Microsoft opens top-tier Defender ATP security to Windows 7 PCs

[Karlston]

Windows Defender ATP, which can detects ongoing attacks on corporate networks and recommend a response, is now available for Windows 7 and 8.1.

Thinkstock / Microsoft

Microsoft's Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) service is now available for PCs running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.

 

The decision to add devices powered by those operating systems was first announced a year ago. At the time, Microsoft said ATP's Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) functionality would be available for the older OSes by summer 2018.

 

Windows Defender ATP is a service that detects ongoing attacks on corporate networks, then follows up to investigate the attack or breach and provides response recommendations and attack remediation. Software baked into Windows 10 detects attacks, while a central management console allows IT administrators to monitor the status of covered devices and react if necessary. Adding the EDR client software to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 PCs gives enterprise IT the same visibility into those machines as it has had into Windows 10 systems.

 

Both last year and last week, Microsoft explained the extension of ATP coverage as a way for companies to better protect their environments when they're part way through a Windows 10 migration. "To help customers stay secure while upgrading to Windows 10, we've built an EDR solution for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 that is simple to deploy and seamless to end-users," wrote Heike Ritter, a security product manager on the ATP team, in a post to a company blog.

 

Windows Defender ATP is a component within the most expensive Windows 10 licenses, such as those provided by the subscription-based Windows 10 Enterprise E5 or Microsoft 365 E5. (The company touts ATP as the differentiator between those SKUs (stock-selling units) and the tier-lower bundles.) Microsoft now also sells ATP as an add-on to Microsoft 365 E3 - one of those lower-tier subscriptions - for an extra $12 per user per month.

 

Microsoft put into place the Windows 7 integration just 11 months before the operating system is set to fall off the company's support list. (Windows 8.1 simply doesn't matter; not only was it largely ignored by businesses, its January 2019 user share was only 6% of all Windows PCs.) Given the late date - again, Microsoft originally had aimed for a mid-2018 launch date for inclusion of Windows 7 - the firm may be mostly counting on adoption by customers who will pay for extending Windows 7 support. That additional support, labeled "Windows 7 Extended Security Updates" (ESU), will be sold in one-year increments for up to three years, with prices ranging from $25 to $200 per PC per year.

 

Because Microsoft wants customers to migrate as many machines as possible to Windows 10's Enterprise - the most expensive of the operating system's editions - it discounts ESU to subscribers of Windows 10 Enterprise and Microsoft 365 Enterprise. Coincidentally, those are the same licenses - their E5 versions, specifically - that are required for Windows Defender ATP. Microsoft may be hoping that ATP's availability will prompt customers to obtain Windows 10 Enterprise or Microsoft 365 Enterprise licenses for their Windows 7 machines now, so that IT can configure the covered PCs now, rather than later, after support runs out.

 

More information about ATP and Windows 7, including instructions for including Windows 7 PCs in ATP monitoring, is available on Microsoft's website.

 

Source: Microsoft opens top-tier Defender ATP security to Windows 7 PCs (Computerworld - Gregg Keizer)

[The AchieVer]

Microsoft's Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection service now available for Windows 7, 8.1 clients

Microsoft's Windows Defender ATP service, which provides pre- and post-breach detection and investigation, is finally generally available for Windows 7 and 8.1.

 

 

 

In February 2018, Microsoft officials announced they planned to make the Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) available for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. The targeted delivery date for general availability on those platforms was summer 2018. On February 22, Microsoft officials blogged that Windows Defender ATP Endpoint Protection was now generally available for Windows 7 and 8.1. 

What was the holdup? I've asked Microsoft for comment, but no word back yet. The February 22 blog post announcing availability noted that since public preview, Microsoft has been working with customer to "validate, finetune and refine the service." Update: A company spokesperson said that statement in the blog is all that Microsoft will share on the timing.

Here's what we do know. Windows Defender ATP can help provide attack detection and investigation on supported Windows versions. Windows Defender ATP provides preventative protection; post-breach detection and automated investigation and response. In addition to Windows 10, the current list of supported Windows client versions now includes Windows 7 Service Pack (SP) 1 Enterprise; Windows 7 SP1 Pro; Windows 8.1 Enterprise and Windows 8.1 Pro. 

Windows Defender ATP is built into Windows 10 Enterprise. Defender ATP is different from Windows Defender, Microsoft's free antivirus service that's bundled into various Windows versions. Defender ATP (codenamed "Seville" is a post-breach service, meant to help detect threats that have made it past other defenses, give users means to investigate breaches and offer suggested responses.

Starting with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, Microsoft officials began describing Windows Defender ATP as a suite of tools, which includes Defender Application Guard, Defender Device Guard, and Defender Antivirus.

Microsoft is planning to drop support for Windows 7 on January 14, 2020, but will continue to provide security updates for that version of Windows for three additional years for customers who purchase Extended Security Updates or purchase the still-as-yet-unavailable Windows Virtual Desktop service. Microsoft will charge users who want to buy Extended Security Updates per device and will charge those running Windows 7 Pro more than Windows 7 Enterprise.

 

 

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[Matt]

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