As the world becomes more and more digitized, organizations face a growing threat from cyberattacks and cybersecurity challenges. While regulatory measures demand heightened security protocols, resources typically fall short and make it difficult for businesses to keep up with the rising risks.
Because of this, the cybersecurity industry has introduced a lot of solutions which are designed to enhance protections and streamline processes.
Read on for more clarifications about the distinctions between these solutions so that you can make informed decisions for your business.
Why You Need to Understand the Acronyms of Security Solutions You’re Offered
Cyber risks and attacks continue to escalate, while regulatory responses impose additional operational responsibilities. However, budgets do not increase in parallel.
The need for a comprehensive and consolidated cybersecurity solution has become more prominent in recent years. At the core of these solutions are detection and response capabilities that illuminate threats, facilitate investigations, and contain threats before they become disruptive to business operations.
As cybercrime victims increase, so do the security offerings that promise holistic protection. The security industry continues to create new acronyms, leading to market confusion for buyers who struggle to understand the growing “alphabet soup” of solutions, distinguish their differences, and determine which option is best for their organization.
The majority of small- to medium-sized organizations prefer to outsource complex security operations and services, such as Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), Managed Detection and Response (MDR), or Extended Detection and Response (XDR).
At a high level, these solutions seem remarkably similar, often promising greater protection, lower operating costs, and simplified operations. Yet, behind the homogeneous marketing, there are critical differences that can significantly impact your organization in terms of cost, complexity, and effectiveness in protecting against cyber-attacks. Much of the confusion stems from an expanding list of acronyms with aspirational definitions.
Without a clear understanding of how vendors apply these terms and their business benefits, organizations struggle to make informed decisions about which service will best protect them from cyber risks.
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Learning the Alphabet of Threat Management: EDR vs. MDR vs. XDR
This section provides an overview and comparison of three primary threat management services: Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), Managed Detection and Response (MDR), and Extended Detection and Response (XDR).
For each service, we offer insights to help you make the right choice when investing your limited budget and maximizing your cybersecurity.
What is Endpoint Security (EDR)?
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) is a critical part of endpoint security. Some vendors offer managed versions of these endpoint solutions.
Endpoints are a popular entry vector or transit point during intrusions. This makes early detection and containment critical.
EDR continuously monitors endpoints (such as laptops, tablets, mobile phones, servers, or Internet of Things devices) to identify threats through data analytics and prevent malicious activity with rule-based automated response capabilities.
The pandemic-driven shift to remote work expanded the “perimeter” from traditional premises to remote devices (endpoints) connected to centralized workloads and databases.
What is Managed Detection and Response (MDR)?
In response to the growing portfolio of security products, organizations turned to Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) to manage devices, update and patch systems, aggregate information, and provide frequent reporting. MSSPs manage devices, but customers also need services to manage alerts, investigate threats, and contain attacks.
MDR provides a turnkey combination of tools and security expertise to protect clients from cyber threats.
What is Extended Detection and Response (XDR)?
XDR collects security data from network points, operating system logs, application logs, cloud services, endpoints, and other logging systems to correlate information and apply threat detection analytics to this data lake.
An evolution of MDR, XDR service providers claim the ability to proactively identify threats and streamline responses. Security teams use XDR cloud-based platforms to automate or accelerate detection, enhance investigation capabilities, and respond effectively.
What is an Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)?
An Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) is a solution designed to prevent file-based malware attacks, detect malicious activity, and provide the investigation and remediation capabilities needed to respond to security alerts and events.
EPP is often referred to as a next-generation antivirus. Definitions of malware and Indicators of Compromise (IoCs), the precursors to attacks, are stored in the cloud, with a device-side agent connected to the cloud database.
About Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems are a staple of larger security programs, providing centralized logging of security system alerts and events.
Initially designed for compliance reporting, SIEM services now support threat detection, compliance, and security incident management by collecting and analyzing security events, network logs, and other data sources.
SIEM systems vary in their collection and analysis capabilities and often require significant customization and configuration to build detection policies and alerts. They can be expensive and often require outsourced configuration services.
To address competition and complexity, many SIEM vendors now offer turnkey operations that provide monitoring and alerting services.
About Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR)
Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) is a stack of compatible software programs that enables an organization to collect data about security threats and respond to security events with minimal human intervention.
SOAR combines incident response, orchestration, and automation of investigation and response capabilities into a single platform.
Wolff Logics Can Help You Choose the Right Cybersecurity Solution for Your Business
Cyber attacks are a part of owning a modern and technologically up to date business. Unfortunately, the threat of attack only grows.
By understanding the differences between EDR, XDR, and MDR, businesses can make investments in cybersecurity and ensure their chosen solutions align with their business needs and also their budgets.
The right combination of detection, response, and managed services dramatically reduce the risk of cybercrime.
Reach out to Wolff Logics today for guidance on what your business may need.
