Microsoft today announced that it is bringing Windows Defender — its anti-virus app for Windows — to Mac. While many might argue that an anti-virus might not be necessary on a Mac, that’s not really the truth.

Microsoft is now calling Windows Defender as Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection, instead of Windows Defender ATP. With the service coming to the Mac, it makes sense for the company to drop the ‘Windows’ moniker from the name.

Microsoft is also making Threat and Vulnerability Management (TVM) feature available in Microsoft Defender ATP which means it will offer real-time detection of system vulnerabilities, built-in remediation process, and more.

For now, Microsoft Defender ATP is available as a limited preview for Mac users. The preview version is compatible with macOS Mojave, High Sierra, and Sierra. Microsoft Defender will piggyback on the company’s AutoUpdate software for its Office suite of apps to automatically stay up to date.

If you are already a Microsoft Defender ATP customer, you can apply to be a part of the Mac preview program here.

It does make sense for Microsoft to bring Defender to Macs since the enterprise market user base is a mix of Windows and Macs. With this move, the company will be able to better protect its enterprise customers irrespective of which platform they are on. Microsoft Defender ATP is only available for enterprise customers and it is unclear if Microsoft will also release a standalone version of Microsoft Defender for regular users.

[Via Microsoft]

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