Key Benefits of Hiring a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Provider

In today’s world with a multitude of different security services, one seems to be dominating the rest: Managed Detection and Response (MDR). So, what is MDR, and why would I want to use a Managed Detection and Response provider? Well, join me as I explain the benefits and how you can choose the right one for you.

What is an MDR Provider, and Why Choose One?

An MDR provider delivers remote Security Operations Center functions to monitor, detect, respond, and remediate cybersecurity threats. According to Gartner, “MDR service providers offer a turnkey experience, using a predefined technology stack (covering areas such as endpoint, network, and cloud services) to collect relevant logs, data, and contextual information.”

The MDR provider covers a lot of ground, which means that everyone seems to be an MDR provider these days. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the trick is finding the right provider for you. There are some things you should be looking for outside of reputation and marketing materials. You need to ultimately know your shortcomings as an organization and WHY you are looking for a provider.

• Is it the lack of FTE resources?
• Is it the lack of expertise in security?
• Is it the never-ending costs?

If it’s any of these things, then you are not alone. According to www.isc2.org, an estimated 3.4 million cybersecurity professionals are still wanted. Combine that with constant job hopping, and it’s not only extremely hard to first find a talented cybersecurity team but also to retain them. Then, you must start to think about if you want full coverage. My hat goes off to you for hiring at least eight full-time employees… just for full coverage! Stepping into that a bit further, these full-time employees must be skilled in what they do. Sure, you can hire anyone, but then you must train them.

Looking at the never-ending costs, it makes it extremely difficult to actually buy the tools you need for proper protection. The tools continue to get more expensive and complex. The continual torrent of new tools that do specific things can be a daunting hurdle. Try looking at a security portfolio and remembering all of the different acronyms: SIEM, EDR, SOAR, XDR, ZTNA, DLP, etc. The list can go on and on and get confusing extremely fast.

So, why should you choose an MDR? An MDR provider comes with many resources that an organization struggles to find, and then some. This not only lowers your cost of purchasing, installing, and maintaining all the associated hardware and software, but it also reduces the need to hire and maintain additional staff to run the SOC 24×7. Depending on the MDR provider you are collaborating with, they can have very specific industry experience, they come with full-time employees to monitor across the clock, and they bring the tools with them. Some will even fully integrate your existing solutions into their tools for better telemetry across the organization’s security portfolio.

Benefits of an MDR Provider Approach

Are all MDR providers the same? Absolutely not. Can the right MDR provider give you a lot more with a lot less? ABSOLUTELY! One of the best parts is that you do not have to train or attempt to retain these individuals, nor do you have to deal with the complex and costly licensing for the tools they will be bringing with them. You have one point of contact that knows who is working on what and can give you valuable insight into what is going on across the organization. You do not need to find resources specializing in things like Incident Response (IR) when there is an issue. You do not need to be the one who is feeling alone with your hair on fire if there is a suspected incident. You have a team behind you of deeply knowledgeable experts who know the steps that need to be taken to secure you and prevent as much damage as possible.

Another benefit of an MDR provider is being able to sleep easy at night, knowing that someone is watching and investigating on your behalf. Some will even come with guarantees, which is an added assurance to help ease your mind.

In conclusion, do you need an MDR provider? Not really. But you should absolutely take a step back and look at the never-ending costs associated with hiring and retaining security experts and the added costs of technology. And how about the peace of being able to sleep at night?

Find out how we can help you with a comprehensive MDR service so you can benefit and rest assured that your organization is properly protected.

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And do you need one? Our cybersecurity experts have decades of experience to help you assess your environment’s needs and identify vulnerabilities. Contact us today at (800) 544-8877 and sleep better at night!