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Microsoft Defender for Business vs Microsoft Entra Verified ID 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

Microsoft Defender for Busi...
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
15th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (25th)
Microsoft Entra Verified ID
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
25th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) (8th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Microsoft Security Suite category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Business is 2.9%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Entra Verified ID is 0.8%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Microsoft Security Suite
 

Featured Reviews

Syed Abid  - PeerSpot reviewer
Advanced threat protection secures diverse workloads with cost-effective deployment
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. A default storage of 5 GB for logs should be included with Defender. There are limitations in whitelisting folders and files, and the whitelisting feature for Defender threat protection was deprecated. A straightforward feature for this should be added.
Andy Yen - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers single sign-on feature for business applications but needs to offer personalized insights
Microsoft Entra Verified ID has saved time for IT admins. The product helps us save money from the cost of security breaches. It is a more cost-effective solution than others in the market. It comes in a Microsoft suite. You can manage permission and access the products without buying anything additional. I rate it a six out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The interface is quite user-friendly."
"The security features are valuable because they come with more capabilities that other licenses do not have, including the enterprise license like E3."
"I recommend Microsoft Defender for Business to startup organizations looking for a plug-and-play solution."
"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."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is its central console."
"Everything is stable. There have been no technical errors or stability issues."
"If you're an Intune user, you can bring in certain capabilities like system-hardening policies, which further enhances the security."
"The authentication features of Microsoft Entra Verified ID are valuable. As an infrastructure professional, I appreciate the exceptional integration between on-premises Active Directory features and Entra ID."
"The MFA number matching feature effectively prevents unauthorized access by phishing bad actors who might obtain email credentials. This feature requires users to verify a number on their screen, ensuring they only approve genuine requests."
"The most valuable features of the solution are mainly in the areas of security and auditing."
"I like the Microsoft Authenticator app since it comes with two-factor authentication."
 

Cons

"Microsoft should provide batch management solutions with the application, integrating pass management with roles."
"Customer service is not bad, yet not great either, and I would rate it maybe five or six out of ten."
"Defender's threat protection should be fine-tuned to reduce false positives. It could be more targeted, reflecting a continuous evolution in detecting. Also, it could be easier to integrate into other environments."
"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."
"The threat detection capabilities require significant customization for multistage threat detection."
"Talking with the tool's technician about any problem is very complicated."
"Threat protection could be improved even though it is already a built-in feature."
"Pricing could be lowered as it is expensive and not suitable for low-budget organizations."
"I must do two-factor authentication when I sign in from a different location. It creates friction. It's not personalized for the end user. I would like to see specific insights."
"While Microsoft continues to improve the solution, integrating the ID with biometric features could be enhanced, especially in terms of standard B2C flows for multi-factor authentication. Improvements in remembering devices and the timing of MFA triggers could also be beneficial."
"There are issues with the integration of Microsoft Entra Verified ID and MFA. Sometimes, the MFA process doesn't succeed, requiring users to sign out and log back in."
"The tool's expensive nature is an area of concern where improvements are required."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Defender for Business is included by default with an Office 365 premium subscription."
"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."
"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's cost has been a little high, but I do not think it was terrible."
"If one is cheap and ten is very expensive, I rate the product price as seven."
"I still feel the pricing is on the higher side for larger customers. They don't pay anything for on-prem Active Directory. Although we receive additional features with Microsoft’s SSO, pricing is an area Microsoft can work on."
"The pricing and setup are standard. With Entra, you choose between P1 and P2 licenses. We recommend having at least one P2 license in a company for better alert management, even though P2 is more expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Retailer
7%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
20%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Healthcare Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Defender for Business?
A few things are valuable. One is the alerting we see when any kind of intrusion is happening, any kind of malware is being deployed across the endpoints, or any kind of suspicious activity is goin...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Business?
Microsoft Defender for Business offers the best pricing option in the market and is very cost-effective.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Business?
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 d...
What do you like most about Microsoft Entra Verified ID?
I like the Microsoft Authenticator app since it comes with two-factor authentication.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Entra Verified ID?
There are issues with the integration of Microsoft Entra Verified ID and MFA. Sometimes, the MFA process doesn't succeed, requiring users to sign out and log back in.
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Entra Verified ID?
We started using Microsoft Entra Verified ID when the Active Directory was changed, and we needed to onboard customers from on-premises to Azure Cloud. For instance, we started using the solution w...
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender for Business vs. Microsoft Entra Verified ID and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.