GFI LanGuard vs. Microsoft Defender for Business

-To track the vulnerability level of a windows network. -To push windows and other application updates from a central location. -Produce reports to highlight work being done to protect a network. In some organizations, you may have to prove for audit reasons you are enforcing policies put into place around cyber-security. This software can help you track work done on an ongoing basis for such purposes.

Incentivized

Microsoft Defender for Business is well suited for any size organization using the Microsoft 365 Suite. As an included feature in the mid and upper tiers of the 365 suites, it can quickly address antivirus protection for any sized company. It's compliance and security dashboards can help guide sole proprietorship owners in better understanding their security standing. The software also scales to give mid-sized and enterprise originations the in-depth information needed for compliance.

Incentivized

• Install an agent to thoroughly scan machines to discover vulnerabilities.
• Keeps there lists up-to-date with applications outside of windows and lets you know when an update is available.

Incentivized

• Monitors the health of endpoints
• Protects endpoints with antivirus
• Allows for policy configurations that can be deployed to endpoints

Incentivized

• It could be a bit of information overload which some things are shown can become noise. Maybe different levels of "security" for lack of a better term may be better where you have a summary vs detailed level when it comes to rating the vulnerability of the entire network.
• I find I sometimes have issues with PCs on a different network accessed across a VPN where timeouts often occur with very large updates. This aspect can be improved.

Incentivized

• Finding blocked programs in the UI is not intuitive if the alert message is dismissed.
• The admin portal changes often with features coming and going.
• Admin portal interface is cluttered and sometimes not intuitive.

Incentivized

So far we have found no alternative that would overall offer us more than we are getting from Microsoft Defender for Business!

Incentivized

Microsoft Defender for Business is user friendly but requires some IT knowledge to adapt to its full potential. Microsoft 365 business will likely be more adaptable and have less of a learning curve than new users when configuring settings or security policies. Overall, I would say that strengths outweigh weaknesses and the unknowns can be learned

Incentivized

I only tried to access there support once and it was a relatively pain-free process. They also have a lot of documentation available online which can be used to learn and tailor the software to suit your needs. It just takes time and effort to plan, execute and monitor going forward.

Incentivized

WSUS was the other alternative I considered but I believe GFI takes updates, reporting, and functionality to a different level for an enterprise/medium-size business environment.

Incentivized

Microsoft Defender for Business, I believe, is a "light" version of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. While they both have some of the same features, Microsoft Defender for Business has far less, and the more complex you want to get with your configurations, you may need to dip your toe into the InTune Admin Center to deploy certain policies.

Incentivized

• Certainty. It allows you to know where on your network needs attention.
• Peace of mind. As security professionals, we can only put the necessary things in place to prevent malicious persons from exploiting a network. The software allows you to know whether or not your risk of exploitation is high or low. and if high what to do with it.

Incentivized

• Improved cybersecurity
• Learning curve
• Resource consumption

Incentivized