started doing business. But when the amount of client data that you hold increases, you should not completely rely on Windows Defender. Another paid antivirus will definitely be recommended. But, I think they have really stepped up their game recently in terms of updating the software and virus definitions.
Endpoint Security (7)
81.42857142857142%
8.1
Anti-Exploit Technology
70%
7.0
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
80%
8.0
Centralized Management
70%
7.0
Hybrid Deployment Support
90%
9.0
Infection Remediation
80%
8.0
Vulnerability Management
90%
9.0
Malware Detection
90%
9.0
  • There is definitely a piece of mind provided when you know that your system will not get compromised because of malware and viruses.
  • The fact that I don't have to spend money in the first place means that I can spend money on other more important things that do require it.
I gave it a 7 out of 10 as I feel that there is still a lot of room for improvement. I remember how back in the day the software was looked down upon because of it being an unreliable and inefficient antivirus. But, Microsoft has really put in the hard work and made it worthy for it to be comparable to all the other security services out there.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use MS Defender ATP on all of our systems. It uses low resources compared to other AV providers and full integration into Windows OS. You don't experience the breakage that happens when you have a 3rd part AV providers when there are feature roll-up updates and hotfixes issued by Microsoft. Also is MS ATP is competitive compared to 3rd part AV providers.
  • It does not take up a lot of system resources, unlike other 3rd part AV providers.
  • Integrated into the MS product line without having to touch it too much, unlike 3rd part AV providers.
  • Easy to set-up and manage endpoints.
  • It does not break Windows OS like 3rd party AV providers whenever a patch or roll updated is deployed.
  • Detection rates are less than some of the competitors out there.
  • Too many false positives with 3rd part applications.
  • For smaller deployments can get expensive compared to competitors.
MS ATP is great for any organization that wants to protect itself from AV, malware, spyware, and ransomware threats. I can't imagine any organization doing without an AV protection provider. Small deployment can get expensive compared to the competition.
Endpoint Security (7)
84.28571428571429%
8.4
Anti-Exploit Technology
80%
8.0
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
80%
8.0
Centralized Management
100%
10.0
Hybrid Deployment Support
90%
9.0
Infection Remediation
80%
8.0
Vulnerability Management
90%
9.0
Malware Detection
70%
7.0
  • The ROI on MS ATP has paid for itself as soon as it was deployed and caught and prevented virus and malware threats which saved our IT staff time and money.
  • Since MS ATP is low on system resources it enables us to stretch out hardware an additional year.
  • If you require stability in your business operations MS ATP is a must.
MS ATP is lower on system resources and enables us to stretch out our endpoint hardware for an additional year. Also, MS ATP being an MS product fits in very nicely into MS remote management software and MS operating system. We have had little to no issues when hotfixes and roll updates are deployed, unlike 3rd party AV providers that we had experience with in the past.
MS ATP has great integration into the MS Product line but some 3rd party application throws false-positive results. For smaller deployments, MS ATP can be expensive compared to 3rd party providers. But overall the performance and detection have been great with MS ATP.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
This is the main threat protection software being used all across the University. It is used to monitor threats/viruses/malware, etc. that occur on users machines. It is pre-configured on all computers that connect to the network. This ensures that users don't really need to worry about installing threat protection software on their individual computers, or worry about configuring settings.

It address the business problem of helping to protect every computer that connects to the network, or that connects to the domain. All policies/settings get pushed down to the clients that are installed on the individual machines. There doesn't need to be user interaction to get this done
  • It is great at proactively monitoring threats across the network. It works seamlessly with the client to monitor individual user computers, and it has a good real-time scanning engine.
  • On the client side, Windows Defender doesn't require a whole lot of system resources to run, nor will it create unnessary slowdowns of a computer, even while scanning for threats
  • We've noticed one issue with the SmartScreen filter settings on the client and trying to install programs. If the Administrator sets the setting to Block on the server side, then this might interfere with some programs trying to get installed on the client side. Microsoft should look into this issue, and maybe offer more sub-settings for the Block option
  • Noticed that Windows Defender will occassionally do a system scan on a client during business hours, even though on the server side, scans are set for the middle of the night. This does not occur on all endpoints, or at all times, but tends to be random
It would be well suited in an environment where most all your endpoints are Windows-based computers, as Windows Defender is already built into the operating system, so there is no client to have to worry about installing. It also will make the management of endpoints easier on the server side, if most all machines are Windows-based.

It might be less of ideal solution if a company/organization were looking for something more robust, or had a lot more features/configuration settings. It also might be less ideal for a company/organization that was looking for a product that didn't have a high detection rate of false positives
Endpoint Security
N/A
N/A
  • A positive impact has been to increase productivity for IT staff, as it saves them time from having to install/configure clients on every endpoint.
  • Another positive impact has been on the user/client side, as it helps the user to increase their productivity with working on their computer, as the Windows Defender client uses little resources to run on the system, and has a tendecy to not slowdown systems
As compared to some of the other products we have used in our organization over the years, Windows Defender has been a lot better at not using a lot of system resources when running on the clients. A lot of other commercial threat protection products on the market today, tend to use more system resources while running on a client, and can even slowdown users computers to the point that it would be hard for them to utilize for other things, especially while system scans are running.

Antivirus/malware detection rates have improved a lot over the years with Windows Defender. It used to be they fell behind in detection rates, but not so anymore. The big thing that must be approved upon is the detection of false positives, which other products may have an edge over them in this regard
Overall support is really good for this product. Since it's a Microsoft product, you will get good support from a number of different resources, including knowledgebase articles on the web, support from Microsoft technicians, and documentation (which tends to very thorough). Also, there is a vast user support community for this product, so user support forums would also be another valuable channel to get help if needed. I don't envision too many people will have issues/problems with the product, as it tends to run good overall.
Microsoft Office 365, Qualys Cloud Platform (formerly Qualysguard), Skype for Business (formerly Lync), Microsoft Teams, Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager, OneDrive, Oracle VM VirtualBox, RescueAssist, Windows Server, Microsoft Project, WordPress, Freshdesk, BMC Track-It!
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