Embracing Modern Protection with Microsoft Defender and Intune
As we mark Cyber Security Month, I thought I would take the opportunity to reflect on some of the toolset which every business should be looking to adopt to bring them into todays digital landscape.
Businesses are now moving to a cloud approach to their infrastructure, as they look to move away from expensive on-premises hardware (both to purchase and running cost). Many firms now offer a hybrid working approach, or do not have a physical office at all and work from home full time. There are two standout products that I believe all SMEs should consider adopting, especially if they’re already part of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem (and likely already paying for the license!). These two products work in tandem with each other to deliver seamless device protection and management without the need for cumbersome VPN’s or a complex infrastructure.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Microsoft Defender is an enterprise-grade antivirus, with a powerful level of protection that SME’s could only dream of having access to many years ago. It’s designed to shield devices from malware, ransomware, phishing and other cyber threats that exist in the dangerous online world that we live in.
It operates continuously in the background of your device and uses advanced threat intelligence with behavioural analysis, ensuring that every device is protected against emerging risks.
Microsoft Intune
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service that allows organisations to manage their devices, enforce security policies and ensure that all their devices meet the firm’s compliance requirements. This can be either laptops, tablets or phones, they’re all manageable from Intune.
Administrators can configure security policies, deploy applications and monitor device health, which allows them to create a consistent and secure environment for all their devices. It supports both corporate-owned devices and BYOD, allowing ultimate flexibility.
Defender works seamlessly with Intune
These two products work seamlessly together! Defender provides frontline protection against day-to-day threats, while Intune ensures that every device is configured securely according to the organisation’s standards. Intune can enforce compliance policies, ensuring that Defender is up-to-date and automatically remediate any security issues. The integration ensures that security is consistent across all users, making it no longer necessary to rely on traditional VPNs to access the office. Instead, as long as the device has an internet connection, it receives policy updates, security patches, and threat intelligence directly from the cloud.
Additional Feature Alert!
Have you heard of Microsoft Autopilot? It allows your business to deploy new laptops automatically to users, directly from the manufacturer. Gone are the days of manually setting up a new device. When a laptop or phone/tablet is turned on and connected to the internet, it automatically configures itself. I’ll leave these details for a future blog post!
To summarise
It’s clear that modern organisations no longer need to rely on complex on-premise infrastructure to make sure their devices are secure and compliant. Microsoft Defender and Intune are a powerful cloud-driven approach that delivers advanced malware protection and device management, all managed centrally from the cloud.
