There was a lot of hue and cry from third-party antivirus providers when Microsoft dipped its feet in providing baseline system security on Windows. But those days are now long gone.
With each new season, security solutions like Microsoft Defender continue to improve.
So much so that Redmond is now confident enough to offer it for individuals to protect their PCs and phones. The company has made Microsoft Defender available for end users, meaning the solution is no longer limited to businesses and large organizations.
Individual antivirus and antimalware platformer licenses are now available via Microsoft 365 Personal and Microsoft 365 Family subscriptions. This means that a single Microsoft 365 subscription can now ensure protection for up to five devices, each running a different operating system.
This post on the Microsoft Security blog has the company saying:
“Microsoft Defender is simplified online security that meets you and your family where you are by bringing multiple protections together into a single dashboard. It provides online protection across the devices you and your family use. It offers tips and recommendations to strengthen your protection further. And, as you grow your digital footprint, by adding family members and devices, Defender grows with you and keeps your defenses up to date using trusted technology.”
The app not only protects your Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices if they don’t have security solutions in place already, but it also acts as a hub that brings your alternate security programs like the ones from Norton, McAfee, and Kaspersky to its dashboard.
Microsoft Defender also includes its own malware protection engine. But on Windows, it lets Windows Defender use Windows Security, which already includes malware protection. Same applies to iPhone devices running iOS.
But the big idea is for Microsoft Defender to add an additional layer of protection on devices running alternat operating platforms like Android, iOS, and macOS.
Since Microsoft Defender is much more expansive than Windows Security, it lets users see information about the security status for each of their devices. This makes great use of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint technology.
Of course, the Microsoft Defender app itself is not new, and the official app has been available on the app stores of all major platforms for quite some time. This is simply the launch of a new licensing scheme, geared towards individuals.
More information about Microsoft Defender for Individuals is available on its official website.
