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How does microsoft defender for business compare to defender for enterprise.

Table of Contents

Three licenses are available for Microsoft Defender for Business: Defender for Endpoint Plan 1, Defender for Endpoint Plan 2, and Defender for Business. A Plan 1 license is limited and contains only Antivirus capabilities. Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 is the oldest and default plan, and it covers features such as Antivirus, Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR), Attack Surface Reduction , Advanced Hunting, and Automated Investigation and Response. Defender for Business is a license tailored to small and medium-sized businesses whose feature set sits between Plan 1 and Plan 2. In this article, I discuss the capabilities of Defender for Business.

Comparing Features

A complete comparison between the different license plans is available on Microsoft Learn . Here, I compare Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 against Defender for Business. I ignore Plan 1 because it is a basic plan that misses critical features such as Endpoint Detection & Response. Organizations looking for an Endpoint Protection system should select one with EDR capabilities. EDR provides more in-depth monitoring capabilities compared to a traditional antivirus, as it is not based on signatures but will scan all activity in a cloud database, providing more in-depth detections.

A couple of significant differences exist between Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 and Defender for Business. The two most important ones are listed below, which are covered in depth later in the article.

• Configuration of the Endpoint agent on workstations is simplified in Defender for Business.
• The Business license includes no threat-hunting capabilities.

Besides these differences, a couple of minor differences from Defender for Business that are good to know include:

• The lack of device groups.
• No way to see the currently logged-on user of a device.
• Lack of custom detection rules

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Threat Hunting

Threat hunting is the most crucial feature not covered by the Business license. But what exactly does this mean, and is the lack of threat hunting a dealbreaker?

When Microsoft states that Defender for Business has no threat hunting capabilities, they mean that there is no way to get a hold of the raw data which Defender for Endpoint collects. The raw data consists of the device timeline , a visual representation of all events collected on an endpoint, and advanced hunting , which allows you to retrieve this data through KQL.

The main reason why people use Microsoft Defender is for incident investigation. If there is an incident, you investigate it thoroughly and check if there are any follow-up actions to take:

• Should I reset the user’s password?
• Do I need to reinstall the device?
• Is there any user education required to avoid such an incident in the future?

Defender for Business is limited to the information Microsoft provides. Each incident has an alert story describing the actions Defender identifies as suspicious, as shown in Figure 1.

While information retrieved from the alert story might be adequate for some investigations, in my experience, the information presented by Defender for Business often lacks details. Sometimes, you need to know which URL the user visited before the attack was launched or which files were modified by a specific process. I typically get this information from the device timeline, but this is unavailable when using Defender for Business.

This is not a disaster, but it means you cannot double-check any incident Microsoft creates. You must trust Microsoft’s detection mechanisms.

The same goes for the lack of advanced hunting. Advanced hunting allows you to create KQL queries to generate an incident if a query has a result. Because advanced hunting is unavailable, you lack the ability to create incidents based on conditions or logic.

As Defender for Business is geared toward small and medium-sized businesses, the above might not be a dealbreaker for organizations without a dedicated security or IT engineer. Diving into logs to get more information is not something every IT engineer will do because they lack the knowledge or time for such investigations.

Client Configuration

Defender for Business simplifies the deployment and configuration of your endpoints. In comparison, a typical Defender for Endpoint onboarding is done through the Microsoft Intune portal by deploying the necessary onboarding and configuration policies. Defender for Business supports the onboarding of Intune-enrolled Windows devices through the setup wizard. This means there is no additional configuration using the Intune portal, as Microsoft sets everything in the background. Besides onboarding, Defender for Business also deploys a Microsoft-recommended configuration of the antivirus (including scan configuration) and the endpoint firewall. This is great for small IT teams without in-depth knowledge of the Microsoft security stack.

Minor Differences

Not all license differences are covered on Microsoft’s website, meaning it’s unclear what features you miss. I have run into some features that aren’t in Defender for Business that are useful.:

• If you navigate to a device’s page, Defender for Endpoint displays a ‘Last Logged-On User’ property showing which user most commonly logs into the device. This is a handy way to identify which end-user is using a device. This type of information is not available for Defender for Business tenants.
• Device Groups are used to create a logical grouping of different sets of computers. Some examples are servers vs. endpoints, mobile vs. desktop, or active vs. inactive devices .

A Strong Core Set of Features

While there are quite a few differences between Enterprise and Business licenses, the core features remain the same. With a Defender for Business license, we get the following:

• A fully-fledged, modern Antivirus system configured according to Microsoft best practices.
• An EDR system using behavior monitoring scans your endpoints and blocks threats if required.
• Insights into vulnerabilities using the built-in Vulnerability Management license.

Your organization’s appetite for security

Microsoft Defender for Business is a great way for small businesses to use enterprise-grade protection and detection without needing an IT engineer with a good knowledge of endpoint security . It simplifies incident investigation and device onboarding by abstracting more complex workflows from the organization. This makes Defender for Business an excellent fit for small organizations, as it is easy to deploy and maintain.

Nevertheless, Defender for Business is not great for medium-sized organizations that need an in-depth, advanced security solution. Some organizations are below 200 employees and thus eligible for Business licenses but need a higher level of sophistication in their security solution. This type of organization might look for an outsourced SOC or a dedicated security engineer who needs tools such as advanced hunting and the device timeline. For those types of organizations, I recommend a Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 d.

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About the Author

Thijs Lecomte

Hi Thijs Great article, thank you. Not being able to identify users is a problem with Defender for Business. Ate yiu aware of any method of pulling device owners besides manual tagging?

I haven’t and I fear there is none. With MDFB, you don’t have access to the same raw data. You can use the primary user in Intune, but that’s static unfortunately.

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Microsoft Defender for Business review

Endpoint protection from the masters of microsoft.

TechRadar Verdict

Microsoft Defender for Business is reasonably priced for SME's and is managed for a simple and easy to navigate online portal. It's easily able to detect and prevent threats but is let down by a difficult setup process.

Reasonably Priced

Minimal install requirements for endpoints

Setup difficulties

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

• Plans and pricing
• Performance
• Final verdict

Most Windows users will already be familiar with the Microsoft Defender brand, given that Microsoft Defender Antivirus (formerly Windows Defender) is preinstalled in all modern versions of the operating system.

Microsoft Defender for Business belongs to the same family of apps but is designed to offer protection above and beyond traditional antivirus, such as automated protection and response for up to 300 users within your organization.

Given that Microsoft are already in the antivirus business and most malware is still designed to target Windows systems, the tech giant is uniquely placed to offer the best endpoint protection software . The question is: does Microsoft Defender for Business offer endpoint protection that's a cut above the rest? 

Microsoft Defender for Business: Plans and pricing

Unlike other endpoint security platforms we've reviewed Microsoft are actually very candid about their pricing model. Microsoft Defender for Business is available as a standalone product for all business users.

Subscriptions cost $3 per user per month, billed annually. There's an upper limit of 300 users but each user can have up to 5 devices. Some quick math shows that you can therefore install protection on up to 1500 appliances.

For the same cost per user you can also purchase 'Microsoft Defender for Business Servers' as an add on. This provides a single admin experience for clients and servers, as well as detecting and patching vulnerabilities in real time. 

Existing Microsoft 365 Business Premium subscribers also benefit from Microsoft Defender for business at not extra cost.

Microsoft offer a 30-day trial of Defender for Business, provided you're willing and able to register an online account and provide valid payment information. 

Microsoft Defender for Business: Features

Defender for Business was officially released in May 2022 as a standalone product.

As readers will discover we were unable to test drive the platform ourselves so the stated features mentioned here are those cited on Microsoft's website itself. We encourage interested users to contact Microsoft direct to arrange a trial in order to test out advertised features for themselves.

This said, on the main product page Microsoft display a slick-looking video stating that Defender for Business offers enterprise-grade endpoint security. One of the takeaways from this video is that the platform can aggregate alerts into a single incident report making it easier for network managers to respond to threats. We assume this refers to the 'Security Summary Reports' feature mentioned in Microsoft's online documentation. The platform can also generate a monthly security summary report. 

Defender for Business is built on the foundation of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and features many of the same capabilities. For instance, users can also activate security policies out of the box with simple set-up wizards.

One feature which caught our eye is the "Streaming API". Although currency still in beta, this is designed for customers who want to build their own security operations center and supports streaming of device file, registry, network, sign-in events and more to Azure Event Hub, Azure Storage, and Microsoft Sentinel, making for more advanced attack detection.

Defender for Business also includes 'Blackpoint Cyber', which adds Blackpoint's own MDR (Managed Detection & Response) technology to investigate and act on alerts generated by Defender itself.

Mobile threat defense also now allows onboarding of iOS and Android devices for the standalone version of Defender for Business. 

The Microsoft website also has a rundown of the latest features available in Defender for Business. 

Microsoft Defender for Business: Setup

In theory interested parties who want to take Microsoft Defender for a test drive can simply register an account via the website, provide valid payment information and download a 30-day trial version of the product with no obligation.

In practice, during our tests we found this impossible to do. In the first instance, we couldn't understand why a multi-billion dollar corporation like Microsoft would require credit card information but duly tried to sign up using three different email addresses and two different cards, only to encounter an error every time. 

From searching online, we found we weren't the only ones to encounter this error and given that we'd tried using different credit cards from different locations we determined the issue must be on Microsoft's side. 

Admittedly, we didn't take up the opportunity to create a support ticket as the Microsoft website encouraged us to do. This was because we imagined being in the place of IT Managers in organizations trialing other endpoint security platforms and doubted if they'd have the time or the patience to jump through so many virtual hoops. After spending over an hour trying to download a trial version of the platform we gave up and expect many IT professionals would have done so as well. 

This does mean we were unable to run our independent tests on Defender for Business but we wanted to share our experiences with readers, who can then decide if they wish to put in the time and effort to test pilot the platform themselves. 

We did discover that assuming managers have an active 365 subscription and Windows endpoints are already using the relevant security tools, there's no need to install extra software in order to manage them. 

In other cases, such as where the endpoint runs macOS or Linux endpoints can also be deployed using Microsoft Configuration Manager or Microsoft InTune . 

Microsoft Defender for Business: Performance

Our first test for endpoint security software is to use the Microsoft Edge browser in our Windows 11 test machine to attempt to download a fake computer virus , provided by the good people of EICAR.  

As we've said, we weren't able to install Defender for Business onto our test machine but we have a good indication that it would pass our test, given the default Windows Security settings already red flag the page containing the virus download link. Even if users choose to proceed, Edge blocks the download of the file.

Our next test is to copy a new, real computer virus that we caught in the wild into the 'Downloads' folder on the test machine. We do this in order to check that the endpoint security software isn't just checking files against known signatures but is able to recognize a potentially harmful program that isn't in its database. 

Once again, we can be sure that Defender for Business would pass this test with flying colors as in previous tests the real virus is always picked up by Windows Security settings. For this reason we usually disable real time protection when testing other endpoint security platforms to make sure it's their software which has detected the threat - in this case you can be sure Microsoft are the ones keeping your system safe. 

Microsoft Defender for Business: Interface

Although we weren't able to test the product properly, we did discover that the Microsoft 365 Defender portal is the place from which you can use and manage Defender for Business. 

From here managers can add users, assign licenses and check the overall health of connected systems. Icons are laid out in the left-hand pane allowing managers to easily switch between sections. There are also links to detailed setup guides for Microsoft 365 Defender. 

The interface is clear and well laid out. We were especially impressed to see a dedicated 'reports' section as well as a specific 'health' dashboard. 

Microsoft Defender for Business: Final verdict

On the plus side Microsoft Defender for Business is competitively priced and may not even cost anything extra assuming your organization already has a Microsoft 365 Business Premium subscription.

We were also impressed by the elegance and ease use of the Microsoft 365 Defender Portal, not to mention the fact that onboarding will no doubt be made more simple given the fact that managers usually will only need to add new users rather than install hefty amounts of extra software.

While we couldn't run our usual tests, given the home version of 'Defender' is easily able to detect, prevent and quarantine malicious URLs and malware there's every reason to think that the business version can do the same.

Microsoft Defender for Business is let down however by a complicated setup process, which made it impossible for us to really put it through its paces. We're disappointed that a large organization like this needed credit card information upfront, let alone the fact that the website threw up repeated errors which would take precious time out of the day of any IT expert.

If you have the time and patience to go through the setup process and (if necessary) negotiate with Microsoft Support to set up a free trial, we applaud you and encourage you to share your experiences with Techradar. 

Otherwise, you may prefer to consider competitors who simply offer a download link on their website for their security solutions such as ManageEngine's Endpoint Central .  

We've listed the best MDM solutions .

Nate Drake is a tech journalist specializing in cybersecurity and retro tech. He broke out from his cubicle at Apple 6 years ago and now spends his days sipping Earl Grey tea & writing elegant copy.

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Microsoft Defender for Business review: Feature-filled enterprise security for small businesses

A comprehensive endpoint security management solution for smaller organizations with a painful setup process.

IT Pro Verdict

Relatively inexpensive at £‎2.50 per user per month

Integrates with a wide range of client platforms

Complex to set up

Interface could have been simpler for smaller businesses

Microsoft's Defender for Business (MDB) is its Defender for Endpoint system, rebranded for businesses with fewer users. How does it stack up?

Microsoft has been selling variations of its Defender product for almost 20 years, but it has evolved considerably since its first release. The product began in 2005 as Microsoft AntiSpyware, a rebranded version of GIANT Company Software, which Microsoft had acquired the previous year.

Microsoft made its relabelled version freely available for Windows XP and up and quickly relabelled it as Windows Defender , which was released for general availability in 2006 with a rewritten core engine. It eventually became a full antivirus product, rather than just an anti-spyware offering, and took over from Microsoft Security Essentials.

As Microsoft is wont to do, it continued rebranding over the years. In 2017, it renamed the product to Windows Defender Antivirus, and then ditched the Windows Defender brand altogether a year later, replacing it with Microsoft Defender to reflect its new-found support for other systems.

Now there are different versions of Microsoft Defender targeting different needs. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint targets businesses with Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 licenses, restricting it to customers with over 300 seats. There is also a version for customers with under 300 users, bundled into a Microsoft 365 Business Premium license.

Individual users also have choices; If the free Microsoft Defender Antivirus product included in Microsoft's operating system is not enough, they can buy Microsoft Defender for Individuals as a consumer product, bunched with Microsoft 365 Personal or Family licenses.

This left a key group out in the cold: smaller organizations with multiple endpoints to administer which were unwilling to pony up for a premium productivity software license. These companies might have a single admin responsible for everything, from provisioning machines to securing them, so any product that they use had better be simple enough to suit people limited on time. In 2022, Microsoft expanded support for that group by launching a version of Microsoft Defender as a standalone product for businesses with multiple users. Microsoft Defender for Business (MDB) was born.

Microsoft Defender for Business: Setup

MDB is simply Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE) with a new label, as is evident by the MDE branding still in the documentation. There was an MDE lab to help admins evaluate the product, but Microsoft shuttered it in January 2024. Instead, you'll have to jump straight into MDB with a free trial. After signing up, you can deploy according to which architecture model you have, ranging from cloud-native through to on-premises deployment or even evaluation without management tools in a small demilitarised zone (DMZ). You can deploy the Defender agents to several client types: Windows servers; Windows, MacOS, or Linux clients; or iOS/iPad OS and Android mobile devices. This extension of support for different platforms has been a big move for Microsoft, which wants to provide security information about your devices no matter whose software they're running.

Depending on your client, you can choose deployment via group policy or simply by running a local script, among others. You can also onboard devices already enrolled with Microsoft's Intune mobile endpoint manager, which was our chosen route.

Find a security solution that works for you

Enrolling devices in Intune works seamlessly by running Microsoft's Company Portal app on the client, but our experience subsequently enrolling devices with Defender was patchy. While Intune supported our Windows Home installation, MDB did not (it will support Pro and Enterprise versions, though). That could be limiting for small businesses that might want to allow staff to access business resources from their home devices.

We were also able to register an iPhone and control it via Intune, but after setting up connectors between Intune and MDB we couldn't make the iPhone appear as a managed device in Defender. Doubtless, the fault was on our side, but we noticed similar complaints on Reddit, with one person noting that the success of iOS enrolment in MDB was "a coin flip". After diligently following the documentation and spending hours troubleshooting, we couldn't help but wonder how a harried admin wearing multiple hats in a small business IT department might fare.

We were eventually able to register a Mac with both Intune and MDB, although we were forced to download not just one installer file for the Mac but several policy files from Intune to get it MDB-ready.

Microsoft Defender for Business: Features

Assuming you can get past the setup niggles, there's a wealth of information available via the MDB interface, which features a dashboard-style setup displaying top-level information at a glance.

You can move these cards around and add others, configuring an admin dashboard that makes sense for you. If you want to drill down, you can access the sidebar to see detailed information on various aspects of your security environment. Incidents and alerts flag up worrisome occurrences on your fleet of devices that might need further investigation. Another, Exposure management, offers a top-down view of your fleet's weakest points, with the ability to explore your attack surface visually, and summarise your overall performance in areas ranging from ransomware protection best practices to the number of vulnerable endpoints that have been involved in incidents.

This section also lets you further investigate your security score, which is an overall metric that Microsoft gives you based on a range of factors. As you can see, our fake company has a long way to go, although we did get more points after updating the security profiles on our Mac.

You can also drill down into specific devices, getting recommendations for actions to better secure them. If that version of Mozilla running on your PC is looking a little long in the tooth, MDB will let you know about it:

Another section, Actions and submissions, lets you review suspicious emails, files, and URLs submitted by users. Having these in one place gives admins a useful foundation for investigating what could be an attack campaign targeting their organization.

MDB also has a threat intelligence feed that gives you insights into ongoing threats out in the wild, along with a learning hub that offers training in various administrative tasks.

Microsoft Defender for Business: Is it worth it? 

There is lots to use here, if you have better luck onboarding your devices than we did. It's also worth noting that although MDB does a lot more than simply detect viruses, Microsoft's core client antivirus engine has also earned respect in the market. Defender Antivirus client that communicates with MDB garnered a Best Advanced Protection accolade from the AV Test Institute in 2022, notably for its excellence in warding off more sophisticated ransomware attacks. However, it lost its crown in the 2023 awards.

MDB is a feature-filled tool for security admins and provides a single view of your organization's endpoint security across the board, but we found setup a little more painful than many other Microsoft enterprise tools that we've tried. You might find yourself working a little harder to deploy it across some non-Windows platforms, but if you're mostly a Microsoft shop, it might be for you. Its availability as a component in a Microsoft 365 Business Premium license is a good way to build more security visibility across a user base that will already be using Microsoft products and services extensively across their systems.

Danny Bradbury has been a print journalist specialising in technology since 1989 and a freelance writer since 1994. He has written for national publications on both sides of the Atlantic and has won awards for his investigative cybersecurity journalism work and his arts and culture writing. 

Danny writes about many different technology issues for audiences ranging from consumers through to software developers and CIOs. He also ghostwrites articles for many C-suite business executives in the technology sector and has worked as a presenter for multiple webinars and podcasts.

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Microsoft Defender for Business – How to use it, and what are the differences with P2?

Microsoft Defender for Business (MDB) is the new Defender product scoped for small businesses. Defender for Business is a new endpoint security solution now generally available within Microsoft 365 Business Premium and as a standalone solution. Defender for business is scoped up to 300 employees.

Blog updated 3 august 2022 ; added preview information for servers

Currently the following Defender for Endpoint products are available:

Defender for Business

• Defender for Endpoint P1

Defender for Endpoint P2

• Server 2012R2 and higher ( preview )

Defender for Business is part of the Microsoft 365 Business Premium license. For customers with Microsoft 365 Business Basic or Standard you can upgrade to Business Premium or use the new standalone Defender for Business product. If you have Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Defender for Business is included.

For managing devices Defender for Business supports currently the following operating systems.

– Windows 10 Business or later – Windows 10 Professional or later – Windows 10 Enterprise or later – macOS (the three most current releases are supported

Usecase of Defender for Business

As already written above, Defender for Business is enterprise Endpoint protection in an easy-to-use format for up to 300 employees. It provides components that are already part of Defender for Endpoint P1 and P2. This blog gives more explanation for the features and differences in comparison with P1 and P2.

Currently, Defender for Business is only focusing on end-user platforms. Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android clients are supported. Support for Windows and Linux servers is not yet available. Microsoft gives the following information for server platforms:

Update 03/08/2022 – added server support : Server support is now available in private preview for Defender for Business. View the announcement

“ We’re adding support for Windows and Linux servers to Microsoft Defender 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.”

Onboarding is currently possible for:

• Windows 10/11

License and features

For the best onboarding and security management experience it is recommended to use Defender for Business with Microsoft Intune. Intune is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium.

There is some difference between Defender for Business (standalone) and Microsoft 365 Business Premium where Defender for Business is included. Read more here .

Other protection products part of Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Microsoft 365 Business Premium comes with some other security licensing. The following is available for customers:

Exchange and Defender for Office

Microsoft 365 Business Premium comes with Exchange Online Plan 1 and Defender for Office 365 Plan 1.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium comes with Azure Active Directory Premium Plan 1 and Conditional Access Plan 1.

Information protection

Microsoft 365 Business Premium comes with Azure Information Protection Premium P1.

Important Combination of P1/ P2/ Defender for Cloud

If you have an existing Microsoft Defender for Endpoint license within your tenant this will affect the administrative experience, within the Microsoft 365 Defender security portal. When the Defender for Business service is enabled, the following experience will be changed:

• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P1 will be changed to Microsoft Defender for Business.
• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 will remain in place and Microsoft Defender for Business product experience will not be seen until the Defender for Endpoint P2 license is completely removed from the tenant. At which time Defender for Business experience will be seen.
• Microsoft Defender for Servers, or Microsoft Defender for Cloud is active within the Azure tenant. This will also impact the Microsoft 365 Defender admin center and switch it to a more advanced Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 product experience. Defender for Business experience will not be seen.

Situation: When Defender for Business is enabled and Defender for Cloud integration is enabled for Defender for Cloud; The advanced Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 experience is the default. Check always which licenses are needed for the use-case of the organization and combination of different Defender products.

More product information:

• Microsoft: New endpoint security for small and medium businesses now available with Defender for Business.
• Microsoft: Get Microsoft Defender for Business

How to configure Defender for Business ?

For Defender for Business make sure the license is assigned to the signed-in user. After buying or enabling the trial the following license is available; Microsoft Defender for Business

To activate the product, visit the Microsoft 365 Defender security center:  www.security.microsoft.com  and go to  Settings > Endpoints .

Now the “Welcome to Microsoft Defender for Business” screen is visible. Click on Get Started .

First Defender for Business setup

During the setup the end-user can directly configure user permissions, email notifications, and onboarding/ configure Windows devices.

Now we need to make sure the correct users are assigned. Directly from the security.microsoft.com wizard it is possible to assign Security Reader or Security Admin role permissions. Assignments can be created/ changed later in Azure Active Directory. Of course; it is possible to skip the configuration.

Same for the email notification. During the email notifications wizard it is possible to select recipients and the specific notification type. it is possible to send notifications for alerts, vulnerabilities or alerts & vulnerabilities. The wizard creates rules in the email notification settings part of security.microsoft.com.

Onboard Windows Devices is important. Defender for Business supports different methods for onboarding devices into Defender for Endpoint. Onboarding is similar in comparison to the P1 and P2 solution from Microsoft.

For onboarding the following options are possible;

• Microsoft Endpoint Manager/ Microsoft Intune
• Local Script
• Group Policy
• VDI Onboarding script

The security settings configuration is different compared to Defender for Endpoint P1 and P2. Microsoft starts with default policies with recommended settings that can be applied to Windows devices. The recommended configuration will include Next-generation protection policies and Firewall policies. It is always possible to change settings later in Device configuration or Intune. More information and policy configuration explanation: Understand next-generation protection configuration settings in Microsoft Defender for Business | Microsoft Docs

Complete the first-run setup and wait before the Defender instance is enabled. After some minutes (2-3 min) the You’re all set message is visible.

The initial wizard creates automatically the connection that is required between Intune (Endpoint Manager) and Microsoft Defender for Business. All default policies are directly created in Intune, and Advanced Features are automatically enabled.

Currently (21-6-2022) all advanced features are enabled, except Preview features, Tamper Protection and Live Response. It is advised to enable Tamper Protection and Live Response. Preview features can be used to get new security features in the early release ring.

Defender for Business Policies

Based on the first initial setup – Microsoft enables baseline settings for Antivirus, Firewall, and Endpoint detection and response.

Settings can be managed in MEM and MDE. Defender for Business uses the MDE security management feature .

In the Endpoint manager portal ( https://endpoint.microsoft.com ), we find under  Endpoint security the following profiles:

• Antivirus – NGP Windows default policy
• Firewall – Firewall Windows default policy

Note: By default the profiles are deployed to All Devices without any additional filter. Currently there is no Attack Surface Reduction and Endpoint detection and response profile configured. ASR and EDR are not yet available in the modern configuration interface, and can be deployed using Microsoft Intune.

From the Microsoft 365 Defender portal (security.microsoft.com) navigate to Device Configuration under Configuration management . The same policies which are visible in MEM can be directly changed from the Defender portal.

It is possible to edit the default policies, it is not possible to delete the default policies created during the wizard. Default policies will take the lowest order of precedence, so if another policy is created based on a higher rank the settings will be applied following the order.

Key points to remember about policy order

• Policies are assigned an order of priority.
• Devices receive the first applied policy only.
• You can change the order of priority for policies.
• Default policies are given the lowest order of priority.

Configuration management

Configuration management is enabled using Microsoft Endpoint Manager. The default configuration is configured based on Windows Client devices. Note : Server is currently not included in the Defender for Business product.

Onboarding machine

As already explained different onboarding methods can be used for Windows. For manually onboarding GPO or Local onboarding script can be used.

For local devices not part of MEM it is possible to manage settings using MDE and MEM, based on the security management feature. After onboarding the devices are onboarded in AzureAD and MEM.

Important: Make sure the correct patches and requirements are installed. Update Defender to the latest Defender product update, which is needed for the management feature. Use aka.ms/mdeclientanalyzer for checking the connectivity and update/system status.

Sentinel integration

For exporting events/ alerts it is possible to use Microsoft Sentinel. Based on my test lab the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint connectors works and creates incidents based on Defender for Endpoint alerts.

Admin experience

Security.microsoft.com admin experience is different for the Endpoint section. Defender for Business is missing the following configuration items:

• APIs – SIEM
• Permissions – Roles
• Permissions – Device groups
• Rules – Process Memory Indicators
• Rules – Automation uploads
• Rules – Automation folder exclusions

There is no support for creating custom device groups. Defender for Business supports the following roles:

More information: Microsoft Defender for Business roles

Incident experience

Defender for Business incident experience is different. In comparison with Defender for Endpoint P2 there are some differences in the incident/ investigation experience.

Advanced Hunting

First, there is no Advanced Hunting. Defender for Endpoint is not saving 30 days of event data and 180 days of retention data. Based on this behavior there is no option to hunt for specific device events.

Defender for Endpoint P2 supports the timeline events. There is no additional event data in Defender for Business, which gives no centralized Device Timeline event.

Incident actions

As part of the incident investigation, there are some differences in the alert story. Below is the difference between Defender for Endpoint P2 and Defender for Business based on file type actions.

Defender for Business is not supporting the following investigation features:

• Open file page button
• Download files
• Submit to deep analysis
• Stop and Quarantine Files
• Ask Defender Experts

Device page experience

The device page contains some differences in comparison with Defender for Endpoint P2. Most of the device actions are available for Defender for Business except the threat expert feature.

What is not available on the device page?

Information

From an information point of view, the most important feature which is missing is the Timeline tab including all related security events. All other information ( alert, security recommendations, inventory….) is available.

Defender for Business supports not all Defender for Endpoint P2 reports.

The following is available (URL: https://security.microsoft.com/securityreports)

Defender for Business Limitations

Not all features are available in Defender for Business; there is a cap between Defender for Business and Defender P2. Already quite a lot of features are described in this blog. In high-level terms the following is the difference.

Defender for Business includes most of the Defender for Endpoint P2 features. The following differences are available:

• No advanced Hunting/ threat hunting
• No Threat Experts services
• No 6-months data retention
• No device timeline
• Servers not yet supported (coming in separate offer)
• Threat analytics optimized for small and medium-size business
• No sandbox feature
• Limited in hunting and file/ remediation

Conditional Access

Conditional Access for specific device risk policies is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium or AzureAD P1.

Compare Defender plans

For SMBs based on Microsoft 365 Business Premium the Defender for Business product is included. Compared with Defender for Endpoint P2, some advanced features are missing. It brings more value in comparison with Defender for Endpoint P1. Hopefully Microsoft will add more support for Attack Surface Reduction rules and additional policies (Security Baseline) in the centralized policy management.

Based on the price and cost of the license – it is not bad for small businesses.

Microsoft: What is Defender for Business

Microsoft: Defender for Business – Frequently asked questions and answers

Microsoft: Compare security features

How to upgrade from MMA-based Defender for Endpoint to MDE unified solution in Defender for Cloud?

Use automation/playbooks in microsoft sentinel during incident update activity using update triggers, related posts, use the azure monitor agent (ama) for defender for cloud and migrate from mma agent, collect security events in microsoft sentinel with the new ama agent and dcr, microsoft defender atp voor android: zo werkt de configuratie en gebruikerservaring tijdens de public preview, review service principals with azure ad access reviews and monitor with azure sentinel, enabling and configuring web content filtering in microsoft defender for endpoint (mde), use microsoft technology for the detection and prevention of the solarwinds chain attack.

One questions comes to mind, does purchasing one P2 license enable the functionality for all Business endpoints?

Licensing is user-oriented. This means that each employee needs a Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 license. User is allowed to use the software on up to 5 devices, on Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android.

So, Defender for buisness is now included in Buisness Premium, almost Defender fro Endpoint P2. What happends if you upgrade from Defender for buisness to a P2 license? The onboarding process is different according to Microsoft.

Yes, Defender for Business is using the same onboarding package. Only difference is based on the features and AV management. In P2 it is better to use the complete Intune suite for managing features. Defender Business is created with the device configuration tab.

Note: When upgrading one license the complete licensee is migrating to the MDE P2 license. For getting the correct compliancy, it is needed to buy a P2 license for all machines.

Hi Jeffrey,

Please guide how to Stream events from Microsoft Defender for Business to Microsoft Sentinel.

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• Azure pricing

Microsoft Defender for Cloud pricing

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Explore pricing options.

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Prices are estimates only and are not intended as actual price quotes. Actual pricing may vary depending on the type of agreement entered with Microsoft, date of purchase, and the currency exchange rate. Prices are calculated based on US dollars and converted using London closing spot rates that are captured in the two business days prior to the last business day of the previous month end. If the two business days prior to the end of the month fall on a bank holiday in major markets, the rate setting day is generally the day immediately preceding the two business days. This rate applies to all transactions during the upcoming month. Sign in to the Azure pricing calculator to see pricing based on your current program/offer with Microsoft. Contact an Azure sales specialist for more information on pricing or to request a price quote. See frequently asked questions about Azure pricing.

US government entities are eligible to purchase Azure Government services from a licensing solution provider with no upfront financial commitment, or directly through a pay-as-you-go online subscription.

Important—The price in R$ is merely a reference; this is an international transaction and the final price is subject to exchange rates and the inclusion of IOF taxes. An eNF will not be issued.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides comprehensive, cloud-native protections from development to runtime in multicloud environments. Defender for Cloud helps you protect resources across Azure, other clouds, and on-premises through its Free tier and enhanced security capabilities.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud is free for the first 30 days. Any usage beyond 30 days will be automatically charged as per the pricing scheme below. 7

When you enable Microsoft Defender for Cloud, we automatically enroll and start protecting all your resources unless you explicitly decide to opt-out. For any resource that is protected by Defender for Cloud, you will be charged per the pricing model below.

Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)

Microsoft Defender for Cloud offers foundational and advanced cloud security posture management solutions to protect across your multicloud and hybrid environments. Foundational CSPM (for free) provides continuous assessments, security recommendations, Secure Score, and the Microsoft cloud security benchmark across Azure, Amazon Web Services(AWS), and Google Cloud.

Microsoft Defender CSPM provides advanced security posture capabilities including agentless vulnerability scanning, attack path analysis, integrated data-aware security posture, code to cloud contextualization, and an intelligent cloud security graph. Pricing is dependent on cloud size, with billing based only on only Server, Storage account, and Database counts.

Additionally, it includes DevOps security capabilities to empower security teams to manage DevOps security across multi-pipeline environments.

Cloud workload protection plans

Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides cloud workload protection to help organizations quickly prevent, detect, and respond to modern threats across multicloud and hybrid environments. Get advanced threat protection capabilities to secure critical workloads across virtual machines (VMs), containers, databases, storage, app services, APIs, and more.

Additional data charges for virtual machines only

Azure pricing and purchasing options.

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Purchase Azure services through the Azure website, a Microsoft representative, or an Azure partner.

Additional resources

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Learn more about Microsoft Defender for Cloud features and capabilities.

Pricing calculator

Estimate your expected monthly costs for using any combination of Azure products.

Review the Service Level Agreement for Microsoft Defender for Cloud.

Documentation

Review technical tutorials, videos, and more Microsoft Defender for Cloud resources.

Frequently asked questions

• Do I have to upgrade my Kubernetes and Container registries plans to the new Container offering? No. Subscriptions that had either Microsoft Defender for Kubernetes or Microsoft Defender for Container registries enabled prior to December 6, 2021 do not need to upgrade to the new Microsoft Defender for Containers offering. However, you will see an upgrade option inside the portal.
• What happens to subscriptions with Microsoft Defender for Kubernetes enabled? Customers who currently use Microsoft Defender for Kubernetes will continue to be able to use it for subscriptions where the service is already enabled.
• What happens to subscriptions with Microsoft Defender for Container registries enabled? Customers who currently use Microsoft Defender for Container registries will continue to be able to use it for subscriptions where the service is already enabled.

Yes. The new Microsoft Defender for Containers plan contains all features that were previously available via Microsoft Defender for Kubernetes and Microsoft Defender for container registries. In addition, the new plan contains a large set of new and improved capabilities and has removed previously existing dependencies on Microsoft Defender for Servers. Brand new features include Kubernetes-native deployment, advanced threat protection with Kubernetes-aware AI analytics and anomaly detection, and runtime visibility of vulnerabilities.

For more details, read this article .

• What constitutes a transaction for Anomaly Detector API? A transaction is an API call with a request payload size of up to 1,000 data points included in the time series. Each increment of 1,000 data points will be counted as an additional transaction. For example, an API call with request payload size of 2,050 data points is 3 transactions. The maximum request payload size is 8,640 data points. Each data point in the time series is a time stamp/numerical value pair.
• How is Microsoft Defender for Cosmos DB billed for the Azure Cosmos DB Serverless offer? For Azure Cosmos DB Serverless accounts, Microsoft Defender for Cosmos DB uses a conversion factor of 0.00003125, to convert serverless request units (RUs) to provisioned throughput. For example: An Azure Cosmos DB Serverless account with usage of 215 million RUs per month, will be charged $- for Microsoft Defender for Cosmos DB (215 million RUs * 0.00003125 * $- per 100 RU per second).

Talk to a sales specialist for a walk-through of Azure pricing. Understand pricing for your cloud solution.

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Defender for Endpoint P1 & P2 Pricing, Features, and Comparison

Why are they splitting, defender for endpoint plan 1 and plan 2 pricing comparison, defender for endpoint plan 1 and plan 2 feature comparison, included in plan 1, attack surface reduction rules, ransomware mitigation, device control, web protection, network protection, network firewall, application control, included in plan 2, endpoint detection and response, automated investigation and remediation, threat and vulnerability management, threat analytics, microsoft threat experts, integrations, learn more about defender for endpoint.

Microsoft is taking steps to bring the best cybersecurity features to more businesses. One of their flagship products for enterprise cybersecurity, Defender for Endpoint, is being split into two separate options. This will allow the software to have a broader appeal, and further its reach. In order to decide which is best for your business, you’ll need to understand the reason for the split and how the two options compare.

In its original form, Defender for Endpoint was a complete solution for the most demanding cybersecurity needs at large enterprises. This made the project a less attractive option for smaller companies who didn’t need all the features and couldn’t justify the price. Indeed, by splitting the product into a smaller subset of features, now known as Plan 1, Microsoft brings it to more organizations. Going forward, the full-featured version of Defender for Endpoint will be referred to as Plan 2.

Both plans of Defender for Endpoint are available as either a standalone offering or as a built-in feature of Microsoft 365. Before the split, businesses needed to purchase the more expensive E5 plan of Microsoft 365 to receive Defender for Endpoint as a built-in feature. Plan 2 of the product will remain a free offering for those who have purchased E5. However, the reduced cost of Plan 1 allows that option to be included as part of EC3.

Companies who don’t want or need all that Microsoft 365 has to offer can opt to purchase Defender for Endpoint as a standalone product. Purchased that way, the product costs $3 per user for Plan 1 and $5.20 per user for Plan 2.

The lower price afforded by the reduced feature set of Plan 1 means that Defender for Endpoint will now be an option for more businesses. But what exactly has been removed, and what remains? Let’s take a look at the features that remain in Plan 1 and those that remain unique to Plan 2.

Defender for Endpoint plan 1 contains the following subset of Defender for Endpoint’s full feature set:

Certain software behaviors are used most often in risky code. While there are usually legitimate uses as well, these behaviors show up most commonly in malware. By preventing these behaviors from running, Defender for Endpoint reduces the number of surfaces your systems can be attacked by.

Malicious code often takes over important files and refuses to grant you access to them unless you pay a ransom. Defender for Endpoint can control which processes can access important folders, so ransomware never gets the access needed to hold your data hostage.

If you’ve watched any spy movies, you’ve likely seen a character insert a USB drive into a computer to insert malicious code. This is a real threat. Indeed, Defender for Endpoint helps you prevent it by limiting the access that unauthorized peripherals have.

There are two threats that unlimited access to the internet allows for. First, and most importantly, there are a number of phishing sites, exploit sites, and other malicious websites in the wild. Defender for Endpoint automatically blocks access to known security threats. Secondly, you can block access to other risky sites by category, such as adult content, sites that may open your organization to legal liability, or leisure sites that may reduce workforce productivity.

Web protection provides extensive support to protect your organization’s internet-enabled applications from accessing malicious web content. However, it only works on certain web-enabled applications, such as Microsoft Edge. Network protection extends the capability of web protection to the operating system level, preventing applications that secretly access the internet from harming your machine.

The network firewall allows you to take more custom control over what traffic is allowed to and from your network. With a set of rules that you create, you can, then, reduce the risk of network security threats and safeguard sensitive data.

Malicious applications are a major threat vector for cyberattacks. With application control, Defender for Endpoint can limit the applications that are allowed to run on your system. It can also work on a variety of rules, including the presence of codesigning certificates, application reputation, launching process, and more.

Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 includes everything in Plan 1, as well as the following features:

Defender for Endpoint brings in advanced threat protection by detecting, investigating, and responding to endpoint threats that have made it past the first level of security checks. With a query-based tool, you can, indeed, proactively find breaches and create custom automatic detections.

Alerting a human to potential threats so they can respond is a good first step, but still allows threats to persist until manual intervention can occur. Defender for Endpoint’s automated investigation and remediation shut down threats within minutes.

In a large organization, the responsibilities of threat detection and remediation can be spread across several teams. With threat and vulnerability management, coordination between the various teams enhances in much the same way that project management tools enhance productivity in other areas. This then reduces the time needed to respond to threats.

Big data has enabled advanced algorithms to make our lives easier in many ways, but detecting patterns that humans can’t and automatically responding to them. The advanced threat analytics Defender for Endpoint captures provides the data Defender needs to identify threats and generate alerts faster.

Microsoft’s team of threat experts is at your disposal with Defender for Endpoint Plan 2. You can engage with a security expert from within the Defender Security Center to get timely and accurate answers. In addition, you receive managed threat monitoring and analysis for quicker alerts to security threats that make it past the other defenses.

Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 integrates with the applications your organization uses on a daily basis, including:

• Azure Defender
• Azure Sentinel
• Microsoft Cloud App Security
• Microsoft Defender for Identity
• Microsoft Defender for Office
• Lastly, Skype for Business

Agile IT is a Microsoft Gold Partner with 16 Gold competencies including Security and Windows management, and seventeen years of experience in licensing, migrating, and managing Microsoft Cloud Environments. Thus, to find out more about how you can reduce license costs while expanding and simplifying security, schedule a consultation with a cloud advisor today  to schedule a consultation with a cloud advisor today.

Published on: Dec 21, 2021 .

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Microsoft Defender for Business vs. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

With the increasing prevalence of cyberattacks targeting businesses of all sizes, it’s crucial for organizations to arm themselves with robust cybersecurity solutions. Microsoft, a leader in the tech industry, offers two key endpoint security solutions tailored to meet the diverse needs of businesses: Microsoft Defender for Business and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. This blog post delves into the specifics of each solution, highlighting their capabilities and differences to help you make an informed decision on which is best suited for your organization.

Endpoint Security Essentials

Microsoft defender for business: tailored for small and medium-sized businesses.

Designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses (up to 300 employees), Microsoft Defender for Business is a comprehensive endpoint security solution aimed at protecting organizations from a variety of threats including ransomware, malware, phishing, and more. It boasts an array of powerful security features:

• Threat and Vulnerability Management: Provides real-time insights and management of software vulnerabilities.
• Attack Surface Reduction: Secures vulnerable points in your organization against cyberthreats.
• Next Generation Protection: Strengthens the security perimeter of your network.
• Endpoint Detection & Response: Enables the detection, investigation, and response to advanced threats.
• Automated Investigation & Remediation: Streamlines alert management through automation.

Comparing Capabilities: Standalone vs. Business Premium Subscription

While the standalone version of Defender for Business offers robust endpoint security, organizations seeking to maximize their security capabilities should consider the Microsoft 365 Business Premium subscription. This package enhances Defender for Business with additional features like Microsoft Intune, Azure Active Directory P1, and more, providing a more comprehensive security solution.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: For Enterprises

In contrast, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint caters to larger enterprises with more than 300 employees and is included in Microsoft 365 enterprise plans. It offers two plans, P1 and P2, with the latter encompassing all the capabilities of Defender for Business plus additional features such as:

• Threat Hunting & Data Retention: Enables proactive threat hunting with advanced tools and extended data retention.
• Microsoft Threat Experts: Offers expert-level monitoring and analysis to detect and respond to critical threats effectively.

Key Differences Between Defender for Business and Defender for Endpoint P2

While both solutions share many features, several key differences set them apart:

• Advanced Hunting: Unlike Defender for Business, Defender for Endpoint P2 includes advanced hunting capabilities and a six-month data retention policy for deeper threat investigation.
• Incident Actions: Defender for Endpoint P2 offers more extensive investigation features, such as the ability to download files, submit them for deep analysis, and consult with Defender Experts.
• Microsoft Threat Experts: This managed threat hunting service is exclusive to Defender for Endpoint P2, providing SOCs with critical insights and expert consultation to tackle sophisticated threats.

Conclusion: Choosing the Right Endpoint Security Solution

Choosing between Microsoft Defender for Business and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint depends on the specific needs and scale of your organization. For small and medium-sized businesses seeking to bolster their security infrastructure, Defender for Business offers a solid foundation with essential security features. However, larger enterprises requiring advanced security capabilities and support should consider Defender for Endpoint P2 for its comprehensive coverage, including threat hunting, extended data retention, and access to Microsoft Threat Experts. By evaluating your organization’s needs, you can select the endpoint security solution that best aligns with your goals and ensures the protection of your digital assets.

Ready to elevate your business’s cybersecurity but not sure which Microsoft Defender plan suits you best? Don’t navigate these crucial decisions alone! IP Consulting Inc is here to guide you through the maze of options to ensure your business is protected with the best possible endpoint security solution. Our team of experts specializes in understanding your unique needs and matching them with the right security measures. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help secure your digital environment with Microsoft Defender for Business or Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Let’s work together to tailor a security plan that not only meets your current needs but also scales with your business’s growth.

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T-Mobile is raising prices on older plans: Here's what we know

T-Mobile customers holding on to their legacy plans can expect to see higher bills come June.

"For the first time in nearly a decade, in response to rising costs and inflation, we’re making small adjustments to some of our oldest rate plan prices," explained the T-Mobile website . "Beginning June 5, the rate of your voice plan will increase by $5.00/line per month."

T-Mobile declined to specify what specific plans are included in the pricing change.

The website claimed that the provider still offers the "best value in wireless" even with the adjustments, saying its customers save "an average of approximately 20%" versus some competitors, for comparable services.

Customers were advised that services, benefits and promotional pricing will remain the same and the additional charges will automatically be added to bills after June 15.

More ways to save: Visit USA TODAY's coupons page for deals from thousands of vendors

"T-Mobile is committed to offering the best value in postpaid wireless with low prices and a differentiated, best-in-class 5G network – and we have no intention of ever changing that," T-Mobile said in a statement to USA TODAY on Thursday. "The majority of our customers are not included but the fraction who are heard from us yesterday."

Landlines going extinct: Phone companies want to eliminate traditional landlines. What's at stake and who loses?

What T-Mobile plans are impacted by a price hike?

The price hike applies to older plans, though T-Mobile has declined to confirm which are impacted. Customers have largely pieced the information together by comparing notes online, reporting what plans they have and what dollar amount increases they were told to expect.

As compiled by The Mobile Report, not all customers are reporting $5 increases. Some said their notifications told them to expect a $2 increase, depending on the plan.

Users have reported increases for the following:

• T-Mobile ONE plans
• Simple Choice plans
• Magenta, Magenta Max, Magenta 55 Plus and Magenta Amplified plans

As reported by CNET and The Mobile Report , an internal memo sent to employees specified that more recent Go5G plans will not see price increases, nor will any customers who have the T-Mobile Price Lock guarantee or free lines, reported CNET.

Users with other account types have likewise said they were informed of a planned price increase, including business account holders, as well as smartwatch and Beyond the Smartphone (BTS) lines used for other smart devices such as tablets and hotspots.

Last year, T-Mobile received backlash for plans to migrate users with older services over to more expensive, newer ones. Multiple outlets reported that customers with One, Simple Choice and Magenta/Magenta 55 Plus plans would be moved over to newer versions, an initiative that was quickly squashed after its details were leaked.

T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert later said it was meant to be a small-scale test, not "a broad national thing," but the company decided against running even a limited test after overwhelmingly negative customer feedback.

After spending thousands on vet bills, I put 3 pet insurance plans head to head — and my favorite is less than $30 a month

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• I've spent a lot on vet visits for my dog, so I decided to look into what pet insurance I could get.
• Figo and Spot both only cover 70% of my costs after a deductible, but they cover more treatments.
• I decided to go with Lemonade — it's not as comprehensive, but it's a better price.
• Compare pet insurance quotes for free with Petted .

When my dog was a puppy, I didn't consider getting pet insurance for her. Even though so many of my experienced dog owner friends warned me about how expensive vet bills could be, I didn't feel compelled to listen to them.

My dog is now four years old. In the last year, she's had a series of vet visits that left us with a few thousand dollars in bills to pay. Thankfully, these vet visits were for very treatable injuries, from an eye infection to a urinary tract infection. But it's made me think about finally getting pet insurance so I have coverage for injuries, accidents, or illnesses.

I decided I wanted to try not to spend more than $40 a month. I figured it might make sense to get cheap pet insurance now while my dog is still young and doesn't have pre-existing conditions.

I decided to price out three popular pet insurance plans to figure out which one is right for us. After sharing basic information with each company — including my ZIP code and my dog's breed and age — I received a personalized quote. After researching all three, each one had things I liked and didn't like.

Figo offered me a plan for just under $24 a month; the insurance pays for 70% of approved vet medical costs, up to $10,000 a year after a $500 deductible is paid.

What I liked: The monthly premium is half what I anticipated spending on pet insurance and would fit in nicely with my overall budget . I also liked that the plan has a 24/7 live vet chat — that way, I could connect with a vet to find out about treatment options and next steps. The plan also offers coverage for holistic and alternative treatments, as long as they are done by a licensed veterinarian. A vet near me offers acupuncture, and I have been interested in trying it as a treatment for a chronic injury my dog has.

What I didn't like: While this plan covers many things — like accidents, illnesses, chronic conditions, and prescriptions — routine wellness and preventive care visits are not covered. Pre-existing conditions aren't covered either, though that's the case for most pet insurance policies. Even though the monthly premium is low, the plan only pays for 70% of approved vet medical costs, which is lower than some other plans offer.

I also priced out a pet insurance policy from Spot . For $29 a month, I was offered a plan that included 70% coverage for approved vet medical costs, up to $5,000 a year, with a $1,000 annual deductible.

What I liked: This plan seemed to offer the most comprehensive coverage for accidents and illnesses. It covered vet fees, emergency visits, diagnostics and treatments, and holistic therapies like acupuncture.

What I didn't like: Like the other plans, it didn't cover any pre-existing conditions. While the monthly premium was under $30, the annual deductible was the highest of all three plans I priced out and only offered 70% coverage of approved vet medical costs.

3. Lemonade

The base plan from Lemonade was the least expensive option I found, at $23 a month. The plan pays for 80% of approved vet medical costs, up to $50,000 a year, after a $500 deductible.

What I liked: The biggest benefit of Lemonade is that I have other insurance policies through the company, including my renter's insurance . It offers a bundling discount of up to 10%, making my pet insurance premiums cheaper than any other provider. It also offers a pay-in-full discount of 5% if I want to pay the monthly premiums in one lump sum.

What I didn't like: The base plan is pretty basic. It covers diagnostics like blood tests, x-rays, and urine samples, as well as medication and surgeries. However, not much else is covered. Annual exams, vet visit fees, physical therapy, vaccines, and routine tests aren't covered. Lemonade does offer a routine care add-on plan for around $18 a month that covers those extras. Pre-existing conditions are also not covered under this plan.

After pricing out all three options, I decided to go with Lemonade. The coverage limit was the highest of all three plans, and the monthly premium was the lowest. Plus, I received an insurance bundling discount because I already had other insurance plans through the company.

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What's new in Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Microsoft Defender for Business

• 4 contributors

Applies to:

• Microsoft 365 Business Premium
• Microsoft Defender for Business

This article lists new features in the latest release of Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Microsoft Defender for Business . Features that are currently in preview are denoted with (preview) .

• (Preview) Turn preview options on in the main Microsoft 365 Defender settings together with other Microsoft 365 Defender preview features. Customers who are not using preview features yet continue to see the legacy settings under Settings > Endpoints > Advanced features > Preview features**. For more information, see Microsoft 365 Defender preview features .

January 2024

• Ability to manage endpoint security subscription settings . Defender for Business customers who have a mix of subscriptions (such as Defender for Business and Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 licenses) can now change their subscription settings to apply Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 features and capabilities across devices. See Manage your endpoint security subscription settings across client devices .

December 2023

• Streaming API is now generally available for Defender for Business . For partners or customers looking to build their own security operations center, the Defender for Endpoint streaming API is now available for Defender for Business and Microsoft 365 Business Premium. See Use the streaming API with Microsoft Defender for Business .

October 2023

Automated attack disruption capabilities are coming to Defender for Business! Learn how these capabilities can disrupt a human-operated attack almost immediately. See Automatic attack disruption in Microsoft Defender for Business .

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month . See how we're making it easier for small and medium-sized businesses to stay secure .

Special pricing for new Microsoft 365 Business Premium customers . During October, we're offering special pricing for new customers. For all the details, see Security for your small or medium-sized business .

Read all about the exciting, new capabilities releasing in July 2023 in the Tech Community blog: New SMB security innovations from Microsoft Inspire 2023 .

Mobile threat defense is rolling out . Mobile threat defense includes operating system-level threat and vulnerability management, web protection, and app security. It's not generally available in Defender for Business and Microsoft 365 Business Premium. Learn more about mobile threat defense .

Automatic attack disruption is rolling out. During an ongoing attack, automatic attack disruption capabilities swiftly contain compromised devices to help stop lateral movement within the network and minimize the overall impact of the attack. Automatic attack disruption is included in Defender for Business and Microsoft 365 Business Premium. Learn more about automatic attack disruption .

Security summary reports are rolling out. Use these reports to view threats that were prevented by Defender for Business, Microsoft Secure Score status, and recommendations for improving security. See Reports in Microsoft Defender for Business .

Streaming API (preview) is now available for Defender for Business . For partners or customers looking to build their own security operations center, the Defender for Endpoint streaming API is now in preview for Defender for Business and Microsoft 365 Business Premium. The API supports streaming of device file, registry, network, sign-in events and more to Azure Event Hub, Azure Storage, and Microsoft Sentinel to support advanced hunting and attack detection. See Use the streaming API (preview) with Microsoft Defender for Business .

Managed detection and response integration with Blackpoint Cyber . This solution is ideal for customers who don't have the resources to invest in an in-house security operations center and for partners who want to augment their IT team with security experts to investigate, triage, and remediate the alerts generated by Defender for Business and Business Premium. Learn more bout Blackpoint Cyber .

Customizable security baselines and configuration drift reports in Microsoft 365 Lighthouse . For Microsoft Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Microsoft 365 Lighthouse includes security baselines to deploy a standardized set of configurations to customers' tenants. Microsoft 365 Lighthouse now lets MSPs customize baselines based on expertise and tailor them to customers' unique needs. Learn more about Microsoft 365 Lighthouse .

New training resources for Microsoft partners . To provide step-by-step guidance for partners on how to build services based on critical CIS cybersecurity controls, a Security Managed services kit and a three-part digital training series are now available. See IT partner resources to help build security services in the Tech Community blog: New SMB security innovations from Microsoft Inspire 2023 .

Mobile threat defense (preview) is added to Defender for Business . The ability to onboard iOS and Android devices to the standalone version of Defender for Business is now in preview! These capabilities provide OS-level threat and vulnerability management, web protection, and app security to help you and employees stay more secure on the go. See Mobile threat defense capabilities in Microsoft Defender for Business .

Monthly security summary report (preview) is added to Defender for Business (preview). The new monthly security summary report shows how secure your organization is across identity, devices, information, and apps. You can view threats detected (and blocked) by Defender for Business together with your current status from Microsoft Secure Score. Recommendations to improve your security are also provided. See Reports in Microsoft Defender for Business .

Device exposure score is now visible in Microsoft 365 Lighthouse (preview). Microsoft Cloud Solution Providers (CSPs) who are using Microsoft 365 Lighthouse can now view and manage device exposure scores across customer tenants. These capabilities enable partners to discover which customers' devices are at risk because of vulnerabilities. See Overview of the Vulnerability management page in Microsoft 365 Lighthouse .

January 2023

Attack surface reduction capabilities are rolling out . Attack surface reduction capabilities in Defender for Business include attack surface reduction rules and a new attack surface reduction rules report. Attack surface reduction rules target certain behaviors that are considered risky because they're commonly abused by attackers through malware. In the Microsoft Defender portal ( https://security.microsoft.com/ ), you can now view a report showing detections and configuration information for attack surface reduction rules. In the navigation pane, choose Reports , and under Endpoints , choose Attack surface reduction rules .

Default experience for Defender for Business when an enterprise plan is added . Defender for Business now retains its default experience ( simplified configuration and setup ) even if an enterprise plan, such as Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 or Microsoft Defender for Servers Plan 1 or 2 is added. To learn more, see What happens if I have a mix of Microsoft endpoint security subscriptions ?

November 2022

Microsoft Defender for Business servers , a new add-on for Defender for Business, is now generally available. To learn more, see the following articles:

• How to get Microsoft Defender for Business servers
• Tech Community Blog: Server security made simple for small businesses

License reporting (preview) in Defender for Business . A new report (rolling out in preview) enables you to view your Defender for Business license usage. To learn more, see Reports in Microsoft Defender for Business .

• Microsoft Defender for Business servers (preview) is available to customers who have at least one paid license of Microsoft 365 Business Premium or Defender for Business. See Tech Community blog: Server protection for small business is now in preview within Microsoft Defender for Business .
• Tech Community blog: Introducing Microsoft Defender for Business
• What is Microsoft Defender for Business?
• Get Microsoft Defender for Business
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium now includes Defender for Business . To learn more, see Tech Community blog: New security solutions to help secure small and medium businesses .

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Congestion Pricing’s Latest Challenger: New York City Truckers

The industry that moves nearly 90 percent of goods within the city is suing to challenge the policy, claiming it unfairly burdens their business.

By Stefanos Chen and Ana Ley

With a month left before drivers start being charged to enter Midtown and downtown Manhattan under New York City’s congestion pricing plan, a new group of challengers is joining a crowded field of critics: truckers.

The Trucking Association of New York, a trade group representing a wide range of delivery companies, filed a lawsuit on Thursday seeking to delay the policy, claiming that it would unfairly charge vans and trucks that enter the new tolling zone as much as $36 per trip during peak hours. That cost, the group says, could soon be passed on to local businesses and consumers.

“We’re not pushing back on the overall program,” Kendra Hems, the group’s president, said. “It’s simply the way that trucks are being targeted.” The suit was filed in federal court in Manhattan.

The congestion pricing plan, scheduled to start June 30, will charge fees to most vehicles entering Manhattan on or below 60th Street. Passenger vehicles entering the zone will be charged up to $15 once a day, with some exceptions. Commercial trucks will be charged $24 or $36 per entry, depending on the size of the vehicle and the time of day.

Transit leaders have already built in a 75 percent discount on tolls during off-peak hours, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays and 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends. But Ms. Hems said that was inadequate, because customers often dictate that deliveries must be made during daytime shifts. The trucking association is seeking lower or less frequent tolls.

The program has already raised the ire of critics including the governor of New Jersey , a teachers’ union, the Staten Island borough president and some residents of Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan. With this latest complaint, eight lawsuits challenging the rollout have been filed.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which will oversee the congestion pricing program and will benefit from the money generated by it, declined to comment on the new lawsuit.

Proponents say congestion pricing will alleviate some of the worst traffic in the country, improve air quality and provide a lifeline to the city’s public transportation network. The plan is expected to collect about $1 billion a year in tolls, which will be used to secure $15 billion in bond financing to help pay for much needed improvements to the city’s subway, bus and commuter rail systems.

But critics in the trucking industry, which delivers about 90 percent of goods in the five boroughs, say the fees are excessive, especially for smaller companies that make up a big share of the city’s trucking industry, with an average fleet size of around 20 trucks.

Larry Zogby, the owner of RDS Same Day Delivery, a medical courier company in Long Island City, Queens, said the added cost could be sizable for his fleet of about 30 vans and trucks.

Unlike large delivery operations like Amazon or FedEx that can more easily absorb the tolls because of a high volume of shipments, he said, his company makes dozens of emergency trips into Midtown Manhattan every day, often carrying a single piece of medical equipment or a batch of blood samples.

He estimates that his fleet will make 26,000 trips into the toll zone a year, at a cost of $400,000 to $500,000. That would become his third biggest expense annually, behind payroll and insurance, he said. The estimate doesn’t include the $100,000 he budgets annually for bridge and tunnel tolls, or $85,000 in parking tickets.

“If you have an $85 delivery, and you slap a $24 toll on it, how is there any more money left for profit?” he asked.

Christopher Gawarecki, a compliance manager at Hub Truck Rental Corporation, said that the tolls would be passed on to about 600 customers who rent the company’s 2,500 trucks. And Julio Pena, a co-owner and manager of Il Posto Accanto, an Italian restaurant, in the congestion pricing zone, said that if the added fees on delivery trucks were passed along to small businesses like his, it would squeeze his profit margins.

“How much more can you increase the prices of a plate of pasta?” Mr. Pena said.

Tom Wright, the president of the Regional Plan Association, which supports congestion pricing, said the trucking industry’s complaints were not convincing, because they didn’t take into account the benefits that the program would have for the broader economy.

A 2018 study by the Partnership for New York City, a business group, found that the annual cost of delays in commuting time and work-related travel in the metro area was $9.2 billion.

“Are they going to pass along the savings to consumers when their deliveries are made in less time?” Mr. Wright asked.

Rishi Mehra, the vice president of commercial mapping and routing technology at Trimble, a tech company with a focus on logistics, cited central London as a cautionary tale. There, a form of congestion pricing has existed since 2003, and Mr. Mehra said that rising tolls on trucks had contributed at least partially to higher consumer prices.

Still, supporters of congestion pricing bring up London as an example of the model’s success. Within a year of the toll policy’s introduction, the number of vehicles entering the zone dropped 18 percent, according to city officials, a substantial feat, and air quality improved.

Traffic has since worsened, but that is partly because London officials have dramatically changed the streetscape since the introduction of the tolls, increasing the space reserved for pedestrians and bicyclists, while reducing space for cars, said Richard de Cani, who helped design London’s congestion toll program and is now a director at Arup, a large design and planning consulting firm.

From a broad perspective, there is no doubt that congestion pricing will benefit New Yorkers, said Eric A. Goldstein, a lawyer at the Natural Resources Defense Council, a nonprofit group that has supported versions of the program for decades.

“The overall benefits of injecting $15 billion into the transit system that moves the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers on a daily basis should not be lost in the shuffle,” he said.

Stefanos Chen is a Times reporter covering New York City’s economy. He previously covered real estate in the city for over a decade. More about Stefanos Chen

Ana Ley is a Times reporter covering New York City’s mass transit system and the millions of passengers who use it. More about Ana Ley

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Home insurance was once a ‘must.’ Now more homeowners are going without.

Slammed by pricier policies and climate-driven natural disasters, more and more Americans are exposing themselves to risk.

Jamie Lafollette found out State Farm was dropping her policy from reading the news.

After she saw a story about the insurer pulling out of Santa Cruz County, her longtime home, she called her agent to confirm that her plan would lapse — setting off a desperate search for a replacement policy that is ongoing.

“Our first quote came in at over $10,000 a year, and that was bare bones coverage,” she said. “And then I kept pressing, contacting other brokers … contacting all these weird companies you’ve never heard of.”

But those quotes were even higher, coming in between $17,000 and $25,000, she said.

Lafollette lives near Soquel, which lies near Monterey Bay and its picturesque view of the Pacific Ocean. The location’s trade-off is the forest that surrounds her home, bringing with it the ever-growing threat of wildfire.

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It also makes homeowners insurance essential. But the prices Lafollette was quoted are well out of her budget.

“I’m at the point where I don’t know if I can keep my home,” she said.

According to State Farm, such cases of cancellation amounted to only 2 percent of policies in the state. But it still means homeowners like Lafollette have few good options.

It’s also a problem for a growing share of Americans.

One 2023 estimate, released by the industry group Insurance Information Institute, concluded that 12 percent of homeowners had no insurance in 2022, up from just 5 percent in 2019.

Another more recent study , released by the Consumer Federation of America in March, reported a lower share of uninsured — 7.4 percent — but that estimate is based on 2021 data from the American Housing Survey, which the Census Bureau conducts every two years. The organization will revise that share upward once 2023 numbers come out, said the CFA’s director of housing, Sharon Cornelissen.

Most uninsured homeowners are those who have paid off their mortgage and are no longer required to have insurance. Among those who own their home outright, the CFA estimates roughly 14 percent are uninsured, with low-income and minority homeowners especially at risk. Among mortgage holders, only 2 percent opt to go without coverage.

Experts say this trend is driven by the escalating threat of climate change — which has forced insurers to make larger and larger payouts — and skyrocketing housing prices. Both trends are pushing the cost of policies up. On average, home insurance policies rose 11.3 percent in 2023, according to S&P Global.

Compounding the problem, some insurance providers are pulling out of disaster-prone areas as a result of rising payouts — leaving former policyholders with fewer and more expensive alternatives.

No good options

Homeowners like Lafollette say they’re not going without insurance by choice. When their policies are discontinued, they’re unable to find an alternative.

Such a decision carries great risk, said Mark Friedlander, director of corporate communications for the Insurance Information Institute. “It’s very unrealistic for any homeowner to think they can pay for catastrophic losses out of pocket,” he said.

The uptick in homeowners forgoing coverage is especially striking given that lenders require mortgage-loan applicants to carry insurance.

In extreme cases, a homeowner’s decision to stop paying for a policy can be considered a form of default and even lead to foreclosure, Friedlander noted.

A more common route is that a bank will simply select a plan and impose the costs on the uninsured homeowner. But that coverage is unlikely to cover natural disasters, Cornelissen said.

Meanwhile, companies like State Farm have made headlines after announcing that they would not renew policies in wildfire-prone counties like Santa Cruz. In other states, like Iowa, homeowners are finding that their insurance companies are abandoning them as climate change increases the possibility of natural disasters.

Those companies say they can no longer make a profit insuring homeowners in those regions. The problem is not just cost. Reinsurance companies, like Swiss Re, that provide insurance to insurance providers in the event of a catastrophe are also charging more, raising costs for companies like State Farm, said Marco Giacoletti, assistant professor of finance and business economics for the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.

At the same time, agencies in some states, including California, Colorado and Florida, are authorized to approve rate increases — and these regulators don’t always let insurance providers pass all their costs to consumers, Giacoletti said.

In addition, in California’s case, insurance companies must use historical data, rather than forward-looking models, when they price insurance plans. That means their policies may not reflect the actual risk they’re supposed to hedge against, he added.

“With climate change, you want to use forward-looking models,” Giacoletti said. “Insurance companies are not able to price their plans properly,” leading to sustained losses after climate-driven disasters.

In California’s case, the insurance commissioner in March approved a rate increase of 20 percent, as requested by State Farm.

Homeowners who have been dropped from their policies have few substitutes in an increasingly expensive market.

Lafollette’s husband is a disabled veteran, and the family has developed a support network in Santa Cruz, which makes moving a less-than-ideal option. For now, their community has invested in expensive upgrades intended to reduce fire risk, with the hope that it can convince insurance companies to continue their policies.

“It was very hard to convince our community to buy in to do these things,” Lafollette said. “[But] none of us can afford to lose our insurance. And we thought if we do these things, we won’t lose our insurance.”

The statistics don’t fully capture the extent of homeowners’ dilemma.

Kathleen Haughton, for example, moved to California’s Butte Valley from Paradise after her hometown was destroyed in 2018’s devastating Camp Fire .

She needed a loan to rebuild her house, which meant buying insurance. Her cheapest option was $7,000 a year for a California Fair plan, which offers insurance to people who can’t buy from major companies.

Priced out of that option, Haughton bought a $1,200-a-year plan that doesn’t cover natural disasters — and hopes that the Camp Fire was a once-in-a-lifetime catastrophe.

“I figured if I lose everything again, that’s God’s plan,” she said.

Experts see the experience of homeowners like Haughton and Lafollette as a grim harbinger of things to come with a heating planet.

“People are really feeling climate change,” said Emily Schlickman, an assistant professor of landscape architecture and environmental design at the University of California at Davis who studies climate adaptation. “Not being able to get insurance is one of the first ways we’re coming to terms with our new reality,” she said.

Patrick Cooley is a freelance journalist who previously covered agriculture and commodities for The Messenger and environmental and agricultural issues for the USA Today Network.

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Reporting by Nick Carey, Giulio Piovaccari, Marie Mannes and Christina Amann; Editing by Brian Thevenot and Daniel Flynn

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