Written By Ken Wanjohi
WHAT IS EDR?
EDR stands for Endpoint Detection and Response, also known as Endpoint Threat Detection and Response (EDTR). It is a cyber technology that continually monitors and responds to mitigate cyber threats. The term was coined by Anton Chuvakin at Gartner to refer to tools primarily focused on detecting and investigating suspicious activities (and traces of such) other problems on hosts/ endpoints. You may ask yourself what an “endpoint” is, it is a remote computing device that communicates back and forth with a network to which it is connected, such as: Desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets, servers, workstations, Internet-of-things (IoT) devices, etc.
WHY IS ENDPOINT DETECTION AND RESPONSE (EDR) CRITICAL FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION
What is the difference between EDR and Antivirus?
In the past, traditional Antivirus (AV) solutions have been sufficient to protect your endpoints. But as threats have evolved into more advanced and pervasive forms, it has become clear that AV solutions are no longer enough and prevention and detection tools need to evolve with as threats change. EDR solutions have several unique features and benefits over conventional Antivirus programs. EDR is superior to traditional AV (which uses signature-based threat detection methods).
They are superior because they include a broader suite of security layers such as attack blocking, patching, exploit blocking, firewall, whitelisting/ blacklisting, full category-based blocking, admin rights management and next-gen Antivirus. EDR security solutions are henceforth more suitable for todays businesses as the traditional AV has become an ‘old-school’ security tool in terms of guaranteeing complete security.
Antivirus is the prevention component of endpoint security, which aims to stop cyber threats from entering a network. When threats slip past an antivirus, EDR detects that activity and allows teams to contain the adversary before they can move laterally in the network.
Do you need both EDR and Antivirus?
As with most security solutions, each EDR vendor is different in its approach, intelligence and the layers of security it offers. However with a great EDR solution, one may not need an Anti-virus as there are already some that include the same functionalities.
Organizations however can take advantage of both the expertise of EDR solution and antivirus software. When you do this, you can boost your immunity and protect your users and corporate assets from attacks.
WHAT NEXT?
Whatever the solution you are looking for, the Pong Tech team can assist you to choose which solution is right for your business.
CrowdStrike is the leader in cloud-delivered endpoint security. Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), the CrowdStrike Falcon®platform offers instant visibility and protection across the enterprise and prevents attacks on endpoints online or offline. CrowdStrike has been named severally as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection security.
CrowdStrike® offers a new means of providing protection to institutions with a cloud-delivered solution that detects, prevents, and responds to targeted internal and external threats on any endpoint.
For a quote or if you just want more information about Endpoint Detection and Response systems, please get in touch with our lead expert kenwanjohi@pongafrica.com.