Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Exchange exclusions

[FuriousFred]

Hi

Microsoft Defender Antivirus comes with built-in/automatic exclusions on Windows Server 2016 or later and for server roles, view link 1 below.

What about the recommended exclusions for Windows antivirus programs on Exchange servers in link 2 below. Should these be implemented in on-premises Exchange servers, which is onboarded in MDE and uses Defender Antivirus as protection?

1. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/defender-endpoint/configure-server-exclusio...
2. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/Exchange/antispam-and-antimalware/windows-antivirus-software?redir...

Regards

Frederick

[#2 · Accepted solution]

@FuriousFred, Defender will only know about features and roles. If your organization has on-premises servers, such as Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, or SQL Server, you’ll likely need to define antivirus exclusions for your servers. Refer to the technical documentation for your server to identify and implement the exclusions you need.

Here are some examples:

• Running antivirus software on Exchange Server
• Folders to exclude from antivirus scans on SharePoint Server
• Choosing antivirus software for SQL Server