As a managed service provider (MSP) supporting Microsoft Defender and Microsoft 365 Tenants, you may have noticed that Microsoft has recently rebranded its security solutions. In this blog post, we will explain what this name change means for you and your customers, and how you can leverage the benefits of Microsoft Defender XDR, the industry-leading extended detection and response (XDR) solution.
What is XDR and why is it important?
XDR is a new category of security solutions that provides unified visibility, investigation, and response across the cyberattack chain. Unlike traditional security tools that operate in silos, XDR collects, correlates, and analyzes data from multiple sources, such as endpoints, identities, email, applications, and cloud workloads, to detect and disrupt advanced cyberattacks.
XDR is important because cyberthreats are becoming more sophisticated, persistent, and diverse. Cyberattacks use multiple vectors and techniques to evade detection and compromise your customers’ data and assets. To protect your customers effectively, you need a security solution that can provide a holistic and comprehensive view of the threat landscape and enable rapid and coordinated response across your customers’ digital estate.
What is Microsoft Defender XDR and how does it work?
Microsoft Defender XDR is the XDR solution from Microsoft that delivers a unified investigation and response experience across Microsoft 365. It leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to automatically stop attacks and remediate affected assets. It also provides powerful analytics and tools to help you proactively hunt for cyberthreats and manage multitenant environments more effectively.
Microsoft Defender XDR is composed of four components that work together to provide integrated protection across endpoints, identities, email, and applications:
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint protects and secures endpoint and network devices across your multiplatform enterprise.
- Microsoft Defender for Identity manages and secures hybrid identities and simplifies employee, partner, and customer access.
- Microsoft Defender for Office 365 protects your email and collaboration tools from advanced cyberthreats, such as phishing and business email compromise.
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps provides visibility, control, and threat detection across cloud services and apps.
Microsoft Defender XDR also integrates with Microsoft Sentinel, the cloud-native security information and event management (SIEM) solution from Microsoft, to provide a unified security operations platform that combines the capabilities of XDR and SIEM.
How can you benefit from Microsoft Defender XDR as an MSP?
As an MSP, you can benefit from Microsoft Defender XDR in several ways:
- You can offer your customers a best-in-class security solution that covers their entire Microsoft 365 environment, and beyond.
- You can simplify your security operations and reduce costs by using a single portal and a single license to manage multiple security solutions and multiple tenants.
- You can improve your security posture and effectiveness by using AI and automation to reduce alert fatigue, false positives, and manual tasks.
- You can enhance your security services and value proposition by providing proactive threat hunting, incident response, and reporting capabilities to your customers.
Table of popular Microsoft 365 licensing and Defender XDR features
| Feature | Microsoft 365 license | Microsoft 365 Business Premium | Microsoft 365 E5 | Microsoft 365 E5 Security add-on | Enterprise Mobility + Security E5 add-on |
| Microsoft Defender for Endpoint | Microsoft Defender for Business | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Microsoft Defender for Identity | Not applicable | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (Plan 2) | Plan 1 included | Plan 2 included | Plan 2 included | Plan 2 included |
| Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps | Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps or Cloud App Discovery | Included | Included | Included | Included |
We hope this blog post has helped you understand the name change of Microsoft Defender to Microsoft Defender XDR, and how you can take advantage of this powerful security solution as an MSP. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact us.
🎓 Learn more about Microsoft Defender XDR here: Microsoft Defender XDR | Microsoft Security
