Microsoft recently announced that Windows Defender's Windows Defender's Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) feature will also be available in Windows 7 and 8.1 operating systems starting this summer.
The company will thus offer Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) on all systems it still supports with updates.
Windows Defender ATP EDR will give administrators a rich view of the threats that end up in their endpoints, providing more accurate information to help protect each company's systems.
Microsoft also advises companies to combine EDR with Windows Defender, although it may "run side-by-side with third-party virus protection solutions."
“With Windows Defender ATP for Windows 10, Windows Server 2012R2 and 2016, will also be available on Windows 7 and 8.1 providing security teams with a single solution for detecting and responding to advanced attacks,” said Rob Lefferts, Director of Windows & Devices, Security & Enterprise Partners.
Accelerating Microsoft's efforts to upgrade clients in Windows 7 is not surprising and is likely to accelerate in the coming months.
Windows 7 is reaching the end of support with updates from the company in January 2020, so consumers and organizations using the operating system have less than 2 years to complete the upgrade either to Windows 8.1 or on Windows 10.
Statistics show, however, that Windows 7 still works at 40% of online systems around the world.
It remains to be seen whether Microsoft's attractive offer will be adopted by consumers and businesses.
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