Microsoft Defender for Business vs Microsoft Defender for IoT comparison

Microsoft Defender for Business and Microsoft Defender for IoT are both solutions in the Microsoft Security Suite category. Microsoft Defender for Business is ranked #16 with an average rating of 7.5, while Microsoft Defender for IoT is ranked #24 with an average rating of 7.4. Microsoft Defender for Business holds a 3.5% mindshare in Microsoft Security Suite, compared to Microsoft Defender for IoT’s 1.0% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of Microsoft Defender for Business users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Microsoft Defender for IoT users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

Read 20 Microsoft Defender for Business reviews

4,629 Views
1,250 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender for IoT

Read 5 Microsoft Defender for IoT reviews

1,589 Views
254 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender for Busi...

Microsoft Defender for IoT

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Microsoft Defender for Business and Microsoft Defender for IoT based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Microsoft Security Suite solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Defender for Business vs. Microsoft Defender for IoT Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Business vs. Microsoft Defender for IoT

December 2025

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Helped 881,082 peers since 2012

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 for Busi...

Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite

16th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (18th)

Microsoft Defender for IoT

Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite

24th

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IoT Security (5th), Operational Technology (OT) Security (6th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Microsoft Security Suite category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Business is 3.5%, up from 3.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for IoT is 1.0%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Microsoft Security Suite Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Defender for Business	3.5%
Microsoft Defender for IoT	1.0%
Other	95.5%

Microsoft Security Suite

Featured Reviews

Takayuki-Umehara

Public Cloud Engineer at Prudential

Product deployment protects assets but needs improvement in system support

I am doing maintenance for Microsoft Defender for Business, and I'm currently working with it. We don't need to use the latest version of Microsoft Defender for Business. We still use the latest virus definition file that Microsoft Defender for Business has automatically updated. We implement a basic update mechanism. Our compliance division manages how many servers and PCs we have and whether those servers have antivirus solutions. I am not certain about how Microsoft Defender for Business helps with AI-driven security strategies. I just use it normally and don't know if it uses AI technology. I rate Microsoft Defender for Business a six out of ten.

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Amr Alaa

Principale Systems Architect at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Effective network monitoring with identified documentation improvements needed

The documentation for Microsoft Defender for IoT is lacking. There are no clear steps or guidance, and updates are frequent, which adds to the confusion. More detailed documentation with video instructions for tasks would be helpful. The system capabilities are not well-documented either. Importing device names and maintaining a list can be cumbersome, as it requires manual input for a large number of devices. The backup and restore process is limited to GUI for backup but lacks a GUI for restore, though future updates might address this. Sentinel documentation is also poor, with limited guidance available.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I haven't had any problems with the tool's stability."

"Microsoft Defender for Business is good for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers solid security flexibility and integration with tools like Microsoft Lighthouse and some other software. It takes some of the features of Defender for Endpoint EDR and provides those services for small and medium-sized business environments."

"Microsoft Defender for Business stands out due to its ease of use, particularly due to the fact that many of my customers already use Microsoft and Azure."

"Microsoft Defender for Business works well with the Microsoft Azure Security ecosystem, including Defender for Endpoint and Office 365 Cloud."

"Defender's main strength is its integration with Microsoft Sentinel, offering valuable insights."

"The solution is effective, continuously improving, and highly regarded, especially with Microsoft's leadership in the industry."

"Because Microsoft Defender for Business is a native solution to Microsoft 365, it has contributed to my organization's proactive defense strategies by saving time on integration."

"The security features in Microsoft Defender for Business that have been most effective for our company include the way it's built-in and intertwined into all the operating systems, giving us a good opportunity to holistically block things for the organization using that tenant."

More Microsoft Defender for Business pros

"I find Microsoft Defender very effective in vulnerability management and it provides good attack reduction, making it a next-generation protection solution."

"The graphics and analysis in Microsoft Defender for IoT are very representative."

"Some advantages of Microsoft Defender for IoT are that it's easy to install on any OS, and you can create any custom use cases easily."

"As a cybersecurity consultant, the best part of Microsoft Defender for IoT is the capability to integrate with other tools such as Microsoft Sentinel and receive real-time alerts from the product."

"Mainly, it is manageable and integrates with other Microsoft products, which is crucial for me."

"It is manageable and integrates with other Microsoft products, which is crucial for me."

"I believe it is best suited for cloud services and is unmatched by other cloud security solutions."

Cons

"The areas where Microsoft Defender for Business could improve include the support, installation process, and wiki. I should be able to find solutions to issues quickly without having to delve too deep."

"The biggest one is that Defender needs to be more proactive to the emerging threats. There can be tighter integration with email, especially how it integrates with our email system, which is the Microsoft Outlook suite. There should be the ability to react a lot quicker to emerging threats because sometimes, it takes a few days before some of these new threats are fully identified, and we need that to be a few hours."

"I see room for improvement in Microsoft Defender for Business, particularly regarding the consolidation of all security solutions in one place and the integration of AI and data security into the same platform."

"I have an open case for close to two months with no responses or updates, except for an email response, and I've made four or five phone calls regarding the Microsoft Interconnect for AD and cloud tenant."

"Additionally, the pricing policy poses a challenge, particularly in multi-year contracts, where other solutions like Trend Micro offer more affordable options."

"If I need logs and don't have local storage bundled with Defender, I need to add workspace and log analytics, which is costly for storing logs of 2 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB."

"We face a licensing issue with Windows 11 Enterprise not reflecting in our portal, which affects activation. Microsoft's support did not resolve this issue, even after sharing remote desktop and screen details."

"The threat detection capabilities require significant customization for multistage threat detection."

More Microsoft Defender for Business cons

"Microsoft Defender for IoT is not scalable. If you want to monitor another industrial network, you need an additional server, making it less scalable."

"There are a few limitations with Microsoft Defender for IoT. We raised concerns with the product team because they don't capture all the information regarding command execution or processes executed on certain endpoints."

"The only improvement I see is that some detection explanations are vaguely provided by Microsoft, resulting in generic IoT detections that alert me to an issue yet don't specify what's wrong."

"The primary area that needs improvement is compatibility with the latest IoT technologies."

"The documentation for Microsoft Defender for IoT is lacking. There are no clear steps or guidance, and updates are frequent, which adds to the confusion."

"The only improvement I see is that some detection explanations are vaguely provided by Microsoft, resulting in generic IoT detections that alert me to an issue yet don't specify what's wrong."

"Customer service and support from Microsoft are costly. The execution by engineers is expensive, and the service is neither free nor toll-free, making it less accessible for customers."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Defender for Business is included by default with an Office 365 premium subscription."

"The tool's cost has been a little high, but I do not think it was terrible."

"Since we're a nonprofit, we get pretty good discounts on the tool."

"It has to get more competitive because we are starting to see some of the competitors providing better pricing, and some of it, of course, is to gain market share. The Defender product pricing is probably a little higher than the competitors."

"The tool is cheap, while some other solutions are more expensive. I remember the tool cost about five euros for a workstation or for a user on a monthly basis."

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

16%

Computer Software Company

14%

Energy/Utilities Company

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	4

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Business?

Our thoughts on the pricing for Microsoft Defender for Business are that we wish it could be better. If the pricing was a little better, we would definitely increase what we currently have.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Business?

I see room for improvement in Microsoft Defender for Business, particularly regarding the consolidation of all security solutions in one place and the integration of AI and data security into the s...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Defender for Business?

I would rate this product an eight out of ten.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for IoT?

I find that Microsoft Defender for IoT itself is affordable.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for IoT?

I don't think I have any recommendation on improvements for Microsoft Defender for IoT because we don't use it too extensively. There are a few limitations with Microsoft Defender for IoT. We raise...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender for IoT?

Clients mainly use Microsoft Defender for IoT for unfamiliar sign-in attempts and Microsoft Defender EDRs. We are using use cases for unfamiliar sign-in and malicious activity, such as user sign-in...

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Comparisons

HP Wolf Security vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 15% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 12% of the time

Trend Micro Worry-Free Services Suites vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Defender XDR vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 4% of the time

Norton Small Business vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 4% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Business Competitors

Nozomi Networks vs Microsoft Defender for IoT

Compared 24% of the time

Claroty Platform vs Microsoft Defender for IoT

Compared 15% of the time

Azure Sphere vs Microsoft Defender for IoT

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Microsoft Defender for IoT

Compared 9% of the time

Palo Alto Networks IoT Security vs Microsoft Defender for IoT

Compared 7% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for IoT Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Business

January 2026

Download Microsoft Defender for Business product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for IoT

January 2026

Download Microsoft Defender for IoT product report

Also Known As

No data available

Azure Defender for IoT

Overview

Microsoft Defender for Business is a new endpoint security solution that was designed especially for the small and medium-sized business (up to 300 employees). With this endpoint security solution, your company's devices are better protected from ransomware, malware, phishing, and other threats.

Microsoft

Microsoft Defender for IoT offers advanced security designed to protect IoT environments from sophisticated threats. Its deep integration with Azure reinforces security across devices and networks.

Microsoft Defender for IoT provides scalable threat detection and security intelligence tailored for IoT devices. Leveraging cloud-powered analytics, it ensures protection against emerging threats while supporting diverse device landscapes. The platform's compatibility with Azure Sentinel offers robust security operations and management capabilities.

What are the core features of Microsoft Defender for IoT?

Threat Intelligence: Provides real-time insights and threat detection using cloud-powered analytics.
Device Management: Simplifies the monitoring and management of IoT devices across networks.
Integrated Security: Seamlessly integrates with Azure Sentinel for comprehensive security operations.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Improved Security Posture: Strengthens the protection of IoT ecosystems against cyber threats.
Cost Efficiency: Reduces the complexities and costs associated with managing IoT security.
Scalability: Supports growth and adaptation to expanding IoT networks.

In manufacturing, Microsoft Defender for IoT aids in maintaining operational efficiency by preventing unauthorized access to industrial control systems. Healthcare providers utilize it to protect sensitive patient data transmitted through connected devices. Retailers benefit from secure management of inventory systems and customer data across smart devices.

Microsoft

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Business vs. Microsoft Defender for IoT

December 2025

Free Report: Microsoft Defender for Business vs. Microsoft Defender for IoT

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender for Business vs. Microsoft Defender for IoT and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

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