Microsoft Defender XDR
A unified, AI-driven extended detection and response (XDR) platform for managing and responding to cyberattacks.
| Category | Threat Detection & Response |
|---|---|
| This page updated | a month ago |
| Pricing Details | Contact Microsoft for pricing details. |
| Target Audience | Enterprise security teams managing complex environments. |
Microsoft Defender XDR addresses the complex challenge of managing and responding to sophisticated cyberattacks across diverse enterprise environments by providing a unified, AI-driven extended detection and response (XDR) platform. This solution integrates detection, prevention, investigation, and response capabilities across endpoints, identities, email, collaboration tools, and cloud applications.
The technical architecture of Microsoft Defender XDR leverages a cross-product layer that coordinates signals and actions from various Microsoft security products, including Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Microsoft Defender for Identity, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps. This integration enables a single pane of glass view in the Microsoft Defender portal, where security teams can see detections, impacted assets, automated actions, and related evidence in a consolidated incidents queue. The platform uses AI and machine learning to analyze over 78 trillion daily signals, providing incident-level visibility and prioritized investigation and response capabilities.
Key operational considerations include the automated disruption of advanced cyberattacks, such as ransomware and business email compromise, through real-time signal sharing and automated actions. The platform also offers self-healing capabilities for compromised devices, user identities, and mailboxes, reducing the workload on security teams. Additionally, Microsoft Defender XDR supports advanced threat hunting with query-based access to 30 days of historic raw signals and alert data, allowing security teams to proactively inspect events and locate threat indicators.
Operational limitations include the potential for increased complexity in managing multitenant environments, although Microsoft Defender XDR streamlines incident management and threat hunting across multiple tenants with a consolidated view. The platform also relies on robust licensing requirements, which must be met before enabling the service in the Microsoft Defender portal. Furthermore, while the platform offers powerful automation and AI-driven response, it still requires skilled security analysts to interpret and act on the insights provided, particularly in custom threat hunting scenarios.