Do I need MDR? How to find out if Managed Detection and Response is for you
Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is an outsourced cyber security service that monitors your systems for breaches and attacks, flags them when it finds them, and neutralises the threat. Is it worth it for your business, and if so, how will it help specifically?
How does MDR work?
There are six stages to MDR.
- Collection
- Detection
- Hunting
- Investigation
- Remediation
- Neutralisation
Collection
Analysts from your MDR provider collect data from all of your IT systems and programmes. That visibility means they can identify and respond to threats in a timely fashion.
Detection
Through an understanding of business context and knowledge of attack methods, analysts recognise patterns and events that are worth investigating.
Hunting
If any attacks have bypassed the security measures, analysts trace them by noticing the tactics, techniques and procedures (TPPs) of cyber criminals.
Investigation
The analysts establish how widespread and severe the breach is, and plan accordingly.
Neutralisation
Analysts take immediate action to slow, hinder, contain and shut down the attack.
Remediation
The team identifies ways to strengthen the systems’ defences to prevent a similar attack from succeeding in future.
Who needs MDR?
Only 21% of businesses have formal cyber security incident response plans, even though cyber attacks are the most commonly identified threat in commercial resilience plans, ahead of global recessions and another pandemic.
For those who know how severe the threat is, but haven’t created a strategy to handle it, MDR can be a ready-made response plan, which brings with it experts who can execute the plan.
Those who have cyber security teams already might still be suffering from the cyber security skills shortage:
- 38% of cyber security roles are unfilled
- 62% of cyber security teams feel overworked
- 38% of security staff feel burnt out
MDR can fill in the gaps and provide peace of mind when your own teams don’t have the capacity to monitor everything.
On average, a cyber security team spends 30 minutes addressing a cyber security alert, and 32 minutes responding to a false alarm. Not only is that a drain on your resources, but it easily leads to ‘alert fatigue’. Many security analysts report spending 70% of their time on alerts that turn out to be false positives, which means many find themselves exhausted with the process, and prone to ignoring alerts.
An MDR service relieves the burden of checking those alerts, so that internal security teams can spend their time and energy on more fulfilling and valuable tasks.
Very few businesses have teams that can monitor their systems 24/7. Since criminals won’t limit their attacks to office hours, there’s an obvious vulnerability.
MDR monitors constantly, so that organisations don’t have to rely on security teams being at their desks in order to feel safe.
How to find the right MDR solution
In truth, almost every business could benefit from MDR. 50% of organisations will be using it by 2025, and that will certainly increase.
When you’re searching for your MDR solution, here are 5 key questions you should ask.
- What is their level of threat intelligence and response?
- How do they provide 24/7 coverage?
- How quickly do they discover and address threats?
- Can they integrate with your existing security, and if so, how?
- Do they offer a breach warranty?
Finding the right provider not only strengthens your business against cyber threats, but it could also qualify you for higher levels of cyber security insurance, which gives you additional reassurance.
The world’s leading MDR provider is Sophos. They can customise the level of service according to your business needs, allow you to keep whatever security programmes you currently use, and detect and respond to threats 24/7.
Thinking that MDR might be the right fit for your business? Get in touch today for a no-obligation chat. We can assess your current solutions, identify potential vulnerabilities, and discuss an MDR strategy to reduce the risks and the cost of breaches.
01268 288100 | [email protected]