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Microsoft is named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Endpoint Protection Platforms

It’s no secret that ransomware is top of mind for many chief information security officers (CISOs) as the number of attacks has increased exponentially. As seen in the latest Microsoft Digital Defense Report, our “telemetry indicates that organizations faced an increased rate of ransomware attacks compared to last year, with the number of human-operated ransomware attacks up more than 200% since September 2022.”1 In addition, organizations on average employ 80 security tools that can further overwhelm security analysts with data and alerts, while offering at best an obscured view of their environment. Scaling device protection and security operations center (SOC) efficiency by simplifying, automating, and augmenting security analyst workstreams is paramount to countering this dynamic and core to our product vision. 

Today we are excited to announce that Gartner has named Microsoft a Leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Endpoint Protection Platforms. We believe this recognition showcases Microsoft’s continued progress and excellence in helping organizations protect their endpoints against even the most sophisticated attacks and driving continued efficiency for SOC teams.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is an endpoint security platform that helps organizations secure their digital estate using AI-powered, industry-leading endpoint detection and response across all platforms, devices, and Internet of Things (IoT). It is core to Microsoft Defender XDR. Built on the industry’s broadest threat intelligence informed by more than 65 trillion daily signals and over 10,000 security experts, it empowers security teams to fend off sophisticated threats.1

The 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms as of December 2023. Companies are categorized as Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries, or Niche Players based on their ability to execute and completeness of vision. Microsoft is named a Leader.

Figure 1. Gartner® Magic QuadrantTM for Endpoint Protection Platforms. Source: Gartner (December 2023).

Microsoft’s leadership in endpoint security reflects the close partnership forged with customers that has shaped our product development and innovation. Recent highlights include:

Endpoint security is at the core of the Microsoft Defender suite. The following recent innovations reinforce Microsoft’s leadership in helping SOCs scale protection and efficiency on a platform level.

Download the complimentary report to get more details on our positioning as a Leader. Our customers and partners have been an invaluable part of this multiyear journey. We owe our immense gratitude to you.

Unmatched customer impact defending against ransomware

With capabilities unique to Microsoft Defender such as automatic attack disruption, the odds are starting to tilt in favor of defenders. For example, in August 2023, hackers compromised the devices of a medical research lab. With lives and millions of dollars in research at stake, the potential reward for hackers to encrypt the devices and demand a ransom was high. Automatic attack disruption immediately shut them out from accessing any of the lab’s devices. And the security analysts didn’t even have to lift a finger.

Thanks to the invaluable partnership and insights from organizations of all sizes around the globe, Microsoft has been named a Leader in every Gartner® Magic QuadrantTM for Endpoint Protection Platforms report since 2019. In 2024 customers will continue to see leading innovation as we further build on a strong foundation of AI-enabled capabilities to empower defenders and drive efficiencies for SOC teams with more automated disruption of advanced threats, Microsoft Security Copilot supported tasks, and more.

Are you a regular user of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint? Review your experience on Gartner Peer Insights™ and get a $25 gift card. 

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Protect every layer of your environment with a unified security operations platform embedded with Microsoft Security Copilot.

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We know that diving deep into how a solution really works is key to making any investment. If you are not yet taking advantage of Microsoft’s leading endpoint security solution, visit Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and start a free trial today to start evaluating the leading endpoint protection platform.

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1Microsoft Digital Defense Report, Microsoft. 2023.

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms, Evgeny Mirolyubov, Max Taggett, Franz Hinner, Nikul Patel, 31 December 2023.

Gartner is a registered trademark and service mark and Magic Quadrant is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

This graphic was published by Gartner, Inc. as part of a larger research document and should be evaluated in the context of the entire document. The Gartner document is available upon request from Microsoft.

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