What is MDR? A Modern Cybersecurity Risk Solution

In this era of modern technology, businesses are facing entirely new opportunities and threats. Emerging technologies like cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are fundamentally reshaping the way businesses operate for the better.

But they’re doing much more than just that – they’re also opening new avenues for potential cyberattacks.

That’s because these new technologies, like AI, are just one of the many tools used by cybercriminals. To compound the issue, there’s a global shortage of cybersecurity professionals, and the size of the workforce is still 65% below what it needs to be. The stark reality is that threats are not only becoming more frequent, but also more sophisticated, leaving older cybersecurity measures struggling to keep pace.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. While traditional security measures alone are often not enough to defend against advanced attacks, a modern cybersecurity risk solution exists: Managed Detection and Response (MDR).

What is Managed Detection and Response?

MDR stands for Managed Detection and Response, a modern cybersecurity risk solution that provides organizations with proactive threat detection and response capabilities. It combines advanced security technologies, threat intelligence, and human expertise to detect and respond to real-time incidents.
MDR services involve the continuous monitoring of an organization’s IT environment for signs of cyber threats, including:

  • Malware attacks
  • Suspicious network traffic
  • Unauthorized access attempts

It’s like a security system for your digital assets. MDR uses advanced tech, like machine learning and behavioral analysis, to detect unusual activity on your network systems. Think of MDR as a home security system with sophisticated cameras, alarms, and motion sensors in place to help you detect threats.

If a potential threat is detected, MDR will alert a team of IT security professionals who will investigate and respond in real time. Like the home security system, MDR prevents data breaches before any damage or loss.

How is MDR a Modern Cybersecurity Risk Solution?

Suppose your business implements password requirements such as character length, a mix of upper and lower case, numbers, and special characters in order to access your network. Now you believe your information is secure behind a strong password.

You may not have accounted for human error, as in how your employees tend to repeat passwords across multiple sites. Sixty-five percent of people use the same password for several different accounts. All it takes is one compromised database for a cybercriminal to perform a stuffing attack.

The continuous monitoring of network activity through MDR is a proactive approach to avoid such attacks. MDR can monitor login attempts to detect patterns of behavior that indicate a user is under attack.

MDR doesn’t wait for a breach to react; it hunts the threat for you.

MDR is like an Army in Your Network

Antivirus and firewalls, like WatchGuard firewalls, are static cybersecurity risk solutions that are designed to block known threats. They rely on a database of known information to identify and block malicious traffic. That’s one reason why maintaining software updates is essential, but it’s simply not enough.

The truth is the cyber threat landscape is evolving daily with more sophisticated attacks that are harder to identify with firewall and antivirus protection alone.

With MDR acting as your digital lookout, it can:

  • Actively search for potential threats and vulnerabilities to stop risks before they become a problem.
  • Respond to security incidents with isolation, disabling activities, and implementing patches to fix weak areas.
  • Examine the code and behavior of malicious software to determine its capabilities.
  • Deploy a security operations center (SOC) to monitor security posture and respond to real-time threats.

 

While firewall and antivirus protection are recommended, adding in the human element of MDR offers a greater range of cybersecurity knowledge, skill, and experience that makes it feel like a personal army guards your organization.

MDR Covers Your Back in the Cloud

Cloud computing is conducted by many businesses. In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2026, 75% of organizations will adopt a digital transformation model with a cloud platform. Cloud security is now a critical aspect of modern cybersecurity risk management.

However, the adoption of cloud technologies also introduces new security risks, such as unauthorized access, data breaches, and cyber-attacks. Providing continuous monitoring of cloud environments while responding to security incidents makes MDR an encompassing solution, all while providing:

  • Compliance regulation
  • Governance frameworks
  • Security audits
  • Threat hunting

MDR Provides a Swift Reaction

MDR solutions use an integrated incident response to quickly respond once a threat is perceived. Imagine you’re asleep at night, and a window breaks in your basement. Would you wake up and know where the threat was immediately, unless you had a house alarm activated?

That’s what MDR does – it can use automation to accelerate incident notification and reduce the time to detect threats. This cybersecurity risk solution allows security professionals to investigate the incident and determine its root cause to address any vulnerabilities in a business’ security posture.

With MDR and a trusted IT partner, you get to sleep soundly, knowing your network environment is monitored 24/7.

Don’t Wait to Implement Modern Cybersecurity Risk Solutions

With cyber threats increasing in sophistication and a shortage of cybersecurity professionals, managed detection and response is a modern security layer. It offers continuous monitoring, advanced threat detection, and incident response capabilities.

Using a combination of advanced security technologies, threat intelligence, and human expertise, MDR is like a personal army in your network. Are you ready to have the best defense against cybercriminals?
That’s where Premier One can help. We offer trusted IT security and monitoring solutions, including MDR, that help organizations protect their digital assets and reduce the risk of cyber attacks.

Gain peace of mind knowing your network is monitored by a team of security professionals dedicated to outsmarting bad actors. Learn more about what we can do for your business today!

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