Skip to main content
(844) 422-7000

What is Defender for Business?

Protection on the computers themselves — it catches something that has already started running on a laptop, rather than something arriving by mail.

Which plan do I need?
(844) 422-7000

The license that grants it

Defender for Business
$4

a seat, a month

Who already has it

Business Premium includes it outright. On Business Basic or Business Standard it is bought on top, for organizations up to 300 users.

What Defender for Business does

ARRIVES BY MAILA link or an attachmentIN A MESSAGEStopped at the mailboxMAIL SCANNINGALREADY RUNNINGSomething on the laptopNOT A MESSAGECaught on the machineTHIS LICENSEMachine cut offWHILE IT IS DEALT WITHSERVERS ARE NOT IN THE BASE LICENSE
ARRIVES BY MAILA link or an attachmentIN A MESSAGEStopped at the mailboxMAIL SCANNINGALREADY RUNNINGSomething on the laptopNOT A MESSAGECaught on the machineTHIS LICENSEMachine cut offWHILE IT IS DEALT WITHSERVERS ARE NOT IN THE BASE LICENSE

Mail filtering and this are different products acting in different places. One reads what arrives in a message; this one watches what is already running on the machine.

  • Catch something that has already started running on a laptop, rather than something arriving by mail.

  • Cut a compromised machine off from the rest of the network while it is dealt with.

  • Cover Mac, iOS and Android as well as Windows.

Which plans include it

Every plan compared on this site, and whether Defender for Business is part of it.

PlanPer person, per monthIncluded
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
$9

Not included

Microsoft 365 Apps for business
$13

Not included

Microsoft 365 Business Standard
$18

Not included

Microsoft 365 Business Premium
$28

Included

Microsoft 365 F1
$4

Not included

Microsoft 365 F3
$13

Not included

Where a plan does not include it, Defender for Business supplies it at $4 a seat.

Where it stops

Windows and Linux servers are not covered by the base license. Protecting a server is available and costs extra.

Worth knowing

  • Designed for organizations up to 300 users.

  • Simplified firewall and antivirus configuration is unique to it – neither Defender for Endpoint plan carries that.

Common questions

How is this different from Defender for Office 365?

Defender for Office 365 works on the mail: checking what a message carries, on top of the standard spam and malware filtering. Defender for Business works on the machine, catching something that has already started running. They are separate products, at $3 and $4 a seat.

Does it cover Macs and phones?

Yes. Windows, Mac, iOS and Android are all in scope.

Are servers covered?

Not by the base license. Server protection is a separate line, available on top of it.

Is it needed on top of Business Premium?

No. Business Premium already contains it, which is why the comparison page prices the two routes side by side.

Related licensing questions

Conditional access

Requiring a second factor, or blocking a sign-in from an unexpected place or an unmanaged device.

Intune device management

Wiping a lost laptop, requiring a PIN, enforcing encryption.

Data loss prevention

Labeling the files that matter and stopping them leaving by mail.

Teams Phone

The phone system inside Teams: numbers, voicemail, forwarding and call queues.

Copilot

Microsoft’s assistant working inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams.

Windows 365

A Windows desktop that runs in the cloud and opens on whatever device is to hand.

Check it against the plan you are on

The comparison page prices every plan and shows which of them already includes this.

See every plan compared
(844) 422-7000
CloudCentric · Mount Pleasant, SC · serving Charleston and the Lowcountry(844) 422-7000