Microsoft Defender for Identity
Identity threat detection and response (ITDR) software
User and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) software
User threat prevention software
- Features
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- Ease of management
- Quality of support
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- Market presence
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What is Microsoft Defender for Identity
Microsoft Defender for Identity is an identity security product that monitors on-premises Active Directory and related identity signals to detect suspicious activity, compromised credentials, and identity-based attack paths. It is used by security operations and identity teams to investigate and respond to identity threats, often alongside Microsoft’s broader security tooling. The product relies on sensors and directory/identity telemetry to build detections and behavioral analytics, with tight integration into the Microsoft security portal and alerting workflows.
Deep Active Directory visibility
The product is designed specifically to observe and analyze on-premises Active Directory activity, including authentication patterns and directory changes. It uses dedicated sensors and domain controller telemetry to identify identity-centric attack techniques. This focus provides practical coverage for AD compromise scenarios that general endpoint or network tools may not capture as directly.
Integrated Microsoft security workflows
Defender for Identity integrates with the Microsoft Defender portal and related Microsoft security services for alert triage and investigation. This can reduce operational overhead for organizations already standardizing on Microsoft security tooling. It also supports correlation with other Microsoft signals to provide broader context around identity-related incidents.
Behavior analytics for identity risk
The product applies user and entity behavior analytics concepts to identity events to surface anomalies and suspicious patterns. It provides detections aligned to common identity attack behaviors (for example, reconnaissance, credential theft indicators, and abnormal authentication activity). These analytics help security teams prioritize identity alerts beyond simple rule-based thresholds.
Microsoft-centric deployment model
The product is most effective when paired with Microsoft identity and security components and workflows. Organizations with heterogeneous identity stacks or non-Microsoft security operations tooling may need additional integration work to centralize investigations. This can limit flexibility compared with more vendor-neutral identity security platforms.
Primarily AD-focused coverage
Defender for Identity’s core strength is on-premises Active Directory monitoring, which may not fully address all SaaS identity, IaaS identity, or non-AD directory use cases on its own. Organizations with significant cloud-only identity footprints may require complementary controls for broader identity posture and threat coverage. This can create gaps if teams expect a single product to cover all identity planes.
Tuning and alert management required
Behavioral detections and anomaly-based alerts typically require tuning to match an organization’s environment and reduce noise. Security teams may need time to baseline normal activity, configure exclusions, and align alert severity with operational processes. Without ongoing tuning, alert volume can affect triage efficiency.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone (per-user license) | Contact Sales / Not listed publicly | Microsoft states Defender for Identity is available as a standalone per-user subscription; official pages direct customers to contact sales or sign up for a trial. |
| Included — Microsoft 365 E5 | $57.00 per user/month (annual) | Defender for Identity rights are included in Microsoft 365 E5 subscriptions (price shown is for Microsoft 365 E5 annual per-user list price on Microsoft site). |
| Included — Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) E5 | $16.40 per user/month (annual) | Defender for Identity rights are included in EMS E5 subscriptions (price shown is EMS E5 annual per-user list price on Microsoft site). |
| Included — Microsoft Defender Suite (add-on) | $12.00 per user/month (annual) | Defender Suite add-on (requires qualifying Microsoft 365 plan) is listed at $12/user/month and provides layered XDR capabilities that include identity protections. |
Seller details
Microsoft Corporation
Redmond, Washington, United States
1975
Public
https://www.microsoft.com/
https://x.com/Microsoft
https://www.linkedin.com/company/microsoft/
