# Use offering-specific Defender for Identity endpoints and licenses in US Government clouds > Use Microsoft Defender for Identity for US Government offerings to review this narrow operational decision without extending the source beyond its stated scope. - Canonical URL: https://update.dsesecurity.com/updates/use-offering-specific-defender-identity-government-endpoints-licenses/ - Publisher: Detection Systems & Engineering (DSE Security) - Author: DSE Security Editorial Team - Published: 2026-08-27T12:14:23+00:00 - Modified: 2026-08-27T12:58:58+00:00 - Last reviewed by DSE: 2026-08-26 - Resource type: Explainer - DSE priority: Advisory - Topics: Cybersecurity, IT, Microsoft 365 & Identity - Reading time: 3 minutes ## What you need to know Use Microsoft Defender for Identity for US Government offerings to review this narrow operational decision without extending the source beyond its stated scope. ## Potentially affected Teams, systems, services, or facilities within the stated scope of Microsoft Defender for Identity for US Government offerings ## DSE recommendation Compare the observed state with the cited official source, document applicability and exceptions, and test any approved change with rollback safeguards. ## Article Frame this document as a source-led configuration and assurance check: Use offering-specific Defender for Identity endpoints and licenses in US Government clouds. Only the official source and traced locations below supply facts. Confirm applicability before acting. ## Source fact: The official [Microsoft Defender for Identity for US Government offerings](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-for-identity/us-govt-gcc-high) from Microsoft supports the following bounded statements: - DoD and GCC High use security.microsoft.us with a workspace sensor endpoint under sensorapi.atp.azure.us, while GCC uses security.microsoft.com with a sensor endpoint under sensorapi.atp.gcc.azure.com. The research record locates this support at URLs > US Government offering table. - The licensing table lists separate eligible Microsoft 365 G5 or E5 Security offers for GCC, GCC High, and DoD, plus a standalone Defender for Identity license for each offering. The research record locates this support at Licensing requirements > offering table. - Unless otherwise specified, new commercial features can reach government environments within 90 days, and Preview features might not be supported there. The research record locates this support at Feature parity with the commercial environment. Do not import neighboring assumptions into the source record. The supported task is a scoped comparison involving Defender for Identity workspaces, sensors, directory-service accounts, action accounts, network paths, roles, and deployment health and the conditions the source actually describes. ## What the source does not establish Do not substitute commercial endpoints, assume commercial-day feature parity, or infer license entitlement without checking the tenant’s specific GCC, GCC High, or DoD offer. Do not read the source as proof of implementation or permission to change production. Its guidance remains conditional on Active Directory, Windows DNS, time, certificates, domain-controller resources, network capture, cloud connectivity, and security operations and the environment’s recorded constraints. ## Applicability questions - For source statement 1 at URLs > US Government offering table, which observable configuration, record, or test can confirm applicability here? - For source statement 2 at Licensing requirements > offering table, which observable configuration, record, or test can confirm applicability here? - For source statement 3 at Feature parity with the commercial environment, which observable configuration, record, or test can confirm applicability here? - What inventory proves which parts of Defender for Identity workspaces, sensors, directory-service accounts, action accounts, network paths, roles, and deployment health are in and out of scope? - Which condition in Active Directory, Windows DNS, time, certificates, domain-controller resources, network capture, cloud connectivity, and security operations must be healthy before evidence is trustworthy? - What result would disprove the working assumption and return the issue to the owner? ## DSE recommendation: DSE recommends using the cited source as the evidence anchor for this decision. Use a two-person review for the source interpretation and the resulting operational decision. Record the source location, examined part of Defender for Identity workspaces, sensors, directory-service accounts, action accounts, network paths, roles, and deployment health, observed and expected states, owner, and reason for deviation. For an approved change, define prerequisites, a limited test path, success and stop conditions, monitoring, and rollback. Check Active Directory, Windows DNS, time, certificates, domain-controller resources, network capture, cloud connectivity, and security operations in design order. Protect credentials, keys, recovery material, personal data, and sensitive topology in evidence. ## Verification and evidence Evidence should let another reviewer reproduce this decision. Retain observations beside the traced locations URLs > US Government offering table; Licensing requirements > offering table; Feature parity with the commercial environment. Favor sensor inventory, service and action-account permissions, health alerts, connectivity tests, portal state, and controlled detection tests, linked to stable identifiers, time, and operator. Keep before-state evidence, approval, test or change result, exceptions, and after-state evidence together. Use an approved lab, window, or nonproduction path for risky tests. Set a recheck trigger for version, architecture, dependency, vendor, incident, or ownership change. A check proves only what was observed. ## Official references - [Microsoft Defender for Identity for US Government offerings](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-for-identity/us-govt-gcc-high) — Microsoft ## Primary reference - Name: Microsoft Defender for Identity for US Government offerings - Authority: Microsoft Learn - URL: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-for-identity/us-govt-gcc-high - Source publication date: 2023-02-14 ## Citation and use Preferred citation: “Use offering-specific Defender for Identity endpoints and licenses in US Government clouds,” DSE Security, https://update.dsesecurity.com/updates/use-offering-specific-defender-identity-government-endpoints-licenses/ Publishing principles: https://update.dsesecurity.com/updates/dse-updates-editorial-methodology/ Usage and citation policy: https://update.dsesecurity.com/usage/ Copyright © 2026 Detection Systems & Engineering. All rights reserved.