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Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Logo

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 pros and cons

Vendor: Microsoft
4.2 out of 5
Badge Ranked 1

Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers excellent email protection, notably through anti-phishing and anti-malware features, and it effectively blocks the majority of spam and phishing emails.
The integration capabilities of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 are considered highly valuable, providing a single console that streamlines operations and ensures seamless protection across different activities.
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 provides comprehensive threat visibility, allowing organizations to prioritize threats and respond promptly, thereby improving security posture.
The scalability and stability of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 are noted as strengths, with users appreciating its cloud-based threat intelligence and analytics capabilities.
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is praised for its ease of deployment and management, requiring minimal IT resources while effectively integrating with existing business technologies.

CONS

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 requires improvements in integrating the product to work across multiple operating systems and provide better support for non-Microsoft file types.
There are issues with false positives and a lack of accurate detection for malicious SharePoint sites, impacting its spam and malware detection effectiveness.
The licensing model is frequently changed, causing confusion for users regarding costs and included features.
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 needs to improve its scalability, especially for data centers.
Efforts are needed to offer more comprehensive documentation and training to enhance user understanding and self-education.
 

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Pros review quotes

reviewer1388559 - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Manager at a performing arts with 51-200 employees
Jan 14, 2021
The good part is that you don't have to configure it, which is very convenient.
reviewer1501215 - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal Consultant at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Mar 13, 2021
Some of the valuable features on the email side are anti-phishing, anti-malware, and Safe Links.
OR
General Manager IT at a logistics company with 10,001+ employees
May 3, 2021
Safe attachments, safe links, policies, and the ability to protect from zero-day threats are the most valuable features.
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Defender for Office 365. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,768 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1343688 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Analyst at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Jul 28, 2021
At the moment we are satisfied with this product. It's a stable, scalable, and resilient solution for us.
BO
Corporate IT Infrastructure Manager at United Test and Assembly Center Ltd.
Aug 2, 2021
The risk level notifications are most valuable. We get to know what kind of intrusion or attack is there, and we can fix a problem on time.
VR
IT Manager at SSEL
Aug 21, 2021
I would say that 90% of the spam and phishing attack emails get blocked right off the bat.
supervis809292 - PeerSpot reviewer
Supervisor of IT Infrastructure & Cybersecurity at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Oct 24, 2023
Does a thorough job of examining email and URLs for malicious content.
Olive Kusumbara - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Dec 2, 2021
The most valuable feature is the integration. It's a single console, so we don't have to switch around between multiple products. Another valuable feature is the ease of operations and maintenance.
BA
Sales Account Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Dec 24, 2021
The solution is very easy to use. All you have to do is to assign the license to the end-user and it's done. The customer will only have the feature activated, and the solution will monitor the emails to determine if they are a threat or not.
reviewer1753173 - PeerSpot reviewer
Deputy Chief SAP BASIS Administrator at a comms service provider with 201-500 employees
Jan 5, 2022
The basic features are okay and I'm satisfied with the Defender.
 

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Cons review quotes

reviewer1388559 - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Manager at a performing arts with 51-200 employees
Jan 14, 2021
We need a separate license and we don't know how to get the license that is required.
reviewer1501215 - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal Consultant at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Mar 13, 2021
There needs to be an improvement in integrating the product to work across multiple operating systems, and to have better support for non-Microsoft file types.
OR
General Manager IT at a logistics company with 10,001+ employees
May 3, 2021
In some situations, it has not been able to pick impersonated emails having no attachments. Technical support definitely has a scope for improvement.
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Defender for Office 365. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,768 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1343688 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Analyst at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Jul 28, 2021
It would be better if it were more scalable. It depends on the architecture, but we would like to make it more scalable for both data centers.
BO
Corporate IT Infrastructure Manager at United Test and Assembly Center Ltd.
Aug 2, 2021
The visibility for the weaknesses in the system and unauthorized access can be improved.
VR
IT Manager at SSEL
Aug 21, 2021
The custom alerts have to improve a lot.
supervis809292 - PeerSpot reviewer
Supervisor of IT Infrastructure & Cybersecurity at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Oct 24, 2023
Configuration requires going to a lot of places rather than just accessing one tab.
Olive Kusumbara - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Dec 2, 2021
This product's effectiveness could be improved, in terms of detecting unwanted spam or even malware between the emails, compared to other products.
BA
Sales Account Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Dec 24, 2021
They can improve their security in a way where a customer can know if all their attachments are safe or not to open through a report. The solution does its job perfectly, but it never reports to the customer whether those attachments have been stopped before or not.
reviewer1753173 - PeerSpot reviewer
Deputy Chief SAP BASIS Administrator at a comms service provider with 201-500 employees
Jan 5, 2022
I'd like some additional features any product can give me to protect our environment in a better way.