Microsoft Defender VS Microsoft Defender for Identity_
As of 4 November 2026, Microsoft Defender for Identity is named by 156 companies and Microsoft Defender by 1,329; Microsoft Defender skews to companies under 200 people (33% vs 22%), Microsoft Defender for Identity to companies over 1,000 (52% vs 36%).
As of 4 November 2026 · refreshed daily · counts move as websites, DNS and career sites are re-read.
The website-and-DNS footprint is not comparable between a marketing suite and a CRM: Microsoft Defender's script and mail records show on hundreds of thousands of small sites, Microsoft Defender for Identity rarely leaves a trace outside its own apps. Compare on the job-posting numbers; use the footprint for reach.
- Microsoft Defender: 2–200 employees
- 33%
- Microsoft Defender for Identity: 2–200 employees
- 22%
- Microsoft Defender: 1,000+ employees
- 36%
- Microsoft Defender for Identity: 1,000+ employees
- 52%
- Postings per company, 90 days
- 2.1 · 2.5
- Website or DNS footprint
- 0 · 0
Who chooses which
Share of each tool's companies in every segment. "Leans" marks a gap of more than two points.
| Segment | Microsoft Defender | share | Microsoft Defender for Identity | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed | 17 | 1% | 3 | 2% | even |
| 2-10 employees | 56 | 4% | 5 | 3% | even |
| 11-50 employees | 123 | 9% | 13 | 8% | even |
| 51-200 employees | 253 | 19% | 17 | 11% | Microsoft Defender |
| 201-500 employees | 231 | 17% | 19 | 12% | Microsoft Defender |
| 501-1000 employees | 176 | 13% | 18 | 12% | even |
| 1001-5000 employees | 253 | 19% | 39 | 25% | Microsoft Defender for Identity |
| 5001-10000 employees | 70 | 5% | 15 | 10% | Microsoft Defender for Identity |
| 10,001+ employees | 150 | 11% | 27 | 17% | Microsoft Defender for Identity |
| Segment | Microsoft Defender | share | Microsoft Defender for Identity | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology & software | 466 | 35% | 29 | 19% | Microsoft Defender |
| Business & finance services | 304 | 23% | 29 | 19% | Microsoft Defender |
| Manufacturing & industry | 189 | 14% | 43 | 28% | Microsoft Defender for Identity |
| Public, community & associations | 53 | 4% | 4 | 3% | even |
| Utilities & infrastructure | 51 | 4% | 5 | 3% | even |
| Commerce & trade | 49 | 4% | 6 | 4% | even |
| Property & construction | 44 | 3% | 3 | 2% | even |
| Consumer services & leisure | 40 | 3% | 5 | 3% | even |
| Health care | 38 | 3% | 17 | 11% | Microsoft Defender for Identity |
| Transport, logistics & rental | 34 | 3% | 3 | 2% | even |
| Media & content | 26 | 2% | 5 | 3% | even |
| Automotive | 19 | 1% | 6 | 4% | Microsoft Defender for Identity |
| Segment | Microsoft Defender | share | Microsoft Defender for Identity | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 714 | 54% | 109 | 70% | Microsoft Defender for Identity |
| United Kingdom | 114 | 9% | 12 | 8% | even |
| Germany | 87 | 7% | 9 | 6% | even |
| Canada | 54 | 4% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Australia | 42 | 3% | 3 | 2% | even |
| Netherlands | 38 | 3% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| France | 34 | 3% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Belgium | 18 | 1% | 4 | 3% | even |
| India | 17 | 1% | 1 | 1% | even |
| Denmark | 16 | 1% | 1 | 1% | even |
| Sweden | 16 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Switzerland | 14 | 1% | 2 | 1% | even |
| United Arab Emirates | – | – | 2 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Spain | – | – | 1 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Ireland | – | – | 1 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Italy | – | – | 1 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Microsoft Defender | share | Microsoft Defender for Identity | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT operations & business systems | 2,611 | 77% | 267 | 54% | Microsoft Defender |
| Software engineering | 98 | 3% | 8 | 2% | even |
| Sales | 79 | 2% | 3 | 1% | even |
| Engineering (non-software) | 46 | 1% | 12 | 2% | even |
| Product, program & project management | 46 | 1% | 3 | 1% | even |
| Customer service & success | 36 | 1% | 1 | 0% | even |
| General management & consulting | 25 | 1% | 6 | 1% | even |
| Data & AI | 23 | 1% | 4 | 1% | even |
| facilities cleaning and security | 18 | 1% | 4 | 1% | even |
| Legal, compliance & risk | 17 | 1% | 2 | 0% | even |
| Marketing & communications | 11 | 0% | 4 | 1% | even |
| Unclassified | 6 | 0% | 2 | 0% | even |
| Business development & strategy | 5 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Administration & office | 3 | 0% | 4 | 1% | even |
| construction and civil | 3 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Education & training | 3 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| skilled trades and field service | 3 | 0% | 17 | 3% | Microsoft Defender for Identity |
| Finance & accounting | 2 | 0% | 6 | 1% | even |
| logistics warehouse and transport | 1 | 0% | 4 | 1% | even |
| Quality, safety & environment | 1 | 0% | 11 | 2% | Microsoft Defender for Identity |
| manufacturing and production | – | – | 61 | 12% | outside top 12 |
| healthcare clinical | – | – | 14 | 3% | outside top 12 |
| healthcare support and caregiving | – | – | 3 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| research and science | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
The companies behind each column
Companies using Microsoft Defender →
Companies using Microsoft Defender for Identity →
endpoint protection edr ranked →
Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.
Microsoft Defender for Identity is named by 156 companies in job postings and Microsoft Defender by 1,329; 75 name both. (Breaknorm, 4 November 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/microsoft-defender-vs-microsoft-defender-for-identity)
Read from the source, not self-reported
Every number on this page can be traced to a page we crawled or a posting we read. Full methodology →
- Job postingsRead hourly from career sites. A tool counts when the employer's own text names it as the team's system; both tools can count for one company.
- Website and DNSScripts and embeds on the company's pages, plus SPF, DKIM, MX and CNAME records of its domain that point at the vendor.
- SegmentsCountry, size and industry from the company profile built from its website.
- Not a reviewNo ratings, prices or feature claims. For those, read the vendors.
Microsoft Defender vs Microsoft Defender for Identity: questions
Which is more used, Microsoft Defender or Microsoft Defender for Identity?
By companies naming it in their own job postings, Microsoft Defender (1,329) over Microsoft Defender for Identity (156). By website-and-DNS footprint, Microsoft Defender for Identity (0 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.
Who chooses Microsoft Defender?
33% of Microsoft Defender companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 22% for Microsoft Defender for Identity. 36% of Microsoft Defender companies have over 1,000 employees, against 52% for Microsoft Defender for Identity.
Do companies run both?
75 companies name both in their postings, usually Microsoft Defender in marketing and Microsoft Defender for Identity in sales, or during a migration.
Where do these numbers come from?
From the employer's own text in job postings read hourly from career sites, and from scripts found on company websites in our crawl. No vendor data, no surveys.
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