14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently announced that Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) would become available on Windows 7 and 8.1 starting this summer, thus offering Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) on computers that aren’t running its latest OS version.
With this release, Microsoft’s ultimate goal is to upgrade more enterprises to Windows 10 by letting them get a taste of what’s included in the new operating system.
Windows Defender ATP EDR will provide admins with a rich insight into threats on their endpoints, giving them a clear look at how all computers in their organizations are protected, regardless of the Windows version.
Windows Defender, the preferred AV solution
Microsoft recommends companies to pair EDR with Windows Defender, despite admitted that it can “run side-by-side with third-party antivirus solutions,” as its in-house security product makes it possible for security teams to “see all malware detections and trigger response actions to prevent the spread of malware, in the same console.”
“With Windows Defender ATP for Windows 10, Windows Server 2012R2 and 2016, now for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 and our partner integration for non-Windows devices, we give security teams a single solution to detect and respond to advanced attacks across the majority of their endpoints,” Rob Lefferts, Partner Director, Windows & Devices Group, Security & Enterprise, says.
Microsoft accelerating efforts to upgrade customers from Windows 7 to Windows 10 aren’t surprising and are very likely to gain even a faster pace in the coming months.
Windows 7 will reach end-of-support in January 2020, so consumers and organizations have less than 2 years to complete the upgrade to either Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. Statistics have shown that Windows 7 was running on more than 40% of the desktop systems across the world in January, and Microsoft wants to avoid hitting another Windows XP moment by preparing for EOL early.
It remains to be seen how the world is going to respond to this push of moving everyone to Windows 10, but for the time being, all these changes that Microsoft makes turn the new OS into a very appealing platform for both consumers and enterprises.