The Importance of Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
By Aleks Hara, Director, Cloud Service Sales
January 19, 2022
What is Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and how is it different from standard security practices? Gartner defines MDR using the following statement:
“MDR providers deliver 24/7 threat monitoring, detection and lightweight response services by leveraging a combination of technologies deployed at the host and network layers, advanced analytics, threat intelligence, and human expertise in incident investigation and response. MDR providers undertake incident validation, and can offer remote response services, such as threat containment, and support in bringing a customer’s environment back to some form of ‘known good.’”
It should be noted that MDR is not a specific technology (like an anti-virus for example) but rather a comprehensive, holistic, and constantly evolving security service.
Most organizations focus on their primary business processes and may not notice the vulnerabilities that are cropping up at the infrastructure and network levels. Any prudent Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity plan should have a tailored security service that will prevent a breach by proactively scanning all aspects of the environment and having a sound strategy for a threat or attack.
Before MDR, threats often existed for a long period of time without any awareness.
One article recently suggested that the average time a threat would remain undetected was around 200 days. With modern MDR this time is now reduced to just hours, or even minutes.
MDR providers have an array of different services, and they will differ, but there are a few common services that will be the core of your MDR service, such as:
- Remotely delivered Security Operations Center capabilities. Access a central control center where you can focus on threat detection and investigation.
- Threat intelligence. This will require internal and external information and often will involve knowledge of the dark web and any specific types of threats that might affect your industry.
- Security Experts. Access to human expertise you need to stay safe. Many processes will be automated, but ultimately when a threat is identified, you need security experts to review the situation and manage the process of eliminating the threat. Your service provider should also allow access to this expertise, rather than placing barriers in the way – such as reports and dashboards.
- Automated validation and response. Most MDR providers will offer remote compromise assessment and incident response services – you need to decide if you will need on-site teams in addition to the remote help.
Security is a long-term investment for all enterprises. Data breaches can result in regulatory fines and damage to brand reputation, sometimes catastrophic. You need to understand the potential risk and focus on identifying threats as soon as they occur – MDR is a service that helps you achieve this.
WatServ’s customers now have access to Alert Logic’s MDR technology platform, cutting-edge threat intelligence, and 24/7 security experts — giving hosting deployments in public and private clouds the ability to identify and respond to threats faster and before they can cause damage.
Without MDR many companies struggle to focus on security as a major issue and often lack the skills internally to really manage this. Managed detection and response providers can really help your business to avoid a business-altering security incident. As the threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, this is becoming essential.
Connect with me on LinkedIn to learn how our team at WatServ can help manage your cloud and keep it safe from threats.
About
WatServ is an IT solutions provider that helps organizations digitally transform through cloud technologies and managed services.
Serving clients as a trusted advisor since 2006, WatServ provides experience-tested, strategic solutions across all stages of the digital transformation journey. Clients choose WatServ to migrate infrastructure and applications to the cloud, secure critical data, implement disaster recovery, deploy virtual desktop, enable data-readiness for productivity solutions and manage IT environments.
Our clients span a broad range of industries, and we’re a global supplier of IT services for many Brookfield Portfolio Companies. To help our mid-size clients, we provide scalable offerings that simplify cloud adoption and drive business optimization. For enterprise clients, we co-create cloud solutions that enable stability and efficiency for complex IT tools and processes.
With more than 15 years of experience, WatServ has a track record of delivering quantifiable business results and a superior client experience. Ranked as one of Canada’s Top 100 Solution Providers for the last three years in a row, WatServ is always on.
