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  1. Cybersecurity
  2. Endpoint Security
Endpoint Security Dubai

Endpoint security that combines Defender XDR + Intune device management in one operating model.

Endpoints are still the most common ransomware entry point. Antivirus alone is no longer enough; endpoint security in 2026 means EDR (behavioural detection), device management (configuration enforcement), patch automation, and conditional access integration. We deploy and operate Microsoft Defender for Endpoint with Intune as the device management substrate, hardening every laptop, desktop, and mobile device against the threat landscape that matters in the UAE.

Book an endpoint security auditSee protection layers
Endpoint security console showing Defender XDR coverage across enterprise devices
  • EDRBehavioural detection
  • MDMDevice management
  • 5minP1 detection
  • Cross-OSWin, Mac, iOS, Android
Six layers of endpoint security

Six controls applied to every endpoint, every day.

Endpoint security is not a single product but six overlapping controls. We apply all six to every device in scope, monitor compliance daily, and remediate gaps within SLA. The combined effect cuts ransomware probability dramatically compared to AV-only deployments.

EDR (Defender for Endpoint)

Behavioural detection beyond signature-based AV. Attack-surface reduction rules, controlled-folder access, network-protection, automated investigation and response. Coverage for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.

Device management (Intune MDM)

Centralised configuration enforcement: BitLocker on, screen-lock policies, app-allowlisting, browser controls, USB restrictions on sensitive groups. Configuration drift detected and remediated automatically.

Patch automation

Windows Update for Business, third-party app patching (Chrome, Adobe, Java), monthly patch cycle, critical CVE patches within 5 business days of release. Compliance reported per device, per OS, per app.

Conditional access integration

Entra ID conditional access ties device compliance to resource access. Non-compliant devices blocked from M365, line-of-business apps, VPN. MFA enforced, sign-in risk monitored.

BYOD and mobile protection

App-protection policies on personal devices, no full-MDM enrolment required. Corporate data containerised in M365 apps; personal apps and photos untouched. Mobile threat defence for jailbreak / root / unsafe-network detection.

Monitoring and 24/7 SOC integration

Defender XDR alerts feed Microsoft Sentinel SIEM. SOC analysts triage endpoint incidents within SLA. Auto-investigation closes low-severity incidents; high-severity escalated to named engineers.

Why UAE businesses route endpoint security through us

Four reasons IT leaders choose our endpoint operating model.

Microsoft-native, no agent conflict

Defender + Intune integrate at the OS level. No third-party AV fighting Defender, no third-party MDM fighting Intune. Single console for endpoint operations, single ticket trail for incidents.

Cross-OS coverage from day one

Windows is straightforward; macOS and Linux are where many providers stumble. Defender for Endpoint supports all three at parity. We have rolled out across mixed fleets with finance teams on Windows, design teams on Mac, dev teams on Linux.

Hardened to UAE-relevant threats

Detection rules tuned for the campaigns we see most often in UAE tenants: Qakbot, Lumma Stealer, AsyncRAT, business email compromise. Local context that generic global rule sets miss.

Monthly compliance reporting

Per-device, per-OS, per-app compliance reported monthly. Patch lag, EDR coverage, BitLocker status, configuration drift. Audit-ready evidence for ISO 27001, PDPL, DFSA, ADGM, DHA submissions.

Endpoint security profiles

Six business profiles where endpoint security is non-negotiable.

Office knowledge workers

Laptops everywhere, BYOD common, M365 the main work surface. Defender + Intune is the right model.

Financial services and fintech

Customer data sensitivity, regulatory exposure. Endpoint hardening is a baseline regulator expectation.

Healthcare and clinical staff

Patient data, EMR access. Strict endpoint controls without breaking clinical workflow speed.

Retail and POS endpoints

Shared kiosks and POS terminals need lockdown configuration without breaking checkout flow.

Manufacturing engineers

Production-floor laptops connecting to OT systems need behaviour-based detection plus network segmentation.

Education devices

Student and faculty devices, mixed OS, BYOD. Intune scales across thousands of devices cleanly.

Endpoint security stack comparison

Four endpoint security stacks compared.

Signature-based detection
GR Defender + Intune
Legacy AV only
Third-party EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne)
No EDR, no MDM
Behavioural EDR detection
GR Defender + Intune
Legacy AV only
Third-party EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne)
No EDR, no MDM
Device configuration management
GR Defender + Intune
Legacy AV only
Third-party EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne)Need separate MDM
No EDR, no MDM
Patch automation
GR Defender + Intune
Legacy AV only
Third-party EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne)Need separate tool
No EDR, no MDM
Conditional access integration
GR Defender + Intune
Legacy AV only
Third-party EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne)Need separate IAM
No EDR, no MDM
Cross-OS (Win, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android)
GR Defender + Intune
Legacy AV onlyWin-only often
Third-party EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne)
No EDR, no MDM
BYOD without full enrolment
GR Defender + Intune
Legacy AV only
Third-party EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne)Variable
No EDR, no MDM
Native Microsoft tenant integration
GR Defender + Intune
Legacy AV only
Third-party EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne)
No EDR, no MDM
Total licence cost vs comparable stack
GR Defender + IntuneIncluded in E5/M365 BP
Legacy AV onlyCheap, low value
Third-party EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne)Highest
No EDR, no MDMFree, high incident cost
Single console for SOC
GR Defender + Intune
Legacy AV only
Third-party EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne)Separate from M365 events
No EDR, no MDM
Feature
GR Defender + Intune
Legacy AV only
Third-party EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne)
No EDR, no MDM
Signature-based detection
Behavioural EDR detection
Device configuration management
Need separate MDM
Patch automation
Need separate tool
Conditional access integration
Need separate IAM
Cross-OS (Win, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android)
Win-only often
BYOD without full enrolment
Variable
Native Microsoft tenant integration
Total licence cost vs comparable stack
Included in E5/M365 BPCheap, low valueHighestFree, high incident cost
Single console for SOC
Separate from M365 events
How endpoint security ramps

From baseline to full coverage in 6 weeks.

Endpoint security onboarding is structured to avoid the typical pitfalls: agent conflicts on existing devices, BitLocker recovery-key loss during config rollout, user pushback on suddenly-locked USB ports. We sequence rollout carefully.
  1. 1

    Baseline assessment

    1 week

    Current endpoint state inventoried: OS mix, existing AV, MDM coverage, patch status, BitLocker, BYOD posture. Gaps prioritised by exploitability.

  2. 2

    Defender and Intune deployment

    2 weeks

    Defender for Endpoint deployed across all in-scope devices, existing AV decommissioned in sequence. Intune enrolment for corporate devices. Initial configuration baselines applied (BitLocker, screen lock, screen-saver, USB policy on sensitive groups).

  3. 3

    Conditional access and tuning

    2 weeks

    Entra ID conditional access policies live: device compliance required for M365 and line-of-business apps. False positives in EDR tuned out. User-facing change communication and short training video rolled out.

  4. 4

    Steady state operations

    Continuous

    Defender XDR feeds Sentinel SOC; analysts triage endpoint incidents. Monthly patch cycle running. Monthly compliance report. Quarterly review with security roadmap and emerging-threat coverage.

“We ran Sophos endpoint protection for years. It worked but did not detect the credential-theft attempt that hit us in early 2026. Defender XDR caught the same TTP in our pilot before we even completed migration. The Intune-driven configuration enforcement also closed three audit findings we had been carrying for two years. Single console, lower total cost than the old stack, materially better detection.”
IT Director
IT leadership · DIFC-licensed firm, 250 endpoints
Credential-theft attempt caught at pilot stage
Endpoint security FAQ

What IT and security leads ask before engaging.

For most UAE businesses, yes. Defender XDR (Defender for Endpoint Plan 2) consistently scores in the leader quadrant of Gartner and MITRE ATT&CK evaluations alongside CrowdStrike and SentinelOne. The decision usually comes down to licensing efficiency (Defender is included with M365 E5 / Business Premium, others are separate) and integration depth with M365.

Defender supports Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android at parity. Intune enrols all five for management. We have rolled this out across mixed fleets where the design team is Mac, the dev team is Linux, the finance team is Windows.

Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 (full EDR) is included in M365 E5 Security, M365 E5, or as standalone. Defender for Business is the SMB-targeted variant included in M365 Business Premium. Intune is included in M365 E3, E5, Business Premium, or as standalone. We advise on the right licensing during scoping.

Only if you run both. The deployment sequence we use is: Defender deployed in passive mode, existing AV decommissioned in batches, Defender promoted to active. Rollback is straightforward at each batch boundary. Tested across 100s of UAE endpoints with no production incident.

Yes via app-protection policies. Personal devices do not need full MDM enrolment. Corporate data is containerised within M365 apps; outside the app boundary your personal photos, contacts, and apps are untouched. This is the recommended model for BYOD in the UAE.

Conditional access can require device compliance for access to M365 and line-of-business apps. Non-compliant devices get blocked or pushed to a web-only experience with no local data caching. Same policy works for guest accounts and external collaborators.

Recovery keys escrowed automatically to Entra ID. Service desk retrieves the recovery key for the user. We test the recovery-key retrieval procedure quarterly so it works in anger, not just in theory. Lost recovery keys are the single most common BitLocker pain point and we engineer around it.

Some changes are visible (BitLocker boot, screen lock, USB restrictions on sensitive groups, conditional access prompts). We pre-communicate, document the change clearly, train support staff. After two weeks the new normal is invisible to users.
Related cybersecurity services

Services that pair with endpoint security.

Microsoft Defender

Full Defender XDR stack: endpoint, email, identity, cloud apps.

Learn more

Microsoft Intune

Device management and configuration enforcement.

Learn more

SOC-as-a-Service

24/7 monitoring that ingests Defender XDR signals.

Learn more
Endpoint security, ready when you are

Book a free endpoint security audit and get a written gap report.

A one-week audit across the six endpoint controls. Output: written gap report with prioritised remediation roadmap and licence-optimisation recommendations.

Book an endpoint auditSee managed security

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