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Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting vs Upwind comparison

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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

Microsoft Defender Experts ...
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
18th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Upwind
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
28th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (40th), Container Security (27th), Software Composition Analysis (SCA) (20th), Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) (18th), API Security (12th), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (25th), Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) (16th), Attack Surface Management (ASM) (28th), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (13th), Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) (18th), Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) (8th), Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) (7th), Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) (14th), AI Security (10th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is 1.3%, down from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Upwind is 0.1%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting1.3%
Upwind0.1%
Other98.6%
Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
 

Featured Reviews

Joe Cicero - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Marketing Officer at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Proactive threat hunting has strengthened our defenses and provides expert support for incidents
Proactive threat hunting as well as the Ask an Expert feature, which is a button inside of the XDR portal that becomes available when the customer owns Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting, are the best features it offers. If a customer or one of our analysts needs extra support or has a question about a Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting notification, they can click on that button and chat directly with a Microsoft security analyst to get more information or fill in any gaps regarding the Ask an Expert feature. Improved detection rates are one of the specific outcomes that show the positive impact because Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is a second set of eyes or a second team looking for emerging threats within a shared customer's environment. For us, the proactive approach that Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is always running is valuable, and we see those alerts pop up inside of our incident queues in Microsoft Sentinel and we respond and acknowledge them. In many cases, Microsoft might see an alert from a zero-day that we aren't even aware of yet or the industry isn't aware of yet and we see that tagged within our incident queue, which allows us to follow up with it much sooner than had we had to search and detect for it ourselves. Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting helps my customers detect or prevent emerging threats that are not yet published but Microsoft has visibility into. Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting's reporting and analytics are clear and actionable, and the fact that it's tied to the MITRE framework puts it all in a common language. Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting helps my customers comply with industry regulations or standards, though I am unsure how, but many have requirements for threat hunting and this checks that box. Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting helps my team respond to incidents by providing a backstop, which does speed up the process and improve outcomes.
Mohammed Mudasser - PeerSpot reviewer
AI/ML Engineer at a educational organization with 5,001-10,000 employees
Runtime context has transformed how we prioritize exploitable cloud risks and protect workloads
I appreciate runtime context, which helps connect vulnerabilities and misconfigurations with actual workload behavior and network relationships, making it easier to prioritize remediation based on real exposure rather than simply working through a long list of security findings. The best features that stand out to me are contextual vulnerability prioritization, cloud workload visibility, and runtime security. I especially value how Upwind connects vulnerabilities with actual runtime behavior, which helps focus on exploitable risk rather than working through a long list of findings. It has helped us focus on actual exploitable risk instead of treating every vulnerability equally. By considering runtime activity, exposure, reachability, and sensitive data context, the team can prioritize remediation much faster and reduce unnecessary alert noise. I also value the runtime visibility and attack path context because it connects security findings with network behavior and actual workload. This makes investigations more actionable and helps the team move from simply detecting issues to understanding their real impact. The biggest positive impact has been the prioritization of cloud security risk and improved visibility. Instead of chasing every vulnerability, we can focus on issues that are actually exposed or active at runtime, which makes the security team more efficient and remediation more targeted.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The best feature of this solution is that it is an integrated and comprehensive solution for the entire Microsoft ecosystem."
"Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting helps my customers detect or prevent emerging threats that are not yet published but Microsoft has visibility into."
"What really stands out about Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is that it's easy to use, the cost is clear, and the pricing is transparent, with straightforward onboarding in hybrid, cloud, or on-premise environments."
"The solution helps to detect some suspicious items for us and our clients."
"Easy to use is what my customers say is the biggest benefit of Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting for them."
"My advice for others looking into using Upwind is that if you are seeking a strong CNAPP with an advanced runtime and strong CDR capabilities, this is the product."
"The combination of runtime visibility, security insights, and contextual risk prioritization makes it much easier to focus on the risks that actually matter."
"They are a great overall cloud security platform and they continue innovating and adding new features."
"Now, thanks to Upwind, everything is automated and I am saving around six hours per week since switching to Upwind."
"Upwind has positively impacted my organization by reducing time to action and time to response by half."
 

Cons

"The price of the solution is costly, which I find significant."
"There is a lot of change in a small period. This might not be helpful for IT administrators and users."
"As a partner, Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting could be improved by getting earlier threat detection signals so we could proactively research on our own end and help support a campaign to raise awareness as well as proactive response."
"The solution’s user interface could be improved."
"We tried the proactive threat hunting feature, but it was not a good experience with Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting. It created more trouble than expected with false positives and non-expected answers."
"I believe the user interface can use improvement because some features are quite tricky to find since they are not where you would expect them to be, but with enough time, you are able to find them."
"Upwind can be improved because its UI is a bit difficult to navigate."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
20%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Outsourcing Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Healthcare Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting?
As a partner, Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting could be improved by getting earlier threat detection signals so we could proactively research on our own end and help support a campaign to rai...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting?
As a working security partner, my main use case for Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is that many of our customers also have Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting and really find a lot of va...
What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting?
As a partner, there can be some concern that Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is taking away some of our business because they're providing a solution that we also provide. However, the t...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Upwind?
The pricing, setup cost, and licensing process were pretty reasonable.
What needs improvement with Upwind?
I would appreciate more customizable dashboards and reporting for different teams, such as security operations, engineering, and leadership. The runtime context is excellent, but tailoring those vi...
What is your primary use case for Upwind?
My main use case for Upwind is cloud security and workload protection. I primarily use it to gain visibility into cloud assets, vulnerabilities, and runtime risks, and I mainly use it to prioritize...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Upwind Security Upwind Platform for AWS Security Hub, Upwind Security Upwind for AWS Security Hub Extended
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
StockX, Yotpo, bill, Digital Turbine, nanit, CallRail, boomi
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting vs. Upwind and other solutions. Updated: October 2026.
921,523 professionals have used our research since 2012.