What is XDR…And why does it matter?

Extended, Detection and Response; also known as XDR. Yet another acronym in an industry where they are practically a second language. The term was coined back in 2018 and Gartner defines XDR as ‘a SaaS-based, vendor-specific, security threat detection and incident response tool that natively integrates multiple security products into a cohesive security operations system that unifies all licensed components.’

It’s a significant move and evolution, from endpoint detection and response (EDR) and Network Detection and Response (NDR), but how can XDR help businesses already under cyber security strain?

We do need more from cyber security.

I don’t need to tell you, the last two years have seen monumental change. Organisations have dealt with closures, immense staff changes, the need to be agile extremely quickly and spinning up businesses to allow working from home. As if that wasn’t enough, they’ve also had to increase or fortify their cyber security posture to try to overcome the increased attacks from cyber criminals also working from home.

These increased attacks, if successful, can cost huge amounts of money, system downtime and reputational damage to name but a few consequences. So, we need more from not just our cyber security but our detection and prevention technology, in order to stay ahead of and prepare for these increased attacks.

This is where XDR matters.

By combining more security components into a unified whole, as the acronym stands for, companies can benefit from enhanced detection and response capabilities. In Gartner’s 2021 report¹ they list some of the benefits of XDR as; Lower TCO, fewer infrastructure blind spots, better visibility and searchability, faster and more accurate incident detections and more adaptable security.

I don’t know about you but if anything can help me get more hours back in my day I’m all for it! With better visibility and faster and more accurate incident detections it seems that XDR can do the same for security teams.

Opinion matters.

First of all not mine…but what about Forbes….their (soon-to-be-released) global survey² revealed that ‘on average almost all respondents in charge of security decisions were not achieving their threat detection and response goals.’ – ‘XDR is a key and revolutionary advance that is driving reduced risk and heightened defence.

You can make up your own mind at one of our XDR events across Europe. Find out more here!

Sources

¹ Gartner, Innovation Insight for Extended Detection and Response, April 2021.
² Forbes, Extended Detection and Response (XDR) can make your organisation more resilient agains attacks and breaches.