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Gurucul UEBA vs Microsoft Defender for Identity 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

Gurucul UEBA
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
User Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) (7th)
Microsoft Defender for Iden...
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (5th), Microsoft Security Suite (3rd), Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Security Software solutions, they serve different purposes. Gurucul UEBA is designed for User Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) and holds a mindshare of 3.3%, up 3.0% compared to last year.
Microsoft Defender for Identity, on the other hand, focuses on Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR), holds 15.4% mindshare, down 23.9% since last year.
User Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Gurucul UEBA3.3%
Exabeam9.6%
IBM Security QRadar9.3%
Other77.8%
User Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA)
Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Defender for Identity15.4%
CrowdStrike Falcon15.6%
Microsoft Entra ID Protection12.2%
Other56.8%
Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR)
 

Featured Reviews

Ravi Shekharan - PeerSpot reviewer
Helped reduce our operational costs and increase our efficiency, but it can be more user-friendly
Regarding the prioritization of threats, Gurucul UEBA needs to enhance its alert severity assignment process within the system. This is one area where Gurucul UEBA could improve. Additionally, it would be beneficial if the tool itself could provide or assign user-based or asset-based CI ratings to allow for a more accurate assessment of alert severity. In our environment, we forward these logs, events, and alerts to SIM, where the CI rating is already present. Therefore, if we need to closely investigate a UEBA case directly, it becomes problematic. Gurucul UEBA should proactively incorporate asset-based or user-based CI severity into its design. Gurucul UEBA needs to be more user-friendly. I would like Gurucul UEBA to be able to integrate with legacy-based identity systems and systems that are performing network-based access control. This would require additional integration and playbook models.
Peter Arabomen - PeerSpot reviewer
Has supported hybrid identity management while integrating well with cloud directory services
The only challenge I have with Microsoft Defender for Identity is the latency. I may not put that entirely on Microsoft, because latency could be network related. At times when trying to authenticate, the prompt is delayed. We tried implementing passwordless authentication, especially for on-premises workloads, but we haven't been able to achieve that. Passwordless authentication is part of the identity functionalities, particularly when it comes to enforcing passwordless for on-premises workloads. In terms of improvements, you can't create OUs on Azure AD. Regarding giving users privileges on what they can do across different OUs, I haven't seen that feature on Microsoft Defender for Identity. Microsoft Defender for Identity needs to be able to plug into third-party applications that are not Microsoft. For instance, with a human resource application used to manage users and leave requests, when staff leaves the organization, they are first exited from that application before AD. Integration between Azure AD and third-party applications would allow automatic syncing when removing staff. The initial setup of Microsoft Defender for Identity is not hard. However, setup is one thing, and getting value from the application end-to-end is another. It can be set up and running from the first day but not functioning optimally. Initially, when we did the setup, it wasn't optimal. Over time, with continuous improvement, which we're still doing, we've gotten to a comfortable level, but there's still room for improvement.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"If you are genuinely looking for a UEBA solution, you should choose Gurucul confidently if your need is strictly UEBA."
"I appreciate the comprehensive categorization of devices based on their intended use, such as those for DNS."
"The most valuable feature of Gurucul is the ability to customize and it is on the Hadoop platform that has a lot of flexibility."
"The reporting feature was the key differentiator. I also liked the ability to create dynamic rules in the environment."
"The most valuable feature is its hybrid artificial intelligence, which gathers forensic data to track and counteract security threats, much like the CSI series in effect."
"Microsoft Defender for Identity provides excellent visibility into threats by leveraging real-time analytics and data intelligence."
"It automates routine testing and helps automate the finding of high-value alerts."
"The solution offers excellent visibility into threats."
"The solution’s alerting is fairly efficient."
"It is easy to set up. Based on the number of devices you would like to set up, you can use scripts, Group Policy, etc. It takes five minutes to set up."
"We do not see any issues with the stability of Microsoft Defender for Identity. I can say it is 100% stable."
"I recommend Microsoft Defender for Identity because it is easy to implement."
 

Cons

"Technical support is good but can improve. I would rate it six to seven out of ten. The main issue is response time, which can take three to four hours even for simple queries."
"Regarding the prioritization of threats, Gurucul UEBA needs to enhance its alert severity assignment process within the system."
"Gurucul can improve on the online documentation. They should educate the end users more to allow them to do everything themselves."
"It could be more stable."
"Fixing the solution isn't very seamless."
"One improvement I would recommend is the integration of an admin application within Teams, allowing easy access to attack information on a mobile platform to promptly alert affected users and their friends."
"The areas of Microsoft Defender for Identity that can be improved include its cost, which is quite expensive when integrated into Sentinel. Additionally, there is room for improvement in its integration with non-Microsoft applications and systems."
"The technical support needs significant improvement. Documentation for more minor issues in the form of guides or walkthroughs could help to resolve this issue. The number of tickets raised would decrease, removing some pressure from the support team and making it easier to clear the remaining tickets."
"The impact of the sensors on the domain controllers can be quite high depending on your loads. I don't know if there's any room for improvement there, but that's one of the things that might be improved."
"An area for improvement is the administrative interface. It's basic compared to other administrative centers. They could make it more user-friendly and easier to navigate."
"The tracking instance needs to be configured appropriately."
"One potential area for improvement could be exploring flexibility in the installation of Microsoft Defender for Identity agents."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is fair. In fact, I believe it was on the cheaper side when compared to the competition."
"The price of Gurucul is competitive."
"You won't be able to change your tenants from where you deploy them. For example, if you select Canada, they will charge you based on Canadian pricing. If you are also in London, when you deploy in Canada, the pound is higher than Canadian dollars, but your platform resources are billable in Canadian dollars. Using your pounds to pay for any of these things will be cheaper. Or, if you deploy in London, they will charge you based on your local currency."
"Defender for Identity is a little more expensive than other Microsoft products. Identity and Microsoft Defender for Cloud are both a bit costly."
"Microsoft Defender for Identity comes as part of the Microsoft E5 licensing stack."
"The product is costly, and we had multiple discussions with accounting to receive a discounted rate. However, on the open market, the tool is expensive."
"It is very affordable considering that other SIEM solutions are much more expensive and have many more licensing restrictions and fees."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Healthcare Company
7%
Insurance Company
5%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise14
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Gurucul?
I appreciate the comprehensive categorization of devices based on their intended use, such as those for DNS.
What needs improvement with Gurucul?
For improvement, I have requested three enhancement tickets, which are already lodged with the Gurucul support team. The first request is to add a visualization option in reports for charts or grap...
What is your primary use case for Gurucul?
Regarding the use cases, I have created many use cases in Gurucul UEBA. It's easy to create use cases based on behaviors.
What do you like most about Microsoft Defender for Identity?
Microsoft Defender for Identity provides excellent visibility into threats by leveraging real-time analytics and data intelligence.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Identity?
Microsoft can improve Microsoft Defender for Identity by ensuring that installation prerequisites are included in the setup process. Installing the solution presents challenges as numerous logs and...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender for Identity?
My personal use case for Microsoft Defender for Identity is that it is amazing. It provides very good and deep analytics about whatever is happening in the on-premises Active Directory. The sensors...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Azure Advanced Threat Protection, Azure ATP, MS Defender for Identity
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Global semi-conductor company
Microsoft Defender for Identity is trusted by companies such as St. Luke’s University Health Network, Ansell, and more.
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM, Exabeam, Cynet and others in User Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA). Updated: August 2025.
868,229 professionals have used our research since 2012.