Businesses will be able to hire Microsoft cybersecurity professionals in the near future to assist them combat threats from state-sponsored hackers and ransomware gangs.
Microsoft Security Experts is the new outsourced business that the firm is launching. On Monday, Redmond launched the initiative, citing continuing cybersecurity skills need.
"Building and maintaining a comprehensive security team, much alone one with the ever-expanding competence necessary to handle the gamut of today's security needs," said Microsoft Corporate Vice President Vasu Jakkal.
"Our world-class security knowledge is now your security expertise," she continued.
Microsoft will compete against other established cybersecurity businesses such as SecureWorks, IBM's Managed Security Services, and Mandiant, which Google is in the process of purchasing to enhance its own cloud security solutions, under the new division.
Microsoft Security Experts will be divided into three services. The first leverages data from Microsoft Defender, Office 365, and other apps to assist enterprises in hunting for attacks targeting their networks.
"Our specialists will look into whatever they uncover and then send you the contextual alert information and remedial instructions so you can respond immediately," Jakkal explained. Customers will be able to purchase this tier later this summer.
The second service is for companies that need to staff up their current security operations center. The third, Microsoft Security Services for Enterprise, is intended to provide complete security protection across all of a company's platforms. This tier is now available from Microsoft.
Thousands of business clients currently use the software giant's technologies and cloud services. As a result, Jakkal claims his organization is "uniquely positioned" to assist businesses with network security.
"While technology is important, a really successful security posture requires a combination of leading technologies, comprehensive threat intelligence, and highly competent people," she noted.
Others, such as Google, have criticized Microsoft's advances in IT security, pointing to outdated systems that might be vulnerable. Many US government personnel believe Microsoft's technology makes their IT systems less secure, according to a blog post published by the search engine in April.