CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender for Business

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Our analysts compared CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender for Business based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Endpoint Security Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Microsoft Defender for Business Software Tool

Product Basics

CrowdStrike Falcon is a cloud-based endpoint security platform designed to protect devices like laptops, desktops, and servers from cyber threats. It's a good fit for organizations of all sizes, especially those looking for a comprehensive and easy-to-manage solution. Users appreciate its effectiveness in stopping breaches, its lightweight agent, and its user-friendly interface.

Key features include next-generation antivirus, endpoint detection and response (EDR), threat intelligence, and vulnerability management. CrowdStrike Falcon's pricing is subscription-based and varies depending on the chosen modules and number of endpoints. Compared to other endpoint security solutions, CrowdStrike Falcon is often praised for its strong threat detection capabilities and cloud-native architecture, but some users note that its advanced features may require additional training.

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Microsoft Defender for Business is a comprehensive security solution designed to protect small to medium-sized businesses from cyber threats. It offers advanced threat protection, endpoint detection and response, and automated investigation and remediation capabilities. This software is particularly suited for industries such as healthcare, finance, and retail, where data security is paramount. Its unique benefits include simplified deployment, centralized management, and integration with other Microsoft services, providing a seamless security experience.

Key features include real-time threat detection, vulnerability management, and detailed reporting. Users appreciate its intuitive interface and robust protection mechanisms, which are often highlighted in user reviews. Compared to similar products, Microsoft Defender for Business stands out for its ease of use and comprehensive coverage. Pricing details can vary, so it's recommended to contact SelectHub for a tailored quote based on specific needs. This ensures businesses get the most accurate and relevant pricing information for their requirements.

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$5/Endpoint, Monthly
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$3/User, Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
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Product Assistance

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Product Insights

  • Save Money: Cyberattacks can cost agencies millions of dollars. By deploying endpoint security software, users can save money and time. 
  • Manage Devices: With device management and policies, users can take greater control over their deployed devices, and they manage everything from updates to installations. 
  • Replace Ineffective Antivirus: The product is a full-service antivirus and endpoint security solution, all rolled into one. 
  • Flexible pricing: Flexible pricing tiers give users flexibility in what features they want for their business. 
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  • Enhanced Threat Detection: Microsoft Defender for Business leverages advanced AI and machine learning to identify and mitigate threats in real-time, reducing the risk of data breaches.
  • Automated Response: The software automates the response to detected threats, ensuring swift action to contain and neutralize potential security incidents without manual intervention.
  • Comprehensive Protection: It provides end-to-end security across devices, applications, and data, ensuring a holistic defense strategy for your business environment.
  • Cost Efficiency: By integrating multiple security functions into a single platform, Microsoft Defender for Business reduces the need for multiple security solutions, lowering overall costs.
  • Scalability: The solution is designed to grow with your business, easily scaling to accommodate increasing numbers of devices and users without compromising performance.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Helps businesses meet regulatory requirements by providing detailed reporting and audit trails, simplifying compliance with standards like GDPR and HIPAA.
  • Reduced Downtime: By quickly identifying and addressing threats, the software minimizes downtime and ensures business continuity, keeping operations running smoothly.
  • User-Friendly Interface: The intuitive dashboard and easy-to-navigate interface make it simple for IT teams to manage security tasks and monitor the overall security posture.
  • Integration with Microsoft 365: Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365, providing a unified security solution that enhances the protection of your existing Microsoft ecosystem.
  • Proactive Threat Hunting: Enables proactive threat hunting capabilities, allowing security teams to identify and address potential vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
  • Customizable Policies: Offers customizable security policies tailored to the specific needs of your business, ensuring optimal protection without unnecessary restrictions.
  • Expert Support: Access to Microsoft's extensive support network and resources ensures that your business can quickly resolve any security issues that arise.
  • Employee Training: Includes tools and resources to educate employees about security best practices, reducing the likelihood of human error leading to security incidents.
  • Real-Time Alerts: Provides real-time alerts and notifications, enabling immediate action to address potential threats and minimize impact.
  • Data Encryption: Ensures that sensitive business data is encrypted both in transit and at rest, protecting it from unauthorized access and breaches.
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  • Defend Against All Threat Types: This software comes ready to defend against all threat types, from malware to viruses to trojans, worms and intrusions. 
  • Machine Learning: Falcon combines machine learning modules with its malware detection and removal tools to automatically defend against threats. 
  • Ransomware Protection: It defends against ransomware by blocking unauthorized executables and encryption attempts. 
  • Cloud-Based: Protection is delivered in the cloud, reducing the need for complicated software installs or dividing IT’s resources. 
  • Modular System: Though the product comes with a standard set of features, it can also be customized by purchasing additional modules like Falcon Spotlight or Falcon for Mobile. 
  • Instant Response: Indicator of attack behaviors are detected by the system, allowing users to instantly take action against threats before they can become breaches. In addition to powerful, user-operated management, AI modules can be trained to handle threats. 
  • No Performance Hit: Because it deploys in the cloud, Falcon has almost no performance impact on endpoint devices.
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  • Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): Provides advanced threat detection and response capabilities to identify and mitigate sophisticated attacks on endpoints.
  • Threat and Vulnerability Management: Continuously scans for vulnerabilities and provides actionable insights to prioritize and remediate risks.
  • Automated Investigation and Remediation: Uses AI and machine learning to automatically investigate alerts and remediate threats, reducing the burden on IT teams.
  • Next-Generation Antivirus: Offers real-time protection against malware, ransomware, and other malicious software using advanced heuristics and behavior analysis.
  • Attack Surface Reduction: Implements policies to minimize the attack surface by controlling the applications and scripts that can run on devices.
  • Integration with Microsoft 365: Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365 services, providing a unified security experience across email, documents, and collaboration tools.
  • Centralized Management Console: Provides a single pane of glass for managing security policies, monitoring threats, and viewing security reports.
  • Customizable Security Policies: Allows businesses to tailor security settings to meet their specific needs and compliance requirements.
  • Cloud-Based Threat Intelligence: Leverages Microsoft's vast threat intelligence network to stay ahead of emerging threats and provide up-to-date protection.
  • Device Control: Manages and restricts the use of external devices such as USB drives to prevent data leakage and malware introduction.
  • Incident Reporting and Analytics: Offers detailed incident reports and analytics to help businesses understand and respond to security events effectively.
  • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Ensures that only authorized personnel have access to security settings and data, enhancing overall security posture.
  • Scalability: Designed to scale with your business, providing robust security for small to medium-sized enterprises without compromising performance.
  • Compliance Management: Helps businesses meet regulatory requirements by providing tools and reports for compliance management.
  • 24/7 Threat Monitoring: Offers continuous monitoring and alerting to ensure that threats are detected and addressed promptly, regardless of the time of day.
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Product Ranking

#20

among all
Endpoint Security Software

#68

among all
Endpoint Security Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

CrowdStrike Falcon
Microsoft Defender for Business
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Attack Prevention Attack Surface Reduction Endpoint Detection And Response (EDR) Exploit Prevention Managed Detection And Response (MDR) Services Mobile Capabilities Platform Capabilities Vulnerability Management 93 60 96 77 92 53 89 100 0 25 50 75 100
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User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 248 reviews
Fair User Sentiment 1 reviews
97%
of users recommend this product

CrowdStrike Falcon has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 97% when considering 248 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

60%
of users recommend this product

Microsoft Defender for Business has a 'fair' User Satisfaction Rating of 60% when considering 1 user reviews from 1 recognized software review sites.

4.3 (1)
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4.6 (6)
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4.9 (7)
3.0 (1)
4.9 (223)
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4.5 (11)
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Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated CrowdStrike Falcon and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Vulnerability Management and Integrations and Extensibility. CrowdStrike Falcon stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award
Vulnerability Management Award
Integrations and Extensibility Award

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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Regular Updates: It keeps endpoint devices safe through regular updates.
System Resources: It is lightweight and has low system resource utilization.
Accuracy: It shows accurate results and detects few false positives.
Customer Support: It provides fast and reliable customer support over email and phone.
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Strong Protection: Safeguards your business from various threats like ransomware and malware, ensuring your data and operations remain secure.
Streamlined Management: Offers a single dashboard to monitor and manage security across all devices, simplifying administration for your IT team.
Proactive Defense: Identifies and addresses vulnerabilities before they can be exploited, minimizing the risk of successful attacks.
Automated Response: Takes immediate action against threats, even outside of business hours, ensuring continuous protection without manual intervention.
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Web Interface: Some web interface items aren’t very intuitive.
Scan: It lacks the ability to perform a system-level scan.
Block Applications: It can block legitimate applications.
Reporting: It does not have comprehensive reporting capabilities.
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Complex Setup: Some users have reported that the initial configuration of Microsoft Defender for Business can be more complicated compared to other security solutions, potentially requiring additional time and resources.
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CrowdStrike Falcon has garnered significant praise for its cloud-native architecture, which eliminates the need for on-premises servers and simplifies deployment and management. Users appreciate the platform's lightweight agent, which minimizes performance impact on endpoints. The single, unified agent provides comprehensive protection across various attack vectors, including malware, ransomware, and fileless attacks. Falcon's threat intelligence capabilities are highly regarded, providing real-time insights into emerging threats and enabling proactive defense measures. The platform's user interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, allowing security teams to quickly identify and respond to threats. Compared to traditional antivirus solutions, CrowdStrike Falcon offers superior protection against modern threats and reduces the burden on IT staff. While CrowdStrike Falcon offers numerous advantages, some users have noted that its pricing can be higher than some competitors. Additionally, the platform's reliance on cloud connectivity may raise concerns for organizations with strict data residency requirements or limited internet access. Some users have also mentioned that the initial setup and configuration process can be complex, requiring expertise in cybersecurity. Despite these drawbacks, CrowdStrike Falcon remains a popular choice for organizations seeking advanced endpoint protection. Its strengths in threat intelligence, cloud-native architecture, and ease of use make it well-suited for businesses of all sizes, particularly those with limited IT resources or a need for robust protection against sophisticated cyberattacks.

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Is Microsoft Defender for Business truly a defender of businesses, or does it leave them vulnerable? User reviews from the last year reveal a mixed bag. On one hand, Defender for Business is praised for its robust security features, particularly its effectiveness in combating ransomware and malware. Users highlight its integration with other Microsoft products as a key strength, allowing for a centralized security management experience. For instance, its seamless compatibility with Microsoft 365 streamlines security workflows and reduces the need for third-party solutions. This integration is particularly valuable for businesses heavily reliant on the Microsoft ecosystem, offering a unified and cost-effective approach to security.However, the initial setup process is a common pain point, often described as complex and time-consuming. This complexity might pose a challenge for businesses lacking dedicated IT expertise. Additionally, while Defender for Business excels on Windows platforms, its performance on other operating systems like macOS or Linux is reportedly less impressive. This limitation could be a dealbreaker for businesses with diverse device ecosystems. Overall, Microsoft Defender for Business is best suited for small to medium-sized businesses heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, prioritizing strong security features and seamless integration over cross-platform compatibility. Its robust protection against modern threats, combined with its user-friendly interface once set up, makes it a valuable asset for businesses seeking a comprehensive yet cost-effective security solution.

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