Microsoft Defender for Business vs Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management comparison

Microsoft Defender for Business vs. Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management

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Helped 869,513 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

15th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (18th)

Microsoft Purview Insider R...

Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite

29th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

5.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Insider Risk Management (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Microsoft Security Suite category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Business is 3.5%, up from 2.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management is 1.9%, up from 0.4% 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 Purview Insider Risk Management	1.9%
Other	94.6%

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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Karthik Ekambaram

Director at Scybers

Have consistently built secure internal environments while implementing compliance tools for diverse customer needs

The customizable alerts system needs improvement. The detection rules are not extensive enough. There should be more possibilities for creating alerts based on additional criteria. While rules can be customized, the available criteria for creating detection rules should be expanded. Microsoft's pricing is very expensive. The Business Premium offering should be extended to enterprise customers, as it's currently limited to 300 users. There should be a tier below E5 that includes Microsoft Purview and other features. Currently, E5 licensing costs approximately 6,000 INR per user per month including taxes. Competitive solutions offer similar functionality at about 50% of Microsoft's cost. Email DLP is included in Business Premium or P1 licenses, while P2 licenses cover endpoint DLP and additional channels. Microsoft should introduce an intermediate tier below E5 that covers all P1 licenses, as customers often need coverage across the entire M365 suite.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I would recommend Microsoft Defender for Business to others, rating it as ten out of ten."

"The most effective features of Microsoft Defender for Business include its threat detection and response capabilities in managing vulnerabilities and ransomware attacks."

"The best features of Microsoft Defender for Business include it coming as an XDR solution which provides automated investigations, remediations, and endpoint detection and response."

"The solution includes attack-savvy service and risk protection, part of data center management, and offers an effective single-dashboard view with Microsoft 365."

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

"Using Microsoft Defender for Business is beneficial for my company."

"If you're an Intune user, you can bring in certain capabilities like system-hardening policies, which further enhances the security."

"I recommend Microsoft Defender for Business to startup organizations looking for a plug-and-play solution."

More Microsoft Defender for Business pros

"Insider Risk Management's graphing is highly specific and useful. You can see the last six months of data for the Microsoft tenant. You can easily find what you need. For example, you can filter for alerts about devices, emails, etc."

"The scoring mechanism is exceptional because it eliminates the need to reinvent criteria for identifying risks, misconfigurations, or vulnerabilities."

"The best thing about Purview is that it's easy to integrate with our day-to-day environment. We have Active Directory, and Word and Excel. Using a third-party vendor and trying to integrate with our existing environment would be much more challenging."

"Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management was helpful in performing investigations after alerts were received."

Cons

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

"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 solution's AI is notorious for false positives, and the time you have to spend training it is ridiculous."

"We faced some issues while running some applications on Mac."

"Pricing could be lowered as it is expensive and not suitable for low-budget organizations."

"I am not satisfied with Microsoft's technical support. There are challenges with the knowledge and experience of the support staff, frequent redirection between departments, and slow response times."

"Pricing could be lowered as it is expensive and not suitable for low-budget organizations."

"Microsoft should provide batch management solutions with the application, integrating pass management with roles."

More Microsoft Defender for Business cons

"The reporting capabilities sometimes leave a little to be desired. It could be improved in terms of producing reports to provide information to the C-suite or others."

"Microsoft's pricing is very expensive. The Business Premium offering should be extended to enterprise customers, as it's currently limited to 300 users."

"The user interface also isn't user-friendly. When we introduce Insider Risk Management to our clients, they often find it difficult to understand. There is too much information, and the UI is not scalable. Also, entry-level IT technicians are not always interested in learning something new. It should be clearer and easier to understand."

"For certain things, you need to install an agent. I understand it's for integrity, but if there could be a clientless solution for certain aspects, it would make life easier."

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

"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

19%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Retailer

Computer Software Company

37%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	3

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?

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.

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Business?

Microsoft Defender for Business could improve by offering more of their offerings available in the basic tenants since not everyone has a budget for higher-level licenses, but everyone needs securi...

What needs improvement with Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management?

The reporting capabilities sometimes leave a little to be desired. It could be improved in terms of producing reports to provide information to the C-suite or others.

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management?

The primary use case for Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management was data loss prevention. This was my main objective.

What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management?

I would recommend Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management to others. I would rate the overall solution as a nine.

HP Wolf Security vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Comparisons

Compared 19% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 15% of the time

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

Compared 7% of the time

Microsoft Defender XDR vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 6% of the time

Norton Small Business vs Microsoft Defender for Business

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Defender for Business Competitors

Splunk User Behavior Analytics vs Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management

Compared 39% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Identity vs Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management

Compared 23% of the time

Netskope Advanced Analytics vs Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management

Compared 20% of the time

Exabeam vs Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management

Compared 4% of the time

IBM Security QRadar vs Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management

Compared 4% of the time

More Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management Competitors

Product Reports

Microsoft Defender for Business

Download Microsoft Defender for Business product report

Insider Risk Management

Download Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management product report

Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management report

Also Known As

No data available

Microsoft Insider Risk Management

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 Purview Insider Risk Management helps organizations identify and manage potential internal threats by utilizing advanced analytics and insights to minimize risk.

With a focus on addressing internal threats, Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management employs sophisticated analytics to proactively detect and manage risks. It offers context-rich insights to protect data, helping businesses maintain compliance and safeguard their information. By implementing mechanisms to predict potential risks, it aids in preventing data loss and ensures that sensitive information remains secure.

What are the most important features of Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management?

Advanced Analytics: Provides in-depth analysis to detect suspicious activities within the organization.
Data Protection: Ensures sensitive data security with robust preventive measures.
Risk Insights: Delivers actionable insights to help mitigate potential insider threats.
Compliance Support: Assists organizations in maintaining compliance with industry regulations.

What benefits should businesses expect from Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management?

Efficient Risk Mitigation: Streamlines identifying and addressing insider threats, saving time and resources.
Enhanced Data Security: Protects sensitive data, reducing the likelihood of data breaches.
Better Decision Making: Offers insights that help organizations make informed decisions about security protocols.

In industries like finance and healthcare, where data sensitivity is critical, adopting Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management can be crucial. For example, financial institutions utilize this tool to detect and mitigate fraudulent activities, while healthcare providers leverage its capabilities to protect patient data, ensuring compliance with data protection regulations. Its implementation varies across industries but consistently focuses on securing valuable information and reducing risk exposure.

Microsoft

Microsoft Defender for Business vs. Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management