Understanding Microsoft Defender for IoT

• Microsoft Defender for IoT helps secure and manage operational technology, Internet of Things devices, and Enterprise IoT devices.
• The service can help discover devices and device state, configurations, and potential vulnerabilities.
• Customers who need a way to protect their embedded devices should consider third-party options, as Microsoft has been investing very little in this space since 2020.

Microsoft Defender for IoT is an Azure service that uses network-based discovery and Azure IoT Hub to help customers discover the state of their Internet of Things (IoT), Enterprise IoT (EIoT), and operational technology (OT) devices. The role of the service is to report on security incidents on and between these embedded devices and surface those incidents within the Microsoft Defender XDR portal and Microsoft’s Sentinel security information and event management (SIEM) service. Defender for IoT is not an active detection and response tool in the same manner as Defender for Endpoint EDR (endpoint detection and response). The service is licensed either based on the number of Microsoft E5 subscriptions or with a site license but will typically require additional costs for other supporting Azure services.