Microsoft Defender for Identity vs. Entra ID Protection differences?

Question

Hi Folks, What are the differences between Microsoft Defender for Identity vs. Entra ID Protection? My Environment is already on Entra ID Premium P2, and some of my users already have M365 E5 license According to this article: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-for-identity/deploy/quick-installation-guide#licensing-requirements only one of the licenses is required, not all. Does it mean the users with m365 E5 licenses are automatically protected, while the rest are not protected? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Hello @EnterpriseArchitect

Microsoft Defender for Identity and Entra ID Protection are both identity protection solutions offered by Microsoft, but they have different focuses and features.

Microsoft Defender for Identity

Entra ID Protection (Premium P2)

It is designed to detect and investigate advanced threats, compromised identities, and malicious insider actions directed at your organization. It provides real-time monitoring and profiling of user behavior, activities, and generates alerts for suspicious activities. It requires one of the following Microsoft 365 licenses: Enterprise Mobility + Security E5 (EMS E5/A5), Microsoft 365 E5 (Microsoft E5/A5/G5), Microsoft 365 E5/A5/G5 Security, or a standalone Defender for Identity license.

It provides a more comprehensive set of identity protection and management capabilities. It includes features like risk-based conditional access, identity protection, privileged identity management, and more. It is included in the Microsoft 365 E5 license.

In terms of licensing, if a user has a Microsoft 365 E5 license, they should be able to leverage benefits for both Microsoft Defender for Identity and Entra ID Protection. However, both require additional configurations and settings to make sure user is protected with specific service features.

For Microsoft Defender for Identity

• It requires installing Microsoft Defender for Identity sensors on Active Directory, Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS), or Active Directory Certification Services (AD CS) servers.
• Documentation Link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-for-identity/deploy/quick-installation-guide

For Microsoft Identity Protection:

• It requires users to be targeted in Risk Policies or Conditional Access Risk Policy.
• Documentation Link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/id-protection/how-to-deploy-identity-protection

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