


Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum compete in the endpoint protection category. Microsoft Defender seems to have an upper hand due to its seamless integration with Windows and Microsoft services, contributing to a comprehensive security ecosystem, although Kaspersky is noted for its precise malware detection capabilities.
Features: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offers built-in protection with seamless integration into Windows, providing anti-malware and real-time protection. It ensures minimal impact on device resources, with features like automation in threat handling and configuration simplicity. Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum is recognized for its precise malware detection, advanced threat detection, and automation of threat responses. Its comprehensive dashboard aids detailed threat analysis, providing strong security through machine learning and behavioral analysis.
Room for Improvement: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint could enhance support for AI coding environments, improve visibility into Windows services for Linux V2, and broaden third-party integration. Some users experience issues with customer support responsiveness and configuration complexity, particularly for non-Windows systems. Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum could strengthen internet protection features, improve scalability, and enhance integration with other security systems. Users desire greater ease in setup and management, along with better automation for administrative tasks.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides diverse deployment options, including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, offering organizational flexibility. However, customer experiences with support vary, particularly regarding response times and effectiveness. Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum focuses on on-premises deployment, facing some challenges with cloud integration. While deployment is typically straightforward, users demand more intuitive interfaces and clearer support communication.
Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is cost-effective, especially when bundled with Microsoft licenses such as E3 or E5, although standalone licensing can be expensive. Its integration with Microsoft services provides a broad feature set at competitive pricing, resulting in a positive ROI. Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum offers attractive pricing for organizations with limited budgets, with additional modules potentially incurring extra fees. Despite this, both solutions demonstrate a positive return on investment by protecting organizations from threats.
They appreciate the rich telemetry data from the solution, as it provides in-depth threat identification.
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks helps to reduce my total cost of ownership significantly.
In Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks, most of the remediation is automated and the accuracy is quite good.
I have observed value for money from Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum.
Without detection and protection measures, organizations would face substantial payments and reputational damage, including the necessity to inform customers about data breaches, potentially leading to loss of business.
We have seen a return on investment when using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, as it saves labor by reducing the need for staff to focus on it.
The biggest return on investment for me when using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is the time saving.
The technical support from Palo Alto deserves a mark of ten because they reach out within an hour whenever assistance is needed.
There is no back and forth, and they know what we are asking for and come up with the best resolution for a solution.
If any of these services are missed, it becomes a problem in terms of support tickets, follow-up, or special configuration that needs to be done in the system.
Compared to other solution providers, the responses are not very clear when we need support.
We usually solve issues ourselves due to our experience, as paid support is not used.
For technical support, Kaspersky provides two kinds: purchased support for real-time assistance and normal support during working hours.
The Microsoft agent, who did not actually work for Microsoft, is one of the vendors that Microsoft uses for support, said, 'Just to set expectations, my lunch break is in an hour and I am going to go away then.'
The level-one support seems disconnected from subject matter experts.
I rate Microsoft support 10 out of 10.
You can onboard 10,000 endpoints in just hours, which demonstrates the excellent scalability of this product.
Activating the newly purchased licenses is instantaneous, allowing installations without adjustments since it's cloud-based.
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks can be expanded anytime by purchasing another license without any issues related to scalability.
Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum can expand from Endpoint Detection and Response to Extended Detection and Response and then threat intelligence solutions.
It is very easy for me to scale.
Currently, I find it good and easily scalable.
We managed to scale it out in a short amount of time, with two months of planning and three months of implementation on 10,000 computers.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is scalable enough to handle various devices across environments, whether they are laptops, Android devices, or operating in hybrid environments.
Compatibility is its main feature.
Cortex remains fast and responsive, even with increasing data and alerts.
The thresholds we've seen on our firewall boxes at some instances reached 80% to 85%, but even at that level of utilization, we don't observe any latency or any issues reported with respect to accessing the application.
Cortex XDR is stable, offering high quality and reliable performance.
The solution is highly stable, scoring more than nine in terms of protection.
Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum is stable.
I would rate stability for Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum as nine; it is pretty stable, a very good, stable product.
I haven't seen any outages with Microsoft.
I rate Defender 10 out of 10 for stability.
Defender for Endpoint is extremely stable.
Improving reporting and dashboard customization, along with the addition of real-time and exportable reports, would help SOC teams greatly.
The inclusion of this feature would allow the application of DLP policies alongside antivirus policies via a single agent and console, making it more competitive as other OEMs often offer DLP solutions as part of their antivirus products.
If the per GB data could be provided at a certain level free of cost or at the same cost which the customer is taking for the entire bundle, that would be better.
To increase the benefits of the product, Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service from Kaspersky should be included.
The uninstallation needs better handling, specifically with automatic license deletions.
SonicWall can integrate with other products such as Sophos, SentinelOne, and several others, but not with Kaspersky.
Repeated interactions are necessary due to Level One's lack of tools and knowledge, hindering efficient problem-solving and negatively impacting our experience with Microsoft support.
In contrast, competing products offer reduced pricing for long-term commitments, which makes it difficult for us in that environment.
We use Microsoft partners to help govern the platform, and as part of an alliance, we want to gather data from each tenant and combine them for a complete view.
The pricing on SentinelOne is far more reasonable and cheaper than Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks.
I would say it is definitely not a cheap product, considering how mature it is and how scalable all Palo Alto products are together.
Cortex XDR is perceived as expensive by some customers, yet offers dynamic pricing.
Kaspersky is very cheap compared to solutions like CrowdStrike or other vendors.
The value from Kaspersky is very good, especially since we recently got a special deal.
Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum is reasonably priced for the market.
That has been the trend we have seen with Microsoft lately—it is just getting more and more expensive.
The standalone option can feel expensive if you opt for full P2 coverage.
Given our extensive Microsoft licensing, transitioning to Defender for Endpoint did not affect licensing costs.
It incorporates AI for normal behavior detection, distinguishing unusual operations.
The product provides automation responses in case of a threat attack, severity assessments, centralized manageability, and comprehensive compliance features, resulting in reduced costs.
It includes machine learning to easily analyze data and detect complex threats across endpoints, networks, or clouds.
It fulfills security and protection requirements against newly discovered malware, especially ransomware attacks.
Threat Response Automation in Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum is quite effective for enhancing security.
In the past month, we encountered an unknown type of malware, but the behavior was sufficient for Kaspersky to isolate the network based on this behavior, which proved very efficient.
Defender for Endpoint's coverage across different platforms in our environment is pretty good. We have devices running Linux, Mac OS, Windows, iOS, and Android. It covers all of them.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides a unified management interface allowing customers to manage their on-premises and hybrid infrastructures from a single pane.
One of the best features of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is its database for identifying zero-day attacks or malware attacks.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Defender for Endpoint | 7.2% |
| Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks | 3.6% |
| Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum | 1.0% |
| Other | 88.2% |



| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 45 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 20 |
| Large Enterprise | 48 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 15 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 6 |
| Large Enterprise | 6 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 81 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 42 |
| Large Enterprise | 95 |
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks provides advanced threat detection with AI-driven endpoint protection and seamless integration, ensuring multi-layered security and automatic threat response.
Cortex XDR is designed to safeguard endpoints against malware and suspicious activities. It offers advanced threat detection and response capabilities using behavioral analysis, AI, and machine learning. It seamlessly integrates with security infrastructures, providing endpoint security, firewall integration, and enhanced visibility in both cloud-based and on-premises environments.
What are the key features of Cortex XDR?Organizations in diverse sectors deploy Cortex XDR to protect against malware, leveraging its advanced threat detection capabilities. Its integration with existing security infrastructures appeals to those seeking comprehensive protection in both cloud and on-premises environments, providing enhanced visibility and threat intelligence.
Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum provides swift threat detection and response, enhancing device and vulnerability management via an intuitive dashboard.
With features like automated threat detection, advanced encryption, and centralized reporting, Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum elevates security management. Its cloud console supports incident analysis, while behavior analysis and machine learning offer robust network insights. Despite integration challenges with firewalls and setup complexities, it ensures endpoint protection through features like malware detection and zero-day attack monitoring, proven valuable in medium to small business environments.
What are the key features?Implementation of Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum in industries often focuses on protecting devices like laptops and servers against threats such as malware, utilizing features like USB protection and endpoint encryption. Organizations also leverage centralized management and patch management for improved efficiency and effectiveness.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides comprehensive threat protection that integrates well with current systems, offering proactive threat detection and automatic updates while reducing manual efforts.
The platform is designed for seamless integration with Microsoft products, facilitating efficient management and use. It offers proactive ransomware protection and valuable threat intelligence, crucial for timely response and increased visibility across devices. Users highlight its ability to secure endpoints from viruses and malware, integrating with Windows and Office 365 to enhance real-time detection capabilities in diverse environments, including hybrid and on-premises setups. However, enhancements are needed in Linux integration, detection accuracy, and policy implementations.
What are the key features of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is implemented across industries for securing endpoints, relying on its deep integration with Windows and Office 365 to protect against malware and viruses. Organizations benefit from its real-time detection and comprehensive management capabilities, particularly in hybrid environments where diverse digital infrastructures need safeguarding.
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