MDR: How It Compares and How To Choose a Provider

Protecting your organization from cyberattacks requires a comprehensive security solution. You need the right people, processes, and technology to prevent, detect, and respond to threats. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. A managed detection and response (MDR) provider can work with your in-house cybersecurity team and existing technology or a standalone solution to defend against cyberattacks. But what is MDR, and how do you know if MDR is the right fit for your organization?

Lyndon Brown, Chief Strategy Officer at Pondurance, reveals what organizations need to know about MDR in the webinar Demystifying Managed Detection and Response with moderator Sharon Smith. Lyndon discusses the evolving cyber landscape, compares MDR with other security solutions, and explains what you should consider when choosing an MDR provider.

The evolving cyber landscape

Cyberattacks are ever-evolving. Today, threats range from malware to ransomware to phishing, and once in the network, bad actors are capable of remaining for months or years. Organizations are struggling to keep up with cybercriminals and need to make smart investments to defend against them. Lyndon highlights the top cybersecurity challenges midsize and enterprise organizations face, including discussions on the talent shortage, technology evolution and constrained network visibility. 

“There’s no slowdown in the number of attacks that are occurring, the number of actors that are jumping in — whether it’s cybercriminals or nation-states — to have effects in the cyber domain,” says Lyndon. “And that’s something that we expect to continue to see, particularly given various geopolitical situations.” 

MDR vs. other security services

When seeking cybersecurity help, many organizations turn to solutions such as SIEM, managed security services providers (MSSPs), extended detection and response (XDR), or MDR to protect against cyberattacks. In the webinar, Lyndon explains the benefits and downfalls of these services. 

• SIEMs collect log data and forward the data to a centralized location for management and analysis. It stores the data for posterity, correlates data, and provides alerts. However, it actually expands the skills gap and is not designed to keep up with today’s scale and velocity challenges.
• MSSPs provide alerts and manage firewalls and devices designed to keep attackers out at the perimeter. They involve technology, people and some minimal processes, but they do nothing to investigate and respond to in-progress attacks that find their way into the network.  
• XDR solutions deliver detection and response by marrying network, log, and endpoint visibility. However, the platform can be complicated to deploy and requires much time and energy to configure and operate. The customer remains on the hook to find capable talent and build processes. 
• MDR services combine technology and humans to monitor, alert, investigate, and proactively respond on behalf of clients. However, MDR has many flavors, providing different capabilities and value. Lyndon explains the distinctions between traditional MDR and modern MDR and describes how modern MDR performs for organizations facing cyber threats.

What to consider when choosing an MDR provider

With cyberattacks on the rise, organizations are looking for the best solution to protect their data and customers. Many are choosing MDR as the preferred security solution to stay safe from threats. Technological research and consulting firm Gartner predicts that one-half of all organizations will use managed detection and response services to monitor, detect and respond to threats by 2025. 

Lyndon discusses the people, process and technology aspects of choosing an MDR provider. He also tells how threat intelligence, vulnerability management, forensics, incident response and experience are all important considerations when choosing a provider. Find out which questions Lyndon suggests you ask any potential managed detection and response provider and what you can expect when using MDR services.

Conclusion

You need a comprehensive security solution to protect your organization from evolving cyber threats. An MDR provider can work with your cybersecurity team and integrate relevant technology to keep your organization safe from a cyberattack.

 Learn how MDR compares with other security solutions and what to consider when choosing a managed detection and response provider.