Secure the front door. Email is where most attacks arrive — Wiz Defend adds runtime cloud detection & response — the eBPF Wiz Sensor + agentless cloud telemetry — detecting runtime threats with Security-Graph context (instant blast radius). Honest: this is where Wiz is catching up, not leading — and it adds a Sensor (a 2nd architecture).
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This page covers Wiz Defend — runtime CDR. The rest of the Wiz suite:
Most product pages skip this. We start here — so you buy a capability, not a buzzword.
Runtime cloud detection & response (CDR) — the eBPF Wiz Sensor + agentless cloud telemetry detect & respond to runtime threats with Security-Graph context (instant blast radius).
What consolidation actually replaces, dimension by dimension.
| Dimension | Unprotected / signature email | Wiz Defend (Wiz) |
|---|---|---|
| What it catches | Posture gaps (agentless) | Attacks in progress (runtime) |
| Telemetry | Snapshots / metadata | eBPF Sensor + cloud telemetry |
| Detection context | Isolated runtime alert | Full Security-Graph blast radius |
| Response | Runtime tool, siloed | Runtime + posture, one graph |
| The loop | Respond, repeat | Respond, then prevent (posture/code) |
| Architecture (honest) | One agentless model | Agentless core + a Sensor (agent) |
| Maturity (honest) | (varies) | New — catching up vs CrowdStrike/Sysdig |
| Best fit | (varies) | Graph-contextual runtime unified with Wiz posture |
Wiz Defend is runtime cloud detection & response — the eBPF Wiz Sensor + agentless cloud telemetry — detecting runtime threats (including AI-native) with Security-Graph context (instant blast radius), unified with your posture. Honest: this is where Wiz is CATCHING UP, not leading — CrowdStrike & Sysdig/Falco have deeper, battle-tested runtime, and Wiz Defend adds a Sensor (a 2nd architecture) alongside the agentless core. Premium & quote-only. TechBag scopes it honestly & adds GST.
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For real-time visibility, Wiz added the eBPF-based Wiz SENSOR — a lightweight sensor running IN the workload — capturing the live process, network and file activity that agentless snapshots can’t see. The runtime eyes agentless lacks. (Honest: this is a SECOND architecture — an agent — alongside the agentless core.)
Alongside the Sensor, Wiz Defend ingests agentless cloud telemetry — control-plane logs, cloud audit trails, provider events — for the cloud-layer view of what’s happening. Combine in-workload signal with cloud-layer signal. Two lenses on the threat.
Wiz Defend detects runtime threats — malicious processes, live intrusions, lateral movement, and AI-native threats — as they happen. Catch the attack in progress, not just the posture gap. (Honest: CrowdStrike & Sysdig/Falco have deeper, more battle-tested runtime detection — see honest scope.)
The Wiz edge: a runtime detection isn’t an isolated alert — it’s enriched with the full Security-Graph picture (what’s exposed, which identities, which data is reachable), so responders see BLAST RADIUS instantly. Detection with context. Understand the whole attack, not just the event.
Respond to the threat with the context to act — and close the loop back to posture (fix the exposure that let it happen) and code (via Wiz Code). Respond, then prevent the recurrence. Runtime and posture on one graph. (For deepest runtime response, the specialists lead — see honest scope.)
One agent on every machine, one console over all of them — modules attach without a second operational world.
Wiz Defend catches attacks in progress with full graph context — runtime unified with posture — part of portfolio, and paired with the human firewall.
A lightweight, eBPF-based sensor running IN the workload — capturing live process, network and file activity for real-time visibility agentless snapshots can’t provide. The runtime eyes. (Honest: a 2nd architecture — an agent.)
Ingest control-plane logs, cloud audit trails and provider events — the cloud-layer view of activity — alongside the Sensor’s in-workload signal. Two lenses on the threat. Cloud-layer plus in-workload.
See what’s actually happening in your running workloads in real time — the live activity that a periodic agentless scan, by design, cannot capture. Watch it live. The gap agentless leaves.
Detect malicious processes, live intrusions and lateral movement as they happen — catching the attack in progress, not just the posture gap that enabled it. Catch it in progress. (CrowdStrike/Sysdig runtime is deeper — see honest scope.)
Detect the emerging class of AI-native runtime threats — attacks on and via AI workloads and agents running in your cloud. Cover the new attack surface. AI workloads are runtime too. (Emerging area — validate for your environment.)
Detect known malicious behaviours and indicators across workloads and cloud — correlating in-workload and cloud-layer signals into runtime detections. Correlate the signals. Two lenses, one detection.
The Wiz value-add: a runtime detection is enriched with the full Security-Graph picture — what’s exposed, which identities, which data is reachable — so responders see BLAST RADIUS instantly. Detection with context. The whole attack, not the event.
When a detection fires, immediately see what an attacker could reach FROM there — the identities, exposure and data on the graph — so you scope the incident in seconds, not hours. Scope it instantly. Context is speed in a response.
Investigate and hunt across runtime and cloud signals with the graph as your map — following the path from the detection to the root, and back to posture. Hunt with a map. The graph guides the investigation.
Respond to the threat with the context to act — contain, remediate, and coordinate — informed by the full attack path. Respond with context. (For the deepest, most mature runtime response, specialists lead — see honest scope.)
Close the loop back to posture — fix the exposure that let the threat in (CSPM) and the code that created it (Wiz Code) — so a runtime incident becomes a prevented recurrence. Respond, then prevent. Runtime and posture, one graph.
Wiz Defend shares the Security Graph with CSPM, CIEM, DSPM and Wiz Code (see those pages) — so runtime is unified with posture, identity, data and code. One graph, runtime included. (Honest: runtime adds a Sensor — a 2nd architecture — alongside the agentless core.)
The overview, getting started, and protecting M365 email.
What runtime detection adds to agentless.
Runtime & AI-native threats, walked through.
The latest on Defend & the Sensor.
Want a live, India-context walkthrough on your own fleet?
Book a guided demo →Here’s Wiz Defend’s real edge — and the honest truth that here Wiz is catching up.
The reason Wiz Defend exists is to fill the ONE gap that Wiz’s agentless core, by design, cannot: real-time RUNTIME threat detection and response. The problem it solves: agentless is brilliant for POSTURE — finding misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, over-privileged identities and exposed data BEFORE and AROUND your workloads, by reading cloud metadata and snapshots. But detecting an attack AS IT HAPPENS — a running process behaving maliciously, a live intrusion, lateral movement in progress — requires live telemetry from INSIDE the workload, which a periodic agentless snapshot simply cannot capture. Posture tells you the door is unlocked; runtime tells you someone just walked through it. What Wiz provides: the eBPF-based Wiz SENSOR (a lightweight in-workload sensor) captures live process, network and file activity, and Wiz Defend combines that with agentless cloud telemetry (control-plane logs, audit trails) to detect and respond to runtime threats — including AI-native ones — as they happen. Why it matters: no matter how good your posture is, some attacks will get through, and when they do, you need to detect and respond in real time — which needs runtime telemetry. Wiz Defend closes the gap between ‘we found the risk’ (posture) and ‘we caught the attack’ (runtime), so Wiz can cover the full lifecycle. (Honest: this is a newer capability, and adopting it means running a Sensor — a second architecture — see the honest scope.) The value: Wiz Defend adds real-time runtime detection and response — the one thing agentless can’t do — via the eBPF Sensor plus cloud telemetry. For catching attacks in progress, this matters. TechBag helps organisations add runtime with Wiz Defend. TechBag helps you catch the attack, not just the posture gap.
The genuine value-add of Wiz Defend — the thing that differentiates it from a standalone runtime tool — is that its runtime detections are enriched with the full Security-Graph CONTEXT, so responders understand blast radius instantly. The problem it solves: a standalone runtime detection tool fires an alert — ‘suspicious process on host X’ — but then the responder has to manually work out: what else can this reach? Is this host internet-exposed? What identities does it hold? What data is nearby? That investigation takes precious time during an active incident, and a runtime tool that only sees runtime can’t answer it. What Wiz provides: because Wiz Defend shares the Security Graph with CSPM, CIEM and DSPM, a runtime detection arrives already enriched — what’s exposed, which identities, which data is reachable, the whole attack path — so the responder sees BLAST RADIUS in seconds, not hours. And they can close the loop back to posture (fix the exposure that let it happen) and code (via Wiz Code). Why it matters: in incident response, CONTEXT is speed, and speed is everything — the faster you understand what an attacker can reach, the faster you contain it. Graph-contextualised runtime detection turns an isolated alert into an instantly-scoped incident, unified with your posture. The value: Wiz Defend contextualises runtime detections with the full Security Graph — so responders see blast radius instantly and close the loop back to posture. For fast, contextual response, this matters. TechBag helps organisations respond with context via Wiz Defend. TechBag helps you scope the incident in seconds.
A real strength of Wiz Defend is that it UNIFIES runtime with posture on one Security Graph — so instead of a separate runtime tool disconnected from your cloud-posture tool, detection and prevention live together and close the loop. The problem it solves: when runtime detection (CDR) and posture management (CSPM) are separate products, there’s a gap: the runtime tool catches the attack but doesn’t know (or fix) the posture weakness that enabled it, and the posture tool finds the weakness but doesn’t see the live attack. So you respond to incidents repeatedly without fixing the root cause. What Wiz provides: because Wiz Defend shares the graph with CSPM (posture), CIEM (identity), DSPM (data) and Wiz Code (code), a runtime incident can be traced back to the exposure that let it in AND the code that created it — so you don’t just RESPOND, you PREVENT the recurrence. Detection informs prevention; prevention shrinks the attack surface for the next detection. Why it matters: the point of security is to reduce risk over time, not just firefight — and that only happens when runtime and posture inform each other. Unifying them on one graph turns each incident into a durable fix, and gives one team one view from posture to runtime. (Honest: Wiz’s runtime is newer than the specialists’ — see the honest scope.) The value: Wiz Defend unifies runtime with posture on one graph — so you close the loop from detection to prevention, turning incidents into durable fixes. For risk reduction over time, this matters. TechBag helps organisations unify runtime and posture with Wiz. TechBag helps you fix the root, not just the fire.
The most important thing to say about Wiz Defend is the HONEST part: this is the area where Wiz is CATCHING UP, not leading — and a fair evaluation must weigh that. Why: Wiz built its reputation and its platform on AGENTLESS posture, identity and data security — that’s where it’s the category leader. Runtime is a newer frontier for Wiz: the eBPF Wiz Sensor entered PREVIEW in late 2024, and Wiz Defend is a relatively young product. By contrast, the runtime specialists have DEEP, battle-tested maturity: CrowdStrike (Falcon Cloud) has years of runtime and endpoint detection depth (and TechBag sells CrowdStrike); Sysdig, built on the open-source Falco project, is a runtime-security cornerstone with deep, proven runtime detection; and Upwind is a runtime-FIRST challenger built around runtime from day one. Two honest caveats: (1) MATURITY — for the deepest, most battle-tested runtime detection and response, CrowdStrike and Sysdig/Falco currently lead Wiz. (2) A SECOND ARCHITECTURE — adopting Wiz Defend means running the Sensor (an agent) alongside Wiz’s agentless core, so the ‘fully agentless’ story no longer fully applies for runtime; you run two models. Wiz Defend’s genuine edge is Graph-CONTEXTUALISED runtime unified with your posture — if you’re a Wiz posture customer, that unification is real and valuable. But if the deepest standalone runtime is your primary need, weigh the specialists. The value: Wiz Defend’s edge is graph-context and posture-unification — but it’s newer and a second architecture, and CrowdStrike/Sysdig lead on runtime maturity. TechBag gives you the honest read. TechBag scopes whether Wiz Defend or a runtime specialist fits.
A strength worth weighing honestly: Wiz Defend extends the platform of the category-defining agentless CNAPP leader (fastest software company ever to $100M ARR; behind 65% of the Fortune 100), built by the proven ex-Adallom team — and in March 2026 Google/Alphabet closed its ~$32B acquisition of Wiz (Alphabet’s largest ever), making Wiz an Alphabet subsidiary within Google Cloud. For Wiz Defend, the honest read combines two things: (a) the runtime maturity caveat above (CrowdStrike/Sysdig lead; Wiz is catching up; it’s a second architecture), and (b) the Google-ownership neutrality question — Wiz’s value is multi-cloud, Google/Wiz have committed to keeping it so, but that long-term neutrality is reasonable-but-unproven now a hyperscaler owns it. India relevance: the eBPF Sensor runs in your workloads and Wiz’s cloud-telemetry ingestion respects your environment; the buying motion is cloud marketplaces (AWS/Azure/GCP) with AWS India as Marketplace operator (GST invoices) from Nov 6 2025; Wiz is hiring South-India Solutions Engineers; being Google-owned may strengthen the GCP-marketplace/India motion (weigh with the neutrality caveat). The value: Wiz Defend extends the leader’s platform into runtime — with an honest maturity caveat and the Google-ownership question — and TechBag scopes it candidly with INR/GST. TechBag gives you the honest read. TechBag scopes Wiz Defend for India, caveats and all.
Wiz Defend is Wiz’s runtime cloud detection & response (CDR) — the eBPF Wiz Sensor plus agentless cloud telemetry — detecting and responding to runtime threats (including AI-native ones) WITH Security-Graph context, so responders see blast radius instantly and close the loop back to posture. From Wiz (founded Jan 2020, Israel; now a Google/Alphabet subsidiary after the ~$32B acquisition closed March 2026). The honest framing — real edge, and where Wiz is catching up: Wiz Defend’s genuine edge is Graph-CONTEXTUALISED runtime detection UNIFIED with your posture — if you’re a Wiz posture customer, a runtime detection arriving already enriched with the full attack path (and closing the loop back to CSPM/Wiz Code) is real and valuable. But be honest — this is where Wiz is CATCHING UP, not leading: (1) MATURITY — Wiz Defend and the Sensor are NEW (the Sensor entered preview late 2024), whereas CrowdStrike (Falcon Cloud) and Sysdig (built on the open-source Falco) have DEEP, battle-tested runtime detection built over years. For the deepest, most mature standalone runtime, they lead (TechBag sells CrowdStrike). Upwind is a runtime-FIRST challenger. Microsoft Defender for Cloud and SentinelOne also compete. (2) A SECOND ARCHITECTURE — adopting Wiz Defend means running the Sensor (an agent) alongside Wiz’s agentless core, so the ‘fully agentless’ story no longer fully applies for runtime; you run two models. (3) AI-native threat detection is an EMERGING area — validate for your environment. And Wiz is PREMIUM and quote-only (the Sensor anchors ~$28k/yr in marketplace terms). So the honest positioning: for runtime UNIFIED with your Wiz posture on one graph (contextual, loop-closing), Wiz Defend is compelling — especially if you already run Wiz; for the deepest, most battle-tested standalone runtime detection, CrowdStrike or Sysdig/Falco; for runtime-first, Upwind. TechBag scopes Wiz Defend honestly — comparing the runtime specialists — and licenses and supports it locally with GST.
Your workloads, whether you run Wiz posture (the source of graph context), and your runtime maturity needs. TechBag scopes it and compares honestly vs CrowdStrike and Sysdig/Falco (deeper, battle-tested runtime) and Upwind (runtime-first) — and is candid that Wiz runtime is newer, and adds a Sensor (a 2nd architecture).
Deploy the lightweight eBPF Wiz Sensor to your workloads for live process/network/file telemetry, and connect agentless cloud telemetry — two lenses on runtime activity. (Honest: this is an agent alongside the agentless core.)
Wiz Defend detects runtime threats (including AI-native) and enriches each with the full Security-Graph picture — so responders see blast radius instantly and scope incidents in seconds. Detection with context.
Respond with context, then close the loop back to posture (fix the exposure) and code (Wiz Code) — turning incidents into prevented recurrences on one graph. TechBag supports you locally (marketplace draw-down, GST).
Trusted across regulated industries in 100+ countries
Modelled on Gartner Peer Insights structure. *Counts and breakdowns are illustrative pending verified review collection.
“The graph context is what sold us — a runtime detection arrives already showing blast radius (what’s exposed, which identities, which data). We scope incidents in seconds because we’re already on Wiz posture.”
“Unifying runtime with posture means we don’t just respond — we trace the incident back to the exposure and fix the root cause. Detection informing prevention on one graph is the real value.”
“Honest: for the deepest runtime detection we also run CrowdStrike — it’s more battle-tested. We use Wiz Defend for the graph-context and posture unification because we’re a Wiz shop. TechBag was candid about the maturity gap.”
“We knew adopting Defend meant running the Sensor — a second architecture — alongside our agentless Wiz. TechBag was upfront that the ‘fully agentless’ story changes for runtime. We accepted it for the unified graph.”
“It made sense BECAUSE we already run Wiz CSPM — the runtime detection lands in the same graph as our posture. As a standalone runtime buy, TechBag honestly said a specialist might be more mature.”
“The eBPF Sensor is lightweight and gave us the live process visibility agentless snapshots miss. Combined with cloud telemetry, we finally see runtime and cloud-layer signals together.”
“AI-native threat readiness is emerging — we validated it for our AI workloads rather than taking it on faith. TechBag helped us pilot it and set expectations honestly.”
“Premium and quote-only, strongest with the Wiz CNAPP. TechBag scoped the Sensor coverage, compared vs CrowdStrike/Sysdig honestly, drew it down against cloud spend, and added INR/GST.”
Analyst firms bury this view behind paywalls, and G2 retired its Grid. So here’s TechBag’s synthesis of the cloud runtime / CDR market — tap any vendor to see why it sits where it does.
Execution strength vs product vision — the classic market map, minus the paywall.
Runtime in the CNAPP graph (newer). This page's product.
The grid nobody publishes — how strong the email detection is vs how integrated with the wider security portfolio.
Graph context deep; runtime maturity newer.
Positions are TechBag’s illustrative synthesis of public review-platform data and vendor documentation — not a reproduction of any analyst graphic. Verify before relying on it.
CrowdStrike, Sysdig (Falco), Defender for Cloud, SentinelOne and Upwind — honest lanes. Wiz’s edge is graph-context runtime unified with posture; but for the deepest, battle-tested runtime, CrowdStrike & Sysdig/Falco lead (Wiz is catching up). Azure-heavy? Defender. Runtime-first? Upwind. We say so.
| Dimension | Wiz | CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud | Sysdig (Falco) | Microsoft Defender for Cloud | SentinelOne | Upwind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Runtime in the CNAPP graph | Agent-led runtime + endpoint leader | Runtime cornerstone (Falco) | Native, Azure-bundled | Endpoint/cloud runtime | Runtime-first challenger |
| Runtime detection maturity | New (Sensor preview late 2024) | Deep, battle-tested | Deep (Falco) | Good (native) | Good | Growing (runtime-first) |
| Graph context (posture-unified) | Best-in-class (Security Graph) | Good (Falcon) | Some | Good (native) | Some | Growing |
| Architecture | Agentless core + Sensor (agent) | Agent-based | Agent-based | Native (in Azure) | Agent-based | Sensor-based |
| Price / value | Premium (quote-only) | Bundle-dependent | Mid (Falco is OSS) | Cheaper (Azure-bundled) | Mid | Mid |
| Best fit | Graph-contextual runtime unified with Wiz posture | Deepest agent-led runtime + endpoint (TechBag sells it) | Deep runtime detection (Falco) | Azure-native, cost-led runtime | Endpoint + cloud runtime | Runtime-first challenger |
Honest fit signals — because the fastest way to lose your trust is to pretend one product wins every scenario.
Drag the sliders (workloads with the Sensor; runtime detections per month; analyst/IR hour cost as loaded rate). Estimates contrast isolated runtime alerts (manual blast-radius investigation, siloed from posture) vs Wiz Defend (runtime detection enriched with full Security-Graph context so you scope incidents in seconds, unified with posture, closing the loop to prevention) — the wins are IR time saved, faster containment, and recurrences prevented by fixing root-cause posture. Illustrative — and honest that CrowdStrike/Sysdig lead on runtime maturity. TechBag scopes your estate.
Loaded cost = salary + overheads per productive hour. Illustrative only — your TechBag quote models actual device counts and modules.
Wiz is premium & quote-only (no public list); Wiz Defend/Sensor is typically part of / an add-on to the Wiz CNAPP (strongest run alongside Wiz posture). Marketplace terms anchor the Sensor around ~$28k/yr (with platform Essential ~$24k/yr and Advanced ~$38k/yr for 100 workloads); real deals $100k–300k+. Treat as indicative. Wiz’s motion is cloud marketplaces — draw it down against committed cloud spend; TechBag scopes it and handles INR/GST.
Best for graph-context runtime
Best for a broader rollout
Best value with TechBag
Whatever the list prices above, TechBag negotiates a significantly better deal — with GST-compliant INR invoicing and local support. Ask us for your discounted quote.
Tell us your device counts and current tools — we’ll model it against what you spend today.
Take this into your next vendor call — including ours.
Need to catch attacks IN PROGRESS (not just posture)? Wiz Defend adds runtime via the eBPF Sensor + cloud telemetry.
Want detections with instant blast radius? Wiz Defend enriches runtime alerts with the full Security-Graph attack path.
Run Wiz posture? Wiz Defend is compelling — runtime unified with your posture on one graph, closing the loop.
Need the DEEPEST, battle-tested runtime? CrowdStrike & Sysdig/Falco lead — Wiz is catching up. TechBag compares honestly.
Understand the trade-off? Wiz Defend adds a Sensor (an agent) alongside the agentless core — the ‘fully agentless’ story changes for runtime.
Running AI workloads? Wiz Defend targets AI-native runtime threats — an emerging area; validate for your environment.
Azure-centric and cost-sensitive? Defender for Cloud runtime is cheaper native — TechBag advises.
Wiz is premium & quote-only (Sensor ~$28k/yr marketplace terms; strongest with the CNAPP) — TechBag scopes it, draws down cloud spend, adds INR/GST.
Scope Wiz Defend (runtime cloud detection & response via the eBPF Sensor + cloud telemetry, with Security-Graph context and instant blast radius) — and let a TechBag advisor scope the Sensor coverage, compare honestly vs CrowdStrike and Sysdig/Falco (more mature runtime), explain the second-architecture trade-off, give the honest Google-ownership neutrality read, and add INR/GST and local support.
Stats, ratings, review counts and pricing are illustrative and sourced from public materials; verify before purchase.