Endpoint detection and response (EDR) and security information and event management (SIEM) solutions are both designed to improve an organization’s security visibility and management capabilities. However, they accomplish this goal in very different ways. Here, we compare the functionality and purposes of the two solutions.
EDR security solutions are designed to improve endpoint security by enhancing visibility and speeding up incident investigation and automated responses. EDR solutions continuously collect endpoint security data from multiple sources and perform data analytics to identify true threats.
Some of the core components of an EDR include:
In essence, EDR solutions are designed to streamline and optimize threat detection and response on corporate endpoints. They accomplish this by automating the process of collecting, aggregating, and analyzing security data, providing greater endpoint visibility and context to analysts.
SIEM solutions are an essential piece of a corporate security architecture. SIEMs collect, aggregate, and analyze data from across the entire corporate network. Triaged and prioritized security alerts are then provided to analysts, expediting threat detection and response.
SIEM solutions accomplish their purpose via a four-step process with the following steps:
After the SIEM has completed its data collection and analytics, it has access to a rich pool of security data and threat intelligence. This data is then provided to a security analyst to optimize threat detection and response, threat hunting, post-incident forensics, and demonstrating regulatory compliance.
EDR and SIEM are both corporate security solutions that focus on improving incident detection and response by improving security visibility and context. They both collect data from multiple sources, analyze it, generate alerts regarding potential threats, and provide analysts with access to a rich pool of security data for threat identification, threat hunting, and similar activities. However, EDR and SIEM are distinct security tools.
Some of the key differentiators between the two include the following:
EDR and SIEM are security solutions that use similar methods to fulfill very different roles. An EDR solution is designed to monitor and protect the endpoint, while a SIEM provides security visibility across the entire corporate network. A corporate security architecture should incorporate both EDR and SIEM functions, not one or the other.
Check Point Harmony Endpoint is part of Check Point’s integrated security suite, providing the endpoint security capabilities of EDR while enabling the integrated security visibility and monitoring of a SIEM. For more information on how Harmony Endpoint and other Check Point solutions can enhance your organization’s security posture, sign up for a free demo today.