Managed detection and response (MDR) is a service that combines security technology and expertise into a single package. It usually comes in the form of a subscription service supported by a contract with service-level agreements describing the MDR vendor’s responsibilities.
MDR service packages can include a wide variety of technologies and services, including tech implementation and deployment. Continuous fine-tuning and configuration is also a common feature.
What problems does MDR solve?
1. Lack of product expertise
Advanced security technology implementations are rarely straightforward. They can be incredibly challenging and complex projects that require specialist expertise and deep product knowledge.
Most organizations don’t have this level of expertise in-house. In fact, the ongoing cybersecurity skills gap means that most security teams are already stretched thin — committing top-performing senior staff to lead an implementation is not always feasible.
2. Talent shortages and scaling difficulties
MDR gives security leaders a scalable solution for deploying and configuring sophisticated security technologies without onboarding new in-house staff. This frees the in-house team to dedicate time and resources to higher-impact strategic initiatives without compromising the organization’s day-to-day security needs.
Without MDR vendors, organizations have to hire in-house talent for every security task and process. MDR vendors can provide an entire team of dedicated security personnel for a fraction of the cost of a single new hire.
3. Alert fatigue
Advanced security technologies like Extended Detection and Response (XDR), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), and User Entity and Behavioral Monitoring (UEBA) generate a huge volume of alerts. Many of these alerts are false positives, which reduce the efficiency of the security team as a whole.
MDR vendors directly address this challenge by augmenting in-house security teams with scalable talent and continuously refining security tools to produce fewer false positives. MDR services are vital for building a mature, sustainable detection and response program.
4 Benefits to Adopting MDR
Organizations that augment their security capabilities with MDR partners enjoy significant benefits:
Faster threat detection and investigation. MDR vendors operate as a dedicated, scalable Security Operations Center (SOC)-as-a-service, bringing average detection times down from 277 days to mere minutes.
- Improved security posture and performance. MDR personnel have a broad range of experience addressing cybersecurity threats in different contexts, which helps organizations proactively improve cyber resilience.
- 24/7 alarm monitoring and response. Building 24/7 monitoring capabilities fully in-house can be prohibitively expensive. MDR services enable organizations to achieve round-the-clock security with far lower costs.
- More efficient security operations. MDR services can take care of high-volume, low-impact tasks that would otherwise distract in-house security talent from their most important goals.
How does MDR work?
Your MDR partner acts as an extension of your security team. However, unlike an in-house security team, it comes with its own infrastructure, equipment, and technologies ready. All it has to do is connect its existing tech stack to yours and begin working.
Different MDR vendors focus on different technologies. Most vendors have wide experience with a broad range of security tools and products, but maintain core focus on a smaller set of solutions they are very familiar with.
Some MDR vendors specialize in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR). Others focus on implementing and configuring SIEM platforms. They generally don’t limit themselves to that one particular technology though — they may provide a wealth of plugins, features, and add-on technologies that enhance security performance.
Regardless of the specific type of flagship technology it focuses on, your MDR partner will typically provide the following core capabilities:
- Alert prioritization. Security teams need to filter through a massive volume of alerts to find and address the highest-severity risks first. MDR partnerships help automate that process.
- Proactive threat hunting. Threat hunters are skilled detection experts who identify evasive threats that can escape detection and trigger alerts when found.
- Managed investigations. Some investigations require very little time and effort to resolve. Others can take days, weeks, or months. MDR vendors help security teams manage and scale event investigations without compromising on other tasks.
- Guided incident response. Your partners may develop incident response playbooks that make optimal use of your new security technologies and capabilities. When an incident occurs, they will lead your team’s incident response.
- Remediation. Recovering from a security incident also draws resources and expertise away from ongoing tasks. MDR vendors help customers remove malware, sanitize systems, and produce comprehensive post-incident reports.
Is MDR the same as EDR?
Not exactly. Managed detection and response vendors use endpoint detection and response tools to catch threat actors and neutralize risk. EDR technology is just one tool in the MDR vendor’s set, which may include a variety of technologies, add-ons, and services.
Importantly, MDR vendors also provide human services that drive the value of EDR implementations. Human expertise is vital for interpreting endpoint data and looking beyond indicators of compromise and other threat signatures.
MDR, XDR, and MXDR explained:
Managed detection and response is a service that includes human expertise in the detection and response workflow. Extended Detection and Response (XDR) is a technology that security teams use to safeguard network assets from a wide variety of attacks.
XDR takes endpoint security one step further by incorporating data from a wide range of third-party sources. This improves visibility into users, network assets, and other applications and gives security teams the same detection and response capabilities across the entire tech stack.
Managed Extended Detection and Response (MXDR) provides unlimited visibility and risk mitigation capabilities as a service. MXDR partners provide all the benefits of XDR through a scalable, on-demand service that acts as an extension of the organization’s internal team.
Is MDR the same as Managed SIEM?
No, though the two are related. SIEM platforms aggregate log data from across the network and analyze it to detect anomalous behavior that demands investigation. Managed SIEM services focus on the implementation, configuration, and operation of a SIEM platform.
MDR vendors may include managed SIEM services in their portfolio. A customer may rely on its MDR partner to provide SIEM implementation assistance, native integrations with other security technologies, and scalable human expertise.
Novawatch drives value through MDR expertise
Entrust your organization’s security to a reputable MDR vendor with deep experience using best-in-class technologies. Novawatch provides visibility and control to customers by feeding telemetry data into its SOAR platform, leveraging actionable intelligence to continuously improve incident response operations and security event outcomes.
Find out how our suite of managed detection and response service packages can help your organization protect sensitive data and maintain compliance. Contact a Novawatch MDR specialist to schedule a demo.
