4 Key Features and Benefits of the Microsoft E5 Security Add-On

Quick Answer:

The Microsoft E5 security add-on delivers four key features and benefits: Microsoft Defender for Identity, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2, Azure Sentinel integration and the Microsoft 365 E5 management dashboard. Together, these tools strengthen identity and endpoint protection, enable proactive threat hunting, simplify compliance and provide a unified view of security posture, ultimately giving organizations enterprise-grade defense in a cost-effective bundle.

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As many industry leaders are well aware, the current cyber-threat and regulatory landscape task decision-makers with carrying out proactive measures to safeguard confidential and valuable digital assets. With data stored in the cloud and accessed from a variety of endpoint devices, sensitive information has never been more vulnerable to the schemes of cybercriminals. Fortunately, the Microsoft E5 security add on helps growing enterprises stay ahead of hacking dangers.

The Microsoft 365 E5 security package provides determined cybersecurity protections with a slate of advanced measures that insulate digital information from the reach of threat actors while simplifying compliance. By deploying the E5 security add on, mid-sized and emerging organizations minimize their network’s attack surface and augment their ability to detect, deter and repel even the more sophisticated hackers. By taking a deep dive into the features and benefits of the Microsoft E5 security add on, the cybersecurity experts at Red River hope business professionals and IT leaders will be better positioned to make informed decisions about critical next steps.

What is the Microsoft 365 E5 Security Add On?

For those who do not necessarily work in the managed IT or cybersecurity callings, it may make more sense to think about the E5 security add on as a bundle. It is comprised of a group of cutting-edge data security tools that deliver enterprise-grade protections across an entire network. This means that information and assets stored in multiple cloud platforms, which are routinely accessed by numerous users, enjoy maximum security. For example, Microsoft 365 E5 security stands watch over user identities, endpoints, electronic transmissions and storage. It also gives corporate ventures automated threat detection, truncated response times and the scalable ability to minimize risk.

Why the E5 Security Add On is Essential

In a Red River blog post in April 2025, called “Managed EDR Can Keep You Safe – Here’s How,” we took the time to publish the hard data regarding endpoint vulnerabilities. The article noted that “threat actors continue to infiltrate networks through laptops and handheld devices that sync with corporate databases.” Recent information not only confirms the fact that endpoints remain a priority target for cybercriminals, but online thieves are also finding data security workarounds.

According to the 2025 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, endpoint devices such as virtual private networks (VPNs) saw an 800 percent year-over-year increase. A stunning 22 percent of all cyber incidents could be traced to laptops, smartphones and other handheld devices. If growing companies and non-profits are going to take advantage of cloud resources and connect-from-anywhere convenience, it’s imperative to stay ahead of cybercriminals and hacking gangs by promptly utilizing the Microsoft E5 security add on.

Key Microsoft 365 E5 Security Features

The professionals responsible for ensuring the organization’s cybersecurity defenses keep critical information out of the wrong hands are keenly aware that they must also maintain regulatory compliance. Even a cursory glance at government mandates such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or the recently renamed U.S. Department of War’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) shows that data must be safeguarded on multiple fronts.

Meeting the applicable CMMC standard typically requires an organization operating in the military industrial base to employ multi-factor authentication, encrypt confidential and sensitive information, integrate zero trust architecture and demonstrate proactive threat detection and response protocols. Direct military contractors must have their cybersecurity posture certified by a third party. To meet state, federal and international data protection regulations, corporations need layers of defense. The E5 security add on packages the following features.

1: Microsoft Defender for Identity

This cybersecurity solution enhances your ability to monitor and pinpoint identity-based threats in the cloud and on-premises networks. Identity-based cyber-threats involve unauthorized personnel leveraging a legitimate user’s login credentials to steal information, deploy ransomware, or damage a business network. While most incursions involve straightforward thievery, there are times when hackers pursue trade secrets or national security information.

That being said, Microsoft Defender for Identity comes with Extended Detection and Response (XDR) embedded. The cybersecurity feature ranks among the core threat detection measures. It accomplishes its pre-determined goals by tracking user activity for anomalies, searching for telltale signs of network compromises and dispatching alerts in real-time. Microsoft Defender addresses threats in the following fashion.

• Spying Threats: It identifies unauthorized users and threat actors who attempt to access information.
• Compromised Credentials: Detects attempts to exploit login credentials through brute force attacks, as well as when hackers attempt to overcome multi-factor authentication.
• Insider Threats: The cybersecurity measure triggers alerts when seemingly legitimate users try to access information outside their login credential privileges.

Microsoft Defender for Identity is sure to bolster an operation’s cybersecurity posture. It also supports post-mortem investigations, should a hacker obtain the username and password of a trusted team member.

2: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2

Delivering thorough threat data protection for devices using Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint amps up security for cloud-based business entities. It puts next-gen technologies and approaches to work, such as machine learning and user behavior monitoring. The result of onboarding the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint feature is that growing organizations enhance their endpoint detection and response capabilities, as well as automated investigative proficiencies. Employing a unified methodology to cloud-native cybersecurity, Defender brings the following security features to the table.

• Email and Office Apps: Guards against phishing schemes, malware placement and zero-day attacks.
• Threat Management: Support efforts of security professionals to identify vulnerabilities and close gaps.
• Attack Surface: Helps reduce a corporation’s exposure to network hacks, improve web control and secure valuable and sensitive information.

Defender automatically addresses the proliferation of ransomware by stopping its lateral movement. It disrupts ransomware attack attempts across the entire landscape of an organization’s in-house and endpoint devices.

3: Azure Sentinel Integration

Although Azure Sentinel officially adopted the moniker of Microsoft Sentinel four years ago, some industry insiders still use the original name or call it Sentinel for clarity and brevity purposes. That being said, this cybersecurity cloud-based asset provides Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) solutions.

The SIEM element collects massive swaths of data across an entire network. It analyzes digital information at breakneck speed, rooting out threats. Working with SIEM technologies furthers an operation’s ability to exceed regulatory compliance. On the other side of the business security coin, SOAR embeds protective tools while increasing efficiencies. For example, adding SOAR streamlines workflows by identifying repetitive tasks and automating them. When merging SIEM and SOAR capabilities, Sentinel integrates the following features.

• Automated Detection: Using fully integrated artificial intelligence and machine learning, Sentinel assesses trillions of potential threats in real-time. Locations include multiple cloud platforms, in-house computers, laptops and handheld devices.
• Threat Hunting: Azure Sentinel integration reverses the passive approach to cybersecurity and puts companies on the offensive. Rather than waiting for a hacker to strike and then acting, Sentinel actively searches for telltale signs of a threat, including even the most inconspicuous anomalies.

Having Sentinel as part of the Microsoft E5 security add on can raise concerns about getting swamped with false and low-level security alerts. Fortunately, the bundle of applications takes this into account by prioritizing threats and dealing with a variety of low-level issues through automated responses.

4: Microsoft 365 E5 Management Dashboard

When onboarding the Microsoft 365 E5 security dashboard, it’s important to keep in mind that it is not a single web page. Users will access information and controls through the Microsoft 365 admin center. This is where threat and vulnerability access and controls are found in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal. Within the Microsoft 365 security center, users will find a variety of tracking subjects that provide actionable metrics.

Key features include active threats, users at risk and devices at risk, among others. The Microsoft Secure Score also gives IT and cybersecurity professionals a quick baseline number to gauge the company’s overall digital health and wellness. Lower scores indicate data protections need improvement. As vulnerabilities are addressed, gaps closed and the organization’s posture is hardened, the Secure Score increases.

Although standardized scores may not speak to the subtleties of proactive data security, the Secure Score has significant value in terms of articulating where the enterprise’s cybersecurity stands at any given moment. It’s also possible to use the score to conduct a comparative analysis with other businesses in a given industry.

Benefits of the Microsoft E5 Security Add-On

The E5 security add on pulls together a wide range of cybersecurity necessities under a single umbrella in a cost-effective bundle. It brings forward-facing AI threat identification and detection capabilities together with advanced metrics, automated response and non-stop user oversight. While the complexities of such a comprehensive cybersecurity approach could feel overwhelming, Microsoft 365 E5 security offers a user-friendly dashboard that simplifies utilization and gives those outside the managed IT and cyber-threat trades a hard number. Simple in its complexity, the E5 security add on affords growing organizations the following benefits.

• Threat Fortification: The totality of the Microsoft 365 E5 security package gives corporations the blanket cybersecurity protections necessary to thrive in the current threat landscape. From early detection of user anomalies to proactive threat hunting, no in-house, endpoint, or byte of data goes unguarded. Organizations quietly enjoy protection against zero-day and upstream attacks, among many other sophisticated hacking schemes.
• Artificial Intelligence: The Microsoft E5 security add on puts advanced technologies such as AI and machine learning to good use. Increasing the ability to detect, deter and repel threat actors with speed and efficiency is a boon for businesses in every sector. One of the proven benefits of utilizing AI to seek out seemingly innocuous user activity is that it can ferret out advanced persistent threats that might otherwise hide in plain sight.
• Heightened Identity Security: Drilling down on identity and access management (IAM) security has been trending hot. That’s largely because hackers continue to find success when learning usernames and passwords for corporate networks. Along with building zero trust infrastructure that includes microsegregation and effectively uses multi-factor authentication, Defender for Identity fills the need for convenient monitoring of unauthorized access and highlighting unusual behaviors.
• Compliance: Microsoft 365 E5 security features have been nothing short of a boon for outfits in need of the latest and most effective cybersecurity tools available today. The E5 security add on supports compliance efforts and makes required regulatory reporting less labor-intensive. It also enables IT and security team members to routinely check the status of the overall cybersecurity posture.

At the end of the day, decision-makers want the most robust data security measures possible at a reasonable cost. The Microsoft E5 security add on is widely considered a cost-effective solution because it integrates highly valued security measures at a low price point. Purchasing and integrating the individual features would prove far more costly, time-consuming and less efficient.

Contact Red River for Microsoft 365 E5 Security Solutions

The E5 security add on gives organizations a way to pull together a variety of compelling cybersecurity options and utilize them under one umbrella. The approach makes it easier to meet or exceed data protection and information privacy mandates while ensuring endpoint devices are properly vetted and bad actors do not exploit login credentials.

At Red River, we understand the importance of protecting critical digital assets. We work diligently with company leaders to provide effective, scalable managed IT and cybersecurity consulting. Contact us today by calling or filling out our online form. Let’s get the process started!