E5 Security add-on announced for Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Microsoft has announced that Microsoft 365 E5 Security is available as an add-on to Microsoft 365 Business Premium.

A blog post on Microsoft's global site states that the Microsoft 365 E5 Security add-on is aimed at small and medium businesses (SMBs), providing what Microsoft says is a cost-effective solution with advanced security capabilities.

Building upon Business Premium's core security features, the E5 add-on provides several new and enhanced protections, including Microsoft Entra ID Plan; Microsoft Defender for Identity; Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2; Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2; and Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps.

Enhanced identity and access controls include advanced security and governance features through Microsoft Entra ID Plan 2, offering risk-based conditional access to block identity attacks in real-time using behavioural analytics and machine learning.

The package introduces Extended Detection and Response (XDR), delivering unified incident-level visibility across the attack lifecycle by consolidating multiple security solutions.

For device security, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 enhances the existing Defender for Business capabilities with advanced hunting and six months of data retention, along with endpoint security for IoT devices.

Email and collaboration security comes via Defender for Office 365 Plan 2, adding cyber-attack simulation training to help employees recognise phishing attempts, along with automated response capabilities and post-breach investigations.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is a SaaS solution designed to help IT teams identify and manage shadow IT, ensure only approved applications are used, and protect against sophisticated SaaS-based attacks.

(Prices above in US$.)

Microsoft said that purchasing E5 Security offers a 57 per cent saving compared to acquiring the individual products separately, making advanced cybersecurity more accessible for smaller businesses.

Microsoft's blog post stated that E5 Security can be bought at Microsoft's Security for SMBs site, or through partners. The offering wasn't visible on the Microsoft Australia Security for SMBs site at the time of writing. We have contacted Microsoft asking for clarification about Australian availability and pricing.