A List of Microsoft Purview (Azure Purview) Alternatives & Competitors

Microsoft Purview is known for its comprehensive data governance services within the Microsoft ecosystem. However, the below Azure Purview limitations lead organizations to consider alternatives:

• Integration challenges: While Purview integrates well with Microsoft products, linking it with non-Microsoft systems or third-party applications often requires additional customization.
• Cost: The Microsoft purview pricing can be prohibitive for some organizations, especially when it necessitates a higher-tier Microsoft 365 subscription for full functionality.
• Data privacy regulations: Purview assists with compliance but isn't a one-stop solution. Organizations must continually ensure that their usage complies with all relevant data privacy laws.
• Dependence on Microsoft ecosystem: Companies not deeply integrated into the Microsoft environment may find Purview less beneficial or harder to adopt.
• Limited customization: The platform may not meet unique organizational needs out-of-the-box, and customization options can be limited.

These limitations prompt the need for below MS purview alternatives.

1. Strac

Strac is a dynamic Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solution that extends beyond traditional perimeters to secure sensitive PII data. It works across SaaS, cloud, and endpoints to offer a complementary solution to Microsoft Purview’s data governance capabilities. 

The platform focuses on real-time detection, blocking, or redaction of sensitive data. It aligns with Purview's goal of data protection but with a specialized emphasis on privacy and compliance across external platforms.

Key Features:

• No-code integrations with SaaS applications like Zendesk, Slack, Gmail, and Office 365.
• Real-time detection and redaction of sensitive personal data (PII & PHI).

• Compliance with key regulatory standards like PCI, HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR, and CCPA.
• It automatically detects and redacts sensitive information to eliminate manual intervention.

• Extensive customization options for security policies, data handling protocols, and user access.
• Enhanced redaction capabilities that accurately remove sensitive details from chats and attachments from formats like PDFs, JPEGs, PNGs, and Office documents.

Pros:

• Quick Setup: Customers can set up Strac in less than 10 minutes, enabling immediate access to features like DLP, real-time scanning, and live redaction for their cloud applications. This is what Strac users say,

• High Precision in Detection and Redaction: Strac uses tailor-made AI models to accurately identify and redact sensitive information like PII, PHI, PCI, and confidential data, minimizing the chances of incorrect detections.
• Broad SaaS Compatibility: Strac boasts an extensive array of integrations with numerous SaaS and cloud services. For further details, refer to the demonstration.
• Flexible Detection Options: Strac comes equipped with a comprehensive range of detectors for identifying sensitive data related to PCI, HIPAA, GDPR, and more, alongside the ability for customers to customize and specify their own data elements. Explore Strac’s full selection of data detectors.
• Direct Redaction Capabilities: Strac offers the ability to directly mask or blur sensitive information in any document attachment.
• AI Enhancements: Strac enhances its offerings with integrations across various platforms, including SaaS, cloud, and endpoints, and extends to AI and large language models like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Microsoft Copilot. For details on how these integrations protect AI applications and sensitive data, see Strac’s developer documentation.
• Endpoint Protection: Strac stands out as the sole DLP solution providing comprehensive protection across SaaS, cloud, and endpoint environments. For more information, visit: https://www.strac.io/endpoint-dlp
• API Accessibility: Strac makes available API options for developers to detect or redact sensitive data, ensuring flexibility and ease of use. Explore API Docs
• Exceptional Support: The Strac customer support team is committed to providing exceptional assistance during the integration process and beyond, ensuring a smooth experience.
• Adaptable Compliance Solutions: Strac offers ready-made compliance templates covering all sensitive data elements for detection/redaction, along with adjustable settings to meet specific business requirements, thereby guaranteeing that data protection strategies are tailored to each organization’s needs.

Cons:

• Strac employs advanced AI for data handling, requiring user adaptation to innovative technologies.
• While features are currently being enhanced, Strac consistently delivers new updates.

Pricing:

• Strac offers multiple pricing plans to accommodate small and large teams. It comes along with a complimentary 30-day trial. For more details, book a 30-min free demo.

2. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is an enterprise-grade endpoint security platform. It is designed to help businesses prevent, detect, investigate, and respond to advanced threats and vulnerabilities. When considering the comprehensive nature of Defender alongside Azure Purview pricing, organizations can find a balanced approach to endpoint security and data governance costs.

Key Features:

• Endpoint behavioral sensors: Collect and process behavioral signals from the operating system to identify threats.
• Cloud security analytics: Uses big data, machine learning, and integration with Microsoft's security ecosystem.
• Threat intelligence: Identifies attacker tools, techniques, and procedures to generate alerts and enable quick responses.
• Automated investigation and remediation: Reduces alert volumes and resolves threats efficiently.
• Vulnerability management: Identifies and prioritizes vulnerabilities on endpoints.

Pros:

• Offers a wide range of security capabilities from threat prevention to post-breach detection and response.
• Seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft security solutions for a unified security posture.
• Provides tools for proactive threat hunting and investigation.
• Leverages Microsoft’s extensive data on cyber threats for timely and effective threat detection.

Cons:

• Can be complex to set up and manage, requiring a dedicated security team.
• While it supports multiple platforms, it is most optimized for Windows environments.
• May be expensive for small to medium-sized businesses, especially when scaling up.
• The extensive features and capabilities might overwhelm users new to enterprise-level endpoint security solutions.

Pricing:

• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offers two pricing plans, ranging between $2.50 and $5.20 for academic and standalone. Additionally, you can get a free trial.

3. Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 provides robust security solutions to protect against cyber threats in Office 365 environments. It includes email and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams. While Microsoft Purview focuses on overall data governance, Defender for Office 365 protects communication channels from phishing and malware. 

Key Features:

• Threat protection for email and collaboration tools: Targets threats like phishing, business email compromise (BEC), and ransomware.
• Advanced threat hunting: Allows proactive searching and elimination of potential threats across the environment.
• Automated attack remediation: Identifies and neutralizes threats automatically, reducing the workload on security teams.
• Safe links and safe attachments: Scans links and attachments in real time to prevent malicious content from reaching users.
• Threat intelligence: Provides insights into global and targeted threats to improve the organization's security posture.

Pros:

• Seamlessly integrates with Office 365 and enhances protection without disrupting user productivity.
• Protects against a wide range of email and collaboration tool threats.
• Offers attack simulation training to help users recognize and respond to phishing attempts.
• Provides insights into attacks and potential vulnerabilities to aid in ongoing security improvements.

Cons:

• Protection is designed specifically for the Office 365 ecosystem.
• Additional expense for organizations, especially if they require advanced features available in higher-tier plans.
• Aggressive filtering and protection measures can sometimes lead to legitimate communications being flagged or blocked.

Pricing:

• Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is available in two pricing tiers, starting at $2 and going up to $5. There's also an option to try Microsoft Defender for free.

4. Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is a comprehensive SaaS security solution designed to modernize the protection of your applications. It provides full visibility into your SaaS app landscape and helps secure data and elevate app security posture. Defender for Cloud Apps extends the data governance capabilities of Purview into the cloud and offers enhanced protection for apps. It is important for businesses to compare such benefits with Microsoft Purview cost to determine the most cost-effective solution for them.

Key Features:

• Shadow IT Discovery: Identifies and assesses risk from unauthorized app usage.
• Data Protection: Classifies and protects sensitive information across all SaaS apps.
• App-to-App Control: Monitors and controls how apps interact and access sensitive data.
• Advanced Threat Protection: Utilizes app signals for sophisticated cyberattack defense.
• Unified Security Management: Offers a central dashboard for managing SaaS app security posture.

Pros:

• Seamlessly integrates with existing Microsoft security solutions for comprehensive coverage.
• Provides extensive insight into app usage and data movement within SaaS environments.
• Offers tools for preventing data leakage and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
• Utilizes AI and machine learning for advanced threat detection and automated responses.

Cons:

• Best leveraged within the Microsoft ecosystem and limited for organizations using a diverse set of cloud services.
• May be an additional expense for organizations.
• Requires a good understanding of cloud security principles and Microsoft’s security framework for optimal use.

Pricing:

• Microsoft Defender for Servers Plan 1 ranges from $0.007 per server per hour to $0.02 per server per hour for Servers Plan 2.

5. Forcepoint DLP

Forcepoint DLP secures sensitive data across various environments, including web, cloud, email, network, and endpoint. It provides a comprehensive approach to identifying, monitoring, and protecting data while ensuring compliance with data protection regulations.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive data discovery and classification across on-premises and cloud environments.
• Risk-adaptive protection to automatically adjust policies based on user behavior and risk.
• Unified policy enforcement for simplified data security management across different channels.
• Advanced fingerprinting and OCR for accurate detection of sensitive information.
• Pre-defined policies for compliance with regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS.

Pros:

• Versatile deployment options for various scenarios.
• Cloud application integration through APIs.
• Insightful reports identifying unauthorized IT resources.

Cons:

• Additional costs for customer support services.
• Complex and lengthy setup process.
• Occasional synchronization problems with on-premises DLP systems.
• Lack of detailed options in User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA).

Pricing:

• Reach out to Forcepoint to learn about their pricing options.

6. Decube

Decube is a comprehensive Data Trust Platform designed for the modern data stack, focusing on the era of Generative AI. It provides unified solutions for data observability, data catalog, and data governance to enhance data management and trust across organizations. Decube extends data management capabilities with a focus on real-time data observability and metadata management.

Key Features:

• Data observability: Offers anomaly detection and data pipeline observability, including automated column-level lineage for impact analysis.
• Data discovery: Features robust metadata management for improved data asset discovery across various sources.
• Governance simplified: Provides automated PII tagging, data masking, and approval workflows to streamline governance processes.
• End-to-end integrations: Supports a wide range of integrations with major data platforms like Google BigQuery, Amazon Redshift, Snowflake, and more.

Pros:

• Combines observability, cataloging, and governance in one platform for holistic data oversight.
• Enhances data reliability with real-time monitoring and anomaly detection, reducing time to debug data incidents.
• Simplifies complex data governance tasks with automated tagging and masking.
• Offers broad integration options to provide flexibility across different data environments and tools.

Cons:

• The features may require a learning period for users to fully utilize the platform’s capabilities.
• As a newer solution, it may not have the same level of recognition or extensive case studies as more established platforms.
• While offering many integrations, setting up and customizing connections to various data sources and tools can be complex.

Pricing:

• Decube offers a free Community plan, with Starter and Enterprise plans for advanced features and support. Contact for prices.

7. Collibra

Collibra is a leading data intelligence platform that empowers organizations to achieve a higher level of data governance and quality. It offers an integrated suite of solutions encompassing AI Governance, Data Catalog, Data Governance, Data Quality & Observability, and more. Collibra provides a broad approach to data governance, making it suitable for organizations using diverse data systems and platforms.

Key Features:

• Data catalog: Provides an organized inventory of data assets for easier access and understanding.
• Data governance: Offers tools for establishing policies, standards, and control mechanisms to manage data effectively.
• Data quality & observability: Monitors data quality and provides insights into data health and usage patterns.
• Data lineage: Visualizes data flows and dependencies across systems for better impact analysis and transparency.
• AI governance: Establishes rules and processes to govern AI and machine learning initiatives.

Pros:

• Supports diverse data environments, from cloud to on-premises.
• Covers all aspects of data governance, from cataloging and quality to privacy and compliance.
• Simplifies complex data governance tasks and makes data more accessible and actionable for all users.
• Offers extensive resources, a community of practice, and professional support to help organizations.

Cons:

• Can be expensive, particularly for small to mid-sized businesses, due to its enterprise focus.
• While versatile, integrating Collibra with existing systems and workflows can be complex and time-consuming.
• May be more than needed for organizations with simpler data governance needs or smaller data environments.

Pricing:

• Test it with your data free for 20 days. Reach out to them for pricing.

The Bottom Line!

When selecting the best Microsoft Purview competitors, it's essential to consider several features that align with your organization's data governance. Eliminate the complexity of using multiple tools. Strac provides unified protection across all environments.

With Strac, you'll be investing in a future-proof solution that adapts to your evolving needs. Book a demo to learn more.