Managed detection and response (MDR) is an emerging category of cybersecurity that moves some of the impetus of protection from an organization’s internal operations to a third-party security company. While outsourcing can often have negative connotations in the business world, when it comes to network security, there are some pretty distinct advantages to employing an MDR company.
Probably the most obvious benefit to MDR is the fact that you’ll have some of the foremost infosec experts keeping your data safe from breaches. Even if you think you have a world-class team in your IT department, it’s unlikely they’re going to have more expertise than those associated with an MDR platform. Furthermore, there are a few key areas where MDR can really take an enterprise’s network security to the next level:
- Greater visibility – Not only will a good MDR provider deploy the absolute best tools for giving your own team network visibility, they’ll have eyes watching your organizational security all the time.
- More prevalent alerts – An alert loses its significance if you’re getting them all the time for non-essential situations. With the right MDR, you’ll only receive prevalent alerts. The best MDR offerings will collect and analyze network data in order to find potential risks, and then only alert the client when they actually need to be brought into the loop.
- Upskill your cybersecurity workforce – Enterprises will typically want to hire network security experts to keep things running smoothly on an internal level. But opting for an MDR can immediately upgrade your team without having to train anyone, or worry about losing key employees.
It’s easy to see how MDR can be beneficial to the enterprise. But what are the best elements of MDR?
Stop Threats Before They Spread
Every enterprise wants to be able to cut the head off threats before they metastasize into something truly dangerous. So, how does a premium MDR offering accomplish this? There are three main elements that combine together to create a truly effective MDR solution:
- An expert team that has the knowledge and commitment to stay on top of trends and emerging threats.
- Advanced threat detection protocols that enable the MDR to stay a step ahead of attackers.
- Bleeding-edge technology enabling the human team to spot vulnerabilities before they can become an attack surface, as well as stopping attacks before they can proliferate throughout a network.
Applications Integrated with Cloud Providers
The cloud is massive and it’s here to stay. Already, over 90 percent of data center traffic is cloud-based, with the majority moving to public or hybrid versus private cloud. Most cloud connection providers have built-in security protocols to help keep their clients safe from data loss. But this isn’t always going to be enough to keep you safe.
The best MDR offerings will integrate with cloud provider applications to supplement their already robust security capabilities. By adding even more comprehensive security tools, enterprises can rest a bit easier when utilizing MDR services.
Drive Cost Savings on Multiple Fronts
At the end of the day, running an enterprise is largely about managing costs. While opting for MDR will of course have a price tag, the best services should actually reduce overall IT spend, and produce long-term ROI. Going with a high-quality MDR can save money on multiple fronts.
First, your organization can actually benefit by lowering annual operating expenses related to cybersecurity. This is because MDR can typically replaces many of the tools and protocols that were previously done internally, while improving their performance. Due to the MDR provider’s ability to scale their services, they can actually offer their services at a discount to what it would cost an enterprise to do the same thing on their own.
Furthermore, MDR can vastly reduce the costs associated with a security breach. Due to the improved detection and response elements of MDR, attacks can be isolated before they’re able to fully penetrate networks and extract crucial data.
There are plenty of reasons enterprises should consider MDR solutions. Knowing the elements of the best MDR offerings can help you find the service that will keep your organization out of harm’s way.
