Defender Vulnerability Management: where it overlaps
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management
per user per month, excluding VAT
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Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is the standalone vulnerability management product: continuous asset visibility, in-depth vulnerability assessment, and risk-based prioritisation so teams work on the vulnerabilities and misconfigurations that matter rather than on the longest list. Before buying it, establish what you already hold, because vulnerability management is not sold in only one place. Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 carries threat and vulnerability management, Microsoft Defender for Business carries core vulnerability management, and Microsoft 365 E5 carries Plan 2. Defender for Endpoint Plan 1 carries none of it, and that is where the standalone product genuinely earns its place.
What it is
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is a standalone product covering asset visibility, vulnerability assessment and risk-based prioritisation, so remediation effort goes to the exposures that carry real risk.
Who it is for
Organisations that need vulnerability visibility and whose current endpoint licence does not include it, and organisations that want vulnerability management to reach beyond what an endpoint plan covers.
Check what you already hold, because this one overlaps in three places
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 includes threat and vulnerability management.
- Microsoft Defender for Business includes core vulnerability management capabilities, for organisations of up to 300 users.
- Microsoft 365 E5 includes Defender for Endpoint Plan 2, so it carries it too.
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 1 includes none of it, and neither does Microsoft 365 E3, whose endpoint component is Plan 1.
That last line is the case where this product is a genuine addition rather than a duplicate.
Key capabilities
- Continuous asset visibility across the estate
- In-depth vulnerability assessment
- Risk-based prioritisation of vulnerabilities and misconfigurations
- Identification of misconfigurations as well as missing patches
A note on the frontline worker variant
Microsoft also publishes Defender Vulnerability Management for FLW. It is a licensing variant priced for frontline workers rather than a different product aimed at frontline devices, and it carries its own prerequisite. Do not assume the two are interchangeable on a single quote.
Do I already have vulnerability management?
If you hold Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2, or Microsoft 365 E5 which includes it, yes. Microsoft Defender for Business carries the core capabilities for organisations up to 300 users. Defender for Endpoint Plan 1 and Microsoft 365 E3 do not.
When is the standalone product actually the right purchase?
Most often on Defender for Endpoint Plan 1 or Microsoft 365 E3, where the endpoint licence carries no vulnerability management at all.
What does risk-based prioritisation change in practice?
It orders the work. An assessment that returns everything is a list; prioritisation is what turns it into a queue a team can actually finish.
Is the FLW version the same product?
No. Defender Vulnerability Management for FLW is a licensing variant priced for frontline workers with its own prerequisite, not a version aimed specifically at frontline devices. Treat them as separate lines on a quote.
Does it cover misconfigurations as well as vulnerabilities?
Yes. Assessment covers misconfigurations alongside vulnerabilities, which matters because a hardening gap and a missing patch produce the same exposure.
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Category
- Security
- Type
- SaaS
- Billing
- Monthly
- Commitment
- 1-Year
- Available terms
- 1-Year, Monthly
- SKU
- MST-NCE-DV1-C100
- 1You request the licence, or add it to the cart.
- 2I confirm price, term and seats, and check your VAT number in VIES. Businesses in the EU only.
- 3You pay before we provision, under the CSP Marketplace Terms. The invoice comes from Michal Jatczak, a sole trader registered in Malta, trading as ITSailor. Reverse charge for an EU VAT number that validates in VIES.
- 4Your authorised signatory accepts the Microsoft Customer Agreement before activation.
- 5I place the order with Pax8 within one business day of payment.