OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ – Field Effect, a leading innovator in cybersecurity, has officially earned membership into the Microsoft Virus Initiative (MVI)—a distinction reserved for security vendors that meet Microsoft’s most stringent technical and certification standards. This milestone underscores Field Effect’s leadership in advanced threat detection and its ability to deliver trusted, fully integrated protection within Windows environments.

The MVI is a global program that brings together Microsoft and leading security vendors to strengthen the resilience of the Windows ecosystem. Since its inception, the program has admitted under 100 members in 20 years, including well-known industry names such as Bitdefender, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, and Trend Micro. Field Effect is one of two Canadian companies known to be on the list in the history of the program. Gaining membership involves a rigorous approval process including meeting strict integration criteria and passing third-party certification testing designed to validate protection, interoperability, and performance.

“Joining the Microsoft Virus Initiative aligns with our company philosophy of our technology and products being openly evaluated and continuously scrutinized,” said Matt Holland, Field Effect Founder and CEO. “Similarly to our participation in the MITRE MDR evaluation, being accepted into MVI requires a company to be open and transparent as part of the evaluation, and we relish this process.”

Enhanced Integration and Technical Benefits

Through MVI membership, Field Effect’s upcoming Next-Generation Antivirus solution can now operate as a protected process, register as the system’s primary antivirus provider, and place Microsoft Defender into passive mode. These capabilities are essential to achieving full operational parity with established antivirus solutions, ensuring customers benefit from robust protection without conflicts or performance issues.

Certification and Evaluation

Acceptance into MVI requires passing recognized third-party certification tests that evaluate detection and remediation effectiveness. Field Effect successfully met these requirements, demonstrating its product’s ability to defend against a wide range of real-world threats.

Building Resilience Together

The MVI program is part of Microsoft’s broader Windows Resiliency Initiative, designed to empower enterprises to build resilient, secure, and future-ready IT environments. As an MVI member, Field Effect will collaborate closely with Microsoft and other security partners to strengthen the overall security posture of Windows users worldwide.

“Field Effect is on the path to being the cybersecurity technology leader to help SME and mid-market companies,” continued Holland. “Not only do we expect being a part of the MVI to help us on this journey, but we look forward to contributing to the MVI community to help Microsoft and other companies improve their cybersecurity products.”

About Field Effect

Field Effect is a leading cybersecurity company making advanced threat protection accessible to organizations of all sizes. Its flagship solution, Field Effect MDR, provides intelligence-grade prevention, detection, and response across networks, cloud, and endpoints.

For more information, visit www.fieldeffect.com.

SOURCE Field Effect