Common Microsoft Purview Dealbreakers
Organizations frequently search for Microsoft Purview alternatives to solve common challenges.
These dealbreakers often prevent successful adoption.
- Complex User Experience: The user interface is difficult to navigate, and administrators often rely on PowerShell scripts for essential tasks.
- Microsoft Ecosystem Lock-In: Purview functions best within the Microsoft 365 environment, offering limited flexibility for hybrid or multi-cloud infrastructures.
- Poor Third-Party Integrations: Connecting with non-Microsoft SaaS platforms like Slack or Salesforce requires significant configuration effort.
- High and Opaque Costs: Access to many critical DLP features requires expensive, higher-tier Microsoft 365 E5 subscriptions.
Who Should Consider Microsoft Purview Alternatives?
A Microsoft Purview alternative is best suited for the following Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs):
- Mid-market companies that require faster and less complex deployment.
- Enterprises managing multi-cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP), legacy mainframe, or multi-region data systems.
- IT and Security teams that prioritize broad and seamless SaaS integrations (e.g., Slack, Salesforce, Zendesk).
- Organizations that require transparent or usage-based pricing models instead of bundled enterprise licenses.
Detailed Breakdown of Microsoft Purview Alternatives
Each alternative is analyzed based on its ideal use case, features, deployment model, and pricing transparency.
1. DataStealth
2. Forcepoint DLP
- Best For: Organizations that require risk-adaptive policies across multiple channels (email, web, cloud).
- Key Features: Utilizes OCR, data fingerprinting, and pre-built templates for GDPR/HIPAA. Dynamically adjusts security policies based on user behavior.
- Deployment: Supports Windows and cloud; no Linux support. Setup complexity is a common complaint.
- Pricing: Custom quote.
3. Strac DLP
- Best For: Modern businesses focused on securing SaaS applications and generative AI tools.
- Key Features: AI-driven detectors for PII, PHI, and PCI data. Provides real-time redaction in Slack, Zendesk, Office 365, and Gmail.
- Deployment: Offers strong SaaS integrations with a no-code setup process.
- Pricing: Transparent tiered pricing and a free 30-day trial.
4. Endpoint Protector by CoSoSys
- Best for: Companies prioritizing device-level endpoint control.
- Key Features: AI-driven classification, USB and Bluetooth lock/wipe, instant “panic” lock.
- Deployment & Integrations: Best for VMware/Citrix environments; weaker for cloud-native apps.
- Pricing: Vendor consultation required.
5. Symantec Data Loss Prevention
- Best for: Enterprises deeply invested in the Microsoft ecosystem.
- Key Features: Azure Information Protection integration, automated classification.
- Deployment & Integrations: Complex and time-consuming implementation.
- Pricing: Vendor consultation required.
6. Collibra
- Best for: Large organizations needing a holistic governance platform (beyond DLP).
- Key Features: Data Catalog, quality monitoring, AI governance tools.
- Deployment & Integrations: Supports on-prem + cloud. Setup can be expensive and lengthy.
- Pricing: Free 20-day trial; enterprise pricing available via sales.
7. Immuta
- Best for: Teams prioritizing data access governance and compliance automation.
- Key Features: Role-based access controls, simplified policy enforcement.
- Deployment & Integrations: Known for easier deployment compared to Purview.
- Pricing: Vendor consultation required.
8. AvePoint
- Best for: Multi-cloud enterprises (AWS, Azure, GCP) needing hassle-free deployment.
- Key Features: eDiscovery, classification, straightforward privacy controls.
- Deployment & Integrations: Optimized for multi-cloud; less advanced in DLP depth.
- Pricing: Vendor consultation required.
9. Trellix DLP
- Best for: Organizations needing USB and hardware policy enforcement.
- Key Features: Strong policy enforcement for endpoints, but limited automated classification.
- Deployment & Integrations: More complex deployment than Purview.
- Pricing: Vendor consultation required.
Which Microsoft Purview Alternative is Right for You?
Choosing the best Purview replacement depends on your infrastructure, compliance needs, and integration requirements. Below are the strongest fits for common scenarios:
- For Unified Data Security Across Legacy + Cloud:
- DataStealth – Network-based, agentless security that works across mainframes, SaaS, and multi-cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP).
- For Risk-Based Policy Enforcement:
- Forcepoint DLP – Adaptive policies that adjust based on user behavior.
- DataStealth – Can enforce consistent policies across disparate environments, including legacy systems where agents can’t be installed.
- For SaaS + Generative AI Protection:
- Strac DLP – Strong real-time redaction in SaaS and AI platforms.
- DataStealth – Can intercept SaaS traffic at the network layer to apply tokenization or de-identification before data reaches the cloud.
- For Endpoint Device Control:
- Endpoint Protector by CoSoSys – Granular USB and device management.
- For Microsoft-Integrated Enterprises:
- Symantec DLP – Deep Azure Information Protection integration.
- DataStealth – Complements Microsoft environments by securing non-Microsoft workloads alongside M365.
- For Enterprise Data Governance Beyond DLP:
- Collibra – Broad governance and cataloging platform.
- For Simplified Access Controls:
- Immuta – User-friendly, role-based data access management.
- DataStealth – Built-in RBAC and ABAC controls, allowing fine-grained authorization policies without custom coding.
- For Multi-Cloud Simplicity:
- AvePoint – Multi-cloud management with straightforward deployment.
- DataStealth – Provides unified data protection across all clouds without requiring separate connectors.
- For USB & Hardware Enforcement:
- Trellix DLP – Centralized device policy enforcement.
FAQs about Microsoft Purview Alternatives
1. Which Microsoft Purview alternatives offer a free trial?
Strac DLP offers a 30-day free trial. Collibra offers a 20-day free trial. Most other vendors, including DataStealth, provide custom demos upon request.
2. Which DLP tools support Linux environments?
DataStealth is agentless and supports all operating systems, including Linux, Windows, macOS, and mainframes. Strac DLP, Immuta, and AvePoint are cloud-native and compatible with Linux. Forcepoint DLP does not support Linux.
3. Which Purview alternatives integrate best with SaaS and cloud platforms?
Strac DLP has direct, no-code integrations for Slack, Zendesk, and Gmail. DataStealth is agentless and intercepts traffic at the network layer, allowing it to protect data across all SaaS applications without direct connectors.
4. Which alternatives provide the strongest compliance and data residency features?
DataStealth supports real-time de-identification and tokenization to meet strict GDPR and data residency rules. Forcepoint DLP includes pre-built templates for HIPAA and GDPR compliance reporting.
5. Which tools provide role-based or attribute-based access controls?
- DataStealth – Offers RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) and ABAC (Attribute-Based Access Control) for fine-grained authorization policies.
- Immuta – Role-based access controls with policy automation.
- Collibra – Policy-based governance across large datasets.
6. Which alternatives are easiest to deploy?
Strac DLP is the easiest for SaaS environments due to its no-code setup. DataStealth is the easiest for complex or hybrid environments because its agentless model avoids endpoint installation and works across legacy systems where agents cannot be installed.
7. Which vendors are most cost-transparent?
- Strac DLP – Tiered pricing + free trial.
- Collibra – Free trial with enterprise pricing available.
- DataStealth, Forcepoint, Symantec, Trellix – Require vendor consultation.
Final Recommendation: How to Choose Your Purview Alternative
To select the right platform, match your primary business need to the best-fit solution.
- If you have hybrid or legacy systems: Choose DataStealth for its agentless, unified protection platform.
- If you are a SaaS-native business: Choose Strac DLP for its real-time redaction and easy integrations. Likewise, DataStealth also provides real-time protection by sitting in the network layer, enabling it to operate across any SaaS-native stack.
- If you need granular endpoint device control: Choose Endpoint Protector for its USB and hardware management.
- If you require a full data governance suite (beyond just DLP): Choose Collibra.
The primary goal is to select a platform that provides scalable, compliant, and cost-effective data security without creating a patchwork of disconnected point solutions.
Real-World Proof: Unified Security in Action
A leading financial services company used DataStealth’s network-layer platform to secure mainframe data, simplify GDPR compliance, and enable safe multi-cloud and SaaS data sharing. Read the case study to see how unified, agentless data security scales across complex enterprise environments.
Schedule a personalized demo to explore how DataStealth can protect your organization’s most sensitive data across legacy, cloud, and SaaS systems.
