Microsoft Defender Suite [New Commerce Experience]
Microsoft Defender Suite
Microsoft Defender Suite, formerly Microsoft 365 E5 Security, is the enterprise security layer sold without the rest of E5. It carries Microsoft Entra ID P2, and therefore Identity Protection, risk-based Conditional Access and Privileged Identity Management, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2, and therefore endpoint detection and response, automated investigation and remediation and threat and vulnerability management. Its natural buyer is a Microsoft 365 E3 tenant that needs E5-level security but not the E5 compliance layer or the E5 productivity components, and would rather add one line than migrate every user.
What it is
Microsoft Defender Suite is the security half of Microsoft 365 E5, packaged as an add-on. Microsoft formerly published it as Microsoft 365 E5 Security.
Who it is for
Organisations on Microsoft 365 E3 that need enterprise security capability without moving the whole tenant to E5, and organisations that want the security layer but not the E5 compliance products.
Key capabilities
- Microsoft Entra ID P2: Microsoft Entra ID Protection, risk-based Conditional Access, Privileged Identity Management, access reviews, entitlement management
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2: endpoint detection and response, automated investigation and remediation, threat and vulnerability management, advanced hunting over six months of retained data
- Microsoft Defender products reporting into Microsoft Defender XDR
How to decide between this and E5
The honest comparison is by layer, not by feature list. E5 gives you the security layer and the compliance layer: Insider Risk Management, Communication Compliance, Advanced Audit and eDiscovery that can delete. This suite gives you the security layer only. If nothing in the compliance list is a live requirement, this is the narrower purchase; if two or three of them are, E5 usually wins on arithmetic.
Related lines that are not this
Microsoft also publishes a Defender Suite for Microsoft 365 Business Premium, which is the small business equivalent capped at 300 seats and requiring a Business Premium base, and frontline worker variants. They are separate products with separate prerequisites, so check which one a quote is actually on.
What was this called before?
Microsoft 365 E5 Security. Microsoft renamed it to Microsoft Defender Suite; the scope is the security layer of E5 sold as an add-on.
What does it not include that Microsoft 365 E5 does?
The compliance layer: Insider Risk Management, Communication Compliance, Advanced Audit and eDiscovery that can delete, along with the E5 productivity components.
Does it include Microsoft Entra ID P2?
Yes. Microsoft lists the Defender Suite among the offers that include Entra ID P2, which is what brings Identity Protection, risk-based Conditional Access and Privileged Identity Management.
Is this the same as the Business Premium version?
No. Microsoft Defender Suite for Microsoft 365 Business Premium is a separate product: it requires a Business Premium base licence and is capped at 300 seats. This one is the enterprise line.
Who is the typical buyer?
A Microsoft 365 E3 tenant that needs E5-level security and has no live requirement in the E5 compliance list, and would rather add one line than migrate every user.
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Category
- Security
- Type
- SaaS
- Billing
- Monthly
- Commitment
- 1-Year
- Available terms
- 1-Year, Monthly
- Unit price
- €9.70 /mo
- SKU
- MST-NCE-110-C100
Term or edition paths Microsoft allows this subscription to move to.
Optional attachments that extend this base licence.
Attachable SKUs from the same category. Check each add-on's prerequisites for base-licence eligibility.
- 1You prepay through ITSailor (Malta). VAT handled, reverse-charge for valid EU VAT IDs.
- 2We provision through Pax8 wholesale into your Microsoft tenant, with no third-party MSP markup.
- 3You keep the tenant. Sovereign by default: every engagement closes with an Exit Kit.
Pax8 wholesale, margin in the price
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management Add-on (Education Student Pricing) [New Commerce Experience]
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management add-on is available to Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 customers to access continuous asset visibility, in-depth vulnerability assessments, and risk-based prioritization to help teams address critical vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.
Microsoft Entra ID P1 (Education Student Pricing) [New Commerce Experience]
Microsoft Entra ID P1 provides single sign-on to thousands of cloud (SaaS) apps and access to web apps you run on-premises. Built for ease of use, Microsoft Entra ID P1 features multi-factor authentication (MFA); access control based on device health, user location, and identity; and holistic security reports, audits,
Microsoft Entra ID P2 (Education Student Pricing) [New Commerce Experience]
Microsoft Entra ID P2 includes all the capabilities of P1 plus advanced identity protection features such as Identity Protection, which helps detect potential vulnerabilities affecting your organization’s identities, and Privileged Identity Management, which helps manage, control, and monitor access within your organiz
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management (Education Student Pricing) [New Commerce Experience]
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management standalone is a comprehensive vulnerability management solution to access continuous asset visibility, in-depth vulnerability assessments, and risk-based prioritization to help teams address critical vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.