How to Migrate Symantec to Microsoft Defender?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is an enterprise endpoint security platform that offers a comprehensive solution to prevent, detect, investigate, and respond to complex threats. It uses cutting-edge technology built into Windows 10 and Windows 11 along with Microsoft cloud service to protect enterprise assets. Many enterprises that were using third-party anti-virus solutions such as Symantec are switching to Microsoft Defender for its superior capability and deep integration with other Microsoft solutions with which employees are already familiar. In this article, we will focus on migrating from Symantec to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

What Are the Advantages of Migrating from Symantec to Microsoft Defender?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a unified platform that offers much more than antivirus and endpoint protection. Here are the advantages of migrating from Symantec to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

• It includes advanced threat and vulnerability management capabilities for identifying, assessing, and remediating weaknesses across endpoints.
• It allows admins to implement attack surface reduction rules for protecting devices and applications from malicious attacks.
• The endpoint detection and response capabilities in Defender facilitate detecting, investigating, and responding to intrusion attempts and breaches.
• Securities operations teams can locate indicators and entities of known or potential threats using advanced hunting capabilities.
• Remediation action to resolve breaches can be initiated immediately using automated investigation and response capabilities.

How to Switch from Symantec to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?

Microsoft Defender Antivirus must be configured in the passive mode while devices are being onboarded to Defender for Endpoint. Once the endpoint protection features are being configured, Microsoft Defender Antivirus must be set to the active mode. After verifying that everything is working correctly, Symantec can be removed from the system. The migration process can be divided into three phases. Follow the migration process below to switch from Symantec to Defender for Endpoint.

• Preparation Phase

  • Update the devices and get Defender for Endpoint.
  • Grant access to the Microsoft 365 Defender portal to users based on roles and permissions.
  • Ensure that the device proxy and internet settings are configured to enable communication between the devices and Defender for Endpoint.

• Setting Up Defender for Endpoint

  • Once Microsoft Defender is enabled or reinstalled, set it to the passive mode.
  • Configure Defender for Endpoint, and add it to the exclusion list in Symantec. Similarly, add Symantec to the exclusion list for Microsoft Defender Antivirus.
  • Set up the device groups, collections, and organizational units, create antimalware policies, and configure real-time protection settings.

• Onboarding to Defender for Endpoint

  • Onboard the Windows devices to Defender for Endpoint using the Microsoft Device Manager, local scripts, or group policies, depending upon the devices.
  • Run a test while Microsoft Defender Antivirus is still in passive mode.
  • Update Microsoft Defender Antivirus and uninstall Symantec.
  • Enable Defender for Endpoint and ensure that it is running correctly.

Apps4Rent Can Help with Symantec to Microsoft Defender Migration

One of the most important advantages of Microsoft Defender over other platforms is that it integrates easily into the existing workflows involving other Microsoft solutions such as Azure Defender, Sentinel, Intune, and Teams. Defender for Endpoint, along with Microsoft 365 Defender and other Microsoft security solutions act as a unified enterprise defense suite for endpoint, identity, email, and applications.

As a Microsoft Gold Partner in several cloud competencies, and can help enterprises acquire and customize appropriate Microsoft 365 licenses with Defender and other security solutions to protect their digital assets. Contact our security experts, available 24/7/365 via phone, chat, and email for assistance.