Microsoft Extending Threat Protection Portfolio, Unifying Security Solutions

Microsoft announced on Tuesday at its Ignite 2020 conference that it has extended its threat protection portfolio and it has unified some of its cybersecurity solutions.

The company says its goal is to provide the “most comprehensive” XDR solution on the market by unifying all XDR technologies under the Microsoft Defender brand. Microsoft Defender includes Microsoft 365 Defender, formerly Microsoft Threat Protection, and Azure Defender, which includes the cloud workload protections in the Azure Security Center.

Azure Defender, which provides XDR capabilities for Azure and hybrid resources, is expected to become the default later this month.

Microsoft says Azure Defender can now protect SQL servers in the cloud and on premises, as well as virtual machines in other clouds, thanks to Azure Act support. As for container security in Azure, the tech giant told customers that its Kubernetes and Container Registry services (now called Azure Defender for Kubernetes and Azure Defender for Container Registries) have received some new features that should provide enhanced protection for containers.

Azure Security Center for IoT is now called Azure Defender for IoT. The solution, powered by technology obtained from the recently acquired industrial cybersecurity firm CyberX, provides agentless protection for devices in OT networks.

“The integration enables continuous IoT/OT asset discovery, vulnerability management and threat monitoring for both greenfield and brownfield devices. Integration with Azure Sentinel, the security information and event manager (SIEM), provides OT-specific SOAR playbooks plus unified security monitoring and governance across both IT and OT networks,” Microsoft explained.

Microsoft Defender now also integrates with Azure Sentinel, the cloud-native SIEM.

Microsoft 365 Defender includes Defender for Endpoint (formerly Defender Advanced Threat Protection), which has been extended to the Android and iOS mobile platforms, providing protection against phishing, proactive scanning of apps and files, breach mitigation, and visibility into mobile threats.

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is the new name of Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection. Currently in public preview, the solution enables security teams to prioritize the protection of the most targeted individuals in their organization.

Microsoft also announced a new Compliance Manager that “offers a vast library of assessments for expanded regulatory coverage, built-in automation to detect tenant settings and step-by-step guidance for intuitive compliance management.”

The company also revealed that it has partnered with the MilGears program of the U.S. Department of Defense and Trident University for a decentralized identity pilot in which service members will be able to store a verified service record and transcript of completed courses on their phone in a digital wallet.

Also related to identity solutions, Microsoft introduced new connectors and APIs designed to help users protect their identities, services and apps across cloud environments.

Related: Microsoft Announces Public Preview of Application Guard for Office

Related: New Security Capabilities Announced for Microsoft 365, Azure