Businesses can access an early preview of the Defender ATP for Mac starting today on devices running macOS Mojave, macOS High Sierra, or macOS Sierra. It packs the same preventative protection, post-breach detection and automated investigation and response tools as its Windows counterpart. And like Office for Mac, Defender will tap into Microsoft's AutoUpdate software to ensure it gets the latest features and fixes on time.

With a rise in malware incidents in recent years, macOS is starting to look decidedly less immune to attacks than it once did. With that in mind, it seems Microsoft may be on to something with its Defender cross-platform expansion. It should also, theoretically, make life easier for IT admins that handle both Windows and Mac systems. Alas, there's no word on whether general users will get a consumer version in the future.

In addition, the launch brings with it a new Threat and Vulnerability Management (TVM) feature in preview mode. TVM is designed to alert admins to systems vulnerabilities using a mixture of real-time insights, added context during incident investigations and a built-in remediation process.