The steps on this page provide guidance for University-owned devices. For more information about personal devices, answers to frequently asked questions, guidance for IT support staff in departments, and general information about the antivirus transition, please visit our antivirus transition home page.

Steps You Should Take

• If your department has IT support, they will work with you to install Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on your University-owned device. Your IT support staff will let you know if you need to take any specific actions.  
• If your department does not have IT support staff—or you are unsure whether you have IT support staff—please contact the 24/7 IT Help Desk. We will help you transition your University-owned device to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.  
• If your department does not have IT support and you have admin rights to your device, you can contact the 24/7 IT Help Desk. Help Desk staff can utilize a remote support tool to install Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on your device.
• For maximum protection on Windows devices, Pitt IT recommends using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, combined with Malwarebytes’ anti-exploit system to guard against ransomware and zero-day attacks. Malwarebytes is available for Windows at no cost to students, faculty, and staff through Pitt IT’s Software Download Service via My Pitt. Note that a reboot may be required after installation.

Steps the University is Taking

• Pitt IT manages a number of University devices on behalf of departments. Whenever possible, we will automate the installation of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on the devices that we manage.  
• Pitt IT will work closely with departments that manage their own devices to provide guidance and transition tools to help those departments transition their users to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
• The Network Operations Center hosts a number of servers in its managed server hosting environment. We will be working closely with departments on a plan to ensure those servers remain protected.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Review answers to frequently asked questions about the antivirus transition. If you have a question that isn't answered, please contact the 24/7 IT Help Desk and let us know so that we can add it.

Help is Always Available

Please contact the 24/7 IT Help Desk at any time if you have questions or need assistance moving to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.