SecPortal vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud
delivery workspace vs Microsoft-anchored CNAPP
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is the Microsoft-first Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP). The free Foundational CSPM tier reads Azure, AWS, GCP, and on-premises servers connected through Azure Arc against the Microsoft Cloud Security Benchmark, and paid Defender CSPM plus workload protection plans (Defender for Servers, Defender for Containers, Defender for App Service, Defender for SQL, Defender for Storage, Defender for Key Vault, Defender for Resource Manager, Defender for DNS, Defender for APIs, Defender for AI services) layer attack-path analysis, agentless workload scanning, sensitive data discovery, DevOps security insight, and runtime threat detection per resource type. SecPortal is a different shape: scoped engagements, manual finding entry, AI report generation, branded client portal, native external and authenticated web scanning, and SAST plus SCA on connected repositories all live inside one workspace. This page is the side-by-side for buyers comparing a Microsoft-anchored multicloud CNAPP across connected Azure, AWS, GCP, and Arc estates to a delivery workspace that scans, reports, and delivers on its own.
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| Feature | SecPortal | Microsoft Defender for Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Primary use case | Security delivery workspace with scanning, findings, AI reports, and client portal on one tenant | Microsoft-anchored multicloud CNAPP that reads Azure subscriptions, AWS and GCP connectors, and Arc-connected servers against the Microsoft Cloud Security Benchmark with attack-path analysis, agentless workload scanning, and per-resource workload protection plans |
| Engagement model with scope, ROE, and deliverables | Subscription, resource, and recommendation model rather than scoped engagement | |
| Client model with onboarding, contacts, and access control | Internal subscription owner and resource owner model under Azure RBAC and Microsoft Entra ID | |
| Branded white-label client portal on your subdomain | ||
| Built-in external vulnerability scanning (16 modules) | External attack surface visibility limited to the cloud-side asset surface inside connected subscriptions | |
| Authenticated web application scanning (DAST) | ||
| Code scanning (SAST/SCA via Semgrep) | Defender for DevOps surfaces code, secrets, and IaC findings from GitHub and Azure DevOps | |
| Cloud workload protection across AWS, Azure, GCP, on-premises via Azure Arc | ||
| Cloud security posture management (CSPM) against Microsoft Cloud Security Benchmark | ||
| Container, Kubernetes, and AKS security | Defender for Containers across AKS, EKS, GKE, and self-hosted Kubernetes | |
| Agentless workload scanning via snapshot reads | Defender CSPM agentless workload scanning across virtual machines and container images | |
| Attack-path analysis across the cloud posture graph | Defender CSPM attack path analysis surfaces toxic combinations | |
| Subdomain enumeration and external attack surface discovery outside cloud subscriptions | ||
| Manual finding entry with full editor | ||
| AI-powered report generation (executive, technical, remediation) | Azure Workbooks and Microsoft Sentinel dashboards rather than narrative deliverables | |
| 300+ finding templates with remediation guidance | Microsoft Cloud Security Benchmark recommendations with prescriptive remediation guidance | |
| CVSS 3.1 vector parsing and auto-scoring | Secure score and Microsoft severity model with regulatory compliance mapping | |
| Scanner result import (Nessus, Burp Suite, CSV) | CSV export of recommendations and security alerts; native ingestion of partner scanner output through specific integrations | |
| Encrypted credential vault for authenticated scans (AES-256-GCM) | Cloud-API-based access via managed identities; no credential vault for non-cloud-API scanning | |
| Retest workflow paired to original finding | Re-evaluation through the next assessment cycle on the connected subscription | |
| Continuous scheduled scanning cadence (daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly) | Continuous assessment against connected cloud surfaces | |
| Compliance framework templates | 21 frameworks including OWASP, OWASP ASVS, OWASP MASVS, OWASP API Security Top 10, ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, NIST 800-53, NIST 800-171, FedRAMP, MITRE ATT&CK, DORA, NIS2, CIS Controls, and Essential Eight | Regulatory compliance dashboard mapped to Microsoft Cloud Security Benchmark, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, SOC 2, NIST 800-53, NIST CSF, CIS, FedRAMP, HIPAA, and others depending on plan |
| Native integration with Microsoft Sentinel SIEM and SOAR | ||
| Native integration with Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Purview, and Microsoft Defender XDR | ||
| Integrated invoicing and Stripe Connect payments | ||
| Activity audit trail with CSV export | Azure Activity Log and Microsoft Sentinel audit trail | |
| MFA enforcement on every workspace | Microsoft Entra ID conditional access and MFA enforcement on the Azure tenant | |
| Free plan available | Foundational CSPM is free in every Azure subscription; Defender CSPM and workload protection plans are paid | |
| Pricing model | Free, Pro, Team | Consumption-based per plan, per resource, per node, per node-hour, per million transactions, with separate multicloud connector charges |
| Setup time | 2 minutes | Azure subscription onboarding plus multicloud connector configuration plus workload plan activation per resource type |
| Best fit for | AppSec teams, internal security teams, vulnerability management teams, product security teams, pentest firms, MSSPs, and consultancies that scan, record, report, and deliver findings from one workspace | Microsoft-anchored cloud security teams operating Azure-first or Microsoft 365 E5 multicloud across Azure, AWS, GCP, and Arc-connected servers, who want a first-party CNAPP that integrates with Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Purview, and Microsoft Defender XDR |
SecPortal vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud: delivery workspace vs Microsoft-anchored CNAPP
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is the Microsoft-first Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP). The free Foundational CSPM tier ships with every Azure subscription and reads Azure, AWS, GCP, and on-premises servers connected through Azure Arc against the Microsoft Cloud Security Benchmark and a regulatory compliance dashboard. The paid Defender CSPM plan layers attack-path analysis, agentless workload scanning, sensitive data discovery for data security posture, and DevOps security insight from Defender for DevOps. Workload protection plans (Defender for Servers, Defender for Containers, Defender for App Service, Defender for SQL, Defender for Storage, Defender for Key Vault, Defender for Resource Manager, Defender for DNS, Defender for APIs, Defender for AI services) extend runtime threat detection per resource type. The buyer assumption is that the Azure tenant, the AWS or GCP connector, and the Arc-connected servers are the asset of record and the cloud security team needs a Microsoft-anchored multicloud platform that integrates with Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Purview, and Microsoft Defender XDR.
SecPortal is a different category. SecPortal is a security delivery workspace that carries scoped engagements, manual and scanner-driven findings, AI-generated reports, a branded client portal, and an audit trail all on one tenant. The buyer is a penetration testing firm, an MSSP, a consultancy, an AppSec team, a vulnerability management team, or an in-house security function whose work spans more than the cloud surface and whose deliverables go to external clients, business units, or auditors. If you are comparing a Microsoft-anchored multicloud CNAPP that maps Defender posture above connected Azure, AWS, GCP, and Arc estates to a delivery workspace that scans, reports, and delivers on its own, this page is the side-by-side. The adjacent comparisons buyers in the cloud security and risk-based vulnerability management categories often evaluate alongside are SecPortal vs Wiz, SecPortal vs Orca Security, SecPortal vs Tenable One, SecPortal vs Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management, SecPortal vs Qualys, SecPortal vs Tenable.io, and SecPortal vs Rapid7.
Where Defender for Cloud stops for engagement, manual finding, and delivery work
These are not Defender-specific criticisms; they are properties of a CNAPP exposure platform when you compare it to running scoped engagements, manual reviews, external and authenticated web scanning, AI report writing, and branded delivery on a single workspace.
Built as a multicloud CNAPP, not a delivery workspace
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) sold under the Microsoft Defender product family. The free Foundational CSPM tier reads Azure, AWS, GCP, and on-premises servers connected through Azure Arc, then surfaces a Microsoft Cloud Security Benchmark posture score, regulatory compliance dashboard, and prioritised recommendations. The paid Defender Cloud Security Posture Management (Defender CSPM) plan layers attack-path analysis, agentless workload scanning, sensitive data discovery for Defender CSPM data security posture, and DevOps security insight from Defender for DevOps across GitHub and Azure DevOps. Workload protection plans (Defender for Servers, Defender for Containers, Defender for App Service, Defender for SQL, Defender for Storage, Defender for Key Vault, Defender for Resource Manager, Defender for DNS, Defender for APIs, Defender for AI services) extend runtime threat detection per resource type. The buyer assumption is that the Azure tenant, the AWS or GCP connector, and the connected on-premises servers are the asset of record and the cloud security team needs a Microsoft-anchored multicloud platform. SecPortal is a different shape: scoped engagements, manual finding entry, AI report generation, branded client portal, native external and authenticated web scanning, and SAST plus SCA on connected repositories all live inside one workspace.
No engagement, scope, or deliverable model
Defender for Cloud is organised around the subscription, the resource, the recommendation, and the security alert. There is no scoped engagement record with a kickoff, a defined target list, a final report, and a closure date. If the work you ship is a penetration test, a vulnerability assessment, an external attack surface programme, an AppSec code review, a third-party security review, or a compliance audit with a contract scope and a deliverable, Defender for Cloud does not carry that record. SecPortal does, on the same workspace as the scanner, the report generator, and the client portal.
No branded client portal on your subdomain
Defender for Cloud output lives inside the Azure portal under the Microsoft tenant, with role-based access through Azure RBAC and Microsoft Entra ID. There is no white-label portal a security team or consultancy can hand to an external client, a business unit, or an auditor under their own brand. The closest equivalent is exposing recommendations through Azure Workbooks or Microsoft Sentinel dashboards, both of which sit inside the Microsoft tenant rather than under your domain. SecPortal serves a branded client portal on a tenant subdomain so every finding, retest, remediation thread, and report download lives under your name rather than under a vendor name.
No native pentest, manual finding, or narrative report workflow
Defender for Cloud produces benchmark-driven posture recommendations, attack path views in Defender CSPM, security alerts from the workload protection plans, and prioritised remediation lists routed back to resource owners. It does not draft narrative pentest reports, accept manual finding entry from a tester or reviewer outside the cloud surface, or generate executive summaries and remediation roadmaps that go to a board, an auditor, or an external client. SecPortal supports manual finding entry with a full editor, drafts executive, technical, and remediation deliverables from the live findings record, and pairs every retest to the original finding so the closure record holds up under audit.
No external perimeter or authenticated web scanning that sits outside the cloud surface
Defender for Cloud is built around the cloud subscription model. The platform reads cloud APIs and resource configuration, runs agentless workload scanning via snapshot reads, and watches runtime signal through Defender plans on connected resources, but it does not run external vulnerability scans against an internet-facing perimeter that lives outside the cloud subscriptions you have connected, and it does not run authenticated web application scans against a logged-in non-cloud-native application. SecPortal runs 16 external scanner modules across DNS, TLS, ports, headers, technology, subdomain enumeration, path probing, and CVE matching on any verified domain, plus 17 authenticated web scanner modules against any logged-in target.
Consumption-based pricing per plan, per resource, per node, per node-hour
Defender for Cloud pricing layers the free Foundational CSPM tier with paid Defender CSPM and paid workload protection plans. Each workload plan prices differently: Defender for Servers Plan 2 prices per server per month, Defender for Containers prices per vCore per hour, Defender for Storage prices per storage account per month plus transactions, Defender for SQL prices per database per month, Defender for App Service prices per node per hour, Defender for APIs prices per million API calls, Defender for AI services prices per million transactions. Combined with multicloud connector costs for AWS and GCP, the full Defender for Cloud bill is consumption-driven across many separate meters that scale with the cloud footprint. SecPortal pricing is published on the website with a free plan, monthly Pro and Team tiers, and no per-resource, per-node, or per-transaction meters.
How a CNAPP and a delivery workspace see the same problem differently
CNAPP is a useful category framing for cloud-native exposure, but the buyer should be clear-eyed about what a first-party Microsoft cloud-side platform gives you and where the engagement, manual finding, and delivery workflow has to go instead. The contrast below is between a CNAPP that derives value from reading the Microsoft, AWS, and GCP estate from inside the cloud APIs and a delivery workspace that holds the engagement record on the tenant where the operators run.
A first-party multicloud CNAPP reads the Microsoft, AWS, and GCP estate from inside the cloud APIs
Defender for Cloud and similar CNAPP platforms (Wiz for Security Graph attack-path analysis, Orca Security for SideScanning agentless block-storage reads, Palo Alto Prisma Cloud for breadth across CSPM, CWPP, and CIEM, Lacework FortiCNAPP for runtime-anchored cloud detection, Sysdig for Falco-anchored runtime, Aqua Security for container-and-Kubernetes lifecycle) start from the assumption that the cloud subscription or account is the asset of record. The economic value comes from one platform that reads workloads, containers, identities, secrets, IaC, data, and runtime signal across the connected cloud surfaces and surfaces the toxic combinations that matter through benchmark posture, attack paths, or a security graph. The Microsoft Defender for Cloud differentiator is that it is the first-party Microsoft offering, ships free Foundational CSPM as part of every Azure subscription, and integrates natively with Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Purview, and the wider Microsoft Defender XDR product family.
A delivery workspace owns the engagement and finding record from scope to closure
SecPortal does not assume that a cloud-side exposure platform is the right shape for every kind of security work. The workspace runs scoped engagements, supports manual finding entry from a tester or reviewer, runs its own external and authenticated web scanning plus code scanning on connected repositories, calibrates severity through CVSS 3.1, ships AI-generated executive, technical, and remediation deliverables, and serves the report and the live findings through a branded client portal on a tenant subdomain. The same record holds for a scoped pentest, a continuous vulnerability assessment, an AppSec code review, a third-party security review, and an external attack surface programme.
The right answer depends on whether the cloud surface is the work or the work goes wider than the cloud
If the team is a cloud security function operating Microsoft-anchored multicloud across Azure, AWS, GCP, and Azure Arc-connected on-premises servers, the bottleneck is correlating workload, identity, secrets, IaC, data, and runtime signal into one cloud-native risk view, and the buyer wants a first-party Microsoft platform that integrates with Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Purview, and Microsoft Defender XDR, Defender for Cloud is the right shape. If the team is a penetration testing firm, an MSSP, a consultancy, an AppSec team, a vulnerability management team, or an in-house security function whose work spans pentest engagements, manual finding entry, external perimeter scanning, authenticated web testing, code scanning, AI report writing, and branded client delivery, a delivery workspace like SecPortal is the right shape. Many Microsoft-anchored enterprises run both: Defender for Cloud for the cloud-native exposure layer and a delivery workspace for the engagement, finding, and report lifecycle that sits beside it.
Defender for Cloud in the wider Microsoft security stack
Defender for Cloud rarely sits alone. The buyer-side evaluation almost always involves how it lines up with the rest of the Microsoft Defender XDR product family, how it differs from Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management (which buyers routinely confuse with it), and how SecPortal pairs alongside as the engagement and delivery workspace.
Defender for Cloud as part of the wider Microsoft Defender XDR product family
Defender for Cloud is one product inside a broader Microsoft Defender estate that includes Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (EDR), Microsoft Defender for Identity (on-premises Active Directory threat detection), Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (email threat protection), Microsoft Defender for IoT, and Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management. Buyers anchored on Microsoft 365 E5 or Microsoft Defender for Business already license parts of the Defender stack, which is part of why Defender for Cloud often becomes the default cloud posture platform in Microsoft-heavy enterprises. The integration value compounds when Microsoft Sentinel sits beside it as the SIEM and SOAR layer.
Defender for Cloud is not Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management
Microsoft markets two products with similar names that buyers routinely confuse. Defender for Cloud is the cloud security posture and workload protection platform that reads Azure, AWS, GCP, and Arc-connected servers from the cloud APIs. Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is the endpoint-anchored vulnerability assessment add-on that scans Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android endpoints through the Defender for Endpoint agent. The two products surface different findings, run on different telemetry sources, license separately, and address different parts of a vulnerability management programme. If the comparison you actually want is the endpoint vulnerability assessment side, the dedicated SecPortal vs Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management page covers that boundary in detail.
Where SecPortal sits next to Defender for Cloud rather than inside the category
SecPortal is not a CNAPP and does not claim to replace one. SecPortal sits next to Defender for Cloud as the engagement and delivery workspace where scoped pentest findings, manual reviewer findings, external perimeter scan output, authenticated web DAST output, SAST and SCA output from connected repositories, AI-generated reports, and the branded client portal all live on one tenant. If the Microsoft-anchored cloud posture platform is the right answer for the Azure, AWS, GCP, and Arc-connected server work, the delivery workspace is still the right answer for the engagement, report, and client-delivery work that sits beside it. Defender for Cloud recommendations and security alerts can be exported to CSV and re-imported into the SecPortal findings record as a manual or scripted bulk import, so the cloud posture signal lands in the same engagement-shaped operating record as the rest of the security work.
Who each platform is the right fit for
Defender for Cloud and SecPortal solve different problems for different buyers. The honest answer is that the right tool depends on whether the work is Microsoft-anchored multicloud exposure across connected subscriptions or scoped engagements, manual review, external scanning, and branded delivery on one workspace. Many enterprises run both, with the CNAPP carrying the cloud-native exposure layer and the delivery workspace carrying the engagement record beside it.
Defender for Cloud fits Microsoft-anchored cloud security teams
If you are a cloud security team in an Azure-first or Microsoft 365 E5-anchored enterprise, the asset of record is the Azure subscription, the AWS connector, the GCP project, or the Arc-connected server, the bottleneck is correlating Microsoft Cloud Security Benchmark posture with Defender plan workload protection, attack-path analysis, and DevOps security insight into one Microsoft-native view, and the buyer wants a first-party platform that integrates with Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Defender XDR, and the wider Azure Monitor stack, Defender for Cloud was built for that Microsoft-anchored cloud-side posture shape. The buyer assumption is one Microsoft-native cloud security platform that sits inside the Azure portal and routes recommendations and alerts to resource owners and the Microsoft Sentinel SOC.
SecPortal fits teams who run scoped engagements, scan, and ship deliverables
If you are a penetration testing firm, an MSSP, a consultancy, an AppSec team, a vulnerability management team, or an in-house security function whose work covers scoped engagements, manual finding entry, external perimeter scanning, authenticated web testing, code scanning, AI-generated reporting, and branded delivery, SecPortal carries that lifecycle on one tenant. Findings, scans, retests, exception decisions, evidence, and the audit trail all live on the engagement record rather than scattered across the Azure portal, a separate report generator, a separate scope-of-work template, and a separate portal.
SecPortal fits buyers who deliver findings to clients, business units, or auditors
If you ship reports to external clients, business unit owners, or auditors, and every finding, retest, remediation thread, and report download has to live under your brand on a tenant subdomain rather than inside the Microsoft cloud tenant that produced the recommendation, SecPortal is the workspace that holds that record. Defender for Cloud output goes into the Azure portal under the Microsoft tenant; it is not a delivery workspace for findings produced outside that cloud surface.
Transparent pricing, no per-resource meter
SecPortal pricing is published on the website and self-service from sign-up. There is no annual contract floor on the Pro or Team tiers, no per-resource, per-node, per-node-hour, or per-transaction meter, and no separate multicloud connector charge.
SecPortal Free
Free forever
1 user, 3 clients, 2 engagements per client, 3 AI credits, 6 core scan modules.
SecPortal Pro
From $149/month
All scan modules, 100 clients, 25 AI credits/month, branded client portal, invoicing, compliance tracking.
SecPortal Team
From $299/month
Up to 5 users, 75 AI credits/month, team management, activity audit trail with CSV export, MFA enforcement.
Why teams pick SecPortal alongside or instead of Defender for Cloud
- Run scoped engagements with a kickoff, deliverables, retests, and a final invoice on one record rather than an open-ended recommendation backlog inside the Azure portal
- Scan the perimeter outside the cloud subscription model with 16 external modules and 17 authenticated web modules in addition to SAST plus SCA on connected repositories
- Generate executive, technical, and remediation deliverables with Claude from the live findings record
- Enter manual findings from a tester, reviewer, or third-party report into the same record the scanners feed
- Deliver findings through a branded client portal on a tenant subdomain instead of through the Azure portal under the Microsoft tenant
- Pair every retest to the original finding so the closure record holds up under audit
- Document CVSS 3.1 vector, severity, evidence, owner, and remediation status across every source so prioritisation is defensible to a board, an auditor, or an application owner
- Map findings across 21 framework templates including OWASP, OWASP ASVS, OWASP MASVS, OWASP API Security Top 10, ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, NIST 800-53, NIST 800-171, FedRAMP, MITRE ATT&CK, DORA, NIS2, CIS Controls, and Essential Eight
- Store privileged scan credentials encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM and rotate them through the in-product credential vault
- Invoice clients or business units directly from the engagement record through Stripe Connect
- Start on the free plan without a per-resource meter, a per-node-hour meter, a per-transaction meter, or a multicloud connector charge
Related reading
If you are evaluating how to run an in-house cloud security or vulnerability management programme alongside or instead of Defender for Cloud, the pages below cover the workflows, signals, and adjacent comparisons that come up most often.
- Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM): Explained for the category-level explainer that names the five layers and where Defender for Cloud, Wiz, Orca, Prisma Cloud, and Lacework sit inside it.
- Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP): Explained for the four sub-discipline framework (CSPM, CWPP, CIEM, KSPM) buyers use to compare CNAPP platforms.
- SecPortal for cloud security teams for the audience page that lays out the verify-connect-store-schedule-triage-report loop on the cloud-hosted application surface.
- Cloud security assessment workflow for the workflow view of running cloud security assessments on the engagement record.
- Scanner result triage for ingesting Defender CSV exports, Nessus, Burp Suite, and CSV output into the same findings record that SecPortal native scanners feed.
- Bulk finding import for the operational pattern that lands Defender for Cloud recommendation exports onto the same engagement record as the rest of the security backlog.
- Security tool consolidation for the operational rationale behind which security tools sit on which side of the cloud boundary.
- Risk-based vulnerability management buyer guide for the category-level evaluation guide that names the four product shapes (analytics layer, single-vendor exposure, ITSM-tied response, engagement-record workspace) and where a CNAPP fits.
- Cloud security assessment guide for the long-form playbook on how to scope and run a cloud security assessment.
- Cloud penetration testing checklist for the engagement-side checklist that complements continuous CNAPP posture monitoring with scoped offensive testing.
- Security tool coverage overlap for the catalogue-level coverage matrix across SAST, SCA, DAST, container, IaC, secrets, ASM, CNAPP, pentest, and bug bounty.
- ISO 27017 cloud security controls for the cloud-specific control set that audit-side stakeholders read against the cloud security programme.
When the work is scoped delivery, not Microsoft-anchored multicloud posture
Run scoped engagements, generate AI reports, and ship findings through a branded portal on one workspace. Run alongside or instead of a Microsoft-anchored CNAPP. Start free.
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