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Microsoft Defender Custom Data Collection Lets You Collect Custom Endpoint Logs Without Extra Agents

Microsoft Defender Custom Data Collection Lets You Collect Custom Endpoint Logs Without Extra Agents

Written By Anoop C Nair
Last Updated May 22, 2026
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Key Takeaways:

  • Microsoft Defender Custom Data Collection
  • Faster onboarding for business-specific telemetry use cases
  • No additional agents to deploy or maintain
  • Create custom collection rules in the Defender portal

Let’s discuss about Microsoft Defender Custom Data Collection to Streamlined Telemetry without Extra Agent. Microsoft announced the general availability of Microsoft Defender Custom Data Collection. This feature is simplified collection of logging through the Defender agent itself.

Table of Contents

Microsoft Defender Custom Data Collection to Streamlined Telemetry without Extra Agent

Admins can define which events endpoints should collect and forward alongside default Defender telemetry. This is especially valuable for hunters, detection engineers, and security researchers. The core purpose of this feature is reduce reliance on third-party log collectors or custom infrastructure.

Benefits
No additional agents to deploy or maintain
No complicated custom logging infrastructure
Faster onboarding for business-specific telemetry
Granular, scalable event collection
Native integration with Microsoft Sentinel for querying and analysis
Microsoft Defender Custom Data Collection Lets You Collect Custom Endpoint Logs Without Extra Agents – Table.1
Microsoft Defender Custom Data Collection Lets You Collect Custom Endpoint Logs Without Extra Agents - Fig.1 - Creds to MS
Microsoft Defender Custom Data Collection Lets You Collect Custom Endpoint Logs Without Extra Agents – Fig.1 – Creds to MS

How Defender Custom Data Collection Works

Create custom collection rules in the Defender portal. Rules are distributed to targeted endpoints. Endpoints collect matching custom events with default telemetry. Events are stored in Microsoft Sentinel / Log Analytics for hunting and analytics

When to Use Custom Data Collection

Custom data collection is used for different scenarios. It includes Threat hunting, Application monitoring, Incident response, Lateral movement detection. The below table shows the Security value of each scenario.

Patch My PC
  • Threat hunting – Detect fileless malware, malicious scripts, or unauthorized automation on privileged systems
  • Application monitoring – Identify unauthorized access, data exfiltration attempts, or compliance violations for line-of-business apps
  • Compliance evidence – Meet regulatory requirements (PCI-DSS, HIPAA, GDPR) with detailed forensic audit trails
  • Incident response – Capture detailed evidence for investigation, identify lateral movement, and support remediation efforts
  • Lateral movement detection – Detect attackers moving between systems using stolen credentials or remote access tools

Strategic Direction

Defender is evolving from a broad security product into a customizable security platform a “Swiss Army knife” for defenders. This enables richer visibility without adding endpoint complexity.

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Author

Anoop C Nair has been Microsoft MVP for 10 consecutive years from 2015 onwards. He is a Workplace Solution Architect with more than 22+ years of experience in Workplace technologies. He is a Blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group Community leader. His primary focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM and Intune. He writes about technologies like Intune, SCCM, Cloud PC,  Windows, Entra, Microsoft Security, Career, etc.

Written by

Anoop C Nair is Workplace Technology solution architect with 25+ years of experience in global enterprise organizations such as JP Morgan, Capgemini, etc. Microsoft Certified Trainer. Microsoft MVP from 2015 onwards for consecutive 11+ years! He also conducts Intune and modern workplace tech training for enterprise organizations. He is Blogger, Speaker, and Founder of HTMD Community and HTMD Conference. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like Intune, Windows, Cloud PC. He writes about technologies like Intune, SCCM, Windows, Cloud PC, Windows, Entra, Microsoft Security.

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