Microsoft Defender for Business vs Microsoft Intune comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender for Busi...
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
19th
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (45th)
Microsoft Intune
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
174
Ranking in other categories
Configuration Management (3rd), Remote Access (1st), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (1st), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2024, in the Microsoft Security Suite category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Business is 1.8%, down from 3.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 19.4%, up from 10.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Microsoft Security Suite
Unique Categories:
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
1.5%
Configuration Management
12.2%
Remote Access
5.5%
 

Featured Reviews

VB
Dec 6, 2023
Quicker response time, improved security posture, and reduced alerts
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 going on. We have a footprint across all of North America, Canada, and Mexico, so we want to make sure that all our endpoints are protected and we are able to look for any anomalous activity. It provides alerts not only to the end users but also to my team to track that so that we can quickly isolate a security threat and lock the bad guys out.
MB
Jun 20, 2024
We can consolidate our endpoints and security and manage it all from one place
Microsoft Intune consolidates our endpoint and security management tools into a single platform. We employ specific policies for autopilot devices tailored for global and US requirements, focusing on banking and government security. To address these concerns, we've implemented policies within the bank that restrict USB and Bluetooth access through the attack surface detection feature. This restricted app concept has been applied to autopilot laptops to enhance their security posture by blocking USB devices and preventing unauthorized research build-up. User experience is generally good when using open internet devices like 3G, 4G, or 5G, as banks often use restricted internet connections. Intune offers rapid benefits. Any policy, deployment, or change we implement is reflected within two to three minutes for all users. This is especially valuable for managing laptops. We can quickly implement a cleanup policy if user laptops are compromised or accessed without authorization. In the worst-case scenario of a computer being stolen, we can swiftly deploy a policy to secure the device's data within a minute. It offers rapid policy, deployment, and change implementation, with effects visible to users within minutes. Devices managed by SCCM can also benefit from Intune workloads and policies, providing a unified management approach. Intune and SCCM work together to address security concerns for hybrid Azure AD joined devices. Attack surface reduction policies can be implemented through either platform to protect devices from threats. Intune manages SCCM-enrolled and Intune-managed devices, offering comprehensive security and management capabilities. Intune has enhanced the productivity of our IT department. We can now establish Active Directory-related policies for public auto-enrollment devices in remote areas like Karachi and Islamabad. Not confined to specific cities, these devices can be managed through autopilot with AD-related policies created on Microsoft Intune. However, these devices are not always on-demand, so we track them using autopilot policies and create eighty policy replicas for each device. This approach is highly effective for managing our large-scale operations, as users often face challenges like requiring USB access while working remotely. We specifically tailor policies for our hundred audit users, who move frequently between locations.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"If you're an Intune user, you can bring in certain capabilities like system-hardening policies, which further enhances the security."
"It is scalable."
"The interface is quite user-friendly."
"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 going on. We have a footprint across all of North America, Canada, and Mexico, so we want to make sure that all our endpoints are protected and we are able to look for any anomalous activity."
"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."
"It allows our clients to have the confidence to centrally manage policies for security. It helps them in securing the organization from a technology aspect."
"I haven't used other mobile device management solutions, but compared to SCCM, we eliminate a lot of on-premises infrastructure and maintenance by using Intune."
"I can reach devices or computers over the internet. I don't need to worry about the network connectivity between the offices. I can manage any device. That is the most important part."
"For the price, the features included with Microsoft are appealing."
"We use a local Active Directory, but we weren't able to manage all our on-site systems without a solution like Intune, and we needed to deploy software like VPNs and other things. It's seamless now to to this through Intune."
"It works well if you have a Microsoft environment."
"Intune can wipe devices. For example, if a disgruntled employee wants to leak the data on their company phone, Intune can terminate their access and wipe the entire device with a click."
"The Asset Management and Auto Pilot are valuable features."
 

Cons

"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."
"The security could always be improved."
"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."
"Defender's reporting is rather scattered, and its URL filtering mechanism doesn't really work."
"We faced some issues while running some applications on Mac."
"They need to add more group policies. Intune currently does not have many group policies that you can deploy. Its reporting, which is very limited at the moment, also needs improvement. It will be great if they can add report customization. Its stability needs to be improved. Sometimes, when you register a device in Intune, it doesn't show up instantly on the engine portal on the admin side. They need to provide better support for complicated issues. They also have a long turnaround time."
"There needs to be more support for Mac operating systems."
"I would like to see easier pushdowns. Currently, we have to package our own software and then push it. Intune can make that way easier and integrate applications, such as Zoom and Adobe Acrobat, that are used by a lot of enterprise or corporate organizations."
"There can be delays in the deployment of new policies."
"The main disadvantage seen today is regarding Linux clients. We have a lot of development resources that have Linux on their clients, and we can't manage them on the same platform, as we do with other clients such as macOS and Windows. So, it should have support for Linux clients. It should also have better support for macOS."
"It just doesn't handle software updates well at all by itself. You need to be a scripting wizard to make those happen properly, or you use third-party tools. The Windows feature updates are very difficult to implement. I would like to see a proprietary built-in remote control tool. I know that they have Team Viewer integrated, but it is not seamless. It would be nice if they had a seamless remote desktop capability directly from the Intune console."
"The solution requires Mac support."
"The initial setup is a little bit complex."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Defender for Business is included by default with an Office 365 premium subscription."
"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."
"It is reasonable. When you have Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 license, it is already licensed in that license. So, you could say it is free."
"Previously the price was $4 per month per user. Now it's $2.25 per user per month."
"The clients pay for a license and each can have a different type of license, such as an E3 or E5."
"Microsoft Intune is expensive."
"If you ask the accountant or the finance department, they'll tell you that it is way too expensive, but when I look at the cost and compare it with the value you actually get, it's more than fair."
"While Microsoft Intune boasts a wide range of features, its user-friendliness and bundled licensing cost are key considerations for me."
"The E5 license is expensive."
"Its price is fair. It's a normal price. It isn't too expensive or too cheap."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Retailer
6%
Government
6%
Educational Organization
24%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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?
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 p...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Business?
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 Mi...
How does Microsoft Intune compare with VMware Workspace One?
Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes it easy to control security and manage the usage of mobile apps when you have a ...
What are the pros and cons of Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune is a great configuration management tool and has a lot of good things going for it. Here are some of the things I like about it: Pros: Protected productivity: Intune gives you th...
How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also access to both Microsoft’s user community as well as around-the-clock customer s...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender for Business vs. Microsoft Intune and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
793,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.