Many IT managers evaluating endpoint detection and response (EDR) platforms eventually come across Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

Defender for Endpoint has two versions: Plan 1 and Plan 2. Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 is Microsoft’s top-tier enterprise EDR system, designed for large organizations with tens of thousands of endpoints.

But what many IT managers don’t realize is that Microsoft offers another EDR solution that is extremely similar to Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 for companies with fewer than 300 users.

That product is Microsoft Defender for Business.

If you compare the feature list between Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 and Microsoft Defender for Business, they are nearly identical in many of the areas that matter most for endpoint security. The major difference is that Defender for Business is designed for smaller organizations and comes at a significantly lower cost.

In fact, Defender for Business is often roughly half the cost of Defender for Endpoint Plan 2.

But there is another important detail many organizations overlook.

While Defender for Business can be purchased as a standalone product, it is also included with Microsoft 365 Business Premium. When companies use Business Premium, Defender for Business becomes part of a broader integrated security platform inside Microsoft 365.

This allows organizations to combine multiple security services together, including:

  • Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 for email protection, link scanning, and file detonation
  • Microsoft Intune for device configuration, application management, and compliance enforcement
  • Azure Active Directory Premium Plan 1 for conditional access and single sign-on

When these systems are integrated together, the organization moves beyond traditional endpoint detection and response.

Instead of just protecting individual devices with EDR, the environment becomes an extended detection and response (XDR) platform.

In this model, multiple layers of security services work together as a single system. The platform verifies that:

  • Endpoint devices connecting to the network are healthy and secure
  • User identities accessing the system are valid and uncompromised
  • Company data remains protected in the cloud, on devices, and in transit between them

The result is a security architecture where devices, identities, and data are all monitored and protected together.

For organizations already operating within Microsoft 365, this integrated approach can provide enterprise-grade security capabilities without requiring multiple separate security vendors.

If you're evaluating Microsoft 365 security capabilities, you may also want to read: https://www.xerillion.com/microsoft-365-it-security-modernization/?

-Wayne