Get Stronger Endpoint Protection with Managed Microsoft Defender
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Managed Microsoft Defender for Greater Endpoint Protection
Managed Microsoft Defender for Greater Endpoint Protection
Huntress Managed EDR integrates with Microsoft Defender to deliver greater endpoint protection, enhanced visibility, and faster response while maximizing your security budget.
The Best Offense Is a Good Defender
Huntress Managed EDR can be used with any antivirus solution, but when combined with Microsoft Defender Antivirus it's even better! Not only will you save money, but you'll get better protection and save time by having us do the work for you.
When you pair Microsoft Defender Antivirus with Huntress EDR, we'll manage it for you at no additional cost. We will also apply Huntress' expertise to optimize its protections to make it even more effective.
With multi-tenant support from the Huntress Agentic Security Platform, we centrally manage configurations, exclusions, detections, scans and protections, and execute remediation actions for all protected endpoints.
Huntress Managed EDR integrates with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Business, and Endpoint for macOS to improve threat monitoring, detection, and response. We supplement our EDR telemetry with additional insight from these solutions.
See Managed Microsoft Defender in Action
Managed Microsoft Defender
A Proven Product
Microsoft Defender consistently ranks as a top product for antivirus and endpoint protection. Its coverage and performance easily competes with comparable solutions.
Protect at Scale
Managed Microsoft Defender easily scales across organizations. Get expert- recommended settings, customizable configurations, a top-down view of all endpoints, and reporting, in one location.
Maximize Investments
Managed Microsoft Defender not only increases your ROI, it frees you to reallocate additional budget or investments toward other security projects, like identity protection, awareness training, and SIEM.
Huntress + Microsoft: Better Together
Microsoft builds the controls. Huntress runs them.
Managed Microsoft Defender is the clearest example of that. Instead of asking you to rip out what's already built into Windows, we take Defender AV and make it fully operational: configured, tuned, monitored, and backed by a 24/7 AI-centric SOC. Then we layer Huntress-only detection on top for the outcomes Microsoft doesn't ship as a managed service, like Ransomware Canaries and Persistent Footholds detection.
Microsoft gives you the license. Huntress gives you the operator.
See the full breakdown of what Microsoft provides and what Huntress adds →
FAQs about Huntress Managed Antivirus
No. Huntress does not sell a separate antivirus engine. Huntress Managed EDR can work alongside Microsoft Defender Antivirus, and Managed Microsoft Defender is included with Managed EDR for supported Windows endpoints.
Huntress can centrally manage supported Defender Antivirus configurations, exclusions, scans, and detections through the Huntress Platform at no additional Huntress charge. The service is backed by Huntress's 24/7 AI-centric SOC.
Microsoft Defender provides an important prevention layer. Huntress adds the operational support needed to manage supported Defender Antivirus settings, monitor relevant detections, investigate suspicious activity, and respond to confirmed threats.
Managed EDR also adds Huntress Agent telemetry and Huntress-native detection capabilities, including Persistent Footholds, Ransomware Canaries, and malicious process behavior monitoring.
On supported Windows endpoints, Huntress can centrally manage Microsoft Defender Antivirus configurations, exclusions, scans, protections, and detections through the Huntress Platform. The Platform also provides visibility into Defender health, policy compliance, tamper-protection status, risky exclusions, alerts, and investigated signals.
Huntress also uses its own Agent telemetry and can ingest additional telemetry from Microsoft Defender for Business and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Capabilities vary by operating system.
Yes. Managed EDR integrates with Defender for Business, Defender for Endpoint, and Defender for Endpoint for macOS. We use each as an added telemetry source on top of Huntress's own agent, giving you a fuller picture of what's happening across your endpoints without buying a second engine.
Microsoft Defender and Huntress provide complementary layers of protection. Huntress adds its own endpoint telemetry and detection capabilities, including:
Ransomware Canaries, which monitor decoy files for unexpected modification, renaming, deletion, or encryption-related activity.
Persistent Footholds detection, which looks for mechanisms attackers may use to maintain access.
Malicious process behavior monitoring, including suspicious use of legitimate tools.
When a signal requires investigation, the Huntress SOC evaluates the available context and determines whether the activity is benign or malicious. Confirmed threats can generate an incident report and support response actions. Ransomware Canaries provide an early warning signal; they do not prevent ransomware or stop its spread by themselves.
You do not need a paid Microsoft Defender or Entra license to use Huntress Managed EDR. Managed EDR can operate with the built-in Microsoft Defender Antivirus on supported Windows endpoints, and Managed Microsoft Defender is included with Managed EDR.
Microsoft licensing is required for Microsoft-specific integrations. For example, Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes Defender for Business, Microsoft 365 E3 includes Defender for Endpoint Plan 1, and Microsoft 365 E5 includes Defender for Endpoint Plan 2. These integrations also require Microsoft Defender to be deployed and configured in the tenant. You do not need to upgrade your Microsoft license solely to use Huntress Managed EDR.
Huntress's 24/7 AI-centric SOC monitors and investigates supported security telemetry. For Microsoft Defender integrations, applicable Medium- and High-severity Defender events are triaged by the SOC. Lower-severity events may be used as investigation context rather than escalated as incidents.
When the SOC confirms malicious activity, Huntress creates an incident report with findings and recommended next steps. Supported response actions depend on the product, configuration, available telemetry, permissions, and incident severity.
Microsoft Defender Antivirus is an important prevention layer, and its performance varies by test and test date. No single antivirus product provides every component of detection, investigation, and response.
Managed EDR complements Defender with Huntress Agent telemetry, detection capabilities such as Persistent Footholds and Ransomware Canaries, and 24/7 SOC investigation and response. Together, these capabilities address both prevention and the operational work required when suspicious activity is detected.
