Mitigate Threats Using Microsoft Defender
Threats evolve faster than most teams can respond—and Microsoft Defender is your frontline defence. This course cuts through the noise and teaches you exactly how to detect, investigate, and neutralise threats using Defender’s core capabilities. You’ll move from reactive firefighting to proactive threat hunting in just over an hour.
AIU.ac Verdict: Ideal for security analysts, IT ops engineers, and SOC teams who need practical Defender skills without the theory overload. The 81-minute format is punchy, but you’ll need basic Windows and security fundamentals to keep pace—this isn’t a ground-zero introduction.
What This Course Covers
You’ll work through Defender’s threat detection engine, learning how to interpret alerts, correlate signals, and distinguish noise from genuine incidents. The course covers endpoint protection policies, malware investigation workflows, and integration points with your existing security stack. Expect hands-on labs where you configure real-world scenarios: isolating compromised devices, reviewing threat intelligence, and tuning detection rules to reduce false positives without missing actual threats.
Michael Teske walks you through incident response fundamentals within the Defender ecosystem—how to escalate, document, and remediate. You’ll also see how Defender fits into a broader Microsoft security fabric (Sentinel, Intune, etc.), so you understand where this tool sits in your organisation’s defence strategy. By the end, you’re not just clicking buttons; you’re thinking like a threat hunter.
Who Is This Course For?
Ideal for:
- Security Analysts & SOC Operators: Need to master Defender’s alert triage and investigation workflows without weeks of training.
- IT Operations & Systems Administrators: Responsible for endpoint security and want hands-on confidence deploying and tuning Defender policies.
- Career-Switchers into Cybersecurity: Building foundational incident response skills with a tool that’s ubiquitous in enterprise environments.
May not suit:
- Complete Security Beginners: Assumes comfort with Windows, basic networking, and security concepts; not a primer on threat fundamentals.
- Non-Microsoft Shop Specialists: If your organisation runs primarily Linux or third-party EDR, the Defender-specific focus limits immediate applicability.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Mitigate Threats Using Microsoft Defender take?
1 hour 21 minutes. Designed for busy professionals—watch in one sitting or break it into focused 20-minute segments.
Do I need Microsoft Defender already deployed to benefit?
No. The course teaches you how Defender works and how to configure it, so it’s valuable whether you’re planning a rollout or optimising an existing deployment.
What hands-on labs are included?
Pluralsight provides sandboxed environments where you’ll configure detection policies, investigate simulated threats, and practise incident response workflows in a safe, consequence-free setting.
Will this prepare me for Microsoft security certifications?
It’s a solid foundation for Microsoft 365 Defender and Security Operations Analyst roles, though you’ll want supplementary study for formal exam prep.
Course by Michael Teske on Pluralsight. Duration: 1h 21m. Last verified by AIU.ac: March 2026.
