

Forescout Platform and Microsoft Defender for Cloud compete in the network security and cloud management market. Forescout seems to have the upper hand in environments with mixed infrastructure, whereas Microsoft Defender's strength lies in Azure integration.
Features: Forescout Platform provides comprehensive endpoint visibility, policy flexibility, and extensive integration capabilities, excelling in network access control without relying on 802.1x. It is adept at distinguishing between guest and corporate endpoints and offers robust deployment options. Microsoft Defender for Cloud offers strong integration within Microsoft's suite and excels in multi-cloud security oversight. It provides extensive compliance and threat protection features with a core strength in Azure integration and effective policy recommendations.
Room for Improvement: Forescout could enhance custom policy creation and integration with third-party vendors, along with improvements in reporting features. Issues like false positives and pricing are concerns. Microsoft Defender for Cloud needs better end-user flexibility in handling false positives and should refine AI-driven recommendations. Licensing complexities and cost issues are noted challenges for users.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Forescout excels in on-premises environments, having a strong presence in traditional networks, and its customer service is very responsive. However, there are mixed reviews about technical support. Microsoft Defender for Cloud excels in cloud environments with high marks for seamless integration across Microsoft products and customer service, but licensing complexities and support response times have been criticized.
Pricing and ROI: Forescout's pricing is high with variable licensing models and can add up quickly, though it offers value in environments requiring robust network access controls. Microsoft Defender for Cloud offers competitive pricing when bundled with Microsoft's suite but may be costly for smaller users needing full feature access. Both solutions offer a substantial investment justified by enhanced security and operational efficiencies.
We assess Forescout Platform's device inventory for helping track vulnerabilities and ensure patch compliance through penetration testing.
Defender proactively indexes and analyzes documents, identifying potential threats even when inactive, enhancing preventative security.
Identifying potential vulnerabilities has helped us avoid costly data losses.
Compared to not having Microsoft Defender for Cloud in place, we definitely saw an advantage by not having downtime due to a security threat.
We have had experience with their technical support and must pay additionally for maintenance, support, and regional service.
Since security is critical, we prefer a quicker response time.
The support team was very responsive to queries.
They understand their product, but much like us, they struggle with the finer details, especially with new features.
Scalability can be costly since a physical box needs to be installed for every site.
As we have reduced our on-premises infrastructure, it is about how we can migrate workloads to the cloud to make it easier, and then having everything fully encompassed and secured within that area makes it much easier for us to scale as needed and grow.
We are using infrastructure as a code, so we do not have any scalability issues with Microsoft Defender for Cloud implementation because our cloud automatically does it.
It has multiple licenses and features, covering infrastructures from a hundred to five hundred virtual machines, without any issues.
I would rate its stability as 9.5 out of ten.
Defender's stability has been flawless for us.
I have not experienced any crashes or downtime.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is very stable.
It would help if during integration, an admin user could check the password or credential used, as they currently cannot see the password after it is entered and saved.
Forescout Platform could enhance its integration of AI to improve IoT and OT device security to better meet our needs.
Easier integration through APIs to automation platforms is something that would really help us when it comes to future requirements or future features that we're looking for from Forescout Platform.
Microsoft, in general, could significantly improve its communication and support.
It would be beneficial to streamline recommendations to avoid unnecessary alerts and to refine the severity of alerts based on specific environments or environmental attributes.
The artificial intelligence features could be expanded to allow the system to autonomously manage security issues without needing intervention from admins.
Installing a physical box on each site can be expensive.
The overall pricing of Forescout Platform is reasonable for the functionality it provides.
The price of Forescout Platform is reasonable and not overly costly.
Security has essentially no cost when compared to the cost of a breach.
Every time we consider expanding usage, we carefully evaluate the necessity due to cost concerns.
We appreciate the licensing approach based on employee count rather than a big enterprise license.
Automated threat response helps manage potential breaches very much, because that's something that is very critical, especially to overcome zero-day attacks.
One of the most valuable features of Forescout Platform is its automation, particularly the ability to automate remediation of rogue devices on the network.
The most effective feature has been network access management, which has been crucial for our primary use cases in the organization.
The most valuable feature for me is the variety of APIs available.
This feature significantly aids in threat detection and enhances the user experience by streamlining security management.
The most valuable feature is the recommendations provided on how to improve security.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Forescout Platform | 8.6% |
| Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) | 18.6% |
| Aruba ClearPass | 18.0% |
| Other | 54.8% |
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Defender for Cloud | 13.2% |
| AWS GuardDuty | 10.4% |
| Wiz | 9.3% |
| Other | 67.1% |

| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 30 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 10 |
| Large Enterprise | 45 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 30 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 13 |
| Large Enterprise | 49 |
Forescout Platform provides comprehensive device visibility and asset management without requiring agent installation. It strengthens network access control and endpoint compliance, integrating flexibly with zero-trust architecture.
Forescout Platform offers organizations a robust solution for maintaining network security by enabling detailed monitoring of connected devices and enforcing compliance policies across IT and OT networks. Effective in sectors like finance, healthcare, and manufacturing, it controls unauthorized access, authenticates, quarantines, and remediates noncompliant devices while supporting both on-premises and cloud environments. Notable for its third-party integration, easy configuration, and customizable threat responses, Forescout Platform aids in efficient security measure maintenance.
What are the key features?Forescout Platform finds widespread adoption across industries like finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. It is particularly valued for enforcing cybersecurity measures and maintaining compliance in diverse operational environments, handling network access and device management challenges efficiently.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a comprehensive security platform offering integration with Microsoft services, multi-cloud capability, AI-driven threat detection, compliance, and unified visibility for improved security operations.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud manages security operations by integrating with Microsoft services and supporting multi-cloud environments. Its features include AI-driven threat detection, compliance oversight, and advanced threat protection. It simplifies processes with unified visibility, threat intelligence, and automated workflows, enhancing security posture across various workloads. Despite its robust capabilities, improvements are needed in third-party tool integration, comprehensive AI-driven remediation, and a more intuitive dashboard. Users report complexity in licensing, inadequate documentation, and high costs, with room for enhancements in compliance reporting and multi-cloud support.
What are the key features of Microsoft Defender for Cloud?Industries leverage Microsoft Defender for Cloud for security posture management and endpoint protection. Many companies integrate it with Office 365 for enhanced functionality. It provides comprehensive security overviews by monitoring cloud vulnerabilities, limiting unauthorized access, and replacing existing tools with its extensive capabilities from network security to compliance checks, securing Azure infrastructure, and enhancing client security.
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