Microsoft Sentinel and SentinelOne: what’s the difference? - SteadFast Solutions (2024)

As the digital world continues to evolve, organisations of all sizes need to stay vigilant and protect their data. In 2021, over 67,500 cybercrimes were reported across Australia – but it’s estimated this number is only one-fifth of the actual amount of online crime.

This is where Microsoft Sentinel and SentinelOne come into play. These two security solutions are designed to help organisations protect their data and systems against malicious threats.

Both solutions are effective at protecting your business, but understanding the differences between them will help you make the best choice for your organisation.

Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-based Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution that provides artificial intelligence (AI) driven security analytics and threat detection. It can be used to protect against threats like ransomware and data breaches.

It combines Microsoft’s cloud-based machine learning (ML) and AI technology with advanced security analytics to detect, investigate, and respond to threats. This is done by analysing data to identify patterns and anomalies that indicate potential security incidents.

Threat intelligence: AI and ML identify malicious activity and track the trends of malicious actors. This information can be used to create customised threat alerts and responses.

Automatic threat detection: Known threats are detected and blocked before an attack can happen.

Threat hunting: Sentinel collects data from various sources – including system logs, network traffic, and application data – and using that information to make predictions about future attacks

Advanced analytics: Powered by big data, ML, and AI, Sentinel’s advanced analytics make the solution an invaluable tool for organisations looking for a comprehensive view of their security posture.

Real-time threat analysis: The security engine in the agent monitors for and identifies new threats, providing context for the events. The user sees this context in their account so that they can investigate and determine what happened.

Built-in orchestration: Sentinel’s built-in orchestration capabilities help to manage and automate the response process. This means that you can quickly identify the source of the attack, block the malicious activity, and protect your customers.

Enhanced logging: Security events are created in Azure Active Directory (AAD) and can be searched and reviewed by administrators.

Full audit trail: An audit trail is created from the moment an event happens and is sent to the security cloud.

SentinelOne is an endpoint security platform that provides real-time protection against malware, viruses, and other threats. It offers a variety of features including threat detection, prevention, and response.

SentinelOne plays an integral role in protecting your organisation’s assets by detecting and blocking malicious software and ransomware before they cause damage. It also ensures that company data is secure and compliant at all times.

SentinelOne’s advanced security engine instantly analyses suspicious activity, scans for malware, and blocks threats with zero-second latency. It then generates security events and sends them to Azure for further investigation. This process is automated and can be configured to run at predefined intervals.

Behavioural analysis: Gains insights into the activity on your endpoints so you can identify risky behaviours and take preventative measures.

Advanced threat detection: Using a combination of AI, ML, and behavioural analytics, SentinelOne detects and protects against threats before they have a chance to do any damage.

Threat response automation: SentinelOne scans all system processes and data flows to identify suspicious activities, and then takes appropriate action when it finds a threat. The automated response can be tailored to suit the specific needs of your business.

Automated remediation: Allows the system to respond quickly and effectively to any threats, taking action to contain and mitigate the attack even before it can cause any harm.

Network segmentation: This technology allows users to divide their network into smaller segments, making it harder for malicious actors to infiltrate the entire network. Each segment is monitored and protected from threats, so if a threat does penetrate one segment, the rest of the network is safe.

Application whitelisting: This creates a list of approved, or “whitelisted”, applications that can be used on your system. Any applications that are not on this list are automatically blocked from being installed or run.

Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution. They are cloud-native technologies that monitor and analyse activities across the entire IT infrastructure.

SOAR uses artificial intelligence to analyse and respond to threats in real-time, while SIEM aggregates data from multiple sources to provide a comprehensive view of the network.

Endpoint security solutions are designed to protect devices connected to the network, such as laptops and mobile devices. They concentrate on preventing malicious attacks by monitoring all activities of the device, such as applications and data, in real-time. These solutions are great for protecting individual devices, but they can be limited when it comes to protecting the network as a whole.

Endpoint detection and response is an essential component of any endpoint security solution. It can detect malicious activity on your system, alert the appropriate personnel, and take the necessary steps to protect your system as cyber threats become more sophisticated and pervasive.

The most obvious difference is their approach: Microsoft Sentinel takes a more comprehensive, holistic approach to security, while SentinelOne focuses more on your endpoints.

Microsoft Sentinel specialises in threat intelligence, monitoring, and incident analysis. It’s designed to detect and respond to both known and unknown threats across your entire environment.

On the other hand, SentinelOne focuses on prevention first, providing real-time, AI-powered protection against both known and unknown threats. It also provides automated remediation, so you can quickly respond to threats without manual intervention.

Microsoft Sentinel is the more comprehensive of the two solutions, offering an end-to-end security solution with a network view. SentinelOne, on the other hand, is more focused on endpoint security, as well as automated patch management and vulnerability scanning.

Ultimately, both are ideal security solutions for keeping your network secure and safeguarding against attacks. Which one you choose will depend on your specific needs and budget.

The cyber security specialists at Steadfast Solutions are highly experienced in deploying and managing advanced security solutions; talk to them about your needs today, and ensure your business is fully protected against all threats.