As businesses strive to do more with less, they are turning to technologies that can provide comprehensive visibility and insights into their operations. XDR (eXtended Detection and Response) technology is a solution that offers a number of advantages for middle market organizations.
By providing a comprehensive view of your security posture, XDR enables your security team to effectively monitor and respond to threats. However, middle market organizations face unique challenges when it comes to implementing XDR solutions.
What is XDR technology and why is it important for businesses?
XDR (eXtended Detection and Response) is used to continuously monitor events generated by an organization's endpoints, network devices, user activities, and cloud services to glean insights about suspicious events that could potentially indicate a security threat. Armed with the capability to detect anomalies from a variety of data points across an organization’s IT environment, XDR allows security teams to stay ahead of potential threats. The goal of XDR is simple: Give cybersecurity teams a comprehensive look into their environment and enable them to identify and respond quickly to any emerging security risks.
Middle market organizations face unique challenges when implementing XDR solutions
Navigating the ever-changing and complex world of XDR can be a daunting task for middle market organizations. XDR enables greater visibility and faster threat detection, but its adoption can come with a series of challenges.
Four XDR hurdles you may face along the way
- Lack of resources: Middle market organizations often have limited budgets and staff, making it difficult to implement and maintain complex XDR solutions.
- Lack of expertise: Maintaining an effective XDR deployment requires full-time attention, and many businesses don’t have the expertise needed to do this successfully.
- Misaligned priorities: Security can sometimes be seen as a secondary concern for middle market organizations, which can lead to misaligned priorities when it comes to implementing XDR solutions.
- Security confusion: The increasing complexity of cyber threats makes it difficult for businesses to know where to start when it comes to implementing the right cybersecurity technology solutions to protect against actual threats.
It’s important to be aware of your options and equipped with the right resources to successfully adopt an XDR solution. In addition, you need to ensure you are selecting a reliable partner that properly addresses your organization’s unique needs while staying within budget. If you’re able to do both of these things, implementing XDR can be the right choice for strengthening your organization’s cyber security.
How XDR improves your security posture
XDR enables you to maximize the value of existing solutions while expanding your coverage to areas previously unmonitored. An XDR-enabled system reduces false positives and response times, leaving more time for valuable proactive actions like vulnerability management and threat hunting.
Furthermore, XDR can reduce manual work by centralizing data collection for quicker scaling and improved governance. The end result is an enterprise-grade cybersecurity system tailored to the requirements of the middle market, enhancing incident detection and response without sacrificing budget or performance.
How to get started with XDR
Starting to implement XDR can seem like a daunting task, especially if you have no prior experience. However, there are steps you can take to ensure a successful deployment. First, assess what’s most important and most needed by your organization. Then research reliable vendors who can supply your organization with a plan tailored to your business needs.
Many organizations find that working with a managed detection and response (MDR) provider that offers XDR as a service is the most robust and cost-effective option. By partnering with an MDR provider that is trustworthy, has experience working with other middle market organizations, and is capable of customizing a solution that fits your unique needs, your organization can benefit from both MDR and XDR – a powerful combination that will make your cybersecurity program even stronger.
When it comes to cybersecurity, there is no one-size-fits-all solution
The best way to safeguard your organization is to implement a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy that includes multiple layers of protection. MDR can be a key component of that strategy, providing peace-of-mind that comes from knowing you have an experienced team on patrol 24/7 providing an advanced defense against everything from careless user activity to sophisticated threats. An MDR solution should be designed to help you accelerate your business growth without sacrificing the defensibility of your data and systems from cyber threats. Your MDR provider should supplement and complement your existing cybersecurity team, tools, and processes – not replace them. When implemented correctly, an MDR solution can help you detect and respond to cybersecurity threats more quickly and effectively, giving you a critical edge in the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.
The importance of XDR technology for businesses
XDR technology offers immense value to most companies, as it provides comprehensive visibility into your environment and enables you to detect and respond to threats quickly. This technology is tailored toward detecting specific types of threats, making it easier for organizations to identify them in real-time. XDR solutions provide predictive analysis, which can help you anticipate and prepare for potential cyber threats ahead of time. These solutions often come with pre-assembled rules that automate certain processes such as investigations and remediation actions, which allow your security team to save valuable time while still ensuring maximum protection against cyber risks. This type of technology can help you save money in the long run by reducing the need for manual labor and providing detailed insights into the security posture of your organization. It can make it easier for your business to identify areas that need improvement so you can make timely corrections before any damage is done.
By taking into account the challenges posed by XDR adoption and working with a reliable provider, your business can confidently implement XDR technology into your security strategy and improve your ability to protect against cyber threats. If you’re ready to take the next step or have questions, talk to one of our advisors about our MDR solution with an option to include XDR.
© Copyright 2023. The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and not necessarily the views of Ankura Consulting Group, LLC., its management, its subsidiaries, its affiliates, or its other professionals. Ankura is not a law firm and cannot provide legal advice.
