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Check Point CloudGuard Cloud Intelligence and Threat Hunting vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Check Point CloudGuard Clou...
Ranking in Cloud Detection and Response (CDR)
8th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Ranking in Cloud Detection and Response (CDR)
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
87
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (6th), Container Management (7th), Container Security (7th), Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) (1st), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (4th), Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) (4th), Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) (5th), Microsoft Security Suite (7th), Compliance Management (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) category, the mindshare of Check Point CloudGuard Cloud Intelligence and Threat Hunting is 1.6%. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Cloud is 15.4%, down from 21.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Defender for Cloud15.4%
Check Point CloudGuard Cloud Intelligence and Threat Hunting1.6%
Other83.0%
Cloud Detection and Response (CDR)
 

Featured Reviews

YeAung - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at ATG Systems
Improved investigation efficiency and visibility while custom reporting and integration need enhancement
I would like to see more flexibility in creating custom and scheduled reports in Check Point CloudGuard Cloud Intelligence and Threat Hunting. For example, being able to generate a weekly threat activity summary to specify business unit or cloud account would make it easier to share insights with management and non-technical stakeholders. More native integration with SIEM and SOAR platforms like QRadar, ServiceNow, etc., would reduce manual effort. That way, incidents surfaced in CloudGuard could automatically flow into existing workflows without extra connectors. Adding a way to tag, annotate, or assign investigations inside the platform would make it easier for teams to collaborate without switching to another tool.
David Birhange - PeerSpot reviewer
Director, Cloud and Modern Workplace at Informanix Technology Group
Brings together cloud security insights through a unified view and supports agentless protection for virtual machines
Copilot and similar features are already being used, though not necessarily for Microsoft Defender for Cloud specifically. We are trying to get more experience before rolling out most of Microsoft Defender for Cloud's AI capabilities. This is definitely on our to-do list, and the priority is urgent as we seek to learn more about these capabilities. The GenAI threat protection from Microsoft Defender for Cloud has not been enabled yet. There are many unknowns with AI applications. AI agents will operate while you're not present, whether you are sleeping or awake, and it's unclear whether there would be any exfiltration of data or how data is being managed. Microsoft Purview is being used extensively, and there is significant development going on with DSPM that will be rolled out to address security concerns. Data labeling and proper demarcation for sensitivity of data before it is received are being actively pursued.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"During testing, I consistently saw a 70 or 75% faster investigation and reduced analyst workload, which is a concrete way it can deliver our work."
"This solution helped me to improve and enhance our security posture."
"Check Point CloudGuard Cloud Intelligence and Threat Hunting made our work much easier as it serves as a centralized platform for all my cloud environment and provides workload protection such as malware protection for my entire cloud environment."
"The most valuable feature is the hunting feature, which integrates well into the entire Microsoft ecosystem."
"Microsoft Defender for Cloud has made our environment more secure."
"The most valuable feature for me is the variety of APIs available."
"The most valuable features are the security recommendations provided by Defender for Cloud."
"This is a platform as a service provided by Azure. We don't need to install or maintain Azure Security Center. It is a ready-made service available in Azure. This is one of the main things that we like. If you look at similar tools, we have to install, maintain, and update services. Whereas, Azure Security Center manages what we are using. This is a good feature that has helped us a lot."
"We saw improvement from a regulatory compliance perspective due to having a single dashboard."
"The solution's coordinated detection and response across devices and identities is impressive because it is complete."
"The most valuable features of the solution are the insights, meaning the remediation suggestions, as well as the incident alerts."
 

Cons

"Malware protection for my entire cloud environment is an area where improvements are needed."
"In my testing, Check Point CloudGuard Cloud Intelligence and Threat Hunting's scalability is not easy; it is a very challenging experience for me."
"The product can be improved by optimizing performance."
"Another thing is that Defender for Cloud uses more resources than CrowdStrike, which my current company uses. Defender for Cloud has two or three processes running simultaneously that consume memory and processor time. I had the chance to compare that with CrowdStrike a few days ago, which was significantly less. It would be nice if Defender were a little lighter. It's a relatively large installation that consumes more resources than competitors do."
"The pricing could be improved, as it is somewhat high for smaller companies."
"I recommend that they extend the scope for legacy infra assets."
"After getting a recommendation, it takes time for the solution to refresh properly to show that the problem has been eliminated."
"The product was a bit complex to set up earlier, however, it is a bit streamlined now."
"Sometimes it's very difficult to determine when I need Microsoft Defender for Cloud for a special resource group or a special kind of product."
"The user interface of Microsoft Defender for Cloud, like many Microsoft portals, undergoes frequent changes and feature relocation."
"Defender is occasionally unreliable. It isn't 100% efficient in terms of antivirus detection, but it isn't an issue most of the time. It's also somewhat difficult to train new security analysts to use Defender."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"Azure Defender is definitely pricey, but their competitors cost about the same. For example, a Palo Alto solution is the same price per endpoint, but the ground strikes cost a bit more than Azure Defender. Still, it's pricey for a company like ours. Maybe well-established organizations can afford it, but it might be too costly for a startup."
"The product's pricing policy is generally favorable."
"Our clients complain about the cost of Microsoft Defender for Cloud."
"I rate Microsoft Defender a three out of ten for affordability. The price could be a little lower."
"Defender's basic version is free, which is good. Many of our teams are evaluating the paid version against third-party products."
"Pricing is a consideration, but we strive to keep costs low by enabling only necessary services."
"It is bundled with our enterprise subscription, which makes it easy to go for it. It is available by default, and there is no extra cost for using the standard features."
"I am not involved much with the pricing but the bundle offering is good."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business27
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise49
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Check Point CloudGuard Cloud Intelligence and Threat Hunting?
I would like to see more flexibility in creating custom and scheduled reports in Check Point CloudGuard Cloud Intelligence and Threat Hunting. For example, being able to generate a weekly threat ac...
What is your primary use case for Check Point CloudGuard Cloud Intelligence and Threat Hunting?
I will honestly say that we are just testing Check Point CloudGuard Cloud Intelligence and Threat Hunting in my company. It is just for testing, not production. It has not been experienced for conf...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Check Point CloudGuard Cloud Intelligence and Threat Hunting?
The payment pricing is a business matter I discuss directly with the key account manager, and it's not something related directly to our technical team. I just go directly to the key account manage...
How is Prisma Cloud vs Azure Security Center for security?
Azure Security Center is very easy to use, integrates well, and gives very good visibility on what is happening across your ecosystem. It also has great remote workforce capabilities and supports a...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Cloud?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Microsoft Defender for Cloud was pretty straightforward. We did have a consultation with a third party to go over different tiers and produ...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Cloud?
Microsoft Defender for Cloud can be improved. An additional feature that should be included in the next release is Zero Trust, similar to ThreatLocker software.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Microsoft Azure Security Center, Azure Security Center, Microsoft ASC, Azure Defender
 

Interactive Demo

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is trusted by companies such as ASOS, Vatenfall, SWC Technology Partners, and more.
Find out what your peers are saying about Check Point CloudGuard Cloud Intelligence and Threat Hunting vs. Microsoft Defender for Cloud and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.