Microsoft Defender for Endpoint in Depth

With more than 20 years of industry experience and relevant certifications, Paul (Huijbregts) Snow has a long history of working with customers across the world, leveraging his passion for (Microsoft) security solutions – and being brutally honest about them.Working at Microsoft as a Principal Product Manager, he remains a seasoned technologist and a subject matter expert in endpoint and cloud security. He currently spearheads a team of product managers developing endpoint security features and solutions across operating systems and environments, focusing primarily on management and deployment. His motto is: “I drink beer and I know Microsoft security things.” Ruairidh (Ru) Campbell is a Microsoft MVP and Microsoft Security Practice Lead at Threatscape. There, he heads up a team of award-winning Microsoft security pros, and development of Overwatch, a Microsoft 365-centric security posture platform addressing the challenges of Entra, Defender, Intune, Purview, and Copilot. In the cybersecurity community, Ru runs the Microsoft 365 Security & Compliance user group and his blog, regularly speaks at other user groups and conferences, and publishes technical deep dives on YouTube. Ru holds a B.Sc. (Distinction) in computer networking from the University of the West of Scotland and, away from cybersecurity, spends his time with his wife and daughter (who he's trying, with mixed results, to grow into a fellow metalhead). Ian Hoyle worked in the IT field for over 30 years, since the inception of the internet in Australia, as a research scientist, a principal infrastructure architect at the world's largest mining company, and more recently at Microsoft, holding a number of technical roles, finally as a senior security technical specialist. His interest in IT security was triggered by a visit to Israel in 2016 for the internal launch of Seville, called Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection on release. That moment changed his working career, thereafter completely focusing on Defender security. He received two BSc (Hons) degrees in theoretical physics and geophysics too long ago (!!) and then went on to receive a Ph.D. in geophysics. Like so many people in engineering and science, he ended up in IT and in the security field, which he loves. Joe Anich has 15 years of experience in the IT industry ranging from endpoint management with a focus on SCCM and Intune to endpoint security and incident response. Currently working on Microsoft's Detection and Response Team (DART), he works closely with customers during critical moments. Working in incident response has given Joe insight into SOC operations and how to help teams around the world improve their security posture as a whole. Outside of work, Joe enjoys running around the house with his 2-year-old son playing “chase me.” Fun fact: During the late 90s, Joe could be found at the roller-skating rink most Friday nights, gliding around the rink with a super rope in hand, maybe in JNCOs or Lee Pipes, vibing to 90s hip hop. Justen Graves is a security engineer with 14 years of IT experience. Most of his career has been focused on endpoint enablement and security, with the last 4 years spent at Microsoft. Currently working in Microsoft's Cyber Defense Operations Center, their internal SOC, he uses tools such as Microsoft Defender for Endpoint every day to defend corporate Microsoft from attack. Justen has a BS in cybersecurity and an MBA. He holds many industry certifications, including CISSP, PMP, and GSEC, and several Microsoft certifications, including Azure Solutions Architect Expert and Enterprise Administrator Expert. Starting his career at Walmart and managing to never relocate, he resides in Northwest Arkansas with his wife and three children.

• Table of ContentsA Brief History of Microsoft Defender for EndpointExploring Next-Generation ProtectionIntroduction to Attack Surface ReductionUnderstanding Endpoint Detection and ResponseDefending Mobile DevicesPlanning and Preparing for DeploymentConsiderations for Deployment and ConfigurationRolling Out to ProductionTuning and SItuational OptimizationsManaging and Maintaining the Security PostureEstablishing Security OperationsTroubleshooting Common IssuesReference Guide, Tips, and Tricks