How Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Solves Security Operations Challenges
The risk of cyberattacks increases along with technological advancement. Companies face a number of challenges when it comes to implementing effective cybersecurity programs and measures. Fortunately, MDR providers help security operations overcome challenges related to detection and response.
So how does MDR solve security operations challenges? MDR providers play a vital role in threat detection and immediate remediation to reduce the risk of cyber threats. It works round-the-clock and provides automated responses, which ensures that your systems and data are safeguarded even without the assistance of dedicated staff.
Challenges in Security Operations Resolved by Managed Detection and Response
MDR is a 24/7 managed cybersecurity service that monitors, detects, and responds to cyber threats. It combines technology with human expertise in assisting companies in their incident response (IR) needs. MDR is commonly used as a cybersecurity tool for web-based threats.
User-generated actions are not optimal solutions to detect and respond to cyber threats in a timely manner, as it still requires the support of people and processes. However, MDR’s ability to rapidly identify and control the impact of threats eliminates the additional assistance requirements.
Aside from that, MDR is also known to help solve security operations challenges such as the following:
- Talent Shortage
- Visibility Across Disparate Environments and Technologies
- Solve for Tool Sprawl
- 24x7x365 Monitoring
- Reduce False Positives
- Extract ROI from Existing Investments
- Security Program Measurement
1) Talent Shortage
Without MDR, most security detection solutions would require a dedicated staff to detect and respond to cybersecurity threats. One of the challenges in IT departments is staffing, especially security resources as this is among the hardest positions to attract and retain employees. But with MDR, providing consistency to security programs is possible even with the talent gap.
2) Visibility Across Disparate Environments and Technologies
MDR allows for reduced time and effort to detect and respond to cyber threats as MDR providers can centralize visibility. This is done by providers across a distributed environment. MDR provides appropriate visibility and instrumentation to employ a defense-in-depth approach, which further decreases the time and effort to detect and respond to cybersecurity threats.
3) Solve for Tool Sprawl
The tools of cybersecurity solutions that companies invest in are often neglected and ignored in the long run. This is one of the issues with user-generated responses to threat detection and response. But with a single platform for threat detection and response, the issue of tool sprawl is resolved.
4) 24x7x365 Monitoring
The optimal number of a team to staff a SOC 24×7 is at least 8 people who are dedicated to always detecting and responding to threats. But with talent shortage as an issue, this may be difficult or expensive. On the other hand, MDR provides a cost-effective alternative while allowing for the “Always-On” cyber threat detection and response.
5) Reduce False Positives
MDR increases productivity by controlling and reducing the number of cybersecurity incidents that require the attention of an IT staff. The criteria for cybersecurity alerts are set to customize the alerts received to prioritize responding to alerts that require urgent attention.
6) Extract ROI from Existing Investments
Companies commonly make investments in strategic technologies, but these are often not utilized to their full capacity. Sometimes companies only implement these assets in their operations partially. An MDR provider ensures that these technology investments are maximized to their full value and capability.
7) Security Program Measurement
MDR providers help set a standard for your security program by developing metrics that are appropriate to your business model. The variety of reports on the security program’s measurement of maturity, documentation of progress, and compliance with the metrics are among the things offered by providers.
What’s an MDR and What are its Security Benefits?
Managed detection and response (MDR) refers to the security technologies installed for the purpose of cybersecurity management and monitoring solutions. It’s more than a security detection solution as it also provides an appropriate response to cyber threats and attacks. MDR ensures 24/7 rapid monitoring of customers’ hosts, networks, endpoints, and other IT resources for cybersecurity.
MDR involves providers offering response services that are executed remotely. These services include threat management and restoration of systems and networks back to their normal state. This may be installed on their on-prem infrastructure.
1) How MDR Mitigates Cyber Threats
Now that you know the security challenges resolved by MDR, some may wonder how exactly this threat detection and response solution manages, reduces, and curtails cyber threats.
a) Prioritization
It may be difficult to filter through a large volume of alerts, but MDR got you covered. Managed prioritization, also referred to as Endpoint Detection Response (EDR), helps companies classify their alerts to ensure that the most important one gets resolved first. This may be done by setting automated rules to determine false positives and prioritize real threats.
b) Threat hunting
Automated defenses may still miss threats. But with MDR, missed threats are detected by providing insights needed to catch these threats.
c) Investigation
Managed investigation provides a time-efficient way of knowing the scope, details, and extent of threats to help organizations plan an effective response. The information is provided through security alerts that contain additional context.
d) Guided Response
MDR provides advice on how to manage and control cyber threats. These are provided to contain and remediate a wide range of security incidents.
e) Remediation
Managed remediation is the final step of cybersecurity response. It helps prevent further compromise, and it restores your network to its pre-attack state. Removing malware, cleaning a registry, and managing intruders are among the things involved in the remediation feature of MDR.
2) MDR Security Benefits
MDR isn’t only a cost-effective alternative to in-house IT staff, but it’s also time-efficient in managing cyber threats. It decreases the time to detect and respond to cyber threats in a drastic manner. What would normally take months to detect would only take a few minutes because of MDR. This reduces the impact and further damage caused by a cyber attack.
MDR provides specialized security benefits that would normally be expensive and difficult if organizations will employ in-house IT staff for such purposes. Aside from that, the given overall security benefits of MDR include the following:
- Improve security
- Detect and block threats
- Respond to security issues
a) Improve security
Aside from setting standards to measure cybersecurity posture and resiliency against cyber threats, MDR also detects and eliminates rouge IT systems and optimizes security configurations.
b) Detect and block threats
With the threat hunting feature of MDR, the most sophisticated and evasive threats may be detected and blocked. This threat hunting feature is continuous and fully managed.
c) Respond to Security Issues
With the remediation tools and response guidelines, MDR effectively responds to cybersecurity incidents while returning your systems to their normal state.
Obtain More Security Operations Solutions from Abacus
Fast detection and response are the keys to mitigating cybersecurity threats. To protect your organization in real-time by adding the right MDR to your security strategies. Abacus offers a wide range of services for every IT needs that your company may have.
Gain the Abacus advantage from cyber-attacks through a multi-layered, comprehensive security plan that’s tailored to your company. Reach out to our team of experts on our website at https://goabacus.com/.
