Market Guide for Managed Detection and Response Services
Managed Detection and Response Topics
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What Is Managed Detection and Response?
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MDR vs. EDR
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Key Issues MDR Security Services Can Solve
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Benefits of Managed Detection and Response Services
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How an MDR Service Provider Can Help
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What to Look For in Managed Detection and Response Vendors
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Contact Us - Why TPx for MDR Services
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Trying to stop hackers from breaching your system can sometimes feel like trying to swat away bugs in the tropics. They’re everywhere. It takes a ton of energy to find them, let alone kill them. And it seems like, for every one you stop, five get through. Plus, like pesky insects, cyber threats can put a damper on what would otherwise be a pretty fun business.
Well, if attackers are akin to biting insects, then MDR is like a very powerful bug spray. Once it’s in place, you can shift your focus away from trying to swat away irritating — and potentially dangerous — attacks and focus on what you do best: supporting a thriving business. Here’s a guide to MDR, how it’s different from EDR, how an MDR vendor can help, and what to look for in a provider.
What Is Managed Detection and Response?
What is MDR? MDR stands for managed detection and response, and it refers to a service your company can use to outsource your threat detection and mitigation. Although the “M” in MDR stands for “managed” in this definition of MDR, it could also mean “monitored” because an MDR service does the following:
- Monitors your network and its assets, constantly looking for threats
- Detects threats as they try to breach your system
- Responds to each threat by neutralizing the threat itself, protecting vulnerable systems, then analyzing the incident so that they’re better equipped to prevent it in the future
What is managed detection and response when compared to other cybersecurity measures? Unlike some cybersecurity solutions, MDR depends on a combination of tech and people. For your MDR team, the system, regardless of whether or not it incorporates automation, is not a set-it-and-forget-it solution. With the right MDR service, you get seasoned professionals who skillfully wield their threat detection and response tools and use years of experience to fine-tune and improve your threat protections.
MDR vs. EDR
Even though both managed detection and response services and endpoint detection and response provide cybersecurity against threats, they’re different in that EDR focuses primarily on securing endpoints, such as individual computers, tablets, servers, and other endpoints. EDR tools detect anomalous activity on endpoints, respond to it, then automatically store data about the incident so incident response pros can analyze it.
With MDR, on the other hand, you get more comprehensive protection across your entire digital infrastructure, not just its endpoints. While EDR relies heavily on EDR software, MDR, which can include endpoint protection, leverages the skill of security professionals who use a bird’s-eye view of your network to protect it from threats.
Key Issues MDR Security Services Can Solve
Managed detection and response services work by combining cutting-edge technology with human insight to safeguard your network from threats. The system breaks down into three primary components: monitoring, detection, and response.
Monitoring
Your MDR security services monitor your network for potential threats, checking for anything that might indicate an attempt at a breach or a successful one. To do this, your MDR solution will use:- Indicators that work by identifying a safe, stable network state. Anything that violates this state can be flagged as a potential incident and mitigated
- Machine learning that can pinpoint anomalous activity caused by threat behavior
Detection
Detection centers around figuring out which activity picked up by the monitoring system is an actual threat. At times, there may be benevolent network behavior that only looks like a threat. For instance, if an employee is sending a series of very large files to a business partner, it may appear as if there’s a data leak. To differentiate innocent from dangerous activity, your MDR team can check correlating information to verify the nature of the activity.Response
The response system you get with an MDR uses a combination of automated and manual mitigation steps. Automated responses are often triggered by software that is programmed to cancel requests if an abnormal situation arises. For example, your MDR provider may set up protocols that govern how people can access your network and from where. Suppose your company is in New York City, for example, and only does business with other companies in the States between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. An attempt to access your network from Iran Saturday at 11:56 p.m. may trigger an automatic rejection of the request. At the same time, your MDR team will also leverage the experience and knowledge of its human resources, often in conjunction with automated tools. Suppose the automated system, as mentioned above, detects an abnormal amount of data leaving your network and automatically shuts down all outgoing transmissions in an attempt to stop a data exfiltration attack. The human team may then manually check the activity, communicating with necessary stakeholders to make sure everything’s on the up and up. Also, In the wake of an attack or an attempted breach, the professionals running your MDR will perform a forensic analysis to determine:- The type of attack
- How the hacker gained access to the network
- Which vulnerabilities may be present in key network components
- How to use this knowledge to prevent future incidents
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Watch our own cybersecurity and IT experts have a wide-ranging discussion on managed detection and response services and demystifying its complexities and values.
Benefits of Managed Detection and Response Services
MDR comes with a combination of benefits, all of which help relieve the burden on your already busy IT team. MDR advantages include:
- 24/7/365 monitoring. Your system gets monitored for threats around the clock, including on weekends and during holidays.
- Experienced security expert oversight. Even the most seasoned IT vet may not have the skill set to detect and stop threats, often because they have to handle so many other things. But an MDR service is staffed with authentic cybersecurity experts with the most recent knowledge of threat detection and mitigation techniques.
- Advanced threat hunting. Instead of hoping your antivirus or firewall is getting the job done, you can take advantage of advanced threat-hunting techniques, such as those powered by machine learning, that can detect and mitigate complex and intricate attacks.
- Reduced attack dwell time. The longer an attack is allowed to stay in your network, the more damage it can do, but with an MDR, the attack can be detected and stopped far faster, thanks to advanced monitoring techniques.
- Improved visibility. You can’t protect what you can’t see, and your MDR provider can ensure full visibility into all areas of and endpoints on your network, making it far easier to prevent incidents.
How an MDR Service Provider Can Help
An MDR service provider does the following for your company:
- Configures your threat defense system according to the needs of your network and business operations
- Deploys a solution designed to safeguard your digital assets
- Manages the system, including providing upgrades and updates to software and checking its performance to ensure that it’s up to snuff
- Monitors your network, searching for incidents and issues that could compromise the safety of your assets
One of the primary benefits of an MDR service is the comprehensiveness of the offering. For some companies, this means they gain access to a full range of cybersecurity for their network, lifting the vast majority of the burden off of the IT team’s shoulders.
What to Look For in Managed Detection and Response Vendors
There are some important questions you may want to ask when considering an MDR vendor. These include:
- Is your service up 24/7? Attackers are unlikely to take a break when your business does. You need an MDR provider that’s active all day, every day.
- Do you have advanced threat-hunting capabilities? Even though some threat-hunting techniques can catch many different kinds of attacks, you need an MDR with advanced threat-hunting ability to stop brand-new or sophisticated attacks.
- Do you use the latest, leading technology? In the world of cyber defense, “oldies but goodies” may not be enough to protect your system simply because threat techniques are changing all the time.
- Is your solution fully managed? Despite advancements in automated technology, you still need human intellect and creativity to ensure the best decisions. Your solution should be fully managed so that you get a combination of cutting-edge tech and human ingenuity.
With a trusted partner like TPx managing SD-WAN, businesses can enjoy increased continuity, protection, cost savings, and efficiency without getting bogged down by the nitty-gritty of their IT infrastructure. TPx’s Managed Services begins with a detailed network diagram along with planning for future growth and architecture as your business expense. Our team will plan and execute the rollout step by step.
Why TPx for MDR Services
With TPx, you get MDR services that combine human intelligence with AI to find and terminate threats before they can do damage. As a result, you can enjoy quick responses to cyber threats. If TPx’s team detects a threat they can respond right away to safeguard your network and its assets. With TPx’s comprehensive monitoring capabilities, more threats get caught, so you don’t bring your business to a halt to address issues.
You can take advantage of two different MDR options to best fit your needs:
- Firewall MDR. With Firewall MDR, TPx’s cybersecurity experts manage and monitor your firewall so that when threats are found, they can immediately take action to ensure that your business is protected.
- Endpoint MDR. Endpoint MDR protects individual servers and workstations against advanced threats anytime, anywhere.
To learn more about how TPx can safeguard your network and ensure maximum operational uptime, connect with our MDR experts below today.
Get in touch with our Managed Detection and Response experts today
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