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Cortex XSIAM vs Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management 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

Cortex XSIAM
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) (13th), Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) (5th), AI-Powered Cybersecurity Platforms (7th)
Microsoft Defender External...
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
Attack Surface Management (ASM) (13th), Microsoft Security Suite (32nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Security Software solutions, they serve different purposes. Cortex XSIAM is designed for Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and holds a mindshare of 2.9%, up 1.5% compared to last year.
Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management, on the other hand, focuses on Attack Surface Management (ASM), holds 3.1% mindshare, up 2.8% since last year.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cortex XSIAM2.9%
Wazuh10.9%
Splunk Enterprise Security9.3%
Other76.9%
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
Attack Surface Management (ASM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management3.1%
CrowdStrike Falcon11.9%
Darktrace7.9%
Other77.1%
Attack Surface Management (ASM)
 

Featured Reviews

AKASH MAJUMDER - PeerSpot reviewer
Incident response times have significantly reduced with efficient device integration and log parsing capabilities
Cortex XSIAM needs improvements in terms of data onboarding, parsers, and third-party integration supports. Additionally, a future update request is to enable tagging of endpoints in groups, similar to a feature available in Cortex XDR. The AI analytics need fine-tuning because some use cases are not working from my side.
AndyChan3 - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced visibility and exposes vulnerabilities but needs more integration
I am currently in the pilot stage of implementing Microsoft External Attack Surface Management (EASM). My organization is transitioning to a comprehensive track of Microsoft solutions, and we will move to full-scale production in another year, maybe Microsoft External Attack Surface Management…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"One of the valued aspects of the product is its use of artificial intelligence to detect security vulnerabilities."
"The most valuable feature is the integration capability."
"One of the valued aspects of the product is its use of artificial intelligence to detect security vulnerabilities."
"The most valuable aspect is that Cortex XSIAM doesn't generate excessive alerts, refines all search results effectively, and filters out incidents where SOC intervention isn't necessary, allowing engineers to focus only on what matters."
"The automation capabilities significantly improve response times by allowing us to respond to incidents from a single dashboard rather than navigating multiple dashboards."
"The product integrates seamlessly with third-party solutions."
"Its ability to deliver a substantial amount of security intelligence greatly enhances and optimizes our security operations program."
"Since implementing Cortex XSIAM, incident response times have been significantly reduced by approximately twenty percent."
"Microsoft External Attack Surface Management helps improve the visibility of my exposed vulnerabilities and provides an overview of my security posture across the globe."
"It seems to be better at protecting from cyberattacks."
"Microsoft External Attack Surface Management helps improve the visibility of my exposed vulnerabilities and provides an overview of my security posture across the globe."
 

Cons

"Cortex XSIAM is pretty expensive, and the licensing process is not very comfortable compared to CrowdStrike."
"There is room for improvement in expanding integrations to include more cybersecurity solutions."
"The standard integrations are very limited, and the integrations available are not listed in the marketplace."
"The first impression is that XSIAM would be more expensive than others we tried."
"I am not sure if any improvements are needed right now."
"The standard integrations are very limited, and the integrations available are not listed in the marketplace. Obtaining validation for integrations from Palo Alto takes around eight months, which is quite long."
"It could provide more integration with a large variety of products."
"Further integration capabilities with various other software products that can seamlessly tie into Cortex XSIAM would be advantageous."
"The integration is not as seamless compared to competitors like Palo Alto."
"With Microsoft, support is always crazy, it's not easy to get support."
"Further integration across different Microsoft products would be an improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"In terms of pricing, we found Cortex XSIAM to offer a very reasonable and competitive rate."
"The solution comes at a significant cost."
"The product cost could be considered value for money compared to other solutions in the market, though it is quite high."
"Since Palo Alto is trying to get as many new customers as possible, they're offering very competitive pricing."
"The solution is expensive compared to its competitors."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Energy/Utilities Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cortex XSIAM?
It is an effective solution in terms of performance and functionalities.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cortex XSIAM?
The cost of Cortex XSIAM in the India market differs from other regions. When considering competition, from a sales perspective, the pricing is acceptable.
What needs improvement with Cortex XSIAM?
Cortex XSIAM is on the expensive side and requires substantial improvement in pricing. There are other features that could be improved, including integration with vendors such as CyberArk. I would ...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management?
Further integration across different Microsoft products would be an improvement. Introduction of more AI automation into the products would also be beneficial. The integration is not as seamless co...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management?
I am currently in the pilot stage of implementing Microsoft External Attack Surface Management (EASM). My organization is transitioning to a comprehensive track of Microsoft solutions, and we will ...
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Splunk, Wazuh, Microsoft and others in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM). Updated: September 2025.
868,229 professionals have used our research since 2012.