XDR stands for “extended detection and response.” It’s among the latest generation of tools to protect computer networks from the most sophisticated cybercriminals. XDR is especially important for businesses with small to mid-size networks because it provides enterprise-level protection at a relatively low cost.
The new threat environment
Remember the 1990s? First-generation antivirus programs, or “spyware,” protected individual “endpoints”—that is, computers, workstations, laptops, etc. (This is “endpoint protection,” or EPP.) But cybercrime has been evolving.
Today, bad actors can remotely install threats directly to a network. From there, these new and nearly undetectable threats can spread across multiple devices. They collect information, like where critical data is stored, how it’s backed up and who has access to it. Then they attack. Criminals might steal money or data. Or they might lock up your data and demand a ransom.
The XDR difference
Fortunately, digital defenses also have evolved. XDR, for example, is a “detection and response” system that’s driven by artificial intelligence (AI). The “detection” starts with sensors that “extend” monitoring to every facet of modern computer networks—endpoints, email, network traffic, cloud workloads, applications usage, user identifications, local and cloud storage and more.
XDR collects mountains of data across the entire network. It’s enough to overwhelm human network administrators, but XDR uses artificial intelligence to scan everything at high speed. It’s looking for suspicious patterns that reveal threats. Even stealthy ones. Then comes the “response.” When XDR finds it finds a threat, it can react fast.
Even better, XDR evolves as fast as the bad guys.
A robust suite of protection
Best of all, you don’t need a large security team to get this robust protection. A number of companies provide it. All Net Connect, for example, works with CrowdStrike, a world leader in the field. We can help you set it up. XDR can be an important part of a suite of affordable suite of cyber protection that includes:
- XDR (extended detection and response)
- Authentication procedures
- Regular updates
- Automatic backups
- Regular personnel training.