More than 68% of companies think their cybersecurity risks are increasing, yet many are unsure of how to best address those ever-growing perils.
Nearly every organization needs to protect its network, but the vast majority can’t afford to staff an entire InfoSec department. So, most try to cobble together a system through prevention tools and IT professionals wearing multiple hats. That works for a while, but as businesses mature and grow, they quickly find that their stopgap only stretches so far.
This is where managed security solutions come in, and EDR is often the first step for these businesses. EDR can do wonders for organizations, protecting against far more threats than they could on their own, but that protection stops at the endpoint, and businesses quickly reach a point where they must go looking for additional protection.
Once they’ve had time to sort through all the available options and select the best fit for the business (such as MSSP, XDR, EDR, etc.), many find that the ideal solution is managed detection and response (MDR).
This post will focus on the four primary benefits of MDR to help you determine if it’s the right solution for you.
But first, let’s quickly discuss why this matters in the first place.
Why Cybersecurity?
Often, a CTO’s hardest job is getting other C-suite executives — and the rest of the company — to understand how easy it is to fall victim to cybercrime, and further, how cybercrimes are far less difficult to commit than they think.
For example, there are plenty of uninformed companies who store user login information in plaintext in their database, simply because they don’t know any better. Without hashing or encrypting those values, all it takes is a hacker guessing a single internal network password and then finding the login file, and suddenly they have access to every single user’s account.
Base level security can be handled by the IT staff most companies already have. Keeping operating systems up to date, informing employees about phishing scams, discouraging staff from keeping passwords on sticky notes around their desk. These actions don’t take specialized expertise or tools, they just require being informed.
But as an organization grows, they become a bigger target to hackers, who will want to steal information and/or disrupt company operations. However, as already mentioned, there’s a big gap between the business need for dedicated risk management and being able to afford a team of experts in-house.
That’s where an MDR solution comes in.
Why Managed Detection and Response (MDR)?
Many cybersecurity solutions focus on prevention or what we call left of boom (i.e. before, with the boom being the moment of a successful breach). True MDR stands apart in that it should also address right of boom, quickly and effectively. This means actively scanning for possible breaches and, in the case one is found, quickly responding to eliminate the threat and minimize the damage.
Now, let’s look at the primary benefits and whether or not MDR is best suited to protect your organization.
Free Download: IDC MarketScape for Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
1. Collaborative artificial and human intelligence
Perhaps the most unique benefit of managed detection and response is its use of both artificial and human intelligence.
It’s no secret that cyberattacks are becoming increasingly complex. While software programs and automated solutions can still identify them, false positives are still an issue, and responding to threats typically requires human judgment.
Human intelligence is imperative to ensure the most credible validation of any incident and the appropriate response. Further, security experts also offer their in-depth insights on threat analyses, something you aren’t likely to receive from any automated system.
Essentially, MDR services automate your cybersecurity processes by flagging system anomalies, while leaving a personal cybersecurity team to validate the incident provide guidance on the appropriate response. This creates an ideal situation where the team can make data-driven decisions to better protect your sensitive information. It’s a simplification of the process that lightens the load on your IT team’s shoulders.
2. Proactive system reviews to limit future attacks
Another essential benefit of some advanced MDR solutions is how they proactively address vulnerabilities and configuration issues.
There has been proliferation of companies claiming to do MDR but may focus only on right of boom. But with the right solution, the AI system performs continuous reviews of your system to protect against known threats. At the same time, security experts research new ways to protect your system against serious breaches and improve cybersecurity best practices.
Then, extensive reporting is used to keep you updated on the state of the system. These reports are essential for discovering new threats that emerge. Such regular reporting also helps determine whether your system is compliant with current cybersecurity regulations, allowing for adjustments to your network security as needed, and tracking progress.
3. Swift and methodical responses to threats
Even with the most secure of systems, there’s always the possibility that a new exploit will be found, and InfoSec teams don’t always catch the threat before a breach. In these cases, it’s imperative that the breach be quickly discovered and responded to appropriately.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of MDR is its speed of response. Unlike MSS, where security teams are using someone else’s tech to find evidence of breaches, MDR is a unified approach. The technology is designed to fit the team, and the team is intimately familiar with the technology.
Working in tandem, the InfoSec team and the tools they use are able to detect breaches much faster and reduce false positives which results in quicker responses. And, as any IT professional will tell you, the faster the response, the less costly the damage.
4. End-to-end service for security breaches
Cybersecurity really boils down to two different services: left of boom prevention and right of boom breach response. Most of the time, when a company invests in a basic cybersecurity plan, they are only investing in one of these two services. This is dangerous and can either result in unnecessary breaches or slow responses to incursions.
And while many MDR services focus primarily on right of boom, Alert Logic MDR stands apart in that it offers a holistic approach to cybersecurity, one that minimizes both the risk and potential damage of a breach (both left and right of boom).
Alert Logic Protects Your System Before and After Problems Arise
For organizations that need comprehensive cybersecurity support, the Alert Logic MDR solution the proactive and reactive answer, best designed to protect both data privacy and company operations.
If you’d like to learn more and determine whether Alert Logic is the right MDR provider for you, request a demo of our MDR services today.
