What is EDR?
EDR solutions are designed to offer next-generation corporate endpoint security. The primary objective of EDR is to integrate multiple layers of threat prevention, detection, and response into a single solution.
EDR solutions work by leveraging increased visibility into an endpoint to more effectively detect potential threats.
Key capabilities of an EDR solution include:
- Endpoint Protection: Endpoints are increasingly an organization’s first line of defense against cyber threats as companies adopt remote work and bring your own device (BYOD) policies. EDR solutions provide threat detection and response capabilities for these endpoints.
- Log Aggregation: EDR solutions have access to the various system and application logs that an endpoint produces. They collect and aggregate the data from these sources to create a more complete picture of the current state of the endpoint.
- Machine Learning: EDR solutions have integrated machine learning capabilities that analyze the data collected from log files and other sources. This data analysis enables the system to identify anomalies and trends that could indicate potential intrusions or other issues with the endpoint.
- Analyst Support: EDR solutions collect a large amount of data regarding an endpoint’s status and aggregate and analyze this data to extract insights. Access to these data and insights can then be provided to analysts to enhance incident response and digital forensics activities.
In the end, EDR is a more comprehensive and effective method for protecting an endpoint against cyber threats.
What is MDR?
MDR is a security as a service offering. The primary goal of MDR is to enable an organization to replace or expand its in-house security operations center (SOC) with a third-party service. An MDR solution provides all of the tools, personnel, and expertise that an organization requires to protect itself against cyber threats.
MDR providers offer comprehensive security as a service.
Some key benefits of an MDR service include:
- 24/7/365 Monitoring: Cyberattacks can occur at any time, making round-the-cloud security monitoring essential. MDR providers will constantly monitor an organization’s environment for security issues, triage alerts, and determine if an alert indicates a true security threat.
- Managed Response: Rapid and correct incident response is essential to minimizing the scope and impact of a cybersecurity incident. MDR providers have trained incident response teams on-staff, enabling them to quickly respond to security incidents with teams that have the necessary knowledge and expertise to handle them correctly.
- Specialized Expertise: The cybersecurity industry is experiencing a significant skills shortage which makes it difficult to attract and retain vital security expertise. The effects of this shortage are even more apparent for certain specialties within cybersecurity such as cloud security and malware analysis. An MDR provider has the scale required to attract and retain these skilled professionals, ensuring that they are available to customers when needed.
- Threat Hunting: Proactive threat hunting activities enable an organization to identify previously unknown intrusions within their IT environments. Threat hunting is a core component of an MDR provider’s services, enabling them to provide better protection than purely reactive security.
At its core, MDR provides companies with everything that it needs to protect itself against the evolving cyber threat landscape
The Differences Between EDR & MDR
MDR and EDR are both designed to help an organization leverage state-of-the-art security solutions to improve its protection against cyber threats.
In both cases, improved visibility and security integration are crucial value adds. However, MDR and EDR are very different. EDR is a tool that is deployed to protect a particular endpoint, while MDR is a service that provides security monitoring and management across an organization’s entire IT environment.
An MDR provider may include EDR solutions as part of its toolkit, and MDR vs. EDR is not an “either-or” choice. Companies should implement the best available solutions to all of their security challenges, which often means both EDR and MDR.
Choose The Right Solution For Your Business
MDR and EDR are both designed to help improve an organization’s security posture and address key security challenges. However, they are very different things and are primarily designed to solve different problems. MDR provides a solution to the skills shortage that many organizations face, while EDR provides much-needed security visibility and management for corporate endpoints.
Both MDR and EDR have their places in a corporate cybersecurity strategy. Check Point provides both EDR solutions and MDR services as part of its cybersecurity portfolio. To learn more about endpoint security and how EDR can help, request a free demo of Check Point Harmony Endpoint. For more information about Check Point’s security as a service offering, sign up for a demo of Check Point MDR.
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