Microsoft Defender is now also available as an app for smartphones, so it’s not just your Windows PC that can protect against viruses. This falls under Microsoft Defender for individuals and that in turn is part of certain subscriptions. What’s up with that?
The new security suite, called Microsoft Defender for individuals, is part of the Microsoft 365 Family and Personal plans and protects not only your PC or Mac against viruses, but also your iOS and Android device.
The functionalities of Defender differ per device. On an iPhone or iPad, there is no antivirus feature, Defender only offers protection against phishing on web pages. On Android devices, there is antivirus protection and you can run a scan to detect dangerous apps.
All your security suites in one place
In all versions of Defender you have a personal dashboard, with which you can gain insight into the security status of your computers, laptops, smartphones and tablets.
And that’s useful, given that you probably use different security software on different devices. For example, your PC can be protected with Norton, but your tablet with MacAfee. You can link these third-party security suites to Defender, allowing you to instantly monitor all your devices.
“To keep your personal information private and your data secure, people often use different security products,” Microsoft said. “All of these products use their own ways to monitor security risks and manage devices. This fragmentation makes it difficult to keep track of all online threats.”
Defender for individuals provides protection for multiple devices and provides tips for closing security holes. The central management application also continuously scans for threats to your data and devices and provides notifications in the event of threats and risks. If your devices are at risk, the tool will give you some tips for solving dangers.
Worth it?
Defender will not be a reason for most users to purchase a 365 Family and Personal subscription. Without one of these subscriptions, you cannot use Microsoft’s service, although you can try it for 30 days.
The software is primarily a handy extra to gain more insight into the security status of a large part of your devices. With the 365 Personal plan, you can add up to five devices to the Defender for Individuals dashboard. With the Family offer, this is up to thirty devices at the same time.
For a Personal subscription to 365 you pay 7.00 euros per month and for the Family plan 10.00 euros per month. You then get not only Defender, but also cloud storage, the use of Microsoft Office services such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint and several other extras. You can read everything you need to know about the Office 365 subscriptions in another article.
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