Microsoft has an all-new Windows antivirus update for your business

Microsoft Defender for Business is rolling out now

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Keeping your businessendpointssafe should soon be easier than ever before thanks to a new release fromMicrosoft.

The company has revealed that its new Microsoft Defender for Business platform is now in general availability, with existing Microsoft 365 Business Premium customers the first to receive it.

Designed for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), Microsoft Defender for Business looks to help businesses with up to 300 employees, providing enterprise-grade protection.

We’re looking at how our readers use VPNs with different devices so we can improve our content and offer better advice. This survey shouldn’t take more than 60 seconds of your time, and entrants from the UK and US will have the chance to enter a draw for a£100 Amazon gift card(or equivalent in USD). Thank you for taking part.

Click here to start the survey in a new window«

Microsoft Defender for Business launch

Microsoft Defender for Business launch

In ablog postannouncing the news, Microsoft 365’s product marketing manager Jon Maunder said the platform, “goes beyond traditionalantivirusand delivers threat and vulnerability management, attack surface reduction, next-generation protection, endpoint detection and response, and automated investigation and remediation capabilities in a single solution.”

For SMBs without a dedicated security team, Microsoft Defender for Business offers simple configuration and enables all recommended security policies out-of-the-box, so it’s easy to use and set up without specialized assistance.

“The commercialization of cybercrime has led to an increase in the frequency and sophistication of attacks on small and medium-sized businesses (SMB),” Maunder added. “Business interruption is a top concern, especially from a cyber-attack such asransomware. For smaller businesses this type of impact can be hard to manage with potential financial, operational, and customer trust implications.”

Microsoft Defender for Business brings together a number of the company’s existing security tools, including threat & vulnerability management, attack surface reduction, endpoint detection, and auto investigation, all in a single package.

Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter

Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!

Microsoft thinks it has a great new way to keep your start-up protected>Microsoft Office is finally making this vital security change across Excel, Word and more>Microsoft to disable old-school macros to shield users from attacks

Microsoft revealed back in November 2021 thatDefender for Business was nearing a wider launch, with a public preview launched the month after.

Customers will be able to buy it as a standalone offering costing $3 per user per month. It will also be included as part of Microsoft 365 Business Premium accounts and can be integrated with Microsoft 365 Lighthouse.

New Microsoft 365 Business Premium customers will see Defender for Business available immediately, with other existing users seeing the service become available over the next few weeks.

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK’s leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he’s not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.

Dangerous Android banking malware looks to trick victims with fake money transfers

Sophos Firewall hack on government network used an all-new custom malware

Don’t wait until Black Friday, this year’s best Nintendo Switch bundles are on sale now