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Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

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

Qualys TotalCloud
Sponsored
Ranking in Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP)
6th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
39
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (11th), Container Security (11th), Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) (8th), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (8th), SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) (1st)
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Ranking in Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP)
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
89
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (5th), Container Management (7th), Container Security (4th), Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) (1st), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (4th), Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) (4th), Microsoft Security Suite (7th), Compliance Management (4th), Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) (3rd)
Qualys Enterprise TruRisk P...
Ranking in Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP)
16th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Cloud and Data Center Security (10th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) category, the mindshare of Qualys TotalCloud is 2.0%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Cloud is 7.8%, down from 11.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform is 0.8%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Defender for Cloud7.8%
Qualys TotalCloud2.0%
Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform0.8%
Other89.4%
Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP)
 

Featured Reviews

RO
IT Security Expert at Alior Bank S.A.
Unified risk scoring has improved our cloud visibility and simplifies remediation priorities
Qualys TotalCloud provides unified vulnerability and threat assessment across both IAS and SaaS. This solution provides a single prioritized view of risk, which helps reduce the work I would have to do. We are no longer based on CVSS; we are based on Qualys risk scoring, which is based on CVSS plus internal findings made by Qualys, and then assigns its own score. The TruRisk insight feature has found a small number of assets with high vulnerability scores, though I am cautious since some information is classified. Qualys TotalCloud has positively impacted our bank's performance, and we have definitely seen benefits after implementing this solution.
RW
Head Of IT at Cirrus Response
Cloud security has cut investigation time and now reveals threats faster but needs simpler oversight
When deploying AI applications, my key security concerns with Microsoft Defender for Cloud are data loss, leakage of data, and guardrails around the actual AI, and I am hoping that this is going to help me put those guardrails in place and identify data exfiltration. Microsoft Defender for Cloud has not helped me manage and secure multi-cloud environments, as we are 100 percent Microsoft and have not really got it in any other environment at all. I am not yet using the unified AI-powered security feature offered by Microsoft Defender for Cloud, but that is coming. I am not yet using the integrated XDR feature of Microsoft Defender for Cloud, but that is coming. I am not yet utilizing the GenAI threat protection features of Microsoft Defender for Cloud. That is also coming and a lot of that will come from learning it here. I have enabled the agentless scanning in my cloud environment with Microsoft Defender for Cloud. Assessing the impact on my workload protection without needing to install agents with Microsoft Defender for Cloud makes it a lot easier, but it also identifies a lot more, which puts more load on me sometimes. I would advise another organization considering Microsoft Defender for Cloud that it is the most logical route to follow if their whole ecosystem is Microsoft. It is easy to implement and it is very self-explanatory when doing it, making sense to just follow the steps as it is too simple, really. I would rate this review a 7.5 out of 10.
PK
VP – Head PM O at Vodafone Idea Ltd.
Governance dashboards have improved risk visibility but still need smarter automated decisions
The governance part is the most prominent area for improvement. We want to have a dashboard with just one click where the KPIs are pre-configured as per the business requirement and those things are monitored on a regular basis to check how things are moving. Governance and high-level management or board level visibility matter the most. We are trying to incorporate artificial models which can take care of many things that are currently taken care of manually or through certain jobs so that they can be automated with the help of AI models or agents. We will progress as the AI model matures with pattern learning and all those things. We want self-decision capabilities. Not just analysis and giving alerts, but even taking decisions of actions and performing those actions. The first step would be to not only alert that there is an issue or threat, but to evaluate the threat itself in generality and suggest something. The second step is where those suggestions will definitely have some good minds working on them, but only if they are suitable will we make it as a learning model. Otherwise, we will discard and modify those things. The second level would be to let the learning model learn and then gradually figure out whether we can delegate the decision in the sense of the action that they can perform, see it and then evaluate whether it is falling in line as per the expectation. This is how we will progress on a use case basis only.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I would definitely recommend it because it is easy to handle any cloud resources."
"We were able to realize its benefits within 24 to 48 hours."
"I highly recommend Qualys TotalCloud to other users."
"Qualys TotalCloud's most valuable feature is its agent versatility."
"I like the web API security and IoT scanning features the most. The user-friendly design of TotalCloud's interface enables customers to navigate it and use its full potential easily"
"Qualys TotalCloud has significantly reduced our workload in terms of managing risks, helping us to be more efficient and save substantial resources."
"I appreciate Qualys TotalCloud's ability to onboard any type of device with ease, including containers."
"I would recommend Qualys TotalCloud to other users because it is cost-efficient and has a good return on investment."
"I would rate Microsoft Defender for Cloud a ten out of ten."
"The feature of Microsoft Defender for Cloud that I have found most valuable is the alerts, which are pretty standard for security."
"It improves the transparency and visibility of the traffic in and out of the network of each workload on my system."
"Defender for Cloud provides a prioritized list of remediations for security issues, reducing risk and improving security operations."
"It offers virus management and addresses threats such as viruses, worms, spyware, and other critical security concerns."
"We are a financial company, so Defender for Cloud helps us create multiple layers to protect assets and ensure a more secure environment."
"It's quite a good product, as it helps to understand the infections and issues you are facing."
"Compared to other products, Azure Defender's main advantage is native integration with all Azure services."
"Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform is on the cusp of a lot of new advances that they bring to the table, which is what we also appreciate."
"Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform is considered a good leader in its field."
"Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform was helpful with threat prioritization features for resource allocation, and it played a good role in our analysis and day-to-day monitoring."
"Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform is a fantastic tool; it is kind of expensive, but it is indispensable, and it is not something that we can do away with."
"The favorite feature of Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform is that it provides the whole information of a particular vulnerability, including a comprehensive summary, related CVEs and CVSS score, which helps understand potential risks and allows the output to be exported in various formats like CSV, PDF, or JSON."
"Qualys offers versatility. It can function both with and without agents, offering flexibility in deployment. Furthermore, it provides comprehensive support for various systems such as Windows Server, Unix servers, and databases, including SQL, Oracle, and others for development."
 

Cons

"I sometimes have difficulty detecting or uninstalling certain versions of applications, which I have to do manually."
"There should be improvement from a dashboard perspective when collecting and showcasing data to lead management."
"Areas that need improvement in every solution include the remediation part. The remediation steps should be simple enough for everyone to understand."
"Enhancing clarity regarding its compliance capabilities would be beneficial, as the current scope is limited in geographic coverage."
"To improve the user experience, reporting could be simplified for better comprehension by end users and project managers, facilitating issue resolution."
"The downside is only in container security, but it has not been a long time since they introduced these models."
"TotalCloud could improve its scanning of niche devices like Wi-Fi dongles and USB modems because they are often untested. It covers everything else, like laptops, mobile devices, and Bluetooth IoT devices. They can improve on the small IoT devices because hackers and testers use these."
"The support is not up to the mark and seems to be overburdened."
"After getting a recommendation, it takes time for the solution to refresh properly to show that the problem has been eliminated."
"I would rate Microsoft Defender for Cloud a six out of 10 due to its lack of necessary features to operate as a standalone solution."
"The most significant areas for improvement are in the security of our identity and endpoints and the posture of the cloud environment. Better protection for our cloud users and cloud apps is always welcome."
"My experience with Microsoft Defender for Cloud has been largely negative due to a poor user experience."
"Sometimes if you do not have the resources in-house, it can be difficult."
"Most of the time, when we log into the support, we don't get a chance to interact with Microsoft employees directly, except having it go to outsource employees of Microsoft."
"It's really hard to get ahold of Microsoft support. When you buy a product, with the M365 portal, you're given the option to chat with somebody, and normally you don't hear back immediately."
"The product must improve its UI."
"Compared to Microsoft, there were already advanced tools, so I had seen some drawbacks compared to licensing or technical side."
"Once we supplied 130 URLs to it for scanning one by one, and it crashed in between. We did not have any clue what happened, so we had to reach out to support."
"There are areas for improvement in their support structure."
"The experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform is expensive."
"The report sometimes inaccurately identifies the corresponding operating system version."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Qualys TotalCloud offers good pricing that is affordable and competitive with the market. Our partnership also provides us with additional benefits."
"Qualys TotalCloud is expensive, but it offers a premier solution with no headaches."
"The pricing is comparable. It is built into our other product, so I cannot piecemeal it. It is a part of our subscription."
"Its price seems higher compared to other tools, but it is worth it. If they could adjust the pricing and make it comparable with other tools, that would be great."
"Qualys TotalCloud offers competitive pricing given its comprehensive suite of features, including integration, assessment, remediation, and detection capabilities, all within a single platform."
"Qualys TotalCloud offers cost-effective licensing flexibility."
"It isn't cheap, but it's reasonable. It helps us to manage things with very few resources."
"The pricing for TotalCloud is attractive and competitive in the market. Given the features, especially the dashboard, I have no concerns regarding pricing."
"The product's pricing policy is generally favorable."
"It is bundled with our enterprise subscription, which makes it easy to go for it. It is available by default, and there is no extra cost for using the standard features."
"There are two different plans. We're using the secure basic plan, but we have used the end security plan as well. There are additional costs, but it gives us more functionalities compared to the basic plan."
"The solution is expensive, and I rate it a five to six out of ten."
"Azure Defender is a bit pricey. The price could be lower."
"The price of the solution is good for the features we receive and there is an additional cost for Microsoft premier support. However, some of my potential customers have found it to be expensive and have gone on to choose another solution."
"Currently, Microsoft offers only one plan at the enterprise level which is $15 per machine."
"The tool is pretty expensive."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Construction Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
6%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Construction Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise29
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business31
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise49
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Qualys TotalCloud?
Areas that need improvement in every solution include the remediation part. The remediation steps should be simple en...
What is your primary use case for Qualys TotalCloud?
Our use case involves the assets that we have under cloud, the assets exposed to the internet, and the internal appli...
How is Prisma Cloud vs Azure Security Center for security?
Azure Security Center is very easy to use, integrates well, and gives very good visibility on what is happening acros...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Cloud?
My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing was that the license cost was the only consideration. Setup an...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Cloud?
To improve Microsoft Defender for Cloud, I think pricing-wise, the license price is a little bit higher from an inges...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform?
The experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform is expensive. It is def...
What needs improvement with Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform?
I think the CTEM part of Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform can get better, not that anyone else is doing, but contin...
What is your primary use case for Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform?
The major use cases from my side for Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform integrate with our VMDR, Qualys VMDR. Basical...
 

Also Known As

Qualys TotalCloud with FlexScan
Microsoft Azure Security Center, Azure Security Center, Microsoft ASC, Azure Defender
Qualys Cloud Platform
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is trusted by companies such as ASOS, Vatenfall, SWC Technology Partners, and more.
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs. Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
902,270 professionals have used our research since 2012.