Florida Sheriff’s Office Cuts Costs and Improves Security with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Client Overview

A County Sheriff’s Office in Florida responsible for public safety and law enforcement services across the region. With growing cybersecurity concerns, the agency needed to strengthen its defenses while reducing operational costs.

Quick Stats

• Industry: Law Enforcement / Public Safety
• Legacy System: Sophos Antivirus
• New System: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint with Intune Deployment
• Timeline: Completed in under one month
• Key Outcomes: Cost savings, improved endpoint security posture, automated deployment and management

The Challenge

The Sheriff’s Office was relying on Sophos antivirus for endpoint protection. While effective, the solution introduced challenges:

• Additional licensing costs outside of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem
• Siloed management consoles and redundant IT processes
• Limited integration with the agency’s Microsoft 365 G3 subscriptions
• Inconsistent application of endpoint security policies

The Solution

We deployed Microsoft Defender for Endpoint across all agency endpoints, enabling the Sheriff’s Office to fully leverage its existing Microsoft 365 G3 investment. The project included:

• Migrating from Sophos antivirus to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
• Configuring Microsoft-recommended Attack Surface Reduction (ASR) policies
• Automating deployment and policy enforcement through Microsoft Intune
• Training IT staff on managing endpoint security within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem

The Outcomes

• Cost Savings – Eliminated Sophos licensing by consolidating security under Microsoft 365
• Operational Efficiency – Automated deployment and management reduced IT overhead
• Improved Security Posture – Standardized ASR policies improved protection against ransomware and advanced threats
• Unified Platform – Security fully integrated into Microsoft 365, simplifying management and reporting



The Results

The Sheriff’s Office now operates with a cost-effective, integrated, and secure endpoint protection strategy. By replacing Sophos with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, the agency reduced costs, improved IT efficiency, and strengthened its ability to safeguard sensitive law enforcement data.