Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users
Microsoft Defender for Business Logo

Microsoft Defender for Business pros and cons

Vendor: Microsoft
3.9 out of 5

Pros & Cons summary

Buyer's Guide

Get pricing advice, tips, use cases and valuable features from real users of this product.
Get the report

Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Microsoft Defender for Business provides strong integration with Microsoft Lighthouse and other tools, enhancing security for small and medium-sized businesses.
It offers effective threat detection and response capabilities, particularly managing vulnerabilities and ransomware attacks.
The service includes an effective single-dashboard view with Microsoft 365, providing a consolidated security management approach.
Microsoft Defender for Business works seamlessly with the Microsoft Azure Security ecosystem, particularly with Defender for Endpoint and Office 365 Cloud.
Its integration with Microsoft Sentinel offers valuable insights and enhances security measures.

CONS

Defender's reporting is scattershot, and URL filtering lacks effectiveness.
Security improvements are needed, with better integration into environments and faster threat response.
Pricing and contract terms pose issues, especially with multi-year contracts.
Technical support is slow, with support staff lacking experience and responsiveness.
Integration issues arise with licensing on Windows 11 Enterprise, affecting activation.
 

Microsoft Defender for Business Pros review quotes

reviewer1728189 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 6, 2023
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 going on. We have a footprint across all of North America, Canada, and Mexico, so we want to make sure that all our endpoints are protected and we are able to look for any anomalous activity.
TC
Jul 29, 2024
The most valuable feature of the solution is its central console.
Tim_Howard - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 11, 2024
I haven't had any problems with the tool's stability.
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Defender for Business. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
857,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.
TU
Jun 13, 2025
Using Microsoft Defender for Business is beneficial for my company.
Mar 12, 2025
Microsoft Defender for Business offers the best pricing option in the market and is very cost-effective.
Craig McGill. - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 13, 2025
The security features in Microsoft Defender for Business that have been most effective for our company include the way it's built-in and intertwined into all the operating systems, giving us a good opportunity to holistically block things for the organization using that tenant.
reviewer2516193 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 22, 2024
The solution provides good scalability.
KK
Jan 2, 2025
Microsoft Defender for Business works well with the Microsoft Azure Security ecosystem, including Defender for Endpoint and Office 365 Cloud.
NS
Nov 25, 2024
The solution includes attack-savvy service and risk protection, part of data center management, and offers an effective single-dashboard view with Microsoft 365.
Wondimu Almu - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 24, 2024
Microsoft Defender for Business stands out due to its ease of use, particularly due to the fact that many of my customers already use Microsoft and Azure.
 

Microsoft Defender for Business Cons review quotes

reviewer1728189 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 6, 2023
The biggest one is that Defender needs to be more proactive to the emerging threats. There can be tighter integration with email, especially how it integrates with our email system, which is the Microsoft Outlook suite. There should be the ability to react a lot quicker to emerging threats because sometimes, it takes a few days before some of these new threats are fully identified, and we need that to be a few hours.
TC
Jul 29, 2024
Talking with the tool's technician about any problem is very complicated.
Tim_Howard - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 11, 2024
The tool's support is an area of concern where improvements are needed.
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Defender for Business. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
857,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.
TU
Jun 13, 2025
The technical support from Microsoft is very poor. I would rate it a one, as their technical staff are very junior and take a long time to respond to simple questions.
Mar 12, 2025
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 deep.
Craig McGill. - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 13, 2025
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.
reviewer2516193 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 22, 2024
The solution's AI is notorious for false positives, and the time you have to spend training it is ridiculous.
KK
Jan 2, 2025
The threat detection capabilities require significant customization for multistage threat detection.
NS
Nov 25, 2024
Microsoft should provide batch management solutions with the application, integrating pass management with roles.
Wondimu Almu - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 24, 2024
The user interface has a lot of features which can make it complex and hard to adapt to for some users.