Defender ATP (Endpoint) vs CrowdStrike: Which One To Choose?

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Microsoft Defender ATP (Endpoint) is a combined solution for cyberattacks protection, post-breach detection, automated investigation, and incident response. It is specifically designed for data breach detection and endpoint protection, somewhat like CrowdStrike Falcon.

The latter is an antivirus solution that provides next-generation endpoint security with threat protection and incident response features.

Mostly, enterprise customers demand an all-in-one solution for endpoint security with virus detection capabilities, making CS Falcon the right choice.

Let’s see what their major differences are:

CrowdStrike vs Defender ATP: Available Features

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (formerly ATP) provides network-level protection against advance persistent threats. It has the following features based on Windows and Microsoft cloud services.

• Behavioral-based detection: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint performs behavioral analysis on the collected data from the endpoints and then sends this collected data to private or public cloud instances.
• Cloud analytics: Influenced by big data, artificial intelligence, and online assets, behavioral-based data is analyzed for better detection and suggestion for advanced threats.
• Threat intelligence: This module of the Microsoft Defender ATP solution is developed by Microsoft hunter, security teams, and supplemented by Microsoft partners for threat intelligence. It provides the facility of attacker tools detection, identifying techniques and procedures used by an attacker, and observation of collected data.

CrowdStrike has leading capabilities in endpoint protection as well.

Falcon has two significant features:

1. It preemptively protects against viruses and major cyberattacks with Falcon Prevent
2. With Falcon Insight, you get a clear picture of all threats that happened and that are likely to happen (predictive analytics)

This feature provides continuous monitoring of endpoint devices and advanced threats.

CrowdStrike uses machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms to provide detection and prevention against advanced threats.

Their cloud-based solution collects data through cloud agents that can be installed on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. CrowdStrike has four different layers of protection, starting from antiviruses and ending with protection of each endpoint.

Defender for Endpoint vs Falcon: Feature Comparison

The comparison of these two security products can be presented by evaluating their features. A list of features is presented in the following table:

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint	CrowdStrike Falcon
Detect and prevent network-based attacks from the attacking source	Sends alerts on detecting threats automatically
Prevents exploitation of unpatched vulnerabilities and zero-day attacks	Strong antivirus feature equipped with machine learning helps to block threats
Protects users and devices from files and websites with malicious reputes	Threat intelligence feature helps to present contextual form of attacks
Blocks devices from receiving web-based attacks by using hardware-based security solutions	Cloud-based solution that is easy to install and configure
With a cloud-based solution, it can manage malware defense strategy by using automation	Protects macOS devices
Cloud-based data analytics and intelligence can defend against known and unknown threats	Powerful malware sandbox module can perform hybrid analysis to protect against advanced and emerging threats
Runtime analysis feature blocks malicious and suspicious behaviors	It allows for centralized management
	Reporting mechanism for all endpoint activities
	The integrated agent with maximum management features with accessible dashboard

Pros & Cons of Both Endpoint Platforms

The following charts are showing the pros and cons of both Defender ATP vs CrowdStrike Falcon and how they can be used in an enterprise environment.

Pros

Here are some of the pros of both:

Pros
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint	CrowdStrike Falcon
Patch management is easy, it can be done automatically or scheduled	This solution is more convenient to IT staff as compared to other endpoint solutions
It can assess vulnerabilities efficiently	It has the lowest downtime  and lesser reports of getting infected
It can alert for risky sign-ins if usernames or passwords are compromised.	The installation setup and configuration is easy
Provides better protection against phishing emails and anti-spam	The user interface is very interactive and self-explanatory which is easy to understand
It integrates efficiently with all Windows workstations or other Microsoft Endpoint solutions.	It requires little or no maintenance.
A valuable thing is its simplicity with good integration capabilities	Has bug-free endpoint agents with lesser problems while working in the machines. Its agents receive good reviews from all the machines that make it more valuable
There is no need to install it, it comes with Windows 10 in-stock	Better scalability features is valuable for smaller companies
Its EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) feature is worthful.	It is very stable and can work within an integrated environment

Cons

And here are some of the cons compared:

Cons
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint	CrowdStrike Falcon
It requires better integration features with other security solutions for more transparency of detected threats	Doesn’t have strong machine learning features
User interface could be more user friendly	Has a higher false-positive rate
Costly solution and organizations with lower revenues cannot afford it	Should have the feature of scanning for attachments
It should be integrated with EDR solutions to get more benefits	Has problems with legacy OS and applications
Performance gets slow while working with incoming emails	It does not have an integration feature for on-premises devices and security solutions
It should have a centralization feature that can manage all the assets and endpoints at a single point	Takes more time to scan assets than other solutions
There are no integration components available for Mac in this product	After-sales support tends to be not so good
Mostly this product works with Microsoft products	Its data analytics module requires more attention for better performance and efficiency

Pricing: How Do The Services Compare?

Of course, price is a big variable by which to choose whether you should go for Defender ATP or CrowdStrike Falcon. Microsoft is somewhat known for its “convoluted” pricing structures but CrowdStrike is also complex:

Here’s an overview of what the pricing looks like:

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint	CrowdStrike Falcon
MS Defender ATP is an expensive solution and the price is high when compared with other products	The price of the product could be reduced but is in line with smaller companies as well
Costs are more reasonable without the ATP module	Depending on the license, it’s hard to predict the price
Licensing options differ, it depends on the type of subscription and time duration, completely depends on the business requirements	Although expensive, the prices are competitive

Defender vs Falcon: What Works Best for Your Business?

If you’re behind the wheels at an established enterprise organization, then Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is the right solution for you. If you’re more of a startup / scaleup dabbling in security, CrowdStrike may be a better choice.

LogicV works primarily with Defender for Endpoint as it’s the most powerful tool available in the market. We’re also Microsoft Gold Partners, so we’re constantly training on new updates to the software. Need help with choosing? Let us know and we’ll guide you in the right direction.