Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Tenable Cloud Security: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)

Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Enterprise security teams already deep in Azure will extract the most value from Microsoft Defender for Cloud, where the integration with Sentinel and native Azure controls eliminates alert fatigue that multicloud deployments typically introduce. Its attack path analysis directly addresses NIST ID.RA risk assessment by surfacing exploitable chains rather than listing vulnerabilities in isolation, and the agentless scanning means you're protected before agents finish rolling out. Skip this if your cloud footprint is genuinely multicloud; AWS and GCP coverage exists but feels bolted on, and you'll spend cycles normalizing alerts across platforms when a pure multicloud CNAPP would save that effort.

Tenable Cloud Security

Mid-market and enterprise security teams managing multi-cloud infrastructure will get the most from Tenable Cloud Security because it actually connects asset discovery to risk prioritization across hybrid environments, not just listing what you have. The platform covers seven distinct security functions (CSPM, CIEM, CWP, DSPM, IaC scanning, KSPM, and attack path analysis), which means fewer tool switches and less context loss when moving findings between teams. The caveat: if your organization runs primarily on a single cloud provider or doesn't care about entitlement and data classification risks, you're paying for breadth you won't use.