Published March 7, 2022
Author: Ash Khan

Microsoft, which is known for products like Microsoft Teams, has announced the public release of Microsoft Defender for Business, their new endpoint security solution for SMBs. 

It is now available to new and current Microsoft 365 Business Premium users globally, beginning from March this year. 

Defender for Business protects businesses with up to three hundred workers from cyberthreats such as malware, phishing, and ransomware in systems involving Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android devices. 

It has a wizard-driven setup that simplifies client configuration and implements all suggested security policies out of the box, making it simple to use even by companies lacking professional security teams. 

As per US Secretary of Homeland Security, the company introduced this new security solution at Microsoft Ignite last year in November in reaction to a three hundred percent spike in ransomware assaults in the previous year, with much more than half of them primarily hitting small and medium-sized businesses. 

Defender for Business started rolling out in preview globally last year, at the same time that the company revealed it will be offered as a standalone license straight from the company and Microsoft Partner Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) channels for $3 per user per month. 

The following are some of the main features included in the Defender for Business security suite: 

  • Simple implementation and administration for IT admins who may lack the competence to deal with today’s ever-changing threat environment. 
  • With behavioral surveillance, next-generation antivirus protection and endpoint detection and response identify and respond to complex assaults. 
  • Automated threat analysis and remediation to assist clients in responding swiftly to attacks. 
  • Threat and vulnerability management actively informs users to software flaws and configuration issues. 
  • Microsoft 365 Lighthouse integration with Defender for Business allows IT service providers to observe security events across clients, with more features on the way. 

Defender for Business is available as part of Microsoft 365 Business Premium and does not need device onboarding or offboarding from Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P1 or P2. 

“There really is no interaction or extra transactions necessary, and it will appear in the Endpoints area of the Microsoft 365 Defender site “According to the company. 

Defender for Business will also be available as a standalone service later in 2022.