Microsoft Delivers Threat Protection Bundle

At the Microsoft Ignite event this week, Microsoft unveiled Microsoft Threat Protection, a bundle of security solutions for enterprises.

The product doesn't contain any new security solutions, and that's a deliberate strategy taken by Microsoft, according to Adam Hall, director of security product marketing at Microsoft, during a Tuesday Ignite session. The idea behind Microsoft Threat Protection is to provide optimal security with minimal complexity for enterprises.

Hall said that organizations should be operating in a world where you assume a security breach has occurred and assume that you've been attacked. Moreover, anything can serve as an attack vector, from smartphones to laptops to Internet of Things (IoT) sensors. Microsoft's approach is to stay one step ahead by correlating collected security information, namely "6.5 trillion signals per day," which is done using Microsoft Graph information collected from consumers and businesses using Microsoft products. Microsoft additionally uses the expertise of "3,500+ in-house security specialists" to analyze threats, according to the company's announcement.

Microsoft Threat Protection includes multiple security solutions that Microsoft also sells separately, but they are all tied together through the Microsoft 365 Security Center, a single dashboard that provides a graphical overview of alerts, top threats, and the devices and accounts that could be at risk. The dashboard also includes Office 365 Secure Score, a service that shows Azure services being used, along with an overall assessment of an organization's security state. There are also e-mail and phishing protections displayed in the dashboard.

There are five broad categories of security protections addressed by the Microsoft Threat Protection product. The list below, which comes from Microsoft's announcement, illustrates the security services included in the product:

During the Ignite session, speakers also typically mentioned that Attack Simulator is part of the solution. It's a tool that lets IT pros send phishing e-mails to end users to check their susceptibilities to those avenues of attack.

Microsoft's announcement promised that "customers who leverage all the services in Microsoft Threat Protection will enjoy a fully integrated, end-to-end solution, securing their enterprise, across the entire attack surface."

Further information can be found on the Microsoft Secure blog.

About the Author

Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group.

Featured

  • students using digital devices, surrounded by abstract AI motifs and soft geometric design

    Ed Tech Startup Kira Launches AI-Native Learning Platform

    A new K-12 learning platform aims to bring personalized education to every student. Kira, one of the latest ed tech ventures from Andrew Ng, former director of Stanford's AI Lab and co-founder of Coursera and DeepLearning.AI, "integrates artificial intelligence directly into every educational workflow — from lesson planning and instruction to grading, intervention, and reporting," according to a news announcement.

  • horizontal stack of U.S. dollar bills breaking in half

    ED Abruptly Cancels ESSER Funding Extensions

    The Department of Education has moved to close the door on COVID relief funding for schools, declaring that "extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion."

  • lightbulb

    Register Now for Tech Tactics in Education: Overcoming Roadblocks to Innovation

    Tech Tactics in Education will return on Sept. 25 with the conference theme "Overcoming Roadblocks to Innovation." Registration for the fully virtual event is now open.

  • school building protected by a glowing blue shield with circuit patterns, blocking red-orange cyber threat icons

    Establishing a Proactive Defense Against Evolving Cyber Threats

    Here are six good starting points for K-12 districts that want to improve their cybersecurity mitigation strategies and take a more proactive approach to mitigating risk.