Microsoft Defender for Business requirements
This article describes the requirements for Defender for Business.
What to do
Review the requirements
The following table lists the basic requirements you need to configure and use Defender for Business.
Requirement | Description |
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Subscription | Microsoft 365 Business Premium or Defender for Business (standalone). See How to get Defender for Business. |
Datacenter | One of the following datacenter locations:
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User accounts |
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Permissions | To sign up for Defender for Business, you must be a Global Admin. To access the Microsoft 365 Defender portal, users must have one of the following roles in Azure AD assigned:
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Browser requirements | Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome |
Client device operating system | To manage devices in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal, your devices must be running one of the following operating systems:
If you're already managing devices in Microsoft Intune, you can continue to use the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center.[1] In that case, the following other operating systems are supported:
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Server requirements | To onboard a device running Windows Server or Linux Server, you'll need an additional license, such as Microsoft Defender for Business servers[2]. Windows Server endpoints must meet the requirements for Defender for Endpoint, and enforcement scope must be turned on.
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(1) Microsoft Intune is not included in the standalone version of Defender for Business. Intune can be added onto Defender for Business. Intune is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
(2) To onboard servers, we recommend using Microsoft Defender for Business servers. Alternately, you could use Microsoft Defender for Servers Plan 1 or Plan 2. To learn more, see What happens if I have a mix of Microsoft endpoint security subscriptions? and Onboard devices to Microsoft Defender for Business.
Note
Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is used to manage user permissions and device groups. Azure AD is included in your Defender for Business subscription.
- If you don't have a Microsoft 365 subscription before you start your trial, Azure AD will be provisioned for you during the activation process.
- If you do have another Microsoft 365 subscription when you start your Defender for Business trial, you can use your existing Azure AD service.
Next steps
- If you don't already have Defender for Business, see Get and provision Microsoft Defender for Business.
- If you're starting a trial subscription, see the Trial user guide: Microsoft Defender for Business.
- If you're ready to set up Defender for Business for your organization, see Set up and configure Microsoft Defender for Business.
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