Onboard servers to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Applies to:

You can choose from several options to onboard a server to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Make sure to review the Minimum requirements for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

To onboard servers to Defender for Endpoint, server licenses are required. You can choose from these options:

  • Microsoft Defender for Servers Plan 1 or Plan 2 (as part of the Defender for Cloud) offering; or
  • Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Server

The following table lists deployment methods for onboarding servers:

Operating system Deployment method
Windows Server 2022
Windows Server 2019
Windows Server, version 1803
Local script (uses an onboarding package)
Defender for Cloud, which integrates with Defender for Endpoint
Microsoft Configuration Manager
Group Policy
VDI scripts
Windows Server 2016
Windows Server 2012 R2
Modern unified solution in Defender for Endpoint
Linux Server
(see System requirements)
Local script (manual deployment)
Puppet
Ansible
Chef
Saltstack
Defender for Endpoint on Linux for ARM64-based devices (preview)
Deployment guidance for Defender for Endpoint on Linux for SAP
Advanced deployment guidance for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Linux

See also