Ensuring Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is Turned On

The Microsoft 365 E5 developer program turns on Microsoft Defender service by default. But it’s best to ensure the service is turned on and working properly before you dig deep into it. To check whether Microsoft Defender is working as it is supposed to, follow the instructions below.

1. Select the Admin tab shown in Figure 1.



2. The Microsoft 365 admin center opens. Select the Show all option shown in Figure 2.



3. Scroll down and select the Security option under Admin Centers as shown in Figure 3.



4. The Microsoft 365 Security admin center [also known as Microsoft Defender portal] opens as shown in Figure 4.

Note: Microsoft Defender portal can also be accessed directly by clicking this link: https://security.microsoft.com



5. Scroll down and you will see a Secure Score card. It should show your tenant’s assessed security in percentage value as shown in Figure 5. If this is the case, then your Microsoft Defender service is turned on and working properly. [OR]



6. You can directly go to the Secure score page and check whether your tenant’s assessed security is showing up or not in percentage value as shown in Figure 6. [OR]



7. Click the Trials option in the navigation menu and check whether Microsoft Defender for 365 trial is active as shown in Figure 7.

Notes:

• Ensure you have filled up your organization settings. In case you haven’t, you may have trouble loading up certain sections of the Microsoft Defender portal. To configure the organization settings, you should navigate to Microsoft 365 Admin Center >> Settings dropdown >> Org Settings page >> Organization Profile tab >> Organization Information option.

What's Next?

Now that you have successfully set up your Microsoft 365 E5 developer account, in the next article, let’s start exploring the Microsoft Defender service.

How to use this guide?

It is best to read the articles in the order they are written. And since Microsoft 365 security is a vast topic, remember to watch out for this corner for new articles every week.

• Signing up with the 90-day free Microsoft 365 E5 Developer Program
• Ensuring Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is Turned On
• Microsoft Defender Preset Security Policy
• Deploying Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Standard and Strict Preset Security Policy
• Differences between Built-in, Standard, and Strict Preset Security Policies
• Creating Simulation Attacks for spreading security awareness among users
• Automating Simulation Attacks
• Creating Custom Policies for your organization security
• Safe Links Policy
• Safe Attachments Policy
• Anti-Spam Policy
• Anti-Phishing Policy
• Anti-Malware Policy

**** Articles marked in red will be uploaded soon! Keep an eye on this corner!