Welcome to the Late Night Brew series, where we bring you the best of both worlds: delightful brews and insightful discussions on cutting-edge technology. In this episode, we’re diving into the world of cybersecurity with a focus on Microsoft Defender, an exceptional suite of cybersecurity technologies. Join Robert Buktenica and Jonathan Hazelden as they sip on their favorite brews and explore the evolution of Microsoft Defender, its comprehensive suite of products, and how it has transformed into a world-class security solution. For a comprehensive guide on Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, don’t forget to check out our latest offering – The Complete Guide to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint So grab a brew, sit back, and let’s unravel the world of Microsoft Defender!
TIMESTAMP
00:07 – Introduction
00:44 – The Brew
01:23 – What is Microsoft Defender?
03:02 – Differences Between Windows Defender and Microsoft Defender?
04:55 – The Power of Integration
06:17 – Real-Time Protection and Response
TRANSCRIPT
Introduction
Robert Buktenica: Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the Late Night Brew, where we talk the brews first, then we get around what we’re supposed to after the fact. Joining me, again, is Jonathan Hazelden. Jon, welcome back, buddy.
Jonathan Hazelden: Thanks, Buck, it’s good to be back for another brew, and luckily, I brought one with me, again.
Robert: Well, you know, my annoying messages on the side to remind you if you’d help with that. Today, we’re going to be continuing the dive into the Defender Suite, Microsoft Defender, excuse me, what it is.
The Brew
Robert: However, first, just like I said, we got to talk the important stuff first, what brew are you having with me?
Jonathan: I have brought exactly what I had last time, because I have a whole case of them, which is Angelo Poretti, Italian lager.
Robert: That must mean it’s good, in my opinion.
Jonathan: Yes, it’s good. It’s very good.
Robert: I am continuing with the new stuff, it’s Juicy Little Thing, IPA. It’s a nice one, it’s not too hoppy. It’s got a little bit of a kick to it, so pretty easy drinking, and good for this type of interview.
What is Microsoft Defender?
Robert: Getting into it, what is exactly Microsoft Defender?
Jonathan: Microsoft Defender is a world-class suite of cybersecurity and technologies. Essentially, it covers a multitude of products under the actual suite. There’s Microsoft Defender which is the overarching technology under that, we’ve got various different products like Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender for Identity, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, Microsoft Defender for Cloud which is more the Azure side of things. It’s really a whole suite of products which has expanded massively over the last few years.
Robert: It definitely has been, I’ll call it, interesting to watch. No one ever looked at Microsoft as a security vendor. If you go back, seven years ago even, less than a decade. I remember many discussions of, “Oh, email hygiene, you want a third-party. Microsoft does all right, versus now, I feel they’re pretty close to parody in terms of their feature and usefulness.
Jonathan: Yes, absolutely. We can talk about that.
Differences Between Windows Defender and Microsoft Defender?
Jonathan: We can talk about the differences between what used to be called Windows Defender, and now it’s the Microsoft Defender. The name’s actually changed be it not that much. Historically, Windows Defender was essentially like another antivirus product that just ran on top of Windows.
Robert: A well-housed icon on your taskbar.
Jonathan: Yes, exactly. That’s all gone now. They run like most other antivirus products, not being as good, and that’s why most people had third party products.
Whereas now, Microsoft being quite clever and actually if you focus on Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and this sort of antivirus area, it’s now embedded in the operating system. It’s not a separate thing. It’s useful, also clever for Microsoft to actually include it within the operating system. It’s already there, it’s not something you have to install.
They’ve invested heavily in cybersecurity and obviously expanding Microsoft Defender. As I said before, the multitude of products within the suite, so they are now world-class in comparison to the others.
A lot of companies, especially ones that are using Microsoft 365, a lot of the licensing, Defender is included, internal licenses. It’s really bringing a lot of customers away from those classic third party products back to Microsoft.
The Power of Integration
Robert: I know we’ll touch on it later, the ability for everything to be on the same ecosystem, to send signals across the different products, and really enabling a bit of– It’s not even machine learning or AI, it’s just there’s now so much information that it can talk with and pickup on signals. You gain a lot of automation. I’ll call it, it’s pretty sleek when you get everything talking and set up the way you like it.
Jonathan: Yes, absolutely. These products, generally, they’re all integrated. From a visibility point of view, within the Cloud, there’s essentially one portal where you can go, Microsoft Defender portal, which integrates the endpoint, integrates the identity, integrates the Cloud up, et cetera, all in one place so you can monitor and have visibility of all these different signals that are going on within that environment.
Robert: In true Microsoft fashion, the Defender portal, for those not in the know, used to be called the security portal which used to be the security in compliance portal. Microsoft keeping up with their love of renaming things.
Real-Time Protection and Response
Jonathan: Yes, and I’ll just say one of the biggest improvements has been is now not just an antivirus product that runs on an endpoint that occasionally gets updates. It has now full real time endpoint protection and response capabilities, which is powered by the Cloud, essentially. Any new threats that come in, zero day attacks, et cetera. It’s all real time and it’s scanning, it’s essentially scanning your systems real time. It’s a report, real time.
Robert: That is a futuristic, cool point to end on, as I’ll call it, having been a child of the Cloud or stream way back when. Thank you, Jonathan, as always for joining me. It’s a pleasure, it’s been interesting. I’m looking forward to our next episode, which keep your eyes out for.
Our contact information is below, as always, please feel free to reach out if you want to know more. Until then, take care, buddy. Cheers.
To watch other Late Night Brew episodes and explore more cybersecurity insights, check out our series playlist. If you have any questions or want to learn more about how Microsoft Defender can enhance your organization’s security, feel free to contact us.
