Microsoft Defender For Endpoint Standalone is Now Available! (Formerly MD ATP) 1

Microsoft Defender For Endpoint Standalone is Now Available! (Formerly MD ATP)

Note: Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (MD ATP) Is Now Defender For Endpoint

Update: As of August 2021, MDE P1 is also available bundled in Microsoft 365 E3/A3.

Only two years overdue, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint standalone is now available! Since announcing Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for MacOS and Linux last year, Microsoft was still requiring customers to purchase a Windows 10 E5 license if they wanted access to MD for Endpoint. But that is changing this month, now that a standalone MD For Endpoint SKU has been made available! If you would like to purchase Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, you’ll have to go through a CSP or EA provider, as it’s not available in the retail portal. Infused Innovations is a Microsoft Gold Partner and CSP reseller, so contact us for a quote if you’re interested.

How Much Does Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Cost?

The new Microsoft Defender for Endpoint standalone retail cost via CSP is $5.20/mo per user for up to 5 machines. There is also a separate server SKU for MD for Endpoint, which costs the same amount but is limited to a single server. However, the MD for Endpoint Server license is only available if you purchase a combined minimum of 50 seats for any of the following: Windows 10 E5 / Microsoft 365 E5 / Microsoft 365 E5 Security.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint does not currently have non-profit licensing. However, Windows 10 E5 for non-profits is only $3.30/mo. This is still a great deal, since it includes all of the Virtualization-Based Security that is only available in the Enterprise edition of Windows.

Academic pricing for MD for Endpoint comes in at $2.50/user. Another great win for schools! The MD for Endpoint Server plan is currently unavailable for EDU customers, but should be ready before the new school year starts this fall.

This pricing is great news, because Windows 10 E5 retails at $11/user/mo. As for servers, your only previous option was an Azure Security Center license, which is roughly $15/server/mo. The new standalone pricing makes the offering significantly more competitive with other next-gen antivirus offerings on the market, such as SentinelOne, CrowdStrike, or Sohpos Intercept X.

How Does Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Rank Against Competitors?

Screenshot of the Gartner Magic Quadrants highlighting Microsoft Defender ATP standalone, Cloud App Security, Intune, and Azure Information Protection.

 

Gartner consistently ranks Microsoft in the Leader quadrant on their Magic Quadrant reports, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is part of the reason for that.

Windows Defender Antivirus, the underlying AV engine for MD for Endpoint, achieves top scores on numerous tests.

  • The AV-TEST Product Review and Certification Report: Windows Defender Antivirus consistently scores 6.0/6.0 in the AV-TEST, detecting 100% of malware samples.
  • Business Security Test: It’s gotten a rating of 99.9% in the 2019 Business Security Test reports, which mimic real-world malware attacks and test for performance.
  • SE Labs: These tests look at the protection capabilities of several solutions such as endpoint software, network appliances, and cloud services. Windows Defender Antivirus has consistently achieved an AAA award here.

MITRE’s evaluation based on the ATT&CK framework also found Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to deliver “comprehensive coverage of attacker techniques across the entire attack chain.” Checkout the following video for an overview of the MD for Endpoint feature set.

 

 

What are the System Requirements for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint will run on the following Windows platforms:

  • Windows 7 SP1 Enterprise
  • Windows 7 SP1 Pro
  • Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Windows 8.1 Pro
  • Windows 10, version 1607 or later
  • Windows 10 Enterprise
  • Windows 10 Education
  • Windows 10 Pro
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
  • Windows Server 2012 R2
  • Windows Server 2016
  • Windows Server 2016, version 1803
  • Windows Server 2019

Unfortunately, machines running mobile versions of Windows aren’t supported. But these other operating systems are:

  • MacOS – The three most recent builds. Currently 10.13+ as of March 2020.
  • Linux
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7+
    • CentOS Linux 7+
    • Ubuntu 16.04 LTS +
    • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 12+
    • Debian 9+
    • Oracle Enterprise Linux 7
  • Android

And since the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint management portal is accessed through a browser, these are the browsers that are supported:

  • Microsoft Edge
  • Internet Explorer version 11
  • Google Chrome

Is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Available for GCC High Customers?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is available for US Government Community Cloud High (GCC High) customers, built into the US Azure Government environment. But some of the capabilities are more limited for US GCC High customers, compared to the commercial offering of it. Threat and Vulnerability Management as well as Microsoft Threat Experts are not currently available for US GCC High.

Some further components and integrations with other Microsoft products are also lacking as of yet. For a full list, see Microsoft’s page on MD for Endpoint for US GCC High. Their goal is to eventually deliver all commercial features to this government offering as well—they’re just not quite there yet. Typically commercial feature releases take about 6-12 months before they appear in GCC tenants. Additionally, the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint standalone version is not available for US GCC High yet.

How can I buy Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Standalone?

Infused Innovations is a Microsoft Gold Partner and a Microsoft CSP provider. Just click the button below for your free quote. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is only available through Microsoft CSP or an EA. All pricing in this post refers to retail CSP pricing.

 

Free Office 365 E1 Trial for 6 Months!

Microsoft is also announcing a free 6-month trial for Office 365 E1 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, recognizing the need for more employees to work from home. (This free trial is not available for GCC, GCC High, DoD, or EDU customers. As with MD ATP, Microsoft is working on a GCC version of the E1 Trial, which should be available soon.)

To learn more about the threats Defender for Endpoint can protect you from, read our blog post about the continued problem of ransomware, or take a look at what our youngest interns are learning. Also: Defender is now available for mobile endpoints!

39 Comments

  1. Matthew Stewart on March 24, 2020 at 8:59 am

    I work for a university (Kent State) that plans to deploy Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection on university issued computers, but faculty are working from home–many of us on our own machines. Is Defender Advanced Threat Protection available to individual private Microsoft customers?

    • Dan Chemistruck on March 24, 2020 at 10:47 am

      One MD ATP user license allows you to activate on up to 5 devices. The caveat is that the device needs to be Hybrid AADJ or AADJ for it to activate. So for personal devices, most folks won’t want to register their computer with the organization.

      • Dorothy Wood on January 27, 2021 at 12:38 pm

        Hello wanted to know is windows ATP available for Government use

        • Dan Chemistruck on January 27, 2021 at 1:44 pm

          Yes, MDE/MD ATP is available in GCC High tenants. However, the feature set is not at parity with commercial tenants yet.

  2. G on May 18, 2020 at 12:39 pm

    If I am licensing a hyperv host and guests, do I need a license for each host and guest separately? Or does it follow the windows server pack model?

    • Dan Chemistruck on May 18, 2020 at 9:10 pm

      Forgive me, I am not as familiar with on-premises licensing as I am with cloud licensing. Each Windows Standard license allows you to license a single Hyper-V host (no other roles) and two guests. Enterprise licensing allows for unlimited guests. Hope that helps.

  3. Samantha Hattingh on June 8, 2020 at 2:01 pm

    Hi Dan, great article thank you. Is there a minimum requirement for the Microsoft Defender ATP standalone sku such as Win E3 or can I add it to any licensed Windows OS (barring it meets the system requirements)? Just worried there is an underlying L+SA or some silly requirement?

    • Dan Chemistruck on June 8, 2020 at 3:43 pm

      Hi Samantha! The minimum requirement for MD ATP is Windows 10 Pro. This is because the machine must be AADJ or Hybrid AADJ to apply the MD ATP license. For server licensing, you’re supposed to have a minimum of 50 client licenses. :/

      • Samantha Hattingh on June 8, 2020 at 6:51 pm

        Thanks for the speedy response Dan! Just to make 100% sure, if I have M365 E3, I can add the standalone MD ATP SKU then? For the Server Licensing, a combination of one of M365 E5 or Win E5 has to be bundled with the MD ATP for server SKU if I read correctly above?

  4. jimmy on June 16, 2020 at 11:11 am

    Hi Dan,

    Nice post!

    Is it possible to combine MS 365 Business premium with standalone MDATP licenses?
    It would be a great combo since the E5 license are little bit a overkill for small to medium businesses with 10-100 employees.

    Looking forward to your reply.

    Kind regards,

    Jimmy

    • Dan Chemistruck on June 16, 2020 at 12:52 pm

      Yes, M365 BP can be combined with MD ATP. The only requirement for MD ATP is that the machine needs to be AADJ or Hybrid AADJ.

  5. […] Public pricing from Microsoft is either non-existent or difficult to find, but according to this site, costs range from $30 to $72 per machine per year to enterprise […]

  6. […] facet, it means having a minimal of fifty seats on sure Microsoft E5 licenses, as described in this weblog publish by Microsoft Gold Partner Infused […]

  7. […] side, it means having a minimum of 50 seats on certain Microsoft E5 licenses, as described in this blog post by Microsoft Gold Partner Infused […]

  8. […] Public pricing from Microsoft is either non-existent or difficult to find, but according to this site, costs range from $30 to $72 per machine per year to enterprise […]

  9. Steven on June 24, 2020 at 3:54 pm

    Hi Dan, is there any special pricing available for non-profit orgs? If so, what is it? Thanks!

    • Dan Chemistruck on June 25, 2020 at 2:25 pm

      Unfortunately, there is no non-profit plan yet. You’ll have to purchase Windows 10 E5 for Non-profits for now.

  10. […] Public pricing from Microsoft is either non-existent or difficult to find, but according to Microsoft Gold Partner, Infused Innovations, costs range from $30 to $72 per machine per year to enterprise customers. Infused Innovactions […]

  11. Jim HIll on June 26, 2020 at 10:07 am

    I have spent many hours working with Microsoft Support on this. They are still unable to provide a means for me to purchase the stand alone license. They said, “You must but it through a partner.” Then the said I could just by the E5 Security add-on for $12 a month. They were also unable to answer how to license it on Server 2019 running either locally or on AWS. These are still unanswered questions, and from what I read online many others have the same issues.

    • Dan Chemistruck on July 13, 2020 at 6:37 pm

      Hi Jim, yes you can only purchase Defender ATP from a partner or via an EA. We are a Microsoft CSP reseller and can assist you with purchasing MD ATP licenses for users and servers.

      Microsoft Support has not been trained on this new SKU yet and often confuses it with Microsoft 365 E5 Security. Please reach out to [email protected] if you’d like a quote. (It’s $5.20/um.)

  12. Shawn Gilbertson on July 13, 2020 at 10:04 am

    Do you know if this requires any prior SKU for Microsoft 365 or will this work for Volume Licensed workstations. Having a back and forth discussion with Microsoft and they state that you have to have Microsoft 365 E3 for this specific SKU to work.

    • Dan Chemistruck on July 13, 2020 at 6:32 pm

      Submit a contact form below if you’d like to purchase from us–we’re a Microsoft CSP reseller and can compete with EA pricing. You don’t need any other cloud licensing for Defender ATP to work if your devices are Hybrid Azure AD joined. If your machines are not Hybrid AADJ, then you’ll need an Intune license.

      The Microsoft 365 E3 requirement is for the Microsoft 365 E5 Security add-on, not the Defender ATP license.

  13. Guus van Berge on July 22, 2020 at 5:20 am

    Hi Dan!

    Thanks again for great article!

    Would you recommend Defender ATP for small businesses (anywhere between 10 and 50 users) who now have M365 BP and just use the standard defender as AV? I guess with this SKU third party AV’s will become absolute for a lot of cases. But where would you draw the line in advising this solution?

  14. Robert Nixon on July 25, 2020 at 8:00 am

    Can this be for home use? I am a security researcher and this would be helpful.

    • Dan Chemistruck on July 30, 2020 at 1:27 am

      Sort of, yes. You’d need an Azure AD tenant and you would need to purchase via CSP, but there’s nothing to stop you from using this at home.

  15. Danilo Divina on August 13, 2020 at 3:19 am

    Hi Dan,

    We are looking for an Endpoint security tool and we are considering Microsoft since we are currently utilizing Business Standard and Basic licenses. Can we combine MD ATP to Business Standard or Basic? Or do we need to upgrade to Business Premium first?

    • Dan Chemistruck on August 17, 2020 at 8:04 pm

      If your devices are Hybrid Azure AD Joined, there are no other licensing requirements to use MD ATP. If your devices are in a workgroup, you’ll need Windows 10 Pro and an Intune license. Intune is bundled with M365 BP/F3/E3/E5. Your O365 licensing doesn’t have any impact on MD ATP licensing.

  16. m0she on October 8, 2020 at 1:37 am

    great article ! you should also make a note that the 5 devices could be iOS & Android too!

  17. […] side, it means having a minimum of 50 seats on certain Microsoft E5 licenses, as described in this blog post by Microsoft Gold Partner Infused […]

  18. […] 12. Microsoft Defender ATP Standalone Pricing For All Platforms […]

  19. […] Public pricing from Microsoft is either non-existent or difficult to find, but according to Microsoft Gold Partner, Infused Innovations, costs range from $30 to $72 per machine per year to enterprise customers. Infused Innovactions […]

  20. […] Public pricing from Microsoft is either non-existent or difficult to find, but according to Microsoft Gold Partner, Infused Innovations, costs range from $30 to $72 per machine per year to enterprise customers. Infused Innovactions […]

  21. Santhosh Batchu on May 6, 2021 at 5:49 am

    Hi,
    We have AWS EC2 instances on which we are needing to apply Windows ATP. Organisation domain is on Azure AD into which these AWS EC2 instances are domain joined into. How can we buy Windows ATP licenses? AWS Market Place or Microsoft directly? Please help.

  22. William N. on January 6, 2022 at 7:12 pm

    It is my understanding that Defender is also available for Linux. However, when I wen to Microsoft’s home page for Defender on Linux, it only talks about servers. I was wondering if it would be possible for me to have Defender as protection for my *single* laptop running Zorin OS v 15.3. Does anybody know if Microsoft is planning to create an easy-to use-installation Wizard so Linux home users don’t have to bother doing everything from the Bash terminal?

    Thanks so much!

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