I know what you’re all thinking – doesn’t Microsoft Defender suck?
We get it, the Defender that most people are familiar with comes pre-installed with Windows and, historically, wasn’t ever the best choice compared to alternatives like Norton or McAfee.
BUT – the pre-installed Windows Defender isn’t what we’re talking about today, instead we’re focusing on it’s more sophisticated and useful big brother, Microsoft Defender for Business.
What Is Microsoft Defender For Business?
As you might’ve guessed, Microsoft Defender for Business is a sophisticated antivirus and security application (but honestly, that’s underselling it). Defender for Business is aimed at (drum roll please) businesses with anything up to 300 employees, and offers comprehensive protection against a multitude of different threats, including malware, ransomware and phishing attacks.
But that’s not all, Defender for Business can proactively identify risks by uncovering the weak points in your security, while also providing you with the necessary steps to fix said weaknesses.
Defender for Business also offers what’s called Endpoint Detection and Response (or EDR, for short). This begs the question, what does any of that mean? Well, put simply, EDR actively monitors and analyses activity on all of your devices, and identifies anything that might be suspicious. From this, Defender will respond to the potential threat, block it, notify you, and provide recommended steps to fix the issue (like deleting that program that the pop-up said would definitely double your laptop’s RAM).
Furthermore, EDR will provide a recording of the attack, which can then help your administrators identify how, and why, the attack happened, giving your business the opportunity to put policies in place to prevent a similar attack in the future.
What’s The Difference Between The Different Versions Of Defender?
We know it can be a little confusing, especially when both the free versions share very similar names (and as a result, similar reputations, albeit unfairly). So take a look below where we’ve documented the differences between Defender for Business, and the built-in Windows Defender.
| Windows Defender | Defender For Business | |
|---|---|---|
| What Can It Do? | Protects your PC/Laptop from malware, viruses, and other similar threats | Everything Windows Defender can do, plus protection against web threats, identity theft, and EDR. |
| What Devices Does It Cover? | Only devices that can run Windows. | Windows, MacOS, iOS and Android. |
| Features | Simple antivirus software and firewall protection. | Everything Windows Defender has, plus EDR, identity theft monitoring, VPN, and more. |
| Price | Free – Baked Right Into Windows 11 | Free – If you have a Microsoft 365 Business Premium License. Otherwise, £2.30 per user, per month. |
But why should you use Microsoft Defender? Just because we tell you to? No, Defender for Business is backed by multiple industry bodies.
Microsoft Defender for Business’ antimalware capabilities consistently score highly during independent industry tests, and Microsoft was named a leader in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms (which we’ve attached for your viewing pleasure).
Finally, Microsoft was named a leader in IDC’s MarketScape for Modern Endpoint Security for Enterprises, Midsize Businesses, and Small Businesses in 2024 – which you can read more about here
Microsoft invests an estimated $1 Billion per year on security, especially cloud security, which means its safe to say that Microsoft Defender is NOT the middling antivirus program it used to be, despite what it’s age-old reputation might make you think.
What Else Can Defender For Business Do?
The extra features don’t stop just yet, because Microsoft Defender has a plethora of different products you can take advantage of:
- Defender For Office 365: Protects threats that might be found in email attachments, documents, and collaboration tools (like Microsoft Loop) You can take this a step further by upgrading to Defender For Office Plan 2, which gives you access to phishing simulations, which are a great tool that train staff to spot potential phishing emails.
- Defender For Cloud Apps: This is designed to monitor and protect your cloud applications, as well as giving you useful insights into your usage, and the ability to implement security policies.
- Defender For Identity: This helps protect you against identity-based attacks, specifically aimed at on-premise Active Directory controllers. Defender for Identity can also continually monitor user accounts, behaviours and any potential malicious activities.
How Do I Get Microsoft Defender For Business?
Defender for Business comes as part of the Microsoft 365 Business Premium License (catchy name, I know) which means that you might already be paying for it – take a look below at the different Microsoft 365 license options:
Basic
- 50GB Email Account
- Teams
- SharePoint
- Web Versions of Word, Excel & PowerPoint
Standard
- Everything In Basic, Plus
- Desktop Versions Of Word, Excel & PowerPoint
- Microsoft Loop
- Multi-Factor Authentication
Premium
- Everything In Standard, Plus
- Endpoint Protection (Anti-Virus)
- Mobile Device Management
- Access And Data Controls
- Improved Multi-Factor Authentication
We’d recommend the Business Premium license to most organisations, as it contains everything an SMB might need to get by, IT and productivity wise/ But, if you feel like the Business Premium license isn’t the right fit for you, then Microsoft Defender for Business is available as a standalone package for just £2.30 per user, per month.
Need some more convincing? Or maybe you want help setting up Defender so it’s ready to start protecting your business from lurking threats – no matter your situation, click below, give us a call and one of our experts will help! Or, try the other button to learn more about how seriously we take your cyber security.
