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Microsoft Defender for Business vs WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

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 Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
23rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
19
Ranking in other categories
Microsoft Security Suite (16th)
WithSecure Elements Endpoin...
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
48th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Business is 2.0%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection is 0.7%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
 

Featured Reviews

Takayuki-Umehara - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Mark Feldman - PeerSpot reviewer
Central console streamlines patch monitoring and device management effortlessly
WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection ( /products/withsecure-elements-endpoint-protection-reviews ) is good and easy to set up. I provide an installation file for every client through my domain controller and GPO, and it works properly. We have faced no incidents with viruses or network breaches, and it's easy to monitor patches. I can use remote desktop from the central console. The solution also saves my time because, being the only one handling it, I can monitor all devices easily.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The security features are valuable because they come with more capabilities that other licenses do not have, including the enterprise license like E3."
"Using Microsoft Defender for Business is beneficial for my company."
"The solution is effective, continuously improving, and highly regarded, especially with Microsoft's leadership in the industry."
"Defender's main strength is its integration with Microsoft Sentinel, offering valuable insights."
"It is scalable."
"I rate Microsoft Defender for Business a 10 out of 10."
"I haven't had any problems with the tool's stability."
"The security features are valuable because they come with more capabilities that other licenses do not have, including the enterprise license like E3."
"Both incoming and outgoing traffic is protected."
"The notifications and patch management features are valuable."
"We use the product for detecting network vulnerabilities and for software update purposes."
"F-Secure is useful for keeping user machines up-to-date by pushing out security and critical updates."
"On the cloud management page, the solution scales up very highly."
"The most valuable features of WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection are the clear useful portal and overall company protection."
"There is a layer of security to prevent a malicious agent (malware) from interrupting or stopping services, deleting or modifying registry entries or even stopping the antivirus from acting, ensuring that there will be no interruption of protection."
"WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection is good and easy to set up."
 

Cons

"The threat detection capabilities require significant customization for multistage threat detection."
"Threat protection could be improved even though it is already a built-in feature."
"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."
"The solution's AI is notorious for false positives, and the time you have to spend training it is ridiculous."
"Defender's reporting is rather scattered, and its URL filtering mechanism doesn't really work."
"Pricing could be lowered as it is expensive and not suitable for low-budget organizations."
"The user interface has a lot of features which can make it complex and hard to adapt to for some users."
"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."
"Resource consumption is suboptimal and could be improved."
"There could be a dedicated security partner with essential knowledge."
"There is no technical support available in the Middle East."
"The solution could improve by having more real-time responses. For example, when a license gets removed from a computer it does not update the records of the change. Additionally, when I installed Microsoft Windows Defender I was not able to send licenses through email to our tenants. The integration with other solutions could improve."
"One problem is that the solution takes too much RAM from the client."
"But the biggest one for us is patch management because this has been our top priority when looking at alternatives. Every solution needs to have patch management, if that's possible. It would cut costs on our side if that feature were included, so we don't need to pay for two separate pieces of software."
"I would like the part of Hash Analysis by external sources to be improved."
"The program and cloud service management is in English. It's not a problem for me, however, it might be for users who don't speak English or use it regularly."
 

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."
"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."
"Since we're a nonprofit, we get pretty good discounts on the tool."
"If you purchase licenses in bulk the price of the licenses can decrease."
"We pay a yearly licensing fee of about €20 per computer."
"The price is comparable."
"The cost of the solution depends on the size of the company and where the licenses are being ordered from."
"The product has average pricing."
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859,129 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Retailer
7%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Comms Service Provider
16%
University
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

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?
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 F-Secure Protection Service for Business?
The notifications and patch management features are valuable.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for F-Secure Protection Service for Business?
The pricing is scalable. We can purchase more licenses if needed. It's a more cost-effective solution compared to Darktrace, which requires a special device purchase.
What needs improvement with F-Secure Protection Service for Business?
One problem is that the solution takes too much RAM from the client. It would help if it used less RAM in future versions.
 

Also Known As

No data available
F-Secure Elements Endpoint Protection, F-Secure Protection Service for Business
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender for Business vs. WithSecure Elements Endpoint Protection and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
859,129 professionals have used our research since 2012.