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On June 1, 2023, Microsoft Defender for IoT moved to site-based licensing for organizations looking to protect their operation technology (OT) environments. The previous Azure consumption model for this solution will no longer be available for purchase by new customers. Existing customers can choose to transition to site-based licensing or remain on the consumption model.
In today’s digital transformation, operational technology (OT) has become an important part of various industries, from power plants and manufacturing facilities to transportation systems and healthcare institutions. While OT systems play an essential role in smoothly operating critical infrastructure, adversaries often target vulnerabilities in these interconnected systems causing severe business and operational disruption, financial losses, reputational damage, and more. Microsoft Defender for IoT helps organizations reduce these risks by enabling security teams to identify and remediate vulnerable OT systems in their environment – limiting exposure to threats like ransomware and targeted malware attacks.
To help organizations evolve their defenses against the growing attacks on OT environments, we are thrilled to announce site-based licensing for Defender for IoT. This new model brings increased price predictability and flexibility to organizations with sites that vary in size by offering a tiered approach based on the maximum number of OT devices looking to be protected per site. With this solution, organizations can easily determine and manage the cost of securing their OT systems. We believe that by introducing site-based licensing, we are making it more convenient than ever for organizations to empower security teams with the tools needed to manage and protect their operational technology.
Note: A site is a physical location (facility, campus, office building, hospital, rig, etc.).
How site-based licensing works
Organizations that want to secure their OT environments with Defender for IoT will now be able to purchase annual licenses with standard pricing based on the maximum number of OT devices they wish to protect at each individual site. Prices are flat rates for each site size and are not prorated based on the numbers of devices. Site sizes are determined by the maximum number of devices per site.
Note: Defender for IoT site entitlement is licensed annually with standard pricing respective to each site tier.
For example, if an organization wanted to secure all OT devices with Defender for IoT across three of its sites – where site one has 90 OT devices, site two has 700 devices, and site three has 25 devices, the organization would have to buy an Extra-Small license for site one, a Large license for site two, and another Extra-Small license for site three.
Note: For scenarios where an organization wants to secure over 5000 OT devices at a single site, we ask that they contact their Microsoft sales representative.
Let us know what you think
We are excited to provide organizations with a more convenient way to consume Defender for IoT in a manner that is flexible enough to accommodate varying site sizes, while also being predictably priced. If you have any feedback, please feel free to let us know in the comments below.
To learn more about Defender for IoT visit our webpage and MS Learn
Brought to you by Dr. Ware, Microsoft Office 365 Silver Partner, Charleston SC.
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