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Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Trend Micro Deep Discovery comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.3
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is praised for enhancing security, reducing costs, and improving productivity with integrated threat protection.
Sentiment score
6.4
Trend Micro Deep Discovery improved ROI by effectively identifying threats, reducing downtime, saving costs, and enhancing security and efficiency.
It has also decreased our time to detection and response by about 15 to 20 percent.
Overall, cost of owning and operating our system goes down.
It's hard to quantify the return on investment we've seen from Microsoft Defender for Office 365.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.0
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 support is mixed, praised for responsiveness but criticized for delays and outdated documentation.
Sentiment score
7.0
Trend Micro Deep Discovery's customer support is praised for responsiveness and helpfulness, though some desire faster response times and accountability.
Over the past two years, there have been no critical problems.
we opened tickets, and they typically resolve them quickly.
Customer service and support have been fantastic.
If I were to rate them from 0 to 10, I would give them a nine or a ten.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 seamlessly scales for global users, enabling effective cybersecurity with adaptable cloud-based capabilities and careful planning.
Sentiment score
7.7
Trend Micro Deep Discovery is scalable for different business sizes but may incur additional costs for extensive coverage.
We have never faced scalability problems, and Microsoft manages it effectively.
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 scales transparently for us, as we grew from 1,000 users to 3,000 users, and we didn't notice much difference.
If the appliance supports scalability, Trend Micro support will inform us, and we can implement it without replacing the hardware.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is praised for its stability, reliability, operational effectiveness, and high user satisfaction despite minor issues.
Sentiment score
8.3
Trend Micro Deep Discovery is reliable with stable performance, though some users suggest improvements and note occasional missed detections.
The solution is stable, as we have been using it for the past two years.
I would assess the stability and reliability of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 as very stable, with barely any issues.
Overall, the stability and reliability of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 are good.
The product updates and security updates are kept current, allowing us seamless integration with Trend Micro and getting daily updates and signatures without problems.
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 needs better virus blocking, integration, threat detection, user-friendly configuration, and competitive pricing improvements.
Trend Micro Deep Discovery needs improved scalability, stability, security, integration, support, flexibility, and simplified pricing for better user experience.
The main area for improvement is simplifying the implementation and rollout process.
Microsoft could improve by offering recommendations for domain spoofing attacks, especially scenarios where DNS records like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are not properly published.
There is a different console for different things; I just want one consolidated console.
We have multiple components such as Deep Discovery Email Inspector for mail gateways, Deep Discovery Analyzer for sandboxing, and Deep Discovery Inspector, which serves as an IDS detecting malicious network traffic.
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers comprehensive security, valued for integration with E3/E5 licenses, despite varied perceptions on cost.
Trend Micro Deep Discovery pricing is subscription-based, varies by requirements, and is generally managed by account managers.
We've likely saved 30% of costs.
Money-wise, it is a part of the Office 365 suite, making it slightly more expensive compared to Trend Micro.
Microsoft is quite affordable with a lot of features available for any size organization.
I do not consider it an expensive tool; its price is justified based on the capabilities that we receive when compared to another mail gateway or other vendors.
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 provides comprehensive security features, enhancing protection and efficiency across platforms with real-time threat detection.
Trend Micro Deep Discovery provides robust threat detection, easy administration, excellent performance, scalability, and comprehensive threat analysis with zero-day exploit management.
It ranks the threats and allows us to prioritize those hitting us the hardest, such as email threats.
It provides end-to-end visibility on email threats such as phishing, extending beyond Exchange Online Protection.
The value of the DLP feature is significant to us because we have internal data, sometimes sensitive, and the users may not always be aware of security and privacy, which might lead them to send out information mistakenly to external parties.
The most valuable capabilities of Trend Micro Deep Discovery Email Inspector include its ability to perform mail detection and mail filtration against various email attacks such as phishing and spam, serving as an email gateway for both inbound and outbound traffic.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender for Offi...
Ranking in Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
53
Ranking in other categories
Email Archiving (1st), Email Security (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (10th), Secure Email Gateway (SEG) (1st)
Trend Micro Deep Discovery
Ranking in Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
17th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (7th), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is 7.7%, down from 12.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Trend Micro Deep Discovery is 2.4%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Defender for Office 3657.7%
Trend Micro Deep Discovery2.4%
Other89.9%
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
 

Featured Reviews

Tolu Omolaja - PeerSpot reviewer
Great URL scanning and attachment scanning, but I would like more proactive threat analysis
The two main features that prove most beneficial for us are URL scanning and attachment scanning. URL scanning involves an automatic scan of links and emails. When a user clicks on a link within an email, the system promptly checks the link's safety. If the link is deemed safe, access is granted automatically. However, if it is flagged as unsafe, we receive feedback and notification to caution us about the potentially harmful link. At this point, we are presented with the option to proceed or return. I have personally witnessed the system identify a few unsafe links, making this the primary advantage of using the solution. The second crucial aspect is the scanning of attachments. When an email containing an attachment arrives, we receive a notification of the new email, along with information that the attachment is being scanned for threats. This additional layer of security provides peace of mind for our organization. While Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers numerous features, these two stand out as particularly impressive and valuable to us.
Vladimir Alexandrov - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced threat detection through superior sandboxing capabilities with competitive pricing
With Trend Micro Deep Discovery, our enterprise clients can identify forgotten or unmanaged network segments, thereby mitigating unexpected network actions such as outdated antivirus software operations. When under attack, such as with ransomware, it allows us to identify the attack vector and disable it. It also assists in security audits required to prove certain network security measures.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Healthcare Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise27
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise9
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
Threat Explorer is an invaluable tool for me, and it plays a crucial role in helping me discern the origins of various email campaigns, pinpointing where they emanate from, and identifying the indi...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
Microsoft is quite affordable with a lot of features available for any size organization.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Office 365?
I think that Microsoft Defender for Office 365 could be improved if it could use VirusTotal to compare the programs or anything that I download. VirusTotal helps to identify viruses, malware, troja...
What do you like most about Trend Micro Deep Discovery?
The tool's most valuable feature is its collaboration with other products. Integrating with other security products was simple and easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Trend Micro Deep Discovery?
Regarding the pricing and licensing of Trend Micro Deep Discovery, I find it very simple. When we need to make a purchase order or renew the license, we contact the partner, and once the license is...
What needs improvement with Trend Micro Deep Discovery?
There are areas of Trend Micro Deep Discovery that could be improved, particularly in the context of our deployment. We have multiple components such as Deep Discovery Email Inspector for mail gate...
 

Also Known As

MS Defender for Office 365
Trend Micro Deep Discovery Inspector, Trend Micro Deep Discovery Analyzer
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is trusted by companies such as Ithaca College.
Allied Telesis, Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, Babou, Blekinge County Council, Delacour, Hiroshima Prefectural Government, Live Nation Entertainment Inc., Mazda Motor Logistics Europe, McGill University Health Centre, Mikuni Corporation, OKWAVE, Sinar Mas Land, SWICA, UTOC Corporation
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs. Trend Micro Deep Discovery and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.