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Microsoft Defender for Business vs. Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Microsoft Defender for Business

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft Defender for Business is an enterprise-grade endpoint security that is designed especially for businesses with up to 300 employees. It is used to deploy security across devices, and use automated built-in intelligence to rapidly protect, detect, and respond to threats.N/A

    Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/ACortex XDR (formerly Traps) replaces traditional antivirus with multi-method prevention, a proprietary combination of malware and exploit prevention methods that protect users and endpoints from known and unknown threats.N/A
    Pricing
    Microsoft Defender for BusinessPalo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Microsoft Defender for BusinessPalo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Microsoft Defender for BusinessPalo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Palo Alto Networks
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    89%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    88%
    Delivers good value for the price
    7 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    89%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    86%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    6 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    88%
    Implementation went as expected
    7 Answers
    Features
    Microsoft Defender for BusinessPalo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Endpoint Security
    Comparison of Endpoint Security features of Microsoft Defender for Business and Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Feature
    Microsoft Defender for Business
    9.9
    1 Ratings
    14% above category average
    Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    -
    Ratings
    Anti-Exploit Technology10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Centralized Management10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Hybrid Deployment Support9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Infection Remediation10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Vulnerability Management10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Malware Detection10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Microsoft Defender for BusinessPalo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Small Businesses
    Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Sophos Intercept X for Server
    Score7.3 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Watchguard Endpoint Security
    Score8.8 out of 10
    InsightIDR
    Score9.5 out of 10
    Enterprises
    ESET PROTECT
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Kaspersky EDR Optimum
    Score9.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Microsoft Defender for BusinessPalo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (13 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft Defender for BusinessPalo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Defender for Business is well suited for small and medium businesses that are running on a smaller budget, with little to no IT department and require a quick and effective setup to manage and protect their endpoints. It can be deployed and managed very quickly, and the person doing it can have little to no experience as long as they follow directions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Palo Alto Networks
    Malware that doesn’t leave files behind has become widely available. Anyone who can afford to reverse this trend should purchase technology. Application whitelisting isn’t for everyone, and Palo Alto Networks Traps can help. Enterprises looking for a low-affected, next-generation solution with high protection should consider it. PAN Traps is a great product at a reasonable price, and I highly recommend it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Microsoft
    • Already integrated with Windows
    • Allows for folder and executable-specific exceptions when combined with Intune.
    • Incident response and analytics are fantastic.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Palo Alto Networks
    • Direct Access to devices via Live Terminal which provides operations with scripting, triage, and preservation of artifacts.
    • Behavioral Indicators of Compromise which provides alerts on events regarding groups of hosts and their signatures.
    • Querying complex data sets involving a variety of devices for network connections, hashes, DNS, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Microsoft
    • Confusion between the different Defender products
    • Ease of setup and configuration
    • Reporting and Alerts
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Palo Alto Networks
    • Traps doesn't seem to function as a traditional A/V very well, so it's better as another layer to your endpoint protection
    • Traps can cause issues with some legacy or custom programs, so exceptions may have to be made
    • Traps falsely identifies things as malicious at times, this is not often though
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Microsoft
    So far we have found no alternative that would overall offer us more than we are getting from Microsoft Defender for Business!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Palo Alto Networks
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Defender for Business is a solid tool for smaller businesses looking to manage their endpoints and devices, while staying on budget. The setup is minimal compared to the full-blown InTune and EMS suite, and the product can be included in some Small Business SKUs that they may already have.
    Incentivized
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    Palo Alto Networks
    Cortex XDR does a very good job of blocking suspicious and threatening items. However, as with all software of this nature, it will sometimes block known-good items. The difficulty is in manually whitelisting these known-good items. The interface to whitelist is confusing even for a seasoned IT professional and has been the single most frustrating experience of using Cortex XDR
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Palo Alto Networks
    The support we receive from Palo Alto is one of the best aspects of Traps. It is very easy to recommend their support. It seems much easier to connect directly with someone with a deep understanding of the product rather than other companies where you basically have to make an airtight case that it is some kind of non-standard issue that can't be solved with existing documentation. Palo Alto digs deep and helps with advanced troubleshooting to get things working.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Defender for Business has better reporting and incident response. There is limited client rollout due to being integrated with Windows. Microsoft Defender for Business is much better at identifying asset risks and giving a broad security overview. Because we moved to Microsoft 365 to access the Office applications and Exchange online, Microsoft Defender for Business was essentially cost free to us. Where Microsoft Defender for Business falls short in comparison to Sophos is that it requires integration with Intune to enforce many of the physical controls that Sophos offers in their client.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Palo Alto Networks
    Traps is the slickest interface, easy to use and intuitive rule making, and the rest just didn't quite stack up to the performance level of Traps. McAfee and Kaspersky just hog processor and RAM power. I didn't like the interface and functionality of SentinelOne as much as Traps. Palo Alto really put a lot of time into the development of this software, and had some of the founding fathers of IT Security heading the development process. Can't beat that.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Microsoft
    • Improved cybersecurity
    • Learning curve
    • Resource consumption
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Palo Alto Networks
    • After putting Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR on a user's system, users came back with a positive response that there are no performance issues now.
    • We are able to track and control granular suspicious and malicious activities.
    • Web controls are missing, which if they would have been there would have been very helpful.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Screenshots

    Screenshot of a Cortex XDR overviewScreenshot of a view of the Cortex XDR dashboardScreenshot of a view of the Cortex XDR dashboardScreenshot of a view of the Cortex XDR dashboard