Detection & Response

EDR vs XDR vs MDR: What’s the Difference? And Why Does It Matter?

You hold a crucial role: protecting your organization from an ever-expanding array of sophisticated threats. But here’s the challenge – you’re working with a limited budget for your team, tools, and services. So, in the months ahead, you face critical decisions that can shape your organization’s security strategy:

Maximize your cybersecurity budget for optimal results.
Evaluating existing cybersecurity investments
Identifying new investments that promise the highest returns.

Choosing between EDR, XDR, and MDR solutions can significantly impact your organization’s risk exposure. That’s why it’s crucial to understand the key distinctions between these options and make an informed decision.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR):

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) is a powerful solution designed to detect and respond to threats targeting your organization’s endpoints. These endpoints encompass a wide range of devices that connect to your network, including desktop PCs within your premises, storage controllers in your data center, and even laptops used by employees in remote locations. EDR helps your cyber defense with the following key features:

Endpoint Data Collection

EDR utilizes specialized agents installed on your endpoints to gather valuable telemetry. This data includes detailed information about the activities taking place on each endpoint, communication patterns with other internal and external endpoints, and the types of data and files being transferred to and from each endpoint.

Endpoint Data Analysis

The collected endpoint data is then forwarded to a sophisticated EDR analysis engine. This engine compares the telemetry against predefined "markers" that indicate the presence of known malicious activities. By correlating these markers, EDR can accurately identify the specific type or types of cyberattacks affecting each endpoint.

Automated Endpoint Containment

EDR takes immediate action to contain any potential threats it detects on endpoints. Through automated isolation, EDR prevents the spread of active threats throughout your environment. This proactive measure often thwarts attacks, such as ransomware attempts, before they can cause substantial harm. However, it's important to note that further penetration of your environment cannot always be entirely eliminated.

Endpoint Response Support

EDR empowers your cybersecurity team with valuable information to investigate and respond to apparent incidents. This fact-based investigation is crucial for halting attacks in their tracks and safeguarding your organization from compromised data, disabled systems, or other harmful consequences. Additionally, EDR aids in the complete eradication of any traces of the attack, allowing you to restore normal operations.

Extended Detection and Response (XDR):

Extended Detection and Response (XDR), a game-changing solution that takes your protection to new heights.

Comprehensive Data Collection

XDR goes above and beyond EDR by gathering data from a multitude of sources. In addition to endpoint telemetry, XDR taps into the power of cloud, network, identity, and user/entity behavior data.

Advanced Threat Identification

With its expansive data collection capabilities, XDR excels at pinpointing active threats. By analyzing a broader scope of data, XDR can precisely identify the nature and origin of malicious activities. This comprehensive insight empowers threat hunters to swiftly neutralize threats and safeguard your entire ecosystem from further compromise.

Maximizing Your Budget

By incorporating a superset of EDR functionality, XDR can replace stand-alone EDR solutions, reducing your cybersecurity expenditure.

Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Services:

Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services deliver comprehensive detection and response capabilities. With 24/7 monitoring, proactive threat hunting, and collaborative investigation and remediation, MDR ensures robust cybersecurity.
MDR leverages the following advanced technologies to safeguard your organization effectively.

EDR

EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response): Monitors endpoints, detects threats, and responds to security incidents.

XDR

XDR (Extended Detection and Response): Enhanced security platform integrating multiple detection sources for broader protection.

AI

AI (Artificial Intelligence): Machines programmed to mimic human intelligence processes, including learning and decision-making.

SIEM

SIEM (Security Information and Event Management): System that aggregates and analyzes security event data for real-time threat detection.

It’s important to maintain in-house cybersecurity capabilities, including vulnerability management and a dedicated cybersecurity leader.

Partner with NetConnect, your trusted managed service provider for enhanced cybersecurity today.

EDR vs. XDR vs. MDR: Which One is Right for You?

	You probably should if	You probably shouldn’t if you
EDR	Still depend on antivirus and/or antimalware alone for endpoint protection Have an acceptable ratio of SOC staff to IT environment size and complexity	Make extensive use of cloud in the form of SaaS, PaaS, or IaaS Don’t have the in-house staff necessary to perform threat hunting and remediation
XDR	Make extensive use of the cloud both as a platform (IaaS) and SaaS application (like O365) Face significant business risks from cybercrime Have substantial in-house cybersecurity skills	Don’t use any cloud or SaaS application Don’t face significant business risks from ransomware or data theft Don’t have the in-house staff necessary to perform threat hunting and remediation
MDR	Make extensive use of the cloud Face significant business risks from ransomware or data theft Don’t have the in-house staff necessary to perform threat hunting and remediation	Have sufficient in-house staff to perform threat hunting and remediation across your endpoints, network, and cloud/SaaS implementations

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I would first like to say thanks to the entire NetConnect team for always being there for me and the school. I truly appreciate the time and commitment both the sales and engineering departments put into my proposals and onsite support. In all emergencies they are either on the phone or onsite in an extremely quick timeframe. I have dealt with other vendors in the past that make promises but fail to deliver. This is the opposite with NetConnect. “They promise and they deliver”.
Director of Technology, Private EducationA NetConnect Client for Over 20 Years and Our Relationship Has Never Been Stronger

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First, they respond quickly to our needs, understanding our business is time sensitive in nature. Second, from our experience, they go the extra mile for us. Our experience has been, we always get more than we thought we would get. They are transparent in their approach and strive for high quality output and high level of standards. Third, they think long term about your business, always suggesting what is best while taking into consideration the company’s budget, knowledge and future growth. Fourth, they make training and professional development investments in their employees a top priority to ensure that we are getting top-notch service. Lastly, NetConnect really gets to know your business.
Executive Director of Program Operations, Not-For-ProfitNetConnect Takes a Multi-Tiered Approach to Servicing Their Clients

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It’s great to always have someone available to resolve our IT issues. Knowing there are several techs that are able to provide us with a high level service gives us peace of mind that our problems are solved professionally, accurately and immediately.

Knowing our network is being monitored, our data is being safely and securely backed up continuously and our security is being maintained to keep out cyber-attacks and viruses is even more valuable than the basic onsite troubleshooting.
Managing Director, Wealth ManagementTop Notch Service from a Top Notch IT Company

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NetConnect is always quick to help with emergencies. Throughout the years they have shown they can adapt to any situation. If additional knowledge is required, you will often find your tickets being bumped to a high level technician. NetConnect keeps you in the loop to show their progress and a sense of how long something will take to complete. Monitoring has prevented our servers from shutting down in the past as well as exposing issues before we even notice them.
Knowing our network is being monitored, our data is being safely and securely backed up continuously and our security is being maintained to keep out cyber-attacks and viruses is even more valuable than the basic onsite troubleshooting.
CPA, AccountingProblems Are Resolved as Quickly as Possible

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It’s clearly not cost effective for us to have a full time IT person on board and so we engaged NetConnect to provide that service about 15 years ago and the rest is history. The service department is always available to access our individual desktops and address any issues we may have. There is never a complaint about the amount of time we take even though we are charged a flat fee. Just as important, the service technicians make every effort to accommodate us in terms of time. If we are busy with work, they access our computers after hours and weekends. NetConnect allows me to sleep better at night knowing that if something goes wrong with the data it can be easily restored quickly.Knowing our network is being monitored, our data is being safely and securely backed up continuously and our security is being maintained to keep out cyber-attacks and viruses is even more valuable than the basic onsite troubleshooting.
CFO, EngineeringYet We Run into The Same Type Computer Problems as Larger Companies.

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From my experience when choosing an IT vendor, cost should never be the sole determining factor. Experience, expertise, and reputation must be factored in as well. With NetConnect “you get what you pay for” a competent, knowledgeable and experienced IT company that will provide your organization the highest level of service to help manage your IT infrastructure environment and applications.
Administrator, Private EducationCost Should Never Be the Sole Determining Factor

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NetConnect has been there whenever I need them to provide the best solution for my daily IT business requirements. Most importantly, they are always available for emergency work whenever needed. As a 25+ year client of NetConnect, I always get the right person to help solve whatever IT issues we have. Diligence is necessary since some problems are not resolved with a push of button and their techs have proven to resolve the issue no matter how much time it takes.
Attorney, Law FirmA 25+ Year Client of NetConnect

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Like all companies our data is very important to us and our clients. With our offices being so close to the Empire State Building we are concerned with online and physical security. Knowing, NetConnect not only backs up the data but replicates off site is a huge relief. They consistently give us advice on security issues. The support personnel are a key factor for us. The entire technical team provides excellent service and is familiar with our setup. There is always someone there to answer the phones and help with whatever issue we have. Overall, we are and have been very satisfied with the level of service provided by NetConnect.
Managing Partner, Financial ServicesOut of Town Replication of Data, I Sleep at Night

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Our IT issues have always been addressed by NetConnect in a timely and consistent manner. The most recent was during a total outage of our Verizon internet circuit caused by a software issue. They contacted and worked with Verizon until the circuit was working.

This professionalism transcends throughout the entire technical platform. We have total peace of mind knowing the backup and replication is being handled by a professional team. In fact, whenever we need to find data it has always been found. Our security concerns have also been put to rest.
Owner, Real EstateTimely and Consistent Manner

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Our main focus is to care for children with serious medical and neurological challenges. So when the hospital moved the entire facility out of New York City to Yonkers, NY we knew the project would require a special IT company to help. Our main focus for hiring this company centered on two very important items; the completion of the IT portion of the project, however, more importantly was the utmost care for the children.

NetConnect was hired to purchase and implement almost an entire new infrastructure. The professionalism of all employees during the months leading up to the move was impressive, keeping us up to date with everything they were required to complete. As the move date quickly approached, they took on more responsibility from my team
allowing us to keep the day-to day operation running smoothly. In the end, the implementation of the IT infrastructure and the move of the children went as smooth as we had hoped for.
This professionalism transcends throughout the entire technical platform. We have total peace of mind knowing the backup and replication is being handled by a professional team. In fact, whenever we need to find data it has always been found. Our security concerns have also been put to rest.
Director of IT Services, Health CareA 17 Year Relationship Stronger Than Ever

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The weekly onsite support supplied by NetConnect assures our network is well maintained. Besides being very responsive, their Help Desk technicians are extremely knowledgeable, patient, and personable. It has been our experience that NetConnect will send onsite support as quickly as possible if a problem cannot be resolved remotely.

While NetConnect may be a bit more costly I find their commitment to our network’s integrity is beyond reproach. I feel confident if a network problem occurred, they would commit the necessary resources to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Using the products recommended by NetConnect has resulted in a more seamless network integration, support and peace of mind.
We have had experiences of viruses, data loss, complete outages but it always seems this company has the answer and repairs the problem as quickly as possible. One of the worst problems we had was two years ago when we were hit with ransomware. The team came in found the problem cleaned the machines and restored the data overnight and we were ready for business the next morning. I believe there aren’t many IT companies that could have pulled that off.

“You cannot tell it has taken NetConnect many years to develop their skill set. They just make it look too easy”.
NetConnect was hired to purchase and implement almost an entire new infrastructure. The professionalism of all employees during the months leading up to the move was impressive, keeping us up to date with everything they were required to complete. As the move date quickly approached, they took on more responsibility from my team
allowing us to keep the day-to day operation running smoothly. In the end, the implementation of the IT infrastructure and the move of the children went as smooth as we had hoped for.
This professionalism transcends throughout the entire technical platform. We have total peace of mind knowing the backup and replication is being handled by a professional team. In fact, whenever we need to find data it has always been found. Our security concerns have also been put to rest.
Principal, Private EducationResulted in a More Seamless Integration, Support and Peace of Mind

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I always felt our IT vendor was a hired gun and not a valued business partner. The team at NetConnect have changed that perception for us. They understand our business, our technology needs, and our budget requirements. And work within those parameters.
As a housing authority governed by federal and state procedures, we must employ the proper technology that is efficient, reliable, secure and effective for us to complete our daily work in order to meet the guidelines.
So far, NetConnect has met all of our challenges to keep us operational at all times.
While NetConnect may be a bit more costly I find their commitment to our network’s integrity is beyond reproach. I feel confident if a network problem occurred, they would commit the necessary resources to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Using the products recommended by NetConnect has resulted in a more seamless network integration, support and peace of mind.
We have had experiences of viruses, data loss, complete outages but it always seems this company has the answer and repairs the problem as quickly as possible. One of the worst problems we had was two years ago when we were hit with ransomware. The team came in found the problem cleaned the machines and restored the data overnight and we were ready for business the next morning. I believe there aren’t many IT companies that could have pulled that off.

“You cannot tell it has taken NetConnect many years to develop their skill set. They just make it look too easy”.
NetConnect was hired to purchase and implement almost an entire new infrastructure. The professionalism of all employees during the months leading up to the move was impressive, keeping us up to date with everything they were required to complete. As the move date quickly approached, they took on more responsibility from my team
allowing us to keep the day-to day operation running smoothly. In the end, the implementation of the IT infrastructure and the move of the children went as smooth as we had hoped for.
This professionalism transcends throughout the entire technical platform. We have total peace of mind knowing the backup and replication is being handled by a professional team. In fact, whenever we need to find data it has always been found. Our security concerns have also been put to rest.
Executive Director, Housing AuthorityOur Technology Needs and Our Budget

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As someone who functions as an informed point of contact for IT issues within my firm, it is very reassuring that I can reach out to NetConnect and trust they will complete our request correctly, and in a timely manner. Similarly, there have been more than a handful of times where NetConnect employees have gone the extra mile - and then some – when it really counted for us. In the past, we had been victim to multiple cyber-attacks. Since hiring NetConnect our concerns for cyber events have faded. NetConnect have been proactive in notifying us about potential security issues. Occasionally, we lose data due to user errors; NetConnect backup and recovery procedures has been invaluable in retrieving such data.
Owner, ArchitectureConsistently Responsive and Informative When Handling Our IT Issues

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We recently moved our IT support to NetConnect. This was a hectic and what seemed to be a difficult move. The majority of our systems were being hosted by our previous IT support company. We had continued downtime every day without explanations as to why. When we contracted NetConnect the entire project was laid out in detail explaining how it was going to unfold. I was surprised, to say the least, when I realized the provided plan was tracked to dates and milestones. Once the project was completed the downtime stopped and my business is operating fully.
The day-to-day support we receive from the help desk is quick, professional and friendly. Our entire company can see the difference since we changed to NetConnect.
CEO, ArchitectureWhat a Difference Working Systems Make

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In the IT world, client service and response time is probably one of the areas that is most critical. NetConnect responds to all our non-critical daily requests within 30 minutes. With critical issues, I have personally had dialogue with a technical member of the team on weekends, and afterhours so that down time was kept to a minimum. Monitoring is expensive, and neither of the two IT companies we had prior to NetConnect have done it. However, after experiencing several spam/ransomware attacks (due to vulnerabilities left by previous IT companies) I am convinced monitoring is very necessary and less expensive in the long run.
CEO, ConstructionGoes Above and Beyond to Ensure Clients Are PROTECTED

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I worked 15 years at a large corporation where we had our own IT department at our disposal. When we split from the large corporation to open our own boutique investment firm, I went through many different IT service companies until I finally found NetConnect. The prompt and efficient services I was use to at the large hedge fund, with all the high security features that we must have, was implemented by NetConnect. They employ a great support technical staff that maintains our computers whenever we need. I have now been with NetConnect for over seven years and have had little to no problems. They are pleasant to work with, very open to suggestions and attentive to our high security needs.
CEO, Financial ServicesYou Cannot Put a Price on High Security While Protecting Highly Confidential Information