---
title: "Enable Microsoft Defender for Identity sensors on domain controllers for advanced threat detection"
url: "https://support.paratira.ai/en/article/enable-microsoft-defender-for-identity-sensors-on-domain-controllers-for-advanced-threat-detection"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2025-07-01T15:01:24.929Z"
---

# Enable Microsoft Defender for Identity sensors on domain controllers for advanced threat detection

The platform identifies the need for Microsoft Defender for Identity sensors on domain controllers and recommends enabling these sensors for advanced threat detection. Failure to implement this solution leaves organizations vulnerable to advanced threats targeting Active Directory environments, including lateral movement attacks, privilege escalation attempts, and unauthorized access to critical systems.

## Recommendation Impact Across KPIs

| KPI | Impact | Calculated? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Reliability:** | No direct reliability impact identified | ❌ |
| **Security Compliance:** | PRIMARY REC - Enhanced threat detection and NIST compliance improvements | ✅ |
| **Economic:** | No direct economic impact calculated | ❌ |
| **User Experience:** | No direct user experience impact identified | ❌ |
| **Environment:** | No direct environmental impact identified | ❌ |

## Score Calculation

### 1\. Data Ingestion

-   Asset Type: Tenant
-   Current Security Status: Microsoft Defender for Identity sensor status
-   Domain Controller Coverage

### 2\. Data Enrichment

-   Mapping to NIST compliance frameworks
-   Microsoft 365 Defender licensing requirements
-   Integration with existing security infrastructure

### 3\. Health Score

-   Calculate the Health score based on NIST Score \* NIST Asset Weight
-   Multiplier applied based on length of compliance since recommendation loaded
-   Primary focus on Security Compliance KPI

## Example Graph

Bar chart showing percentage of secure score across domain controllers, highlighting the security posture improvement potential with Microsoft Defender for Identity implementation.

## Business Opportunities

### Product Sales Opportunity

As a provider this recommendation provides an opportunity to sell Microsoft 365 Defender or Microsoft Defender for Identity Plan 2 licenses. The platform will identify specific licensing requirements based on the annual USD calculations from M365 data tables.

### Professional Services Opportunity

The recommendation provides an opportunity for professional services in configuring and implementing Microsoft Defender for Identity sensors. This includes initial setup, configuration, and ongoing maintenance services.

## Remediation Guidance

To resolve the recommendation the following steps are recommended:

1.  Assess Security Needs
2.  Review Current Security Posture

Determine Licensing Requirements

Enable Defender for Identity Sensors

1.  Activate Defender for Identity
2.  Deploy Sensors on Domain Controllers

Configure Detection Rules

Monitor and Respond to Threats

1.  Monitor Real-Time Alerts
2.  Review Investigation Results

Activate Automated Remediation

Post-Implementation Monitoring & Optimization

1.  Ongoing Threat Monitoring
2.  Evaluate Detection Effectiveness

Adjust Security Policies

Ongoing Maintenance and Updates

1.  Stay Updated with New Features
2.  Review Security Incidents
3.  Train IT and Security Teams

## Supporting Information

### Supported Data Sources

-   Microsoft Graph Entra
-   Microsoft Graph Intune

### Recommendation Categorisation

-   Security
-   Identity Protection
-   Threat Detection

### Supported Instances

-   Microsoft 365 Tenant
-   Active Directory Domain Controllers

### Planned Instances

-   Additional Microsoft Security Products Integration
-   Extended Monitoring Capabilities
-   Advanced Automation Features