Microsoft Defender for Identity vs Varonis Datalert comparison

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2,593 views|1,406 comparisons
100% willing to recommend
Varonis Logo
976 views|579 comparisons
100% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Microsoft Defender for Identity and Varonis Datalert based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, CrowdStrike, Securonix Solutions and others in Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR).
To learn more, read our detailed Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) Report (Updated: March 2024).
768,415 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The best feature is security monitoring, which detects and investigates suspicious user activities. It can easily detect advanced attacks based on the behavior. The credentials are securely stored, so it reduces the risk of compromise. It will monitor user behavior based on artificial intelligence to protect the identities in your organization. It will even help secure the on-premise Active Directory. It syncs from the cloud to on-premise, and on-premise modifications will be reflected in the cloud.""It is easy to set up. Based on the number of devices you would like to set up, you can use scripts, Group Policy, etc. It takes five minutes to set up.""One of our users had the same password for every personal and company account. That was a problem because she started receiving phishing emails that could compromise all of her accounts. Defender told us that the user was not changing their password.""It automates routine testing and helps automate the finding of high-value alerts.""The feature I like most is that you can create your own customized detection rules. It has a lot of default alerts and rules, but you can customize them according to your business needs.""Microsoft Defender for Identity provides excellent visibility into threats by leveraging real-time analytics and data intelligence.""Defender for Identity has not affected the end-user experience.""The solution offers excellent visibility into threats."

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"The telemetry to capture everything and the reports are very easy to configure without having a developer degree.""It can easily identify unusual behavior or access patterns that may pose a potential threat, while operating as a unified reporting system.""On the Varonis side, technical support is phenomenal. Their ability to explain is very good, and they seem to be very knowledgeable. When I get an alert that doesn't quite make sense, they dive in there and kind of take me through it. That's very useful and very good. There are some false alerts, but it is better to have a false alert than no alert at all.""The analytics would have to be our most valuable feature.""That alerting and reporting service is great.""The 24/7 support is the most valuable feature. They have been able to answer support questions pretty quickly."

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Cons
"The technical support needs significant improvement. Documentation for more minor issues in the form of guides or walkthroughs could help to resolve this issue. The number of tickets raised would decrease, removing some pressure from the support team and making it easier to clear the remaining tickets.""The tracking instance needs to be configured appropriately.""An area for improvement is the administrative interface. It's basic compared to other administrative centers. They could make it more user-friendly and easier to navigate.""When the data leaves the cloud, there are security issues.""Defender for Identity gives us visibility, but we often get false positives from Azure that take us down the garden path. We go through 30 incidents each day and most of those are false positives or benign positive alerts. Occasionally, we get true positive alerts.""There is no option to remedy an issue directly from the console. If we see an alert, we can't fix it from the console. Instead, we must depend on other Microsoft products, such as MDE. That is a significant drawback. It simply works as a scanner, which can sometimes put enough load on the sensors. Immediate actions should be possible from the dashboard because. It can prevent issues from spreading further.""I would like to be able to do remediation from the platform because it is just a scanner right now. If you onboard a device, it shows you what is happening, but you can't use it to fix things. You need to go into the system to fix it instead.""One potential area for improvement could be exploring flexibility in the installation of Microsoft Defender for Identity agents."

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"I'd like to see automatic updates for this solution. Currently, it's a manual process to update all the keywords""For unstructured data monitoring, it's one of the top ones, if not the top one, due to its usability.""The GUI should be more functional. There should be a process for connecting through Chrome, Internet Explorer, etc.""It is significantly complex.""I would like it to have cloud integration.""We have Microsoft Office 365. I just saw an article today which says that they're actually getting integrated with Microsoft Office 365, which would be a useful feature. For user-based reports, log on activity, and stuff like that, it doesn't seem to really be present like Log360. That could just be my inexperience with it. I've been dealing with it for only about two and a half months."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "You won't be able to change your tenants from where you deploy them. For example, if you select Canada, they will charge you based on Canadian pricing. If you are also in London, when you deploy in Canada, the pound is higher than Canadian dollars, but your platform resources are billable in Canadian dollars. Using your pounds to pay for any of these things will be cheaper. Or, if you deploy in London, they will charge you based on your local currency."
  • "Defender for Identity is a little more expensive than other Microsoft products. Identity and Microsoft Defender for Cloud are both a bit costly."
  • "The product is costly, and we had multiple discussions with accounting to receive a discounted rate. However, on the open market, the tool is expensive."
  • "It is very affordable considering that other SIEM solutions are much more expensive and have many more licensing restrictions and fees."
  • More Microsoft Defender for Identity Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "You could do a subscription, where you pay yearly, or you could purchase it outright. The licensing cost is based on the number of users on the system that you are monitoring."
  • "Licensing is on an annual basis. Maintenance and renewal fees are separate. Varonis Datalert is quite expensive."
  • "I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten, with ten being the most expensive."
  • More Varonis Datalert Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:Microsoft Defender for Identity provides excellent visibility into threats by leveraging real-time analytics and data intelligence.
    Top Answer:One potential area for improvement could be exploring flexibility in the installation of Microsoft Defender for Identity agents. Currently, it is mandatory to install the agent on the on-premises… more »
    Top Answer:Microsoft Defender for Identity is like a personal security guard for our organization's identity. It keeps a close eye on how we use our identities across both on-premises and Azure Active Directory… more »
    Top Answer:The telemetry to capture everything and the reports are very easy to configure without having a developer degree.
    Top Answer:It was a negotiation based on my past experiences with monitoring this type of software. I don't know the exact amount. It's pricey, not for a small company. It's Fortune 500 type of software. I would… more »
    Top Answer:For me, it's more about performance, but that's being resolved with certain issues. And it's just because of the volume of data that we're putting through it.
    Ranking
    Views
    2,593
    Comparisons
    1,406
    Reviews
    9
    Average Words per Review
    956
    Rating
    8.9
    Views
    976
    Comparisons
    579
    Reviews
    1
    Average Words per Review
    266
    Rating
    8.0
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Azure Advanced Threat Protection, Azure ATP, MS Defender for Identity
    Learn More
    Overview

    Microsoft Defender for Identity is a comprehensive security solution that helps organizations protect their identities and detect potential threats. It leverages advanced analytics and machine learning to provide real-time visibility into user activities, enabling proactive identification of suspicious behavior. 

    With its powerful detection capabilities, it can identify various types of attacks, including brute force, pass-the-hash, and golden ticket attacks. The solution also offers rich reporting and alerting capabilities, allowing security teams to quickly respond to incidents and mitigate risks. By continuously monitoring user activities and providing actionable insights, Microsoft Defender for Identity helps organizations strengthen their security posture and safeguard their sensitive data.

    Varonis Datalert prevents data breaches and alert on suspicious activity, stop ransomware, and defend your data from insider threats. It monitors enterprise assets for suspicious activity and unusual behavior, detecting critical events and compromised assets on your core infrastructure: Windows, UNIX/Linux, NAS, Active Directory, SharePoint, Exchange, and Office 365. It detects insider threats and cyber threats by analyzing data, account activity, and user behavior and automate responses to suspicious activity and alert on unusual behavior - using deep analysis of metadata, machine learning, and advanced User Behavior Analytics (UBA).

    Sample Customers
    Microsoft Defender for Identity is trusted by companies such as St. Luke’s University Health Network, Ansell, and more.
    Enterprise Strategy Group
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Financial Services Firm14%
    Government8%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm17%
    Government11%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    Insurance Company8%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business17%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise67%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business21%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise63%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business16%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise65%
    Buyer's Guide
    Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR)
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, CrowdStrike, Securonix Solutions and others in Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR). Updated: March 2024.
    768,415 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Microsoft Defender for Identity is ranked 1st in Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) with 13 reviews while Varonis Datalert is ranked 8th in User Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) with 6 reviews. Microsoft Defender for Identity is rated 9.0, while Varonis Datalert is rated 8.6. The top reviewer of Microsoft Defender for Identity writes "Offers robust protection from insider threats, but the customer support is poor". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Varonis Datalert writes "Offers the ability to identify sensitive areas, allowing you to drill down into the sensitive data". Microsoft Defender for Identity is most compared with Microsoft Entra ID Protection, Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Microsoft Entra Verified ID, Splunk User Behavior Analytics and SentinelOne Singularity Identity, whereas Varonis Datalert is most compared with Splunk User Behavior Analytics, Exabeam Fusion SIEM, Rapid7 InsightIDR, Rapid7 InsightVM and ManageEngine Log360.

    We monitor all Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.