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Switching to microsoft defender

Anonymous
2025-04-09T13:28:10+00:00

hello everyone,

i need your help.

in my company we use microsoft 365 with premium licenses.

We currently use a third-party antivirus and I would like to propose to switch to using Microsoft Defender.

Having access to tenant365 as an administrator what are the steps to activate this feature and deploy it on company pcs?

Thank you very much

Marcello

Microsoft 365 and Office | Microsoft 365 Defender | Other | Windows

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  1. Francisco Montilla 30,255 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-04-10T09:55:49+00:00

    Hi Marcello,

    The most straightforward way to is to sign into your Microsoft 365 admin center (https://admin.microsoft.com) and review the license details.

    Begin by navigating to the Billing section and then Licenses. Look for any mention of Defender, either as Microsoft Defender for Endpoint or as Microsoft Defender for Business capabilities.

    With Business Premium licenses, you might not see a separate Defender for Endpoint entry because Business Premium can offer integrated security features that differ from the enterprise Defender for Endpoint functionality typically available with Microsoft 365 E5 or dedicated Defender licenses.

    If no Defender options appear, this is a strong indication that your current license does not include the full Defender for Endpoint capabilities. In that case, you would need to activate and assign the appropriate licenses to the users who require those advanced protections or consider upgrading your subscription.

    For added certainty, you can also check the Microsoft 365 Defender portal or the Endpoint Security section in Microsoft Endpoint Manager, as these areas may provide details on what security capabilities are available in your environment.

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-04-09T14:47:35+00:00

    First of all, thank you very much for your response.

    May I ask how do I verify that the subscription includes Microsoft Defender for endpoint?

    I logged into the https://security.microsoft.com/ portal but I don't seem to find a section for that.

    If I go into my products I can't find any entries about it, I only see Exchange Online and Business Premium licenses.

    Should I activate specific licenses for all users?

    Thank you again

    Marcello

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  2. Francisco Montilla 30,255 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-04-09T14:22:22+00:00

    Hi Marcello,

    One effective solution is to begin by signing into your tenant and accessing the Microsoft 365 Defender portal to verify that your subscription includes Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. With administrator rights, you can navigate to the configuration area where you’ll enable and configure Microsoft Defender.

    Since your endpoints are currently running a third-party antivirus, it’s important to plan for its removal or deactivation to avoid conflicts. This step is critical before deploying Defender so that it can operate in full capacity.

    Once you’ve confirmed that Defender is available in your tenant, use Microsoft Endpoint Manager (whether through Intune or your existing Group Policy settings) to create and deploy a policy that enforces Microsoft Defender Antivirus on the company PCs. Start with a pilot deployment on a small group of devices so that you can verify that the settings, such as real-time protection, scheduled scans, and automatic updates, are working properly and that each endpoint is reporting back correctly to the Defender Security Center. If everything looks good, you can then extend the deployment across your organization gradually.

    By following these steps: enabling Defender via the portal, preparing your environment by removing or disabling the third-party solution, deploying Defender settings through Endpoint Manager, and validating the configuration on a pilot group... you ensure a smooth, controlled transition that adheres to the best practices.

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