EDR Software

In late 2018, global hospitality chain Marriott fell prey to a major security breach that exposed the personal information of 500 million guests. Compromised data included a combination of names, addresses, passport numbers, and dates of birth of guests. Further, hackers gained access to the credit card information of an unspecified number of guests. And although the card details were encrypted, hackers might also have stolen the information needed to decrypt these details.

Could Marriott have saved itself from landing in this mess? Yes; an endpoint detection and response (EDR) solution could have helped.

Technology advancements have paved the path for modern hacking techniques and advanced malware that can easily bypass basic anti-virus and anti-malware software. This has resulted in a need for enhanced threat protection, making EDR a necessity for all businesses. EDR tools continuously monitor business endpoints to detect vulnerabilities and protect organizations from cyberattacks.

There are many EDR software tools available on the market, and choosing the right solution for your business can be challenging. We’ve created this buyers guide to help you understand the options available for your business.

Here's what we'll cover:

• What is EDR software?
• Common features of EDR software
• What type of buyer are you?
• Benefits of EDR software
• Key considerations for choosing EDR software

What is EDR software?

EDR software is a set of tools used to detect, investigate, and analyze potential security threats in and around hosts/endpoints. It helps businesses prevent security breaches.

Endpoints are remote computing devices, such as laptops, tablets, mobile phones, and other wireless devices, that are connected to business networks. And since business networks are shared by several people, they are prone to security threats, including phishing attacks, malvertising—i.e., using online advertising to spread malware—and ransomware.

The term EDR, initially named endpoint threat detection and response, was coined in 2013 by Gartner executive Anton Chuvakin. EDR software continuously monitors endpoints and network events and records the received information in a centralized database. This information is analyzed in real time to alert businesses about suspicious activities.

 

Detailed endpoint security status in Symantec Endpoint Protection (Source)

Common features of EDR software

The EDR solution you choose should provide the highest level of protection against network threats and vulnerabilities. Here are some common features that you should take into account while selecting EDR software for your business.

Anomaly/malware detection	Monitor new, unexpected, or unusual network activities to detect any malware or vulnerabilities.
Threat analysis	Identify advanced threats using behavioral analytics and machine learning technologies.
Event analysis	Investigate security threats, detect malicious activities, and analyze such events to find ways to avoid them in the future.
Remediation management	Remove malicious files, repair devices, and provide instructions for further actions as required.
Route optimization	Notify administrators of suspicious activities and receive confirmation when a security incident is identified.

What type of buyer are you?

Businesses with a higher number of employees have more endpoints to monitor. Based on the number of employees, EDR software buyers can be divided into two categories: small businesses, and midsize and large businesses. We’ll take a look at both types below.

• Small businesses (less than 200 employees): In 2019, 43% of security breaches involved small businesses. As small businesses have a lower number of employees, they have fewer endpoints to secure. Most EDR software vendors charge users on a per-endpoint basis. Software that covers all network endpoints; provides visibility into hosts, files, and users; and is equipped with a wide set of remediation tools will be a good investment for small businesses.

• Midsize and large businesses (200 or more employees): Over 53% of midmarket companies faced a security breach in 2018. Due to a higher number of endpoints, midsize and large businesses need higher levels of protection. Software equipped with advanced technology, such as machine learning (ML) and data analytics, can offer enhanced protection to such businesses. These software solutions can analyze data faster and automate certain remedial actions when endpoints are attacked by threats.

Benefits of EDR software

Understanding the advantages of EDR software will help you assess why your business needs one and build a strong case for an investment. Listed below are the key benefits offered by EDR software.

• Higher endpoint visibility: EDR software continuously monitors all endpoints at the network level to ensure businesses don’t miss out on any potential threats. Most threats attack network blind spots, and through continuous monitoring, EDR software ensures these blind spots are highly reduced or eliminated.

• Lower losses due to security breaches: Security breaches can have a massive impact on operations and result in significant losses. The average cost of a cybersecurity attack is estimated to be $1.1 million. EDR solutions collect cybersecurity events' data and analyze it in real time to identify threats and send timely alerts. These alerts assist security teams in devising risk mitigation plans that ensure threats don’t escalate into attacks, which in turn minimizes security-related losses.

• Faster resolution of security breaches: EDR software accelerates the process of security breach resolution using threat detection, incident investigation, and event alerts. It stores the analysis of previous threat events, and IT experts can use this analysis to create efficient and proactive risk mitigation policies. When facing a similar attack, experts can use the available data to quickly resolve the breach, and no extra time is spent on threat investigation.

Key considerations for choosing EDR software

EDR is a key component of your organization's cybersecurity mechanism. Therefore, you must analyze all available options and their distinct capabilities to find one that is right for your security needs. Let’s go through a few key considerations that you should take into account when purchasing EDR software.

• Alert filtering capability: EDR solutions that are unable to filter out false positives can lead to alert fatigue, a situation wherein monitoring professionals ignore or fail to respond to a security alert, as they deal with large numbers of alerts and consequently become desensitized to them. Alert fatigue increases the chances of critical threats being ignored and can also lead to a higher response time for threat alerts.

• Role-based access: EDR software equipped with role-based access allows you to control the access rights of your system users based on their roles, such as administrator or manager. This ensures that only authorized personnel are allowed to change the configuration or settings of your EDR software, and your business remains protected from threats at all times.

• Availability as a mobile application: Since EDR software monitors threats continuously, it generates a large number of alerts that need to be tracked. Missing out on any of these alerts can expose your business to a threat that could have been easily dealt with. With mobile applications, you can access threat alerts any time and from any location. Mobile applications allow you to respond to malicious threat events even while you’re on the go, thereby ensuring real-time threat protection.

If you need more detailed information about the features and benefits of EDR software, you may fill out this form for an obligation-free consultation from Software Advice. Our advisors will understand your requirements and guide you in shortlisting the most suitable options for your business.

Note: The application selected in this article is an example to show a feature in context and isn’t intended as an endorsement or recommendation. It has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication.