Microsoft's SMB security tool, Microsoft Defender for Business, hits general availability

Microsoft has announced that its security tool for small to medium-sized businesses is now generally available. The standalone version of Microsoft Defender for Business helps to protect against ransomware and other cyber threats bringing, Microsoft says, "enterprise-grade endpoint security to SMBs".

Highlighting the importance of its solution, the company says that nearly a quarter of SMBs have experienced a security breach in the last year, often because they do not have the staff and resources available to enterprises. To help with this and to simplify deployment, Defender for Business comes with built-in policies to get customers up and running quickly.

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Research conducted by Microsoft shows that while 80 percent of SMBs have antivirus protection in place, this is far from being the end of the story when it comes to security. The company found that nearly one in four SMBs surveyed reported experiencing a security breach in the past year, and that more than 70 percent think cyberthreats are becoming more of a business risk.

Speaking about the launch of its latest security product, Microsoft's CVP of security, compliance and identity, Vasu Jakkal, says:

Microsoft believes in security for all. We are proud to further deliver on that vision today. With the GA of Defender for Business, SMBs will get greater protection with simplified security to help them better protect, detect and respond to threats.

Microsoft points out the following features of Microsoft Defender for Business:

• Threat and vulnerability management helps prioritize and focus on weaknesses that pose the most urgent and highest risk to business. Proactively build a secure foundation for your environment by discovering, prioritizing and remediating software vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.
• Attack surface reduction options help minimize attack surface (i.e., places where your company is vulnerable to cyberattacks across your devices and applications), leaving bad actors with fewer ways to execute attacks.
• Next-generation protection helps prevent and protect against threats with antimalware and antivirus protection on devices and in the cloud.
• Endpoint detection and response provides behavioral-based detection and response alerts so that you can identify persistent threats and remove them from your environment.
• Auto-investigation and remediation help scale security operations by examining alerts and taking immediate action to resolve attacks for customers. By reducing alert volume and remediating threats, Microsoft Defender for Business enables customers to prioritize tasks and focus on more sophisticated threats.

The security tool is available as part of Microsoft 365 Business Premium, but customers can also choose to buy it stand-alone for $3 per user, per month. Microsoft says that additional support for servers is planned later this calendar year with an add-on solution.

More information about Microsoft Defender for Business is available here.

Image credit: Eric Glenn / Shutterstock