Top Five Reasons to Use MDR Services

Organizations are increasingly turning to managed detection and response (MDR) services to detect and neutralize advanced, human-led attacks that technology solutions alone cannot prevent.

However, the proliferation of cybersecurity solutions on the market can make it difficult to understand exactly what MDR is, how it fits with your wider cybersecurity ecosystem, and the benefits an MDR service can provide.

This whitepaper provides the answers to those questions. You’ll learn:

• What MDR is and why it is needed
• The benefits to using an MDR service either alongside your in-house team or as a fully outsourced service
• What to consider when choosing an MDR service

Sophos MDR

Sophos MDR is the world’s most trusted MDR service, securing over 11,000 organizations against the most advanced threats, including ransomware. With the highest rating on Gartner Peer Insights™ and the Top Vendor recognition in the 2022 G2 Grid® for MDR services serving the midmarket⁴, with Sophos MDR your cyber defenses are in good hands.

MDR Defined

To understand the benefits of MDR and what’s behind the growing demand for MDR services, it’s important to understand what MDR is — and what it’s not.

Managed detection and response (MDR) is a fully managed, 24/7 service delivered by experts who specialize in detecting and responding to cyberattacks that technology solutions alone cannot prevent.

MDR should not be confused with EDR (endpoint detection and response) and XDR (extended detection and response). While MDR, EDR, and XDR all support and enable threat hunting, EDR and XDR are tools that enable analysts to hunt for and investigate potential compromise; with MDR, a security vendor’s analysts hunt for, investigate, and neutralize threats on your behalf.

As their names suggest, EDR tools work with data points from endpoint protection technology, while XDR tools extend their data sources across a wide IT stack (including firewall, email, cloud, and mobile security solutions) to provide greater visibility and insights. At Sophos we used our industry-leading EDR and XDR solutions when delivering our MDR service.

What MDR doesn’t do is day-to-day cybersecurity management, such as deploying your security technologies, updating policies, applying patches, or installing updates. Managed service providers (MSPs) deliver IT security management services to organizations looking for support in this area.