Managed XDR:
everything you need to know

Why businesses are rapidly turning to MXDR.

Working practices have transformed in recent years, with the rise of hybrid working, ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) and the internet of things (IoT) expanding the attack surface and creating new cyber security challenges. In tandem, hackers are getting smarter, with cyber attacks continuing to grow in both frequency and sophistication, forcing organisations to face significant costs when they’re successful. Last year alone, 76% of organisations were targeted by ransomware attacks, out of which 64% were infected[1].

All of this has driven businesses to reassess and prioritise cyber security, increasingly working with specialists to align their strategy with an established cyber security framework (CSF), ensure the foundations are in place, and optimise their security spend.

Beyond the endpoint

We often refer to the ‘defender’s dilemma’ in our conversations around cyber security — that breaches are inevitable because defenders must be right 100% of the time whereas attackers only need to be right once. For this reason, it’s no longer enough to rely on preventative security controls, so the best way to really protect an organisation in the current threat landscape is to combine these with reactive measures like Extended Detection and Response (XDR).

While more traditional solutions such as Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) only stream data from the endpoint, XDR expands the scope by monitoring data across an organisation’s entire digital environment, including cloud, network and firewall. The tooling enables security teams to identify any compromises and swiftly neutralise the impact, minimising threat propagation and ensuring your business can continue trading. In fact, now considered ‘best practice’ as part of a robust, multi-layered cyber security strategy, Gartner predicts that XDR will be used by up to 40% of organisations by the end of 2027[2].

Realistically though, few businesses have the budget for an internal Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) — which is where Managed Extended Detection and Response (MXDR) comes in.

To outsource or not to outsource

For already stretched IT teams, keeping on top of hefty data logs and security alerts as well as providing day-to-day support, project delivery and strategic planning can be an impossible task. More recently, the growing number of devices that make up an organisation’s digital ecosystem has been creating ‘alert fatigue’, which can result in missed cyber threats and, ultimately, burnout and staff retention problems.

On top of this, the cost of building an in-house CSOC — which requires capacity for 24/7/365 threat detection — and the general skills shortage in the cyber security industry make it challenging to both hire and retain talent.

It’s important to note that prevention is still better than cure, and often a CSOC’s broader awareness of the changing threat landscape means they have insight into new attack techniques ahead of the curve — so what might have been a compromise is more likely to be prevented.

For these reasons, outsourcing XDR to a dedicated team — often with thousands of specialists working around the clock and the benefit of custom threat intelligence — enables businesses to take advantage of economies of scale while providing the peace of mind that the necessary steps are being taken to keep them secure.

A journey, not a destination

Ultimately, your cyber security strategy is something that should be continuously reviewed and adjusted to keep up with changing threats and available tools. And before investing in an MXDR solution, it’s vital to ensure the foundations are already in place to allow for seamless integration. For this reason, it’s a good idea to undertake a security assessment to help optimise your digital ecosystem and prepare you for the next steps. This is where Bistech can help. To find out more, call us today on 03330 33 22 55.

[1] New cyberattack tactics rise up as ransomware payouts increase | CSO Online

[2] Market Guide for Extended Detection and Response (gartner.com)