Who leads security at Microsoft

What the company sells

Microsoft Defender offers threat prevention, detection and response capabilities. Microsoft Defender coordinates protection across endpoints, identity, email, apps and cloud. Security Copilot agents come ready to use in Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Sentinel.

Microsoft Defender is a threat protection solution designed to protect individuals, businesses and enterprises from malicious cyberthreats. Microsoft Defender has the purpose of preventing, detecting and responding to attacks across devices, identities, applications, email, data, workloads and cloud environments. XDR capabilities are included with eligible Microsoft plans and supported Defender products. Microsoft offers cloud security for hybrid and multicloud environments across the full application lifecycle, from code to runtime. Microsoft offers vulnerability management with continuous vulnerability assessment, risk-based prioritization and remediation. Microsoft offers email and collaboration security against phishing and advanced cyberthreats such as business email compromise.

Microsoft Defender Suite focuses on threat protection and detection and response across endpoints, identities, email and SaaS apps. The integrated security operations center (ISOC) is included in the Defender Suite. Microsoft Defender Suite is offered on its own or as part of Microsoft 365 E5. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint licenses include protection for up to 5 devices per user license. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 protects against email-based threats and secures collaboration tools including Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive. Microsoft offers expert-led services to help defend against threats, build cyber resilience and modernize security operations. Microsoft offers AI-powered threat hunting across endpoints, identities, emails, cloud apps and cloud workloads.

Microsoft offers a cloud-native SIEM built for AI. The cloud-native SIEM from Microsoft includes a built-in data lake. Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) was renamed Microsoft Entra ID in 2023. To purchase Microsoft Entra, customers start with Microsoft Entra ID P1 or P2 license subscriptions, which can also be purchased as part of a Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 license. Microsoft Entra Suite extends Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 to enable secure workforce use of apps and AI with continuous, adaptive identity and network access controls across employees, apps and networks. Microsoft Entra Suite requires a subscription to Microsoft Entra ID P1 or a package that includes Microsoft Entra ID P1. Identity Governance enforces least privilege access and automates access lifecycles.

Microsoft Intune offers advanced endpoint management and security capabilities available as standalone add-ons or as part of the Intune Suite. The advanced capabilities include Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM), Enterprise App Management (EAM), Advanced Analytics, Remote Help, Microsoft Cloud PKI, Microsoft Tunnel for Mobile Application Management (MAM), Firmware-over-the-Air (FOTA) updates and Specialized Device Management. Microsoft Intune Plan 1 is the endpoint management solution included in most Microsoft 365 enterprise licenses, covering cross-platform device management, built-in security, mobile application management and endpoint analytics. Select advanced Intune capabilities are now included in Microsoft 365 E3 and E5.

Microsoft Purview offers a unified approach to help organizations secure and govern data across their heterogenous data estate. Microsoft Purview enables organizations to secure and govern a data estate across on-premises, multicloud and SaaS environments, and across structured and unstructured data. Microsoft offers data security to discover, classify and protect sensitive data across a data estate. Microsoft Purview features are purchased through different licenses or on a pay-as-you-go basis. Microsoft Purview Suite (formerly Microsoft E5 Compliance Suite) provides advanced data security and compliance capabilities. Microsoft 365 E5 includes Office apps, identity and endpoint protection, and all Microsoft Purview Suite capabilities.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium is a solution for small and medium-sized businesses. Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes Microsoft Defender for Business, Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1, Microsoft Entra ID Plan 1, Microsoft Intune Plan 1 and Microsoft Purview, along with Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, Clipchamp and Copilot Chat. Microsoft points organizations with more than 300 users to its enterprise offerings. Ford Motor Company uses Microsoft Security solutions to protect its data and operations. Providence Care uses Microsoft 365 E5 for healthcare security. Auckland Transport uses Microsoft Security Copilot for citywide cybersecurity. KPMG deployed Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Microsoft Purview for sensitive data that might be exfiltrated or overshared by AI apps.^{[1][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][23][24][25][26][27]}

Categories

• EDR and XDR (primary category)
• SIEM
• Workforce IAM and SSO
• Endpoint management and application control
• Compare Microsoft with companies in the same categoryside by side

Headquarters

Redmond, United States^[3]

Founded

1975^[2]

Ownership

Public (NASDAQ: MSFT)^[4][10][22]

CISO on record

Not established on our record (roster checked February 4, 2026). Send a verified source

Website

microsoft.com

Products and services

Product names as the company writes them; what each does, in our words, from the company's own product pages. Never how well it does it.

• Microsoft Defender^{[1][11][12][23][25]}

  Threat protection that prevents, detects and responds to attacks across devices, identities, applications, email, data, workloads and cloud environments.

  Microsoft Defender is a threat protection solution designed to protect individuals, businesses and enterprises from malicious cyberthreats. Microsoft Defender coordinates protection across endpoints, identity, email, apps and cloud.

• Microsoft Sentinel^[1][23]

  A cloud-native SIEM built for AI.

• Microsoft Purview^{[1][14][23][24][25]}

  Unified information protection, governance and compliance products.

  Microsoft Purview offers a unified approach to help organizations secure and govern data across their heterogenous data estate. Microsoft Purview covers on-premises, multicloud and SaaS environments, and structured and unstructured data. Microsoft Purview features are purchased through different licenses or on a pay-as-you-go basis.

• Microsoft Entra^{[1][15][23][25]}

  Identity and access products that verify every identity and access request across clouds, platforms and devices.

  Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) was renamed Microsoft Entra ID in 2023. Purchase starts with Microsoft Entra ID P1 or P2 license subscriptions, which can also be purchased as part of a Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 license.

• Microsoft Intune^{[1][16][23][25]}

  Endpoint management products for device security and hybrid work.

  Microsoft Intune offers advanced endpoint management and security capabilities available as standalone add-ons or as part of the Intune Suite. Microsoft Intune Plan 1 is the endpoint management solution included in most Microsoft 365 enterprise licenses. Plan 1 covers cross-platform device management, built-in security, mobile application management and endpoint analytics.

• Microsoft Defender Suite^[12]

  Threat protection and detection and response across endpoints, identities, email and SaaS apps.

  Microsoft Defender Suite focuses on threat protection and detection and response across endpoints, identities, email and SaaS apps. The integrated security operations center (ISOC) is included in the Defender Suite.

• Microsoft Entra Suite^[15]

  An extension to Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 for secure workforce use of apps and AI.

  Microsoft Entra Suite extends Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 to enable secure workforce use of apps and AI with continuous, adaptive identity and network access controls across employees, apps and networks. Microsoft Entra Suite requires a subscription to Microsoft Entra ID P1 or a package that includes Microsoft Entra ID P1.

• Microsoft Purview Suite^[14]

  A suite that provides advanced data security and compliance capabilities.

Competitors and alternatives

The other companies on our record filed under the same categories, category by category: first those that lead with that category and share more of Microsoft's categories, then alphabetical. A list from the record, never a ranking.

• On edr and xdr, Microsoft competes with Cynet, Bitdefender, Broadcom, CrowdStrike, Fidelis, Kaspersky, Malwarebytes, Nokia, SentinelOne, Sophos and 23 more.

• On siem, Microsoft competes with Elastic, Alphabet, Exabeam, Graylog, Guardsix, Gurucul, Hunters, RunReveal, Securonix, Splunk and 22 more.

• On workforce iam and sso, Microsoft competes with JumpCloud, Amazon Web Services, HID, Okta, RSA Security, SecurEnvoy, IBM, WatchGuard Technologies, Atos, Auth0 and 14 more.

• On endpoint management and application control, Microsoft competes with Tanium, Automox, HCLSoftware, Ivanti, Jamf, ThreatLocker, IBM, JumpCloud, Absolute Security, Bay and 2 more.

What review platforms show

The headline rating and review count each platform showed in public search results on the day we looked, with the link. We do not read or reproduce the reviews, and a rating is the platform's, not ours.

• G2 · no rating shown · 365 reviews^[10]seen November 10, 2026

Named customers

Organizations publicly named as customers, each linked to the page that names it. Not a complete list, and not an endorsement.

• Best Buy^[5]Microsoft
• Danfoss^[6]Microsoft
• Oregon State University^[7]Microsoft

Recent news

Dated company events from the last twelve months, each in one sentence of ours with its source. Newest first.

• July 29, 2026

  Microsoft reported revenue of $90.0 billion for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, up 18% year over year. Microsoft^[8]

• July 27, 2026

  Microsoft introduced Project Perception, an agentic security system that uses AI to turn signals into real-time protections. The Official Microsoft Blog^[21]

• May 1, 2026

  Microsoft announced general availability of Microsoft 365 E7 and Microsoft Agent 365 on May 1, 2026. Microsoft^[28]

• April 29, 2026

  Microsoft reported revenue of $82.9 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, up 18% from a year earlier. Microsoft^[9]

• December 22, 2025

  Microsoft announced the Defender Experts suite, an expert-led security offering for resellers and scale solution providers, generally available from January 1, 2026. Microsoft Learn^[20]

References

Every fact above cites one of these by number. Tier A is the company itself, a regulator or a filing; tier B is trade or business press.

1. [1]Cloud Security Solutions | Microsoft SecurityMicrosoft · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
2. [2]AboutMicrosoft · news.microsoft.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
3. [3]Msft 20240630Microsoft Corporation via SEC EDGAR · sec.gov · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
4. [4]7c96b326 33bc 4b84 8abb 7afd7a517ea3Microsoft Corporation · microsoft.gcs-web.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
5. [5]25053 best buy microsoft sentinelMicrosoft · microsoft.com · published August 25, 2025 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
6. [6]22786 danfoss microsoft sentinelMicrosoft · microsoft.com · published March 7, 2025 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
7. [7]1747330384796486050 oregon state university microsoft security copilot higher education en united statesMicrosoft · microsoft.com · published March 14, 2024 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
8. [8]Microsoft cloud and ai strength fuels fourth quarter results 4Microsoft · news.microsoft.com · published July 29, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
9. [9]Microsoft cloud and ai strength fuels third quarter resultsMicrosoft · news.microsoft.com · published April 29, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
10. [10]Microsoft 365 Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier C
11. [11]Microsoft Defender—Cybersecurity Solutions | Microsoft SecurityMicrosoft · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
12. [12]Microsoft Defender Suite | Microsoft SecurityMicrosoft · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
13. [13]Microsoft Purview Suite | Microsoft SecurityMicrosoft · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
14. [14]Microsoft Purview Pricing | Microsoft SecurityMicrosoft · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
15. [15]Microsoft Entra Pricing | Microsoft SecurityMicrosoft · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
16. [16]Microsoft Intune Pricing | Microsoft SecurityMicrosoft · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
17. [17]Cybersecurity for small and medium business | Microsoft SecurityMicrosoft · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
18. [18]Security Copilot agents in Microsoft 365 E5 | Microsoft SecurityMicrosoft · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
19. [19]Microsoft Defender Pricing | Microsoft SecurityMicrosoft · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
20. [20]December 2025 announcements - Partner Center announcementsMicrosoft Learn · published December 22, 2025 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
21. [21]Rethinking security for the age of AIThe Official Microsoft Blog · published July 27, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
22. [22]Microsoft Reviews, Ratings & Features 2026 | Gartner Peer InsightsGartner Peer Insights · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier C
23. [23]Microsoft 365 Security Enterprise Plans| Microsoft SecurityMicrosoft · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
24. [24]Microsoft Purview: Data Security and Governance | Microsoft SecurityMicrosoft · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
25. [25]CybersecurityMicrosoft · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
26. [26]Microsoft Defender Suite for Microsoft 365 Business Premium | Microsoft SecurityMicrosoft · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
27. [27]Microsoft Mobile Phone Authenticator | Microsoft SecurityMicrosoft · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing
28. [28]Leading Frontier Firm transformation with Microsoft 365 E7: The partner opportunityMicrosoft · published May 1, 2026 · Tier A: the company, a regulator or a filing

Last verified November 2, 2026. Our code found the quoted passage behind each fact on its source page when the fact was recorded, and re-checks every record against its sources each month.

Recorded September 27, 2026, expanded November 10, 2026 from the references above.

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