Microsoft Releases Defender for Business Endpoint Suite for Small Businesses

Microsoft is releasing a separate security suite for small businesses. Defender for Business is an endpoint package for businesses up to 300 employees and is primarily intended for malware protection.

The new package should be a cheaper version of Defender for Endpoint that is mainly aimed at large companies. Microsoft writes that Defender for Business is intended for SMEs, especially for companies with up to 300 users.

The software is primarily intended as a security package. Defender for Business engages in threat management by addressing software vulnerabilities. There is also ransomware protection and application management. The package also has endpoint detection and response where persistent threats are detected based on behavior and patterns. Administrators can then remove it automatically or manually. Defender for Business gets several APIs so administrators can integrate alerts into their own software; Microsoft does not provide further details on how that works.

Microsoft says the tool is built in such a way that it requires little configuration or management. The tool has an installation and configuration wizard and many recommended settings are set right away. This makes the tool especially interesting for small companies that have a small IT team or do not employ anyone who specifically works on security.

Defender for Business is currently in preview. The tool costs 3 dollars per user per month, but Microsoft does not mention euro prices. The tool will also become a standard part of Microsoft 365 Business Premium.