Microsoft Defender XDR Consulting Services
Microsoft Defender XDR is the unified enterprise security platform built into Microsoft 365 E5 and E7. EPC Group delivers end-to-end Defender XDR + Sentinel SIEM consulting from readiness assessment to production rollout to ongoing managed SOC services. 29 years Microsoft enterprise consulting heritage. 200+ verified client reviews and G2 Summer 2026 Reports placement.
The 6 Defender XDR Components
Defender for Endpoint
EDR with threat & vulnerability management, attack surface reduction, automated investigation + response. Plan 1 = $5.20/user/mo standalone, Plan 2 = $10/user/mo (or bundled in E5/E7).
Defender for Identity
Detects suspicious activity in on-prem Active Directory and Entra ID — lateral movement, privilege escalation, account compromise. Required for any organization with hybrid identity.
Defender for Office 365
Email + collaboration threat protection: phishing, malware, business email compromise (BEC), safe links, safe attachments. P1 included in E3+, P2 in E5/E7.
Defender for Cloud Apps
CASB + SaaS security: shadow IT discovery, OAuth app governance, session policies, DLP, conditional access app control. Critical for hybrid + multi-cloud environments.
Defender for Cloud
Multi-cloud workload protection: Azure, AWS, GCP. CSPM + CWPP + Container security + DevOps security. Required for FedRAMP + CMMC + IL5+ workloads.
Defender Agent SPM
AI agent security posture management. Inventories every agent in the tenant, scores risk, detects agent sprawl + shadow agents. Added May 2026 with Microsoft Agent 365.
EPC Group Defender XDR Engagement Tiers
Defender XDR Readiness Assessment
$35K–$60KFixed-fee · 4–6 weeks · Includes tool consolidation analysis (typical 5-15% net cost savings).
Defender XDR Implementation
$100K–$350KFixed-fee · 12–24 weeks · End-to-end deployment for 1,000–10,000 seat tenants.
Defender XDR + Sentinel Managed SOC
$15K–$75K / monthRetainer · 12-month minimum · 24/7 SOC + incident response SLA.
Related Security + Compliance Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Microsoft Defender XDR?
Microsoft Defender XDR (Extended Detection and Response) is Microsoft's unified enterprise security suite combining six previously separate products: Defender for Endpoint (EDR for Windows, macOS, Linux, mobile), Defender for Identity (on-prem AD + Entra ID threat detection), Defender for Office 365 (email + collaboration threat protection), Defender for Cloud Apps (CASB + SaaS security), Defender for Cloud (Azure + multi-cloud workload protection), and Defender Agent SPM (AI agent security posture management, added with Microsoft Agent 365 in May 2026). Defender XDR is included in Microsoft 365 E5 and required by FedRAMP, HIPAA, FINRA, and CMMC compliance baselines.
How does Defender XDR compare to CrowdStrike or SentinelOne?
For Microsoft 365 / Azure-native enterprises, Defender XDR delivers tighter integration than third-party EDR: native integration with Entra ID Conditional Access, Microsoft Purview DLP, Intune device compliance, and Sentinel SIEM. CrowdStrike Falcon and SentinelOne Singularity offer best-in-class EDR detection rates (consistently top of MITRE ATT&CK evaluations) but require separate integrations with Microsoft identity + DLP stacks. For organizations already on M365 E5 ($60/user/month), Defender XDR is included; CrowdStrike/SentinelOne run $5-15/endpoint/month additional. Most Fortune 500 EPC Group works with deploy Defender XDR as the M365-native baseline + add CrowdStrike or SentinelOne for high-value endpoints where detection-rate differential matters.
What is Microsoft Sentinel and how does it work with Defender?
Microsoft Sentinel is the cloud-native SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) + SOAR platform. Sentinel ingests security signals from Defender XDR, Entra ID, Office 365, Azure resources, and 100+ third-party connectors (CrowdStrike, AWS, GCP, network appliances, identity providers). Defender XDR detects + investigates at the endpoint/identity/email/cloud layer; Sentinel correlates signals across all sources, hunts threats with KQL queries + machine learning, and orchestrates automated response via playbooks. EPC Group deploys Defender XDR + Sentinel together as the SOC modernization baseline for regulated industries.
How much does Microsoft Defender XDR cost?
Microsoft Defender XDR is included in Microsoft 365 E5 ($60/user/month) and the new Microsoft 365 E7 ($99/user/month). For organizations on E3, Defender for Endpoint can be added standalone at $5.20/user/month (Plan 1) or $10/user/month (Plan 2 with EDR + threat & vulnerability management). Microsoft Sentinel is consumption-priced based on ingested data: ~$2.46/GB/day for Pay-As-You-Go or commitment tiers at lower per-GB rates. Most Fortune 500 deployments run $50K-$300K/year on Sentinel depending on log volume + retention requirements.
Defender for Endpoint vs Defender for Business — which do I need?
Defender for Business is the SMB-focused version targeting organizations with <300 employees, priced at $3/user/month standalone or included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium. Defender for Endpoint (Plan 1 or Plan 2) is enterprise-grade with EDR, threat hunting, attack disruption, and integration with Defender XDR + Sentinel. For enterprises with M365 E5 or E7, Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 is included; you do NOT need Defender for Business.
How does EPC Group deploy Microsoft Defender XDR?
EPC Group runs a 6-phase Defender XDR deployment: (1) Discovery — current EDR/SIEM inventory, attack surface mapping, identity baseline; (2) Design — Defender XDR architecture, Conditional Access integration, Purview DLP alignment, Sentinel data sources + retention; (3) Pilot — 50-200 endpoint pilot with security operations workflow validation; (4) Wave Rollout — phased deployment by department or geo with hypercare; (5) Threat Hunting Baseline — KQL queries, MITRE ATT&CK coverage mapping, automated playbooks; (6) Operate — managed SOC services or knowledge transfer to internal SOC team. Typical 90-180 day deployment for 1,000-10,000 user enterprises.
Does Defender XDR meet HIPAA / FINRA / FedRAMP / CMMC requirements?
Yes. Microsoft Defender XDR carries the full Microsoft enterprise compliance posture: HIPAA BAA, FedRAMP High (Azure Government), DoD IL4/IL5/IL6 for government tenants, ISO 27001/27017/27018, SOC 2 Type II, FINRA, CMMC Level 2 alignment, EU Data Boundary, GDPR. For regulated industries, EPC Group configures Defender XDR with required controls: 7-year audit log retention (Purview Audit Premium), tamper-evident logging, Customer Lockbox, customer-managed keys, and data residency boundaries.
Does Defender XDR include AI agent governance (Agent 365)?
Yes — partially. Defender XDR + Agent 365 includes Defender Agent SPM (Security Posture Management for AI agents), which discovers + scores every AI agent across the tenant, detects agent sprawl, and integrates with Entra Conditional Access for agents. Defender Agent SPM is bundled in Microsoft 365 E7 ($99/user/mo) or available as part of the Agent 365 standalone add-on ($15/user/mo). EPC Group offers combined Defender XDR + Agent 365 deployments for enterprises rolling out Microsoft 365 Copilot to 200+ users. See /services/microsoft-agent-365.
EPC Group Defender XDR consulting pricing
Three engagement tiers: (1) Defender XDR Readiness Assessment — $35K-$60K fixed-fee, 4-6 weeks, audit + roadmap + tool consolidation analysis (typical 5-15% net cost savings from retiring duplicate tools); (2) Defender XDR Implementation — $100K-$350K fixed-fee, 12-24 weeks, end-to-end deployment for 1,000-10,000 seat enterprises; (3) Defender XDR + Sentinel Managed SOC — $15K-$75K/month retainer based on log volume + endpoint count + incident response SLA. Custom enterprise engagements for 10K+ seat tenants priced separately.
Why choose EPC Group for Microsoft Defender XDR?
EPC Group has 29 years of Microsoft enterprise consulting + 70+ Fortune 500 deployments. We hold core Microsoft Solutions Partner designations including Security. Microsoft Defender deployments span the full XDR stack (Endpoint + Identity + Office 365 + Cloud Apps + Cloud + Agent SPM) plus Sentinel SIEM integration. FedRAMP-aligned consulting experience for federal + DoD work. 200+ verified client reviews across G2, Clutch, Facebook, TrustAnalytica, Indeed, and Google. G2 Summer 2026 Reports featured placement.
Deploy Microsoft Defender XDR with EPC Group
29 years Microsoft enterprise consulting. Microsoft Solutions Partner — Security designation. FedRAMP + HIPAA + FINRA + CMMC ready.