SMBs represent 90% of businesses worldwide1, and they are a target for attackers using commoditized cybercrime tools which are easy to obtain and operate at high scale. In fact, 52% of SMBs said they believe they are more of a target, and have more to lose, than larger enterprises2.
Protecting your business is paramount and to do so effectively you need to choose security tools that are comprehensive and easy to use. Many small businesses today have antivirus capabilities but do not have full endpoint security, and so are at risk. Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes the full endpoint security capabilities such as endpoint detection and response to help keep small businesses safe.
For customers with Microsoft 365 Business Premium, we added endpoint security on 1st March 2022. Learn how to get started quickly with endpoint protection in Business Premium from our documentation.
For customers with Microsoft 365 Business Basic or Standard you can consider upgrading to Business Premium, or we’re pleased to offer endpoint security standalone with Microsoft Defender for Business. Purchase endpoint security standalone with Defender for Business from our product page, via the Microsoft Admin Center or through your IT partner.
If you’re not already using Microsoft 365 Business suites, you can now try and buy Defender for Business directly from our product page.
For IT partners you can manage multiple SMB customers together from within Microsoft 365 Lighthouse or from within existing management experiences such as Datto.
Defender for Business: What you need to know
Defender for Business offers enterprise-grade endpoint protection in an easy-to-use and cost-effective package for business with up to 300 employees. It provides onboarding, configuration, and security experiences for Windows, iOS, Android, and MacOS devices.
For the best onboarding and security management experience we recommend using Defender for Business with Microsoft Intune, both are included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium. For customers using endpoint security standalone with Defender for Business the platform today works as follows, and we have additional simplification for all devices on the roadmap.
Platform focus: Windows
We provide a simplified, wizard-driven experience to get you started quickly and activate recommended security settings out-of-the-box. You can onboard devices using local scripts, or with Group Policy. For Windows operating systems we also provide simplified next-generation antivirus and firewall settings management in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal.
Platform focus: MacOS
We also provide a simplified, wizard-driven experience to get you started quickly for MacOS. Onboard MacOS devices into Defender for Business using local scripts or deploy them using your preferred management platform. MacOS receives the same great security capabilities, activated out of the box. The simplified next-generation antivirus and firewall settings management in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal will come later.
Platform focus: Mobile
Today, endpoint security for iOS and Android requires the use of Microsoft Intune to onboard devices to Defender for Business. Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes both Defender for Business and Microsoft Intune. We’re committed to enabling a broader set of management scenarios for mobile endpoint security on the roadmap.
Platform focus: Servers
We’re adding support for Windows and Linux servers to Microsoft Defender for Business for business with up to 300 employees, coming later this year with an add-on solution. You will be able to manage client and server endpoints from a single experience. Windows Server experience will be the same as Windows client. Linux servers will use deployment scripts allowing you to integrate into your existing management platforms such as Chef, Puppet, and Ansible.
What’s new in Microsoft 365 Lighthouse for IT partners
Microsoft 365 Lighthouse, a unified admin experience to help IT partners scale security across their customers, launched in March 2022. Since then, we’ve continued to innovate to bring new customer security controls for multi-customer management scenarios. Let’s look at some of the top updates available now and rolling out in May.
Available now:
- Onboard tenants with Defender for Business subscriptions.
- View devices onboarded to Defender for Business within the Security Incidents page in Lighthouse.
- New deployment steps now included in the default baseline:
- Configuration for non-compliant device notifications to help alert end users to fix their device.
- Configuration for Microsoft Defender Firewall policies.
Rolling out in May
- Onboard tenants with Microsoft 365 E5 subscriptions.
- Improved user management pane adding account, device, license and apps, mail, and more with quick links from Lighthouse.
- New deployment steps included in the default baseline:
- Microsoft Defender for Business
- Microsoft Defender for Office 365
- Exchange Online Protection
The addition of Exchange Online Protection and Microsoft Defender for Office 365 deployment steps brings new security controls for email and collaboration to Lighthouse to help protect against zero-day malware, phish, and business email compromise. Also, you can manage quarantine emails across tenants via a new Data Protection card accessible via the home page. Check out these updates and more from the What’s New card in Microsoft 365 Lighthouse on the homepage.
Remote monitoring and management partnerships
We’re also pleased to announce integrations with Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) tools that IT partners often use to secure their customers at scale. Datto RMM’s integration with Microsoft Defender for Business is now available for partners. ConnectWise RMM integration with Intune and Microsoft 365 Business Premium is coming soon.
Learn more
For customers
- Microsoft Security blog
- Microsoft Defender for Business – Web page
- Microsoft Defender for Business – Documentation
- Microsoft Defender for Business – Trial playbook
For IT partners
- Microsoft Partner blog
- Microsoft 365 Lighthouse – Partner Web page
- Microsoft 365 Lighthouse – Documentation
- Microsoft Defender for Business – Partner webinars