Organisations today face an increasingly complex and volatile cyber threat landscape. Many must decide between a best-of-suite security approach, like Microsoft’s integrated ecosystem or a multi-vendor strategy that combines specialised tools from various providers. While a multi-vendor model has been the conventional approach, growing security challenges, operational inefficiencies and evolving compliance requirements highlight the advantages of a unified security architecture.
Here’s why Microsoft’s best-of-suite approach offers a more effective, scalable and cost-efficient security strategy.
Security is no longer about individual tools but a cohesive defence system. Microsoft’s ecosystem—Defender XDR, Sentinel and Entra ID—is designed to function as a single security architecture rather than a collection of disparate solutions. Identity, endpoints, cloud workloads, data and applications are all protected under one framework.
A multi-vendor approach, on the other hand, often results in siloed security controls that require extensive custom integration, manual correlation and ongoing maintenance to achieve the same level of visibility. This fragmentation can lead to detection delays and misconfigurations—two major factors in breach escalation.
A real-world example: Using Microsoft’s best-of-suite approach, organisations benefit from cross-signal intelligence. Suppose an attacker gains access through a compromised identity. In that case, Entra ID flags the anomaly, Defender XDR correlates it with endpoint behaviours, and Sentinel triggers an automated response—all without requiring manual intervention.
One of the key advantages of Microsoft’s ecosystem is built-in security reporting and analytics. Organisations can use:
CyberOne has helped organisations streamline operations by leveraging Microsoft’s integrated security model, reducing security alert noise by up to 40% while improving response times through automation.
Security teams today are stretched thin, balancing daily operations, compliance, and incident response. A multi-vendor approach often complicates security management, requiring analysts to navigate multiple dashboards, alerts and policy configurations. This leads to higher workloads and increased risk of human error.
Microsoft simplifies this with a unified security platform, allowing security teams to:
As an NCSC Cyber Incident Response (Level 2) provider, CyberOne has observed that many breaches stem from gaps between siloed security tools, a problem significantly reduced by Microsoft’s native integrations.
One of the biggest misconceptions about security is that a multi-vendor approach is more cost-effective because it allows organisations to select “best-in-class” tools. However, this doesn’t factor in:
Microsoft’s E5 and the Security & Compliance add-on provide enterprise-grade security without costly third-party tools. Organisations that leverage Microsoft’s best-of-suite security often report:
CyberOne’s Microsoft Secure Score Rapid Remediation service helps organisations maximise their existing investments by aligning configurations with best practices. It often achieves a 30% improvement in security posture within weeks.
Speed is critical in cyber security; the faster an attack is detected, the lower the impact. Microsoft’s security stack leverages AI and machine learning to analyse trillions of signals daily, enabling:
This AI-driven approach is not just theoretical—in a recent Forrester study, organisations using Microsoft Defender XDR and Sentinel reduced threat mitigation time by 88%. They saw a 60% lower risk of material breaches.
Multi-vendor solutions often require custom rule writing and integration to achieve the same level of automation, delaying response times and increasing reliance on manual intervention.
As a CREST-accredited SOC provider, CyberOne has deployed Microsoft’s AI-driven threat response capabilities to help organisations reduce mean-time-to-detect (MTTD) from hours to minutes.
The security landscape evolves rapidly, and state-of-the-art solutions may become obsolete tomorrow. Microsoft continuously enhances its security suite with:
This ensures organisations stay ahead of threats rather than reacting to them. With innovations like Copilot for Security, Microsoft is leading the way in real-time security automation and analyst augmentation.
CyberOne, a Microsoft Advanced Specialisation partner in Threat Protection, works closely with organisations to implement these advancements, ensuring long-term resilience without constant vendor switching.
There are scenarios where a best-of-breed approach may be warranted, such as industries with highly specific compliance requirements that demand niche solutions. However, these cases are becoming increasingly rare as Microsoft expands its security capabilities.
Organisations heavily invested in legacy security architectures may require a gradual migration strategy rather than a full transition overnight.
CyberOne has successfully helped organisations navigate phased migrations, ensuring continuity while progressively integrating Microsoft’s security solutions to reduce complexity and enhance resilience.
Cybersecurity is no longer about stacking tools—it’s about building a cohesive, intelligent defence system that is efficient, scalable and adaptable to emerging threats.
Microsoft’s best-of-suite approach offers:
For organisations looking to simplify security, improve resilience and reduce costs, a Microsoft-powered strategy—combined with expert implementation and management from CyberOne—is the clear choice.
Or for an informal discussion on how a best-of-suite approach can optimise your security strategy, contact the CyberOne team.