Endpoint detection and response (EDR) and managed detection and response (MDR), also known as Managed SOC (security operations center), are powerhouse security technologies. While each is an excellent solution on its own, the real magic lies in using them in concert to gain a big security advantage. It’s a game-changer that gives companies an array of benefits including 360° visibility into their threat picture, valuable threat intelligence and critical tools to speed up incident response.

• Aren’t EDR and MDR the same thing?

EDR and MDR may have similar abbreviations, but they’re not the same technology. Instead, each provides IT teams with part of a company’s threat picture.

EDR focuses on detecting and responding to threats at the endpoint level, such as laptops, servers, and other computing devices. It uses advanced techniques such as behavioral analysis, machine learning, and threat intelligence to detect and respond to threats that traditional antivirus solutions may miss.

Managed SOC, or MDR, is a comprehensive security solution that involves a combination of people, processes, and technology to detect, investigate and respond to security incidents across the entire organization. Managed SOC services are typically provided by a third-party vendor who monitors their customer’s network and endpoints for suspicious activity.

• How do these technologies work in incident response?

EDR and Managed SOC offer an unbeatable array of benefits in an incident response scenario, like making investigations faster, speeding up response times, and enabling IT teams to minimize damage in a cyberattack.

EDR solutions record and store activities and events on endpoints and use various data analytics techniques to detect suspicious system behavior, provide contextual information, block malicious activity, and provide remediation suggestions to restore affected systems. An EDR tool augments an organization’s incident detection, investigation, and response capabilities, including incident data search and investigation alert triage, suspicious activity validation, threat hunting, and malicious activity detection and containment.

A SOC is one of the most significant pillars in incident response planning and a must-have for smooth incident response. A SOC gives responders the data they need to quickly mount an effective response, helping reduce the attackers’ dwell time and damage. It also enables organizations to establish the metrics to measure the success of any incident response. A SOC can be maintained in-house, or an organization may use a managed SOC. Using a Managed SOC has many advantages for preventing and addressing cyberattacks. First and foremost, a Managed SOC will be staffed by cybersecurity professionals who can provide threat analysis and expert help during a cyberattack. With a Managed SOC, SMBs can also perform vulnerability assessments to identify potential threats and address vulnerabilities.

• EDR and Managed SOC – Better Together:

The winning combination of EDR and Managed SOC together offers organizations a wide array of unbeatable security and incident response benefits, including:

1. Comprehensive threat detection: By combining EDR and Managed SOC, an organization can achieve extensive threat detection capabilities. EDR can detect threats at the endpoint level. In contrast, Managed SOC can detect threats across an organization’s IT infrastructure, including cloud, networks, and various endpoints, such as servers and other devices.
2. Faster incident response: EDR can quickly detect and respond to threats at the endpoint level. However, adding Managed SOC can provide an even quicker incident response by correlating threat data from multiple sources and providing a holistic view of the incident. This allows organizations to respond to threats more quickly and effectively.
3. Improved threat intelligence: EDR can provide valuable threat intelligence to Managed SOC services, which can help them improve their detection capabilities. For example, if EDR detects a new type of malware, it can immediately send that information to Managed SOC analysts, allowing them to update their detection capabilities.
4. Fewer false positives: EDR can help reduce the number of false positives generated by Managed SOC services by providing more context around alerts. For example, suppose EDR detects a suspicious file on an endpoint. In that case, it can provide additional information about that file to the Managed SOC analysts, allowing them to determine better whether it’s a genuine threat or a false positive.
5. Reduced tool and vendor fatigue: By leveraging a joint EDR and Managed SOC solution, IT professionals simplify their cybersecurity tool stack and reduce the number of disparate security vendors they must use to stay secure. This saves time and money and makes the day-to-day workload more efficient for the IT professional.

Source: ID Agent