The top endpoint detection and response solutions

As technology advances, managed service providers (MSPs) and other businesses face increasingly sophisticated cyberthreats that target their clients and internal systems. As these threats evolve, security teams must deploy proven solutions to safeguard their organizations from attacks and prevent substantial financial, reputational, and legal damage.

Endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools play an integral role in this defense strategy by swiftly detecting and neutralizing potential risks. Securing endpoints is vital because they represent a significant point of vulnerability in an organization’s security architecture. Protecting endpoints helps prevent unauthorized access, safeguard sensitive data, and ensure the overall security and resilience of the network.

By providing real-time insights and automated responses, EDR platforms strengthen a company’s ability to defend against even the most well-crafted cyberthreats.

In this article, we’ll help you select the most effective endpoint detection and response solution for your business. We’ll explore the key criteria you can use to evaluate these platforms and highlight several leading EDR tools, offering detailed insights into their features and benefits so you can make an informed decision tailored to your organization’s unique needs.

What is endpoint detection and response (EDR)?

Endpoint detection and response is a cybersecurity technology that monitors and detects threats across endpoints, such as computers, mobile devices, and servers. EDR solutions provide real-time visibility into endpoint activities, allowing security teams to quickly identify, investigate, and respond to potential threats.

Most EDR tools include the following key features:

• Threat detection
• Automated response
• Forensic analysis

As a replacement to traditional antivirus, EDR complements other security solutions like firewalls and SIEM applications, providing IT teams with deeper insight into their endpoint security and enabling them to proactively mitigate threats to protect against elaborate cyberattacks.

Why EDR is critical for modern businesses

Today, cybersecurity threats have become more advanced, and endpoints—such as mobile devices, home computers, and laptops—have become the primary entry points for many attacks.

Attackers often exploit stolen, weak, or compromised credentials through brute force, credential stuffing, social engineering or phishing attacks to gain access to an organization's network.

These endpoint attacks present a significant vulnerability with a growing reliance on remote work and personal devices to access company resources. A Ponemon Institute survey revealed that 68 percent of organizations experienced a successful endpoint attack within the last 12 months.

Modern businesses must focus on securing endpoints to protect themselves and their customers, disrupt the cyberattack chain, and minimize risk exposure.

This can be achieved by implementing robust security measures, such as data loss prevention, disk, endpoint encryption and endpoint detection and response. Failing to do so can result in severe financial losses, reputational damage, and legal repercussions from data breaches and cyberattacks.

EDR helps MSPs and other organizations continuously monitor and achieve real-time endpoint protection. By rapidly identifying and addressing potential threats, EDR strengthens a company’s security posture, helping it minimize damage and prevent data loss.

Endpoint detection and response also simplify the automation of threat responses and forensic analysis while ensuring organizational compliance with industry regulations.

Overall, EDR helps businesses establish stronger, more resilient security controls.

Criteria for evaluating EDR solutions

So, EDR is essential—but how do you know which solution is right for you?

The following key criteria for assessing EDR cybersecurity tools can help you identify the best fit for your organization:

• Performance and efficiency: Consider how well the tool operates under various loads and its impact on system performance. An efficient EDR will provide rapid threat detection and minimal disruption to your network, ensuring smooth operation without sacrificing security.
• Detection capabilities (threat intelligence, behavioral analysis): Top-tier EDR solutions will offer comprehensive detection capabilities. Look for tools incorporating advanced threat intelligence and employ behavioral analysis to identify known and unknown threats. This combination improves the accuracy of threat detection and reduces false positives.
• Response and remediation capabilities: Evaluate the EDR’s ability to quickly respond to and remediate threats. The right solution will provide detailed incident reports, automated responses to common threats, and tools for speedy remediation to reduce the impact of attacks and accelerate recovery processes.
• Integration with other security tools: How well will the EDR product you’re considering work with your existing security infrastructure? Seamless integration with other tools, such as firewalls and security information and event management (SIEM) platforms, will boost the overall effectiveness of your security strategy by enabling comprehensive endpoint threat management and streamlined operations.
• Usability and ease of management: Seek out user-friendly interfaces, intuitive dashboards, and straightforward configuration options. A well-designed EDR tool will simplify your management tasks and help your team stay on top of security.
• Cost and scalability: Make sure your EDR solution fits within your budget and aligns with your company’s growth plans. Pay attention to its initial costs, ongoing expenses, and the tool’s ability to scale with your MSP’s needs. A cost-effective, scalable solution will provide long-term value and flexibility.
• Managed endpoint detection and response (EDR): Provides continuous monitoring and automated response capabilities to detect, investigate, and remediate endpoint threats in real-time. Managed EDR solutions offer expert oversight and 24/7 support to help organizations quickly identify and respond to sophisticated attacks, ensuring higher protection against potential breaches.

Use the criteria above to select an EDR tool that delivers comprehensive protection against advanced threats while being cost-effective, scalable, and user-friendly.

Top endpoint detection and response solutions

Choosing the right IT security solutions is critical to keeping your organization and its clients safe. Here are three of our favorite EDR products and information on how they can help you.

Bitdefender

Bitdefender is a leading cybersecurity solution known for its strong protection against various digital threats. It boasts an extensive suite of tools designed to defend businesses and individuals from malware, ransomware, and other cyberattacks. Bitdefender’s advanced technology and proactive approach to security make it a top choice for those seeking reliable and effective protection.

Key features of Bitdefender include:

• Advanced threat detection: Bitdefender utilizes machine learning and behavioral analysis to detect and block even the most sophisticated threats in real-time, protecting your systems from known and emerging cyberthreats.
• Multi-layered ransomware protection: Bitdefender offers multiple layers of defense against ransomware, including data encryption, backup, and restoration tools. These features help prevent data loss and ensure business continuity during an attack.
• Comprehensive endpoint protection: Bitdefender delivers comprehensive protection across all endpoints, including desktops, laptops, and mobile devices, to achieve maximum security at every level.
• Centralized management: Bitdefender’s centralized management console allows administrators to monitor and control security across their entire network from a single interface. This simplifies the management of security policies and guarantees consistent protection.

Discover how Bitdefender integrates with ConnectWise MDRTM to provide MSPs with deeper security insights and better protection.

Microsoft Defender for Business

Part of Microsoft’s ecosystem, Microsoft Defender for Business offers a convenient and seamless security experience for businesses and individuals alike. It leverages advanced AI and cloud-based machine learning to detect and mitigate threats, making it a powerful tool for protecting your digital environment.

Key features of Microsoft Defender for Business include:

• Advanced threat protection: Microsoft Defender for Business employs AI-driven threat detection to immediately identify and respond to various types of attacks, providing much-needed protection against phishing, zero-day exploits, and malware.
• Cloud security integration: Microsoft Defender for Business integrates with Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud to offer enhanced security for cloud environments. It protects cloud workloads, data, and applications from potential breaches, producing a secure and compliant cloud infrastructure.
• Endpoint security: With Microsoft Defender for Business, you get comprehensive endpoint protection across all devices, including laptops, desktops, smartphones, and tablets. This multi-platform support helps guarantee that your entire network is secure, regardless of the devices used.
• Centralized security management: Microsoft Defender for Business offers a unified security management console that allows administrators to easily monitor and manage security across the organization.

Unleash the full potential of your cybersecurity with Microsoft Defender for Business and ConnectWise MDR.

SentinelOne

SentinelOne is an advanced cybersecurity platform that uses AI-driven technology to provide autonomous endpoint protection. It offers all-encompassing security across endpoints, cloud workloads, and IoT devices, making it a solid EDR solution for organizations of all sizes.

SentinelOne’s unique ability to detect, respond to, and remediate threats in real-time without human intervention sets it apart from traditional security tools.

Key features of SentinelOne include:

• AI-powered threat detection: SentinelOne uses artificial intelligence to automatically detect and block cyberthreats, including fileless malware and ransomware, so your business can protect itself from known and emerging threats.
• Automated response and remediation: SentinelOne provides autonomous response capabilities, meaning that it can isolate infected endpoints, roll back malicious changes, and remediate threats without any manual intervention. This minimizes the impact of attacks and speeds up recovery.
• Endpoint visibility: SentinelOne offers deep visibility into endpoint activities, delivering detailed insights and forensic data for every incident so security teams can understand the scope of an attack and take appropriate action.
• Cloud-native architecture: SentinelOne’s cloud-native platform makes it easy to scale and integrate with existing IT infrastructure so you can protect your environment with minimal disruption.

Experience unmatched threat defense with SentinelOne and ConnectWise MDR.

How ConnectWise MDR partners with the top EDR solutions to help MSPs stand out

In a world where cyberthreats are evolving unprecedentedly, MSPs must do everything possible to protect their operations, data, and clients. They risk experiencing financial, legal, and reputational harm if they don't remain vigilant.

ConnectWise MDR stands out as a premier managed endpoint detection and response solution. It combines industry-leading EDR platforms such as Bitdefender, Microsoft Defender for Business, and SentinelOne with round-the-clock access to elite cybersecurity experts who use AI-powered tech to gather MSP-specific threat intelligence. MSPs that partner with ConnectWise for their MDR offering, benefit from advanced threat detection and superior security coverage.

Key features of ConnectWise MDR include:

• AI-powered monitoring: ConnectWise MDR uses AI-driven technology to continuously monitor endpoint data, quickly identifying and responding to potential threats. This advanced capability ensures that emerging threats are detected and managed before they can cause significant damage.
• Enterprise-grade cybersecurity: By integrating best-in-class EDR solutions with ConnectWise MDR, MSPs can offer enterprise-grade cybersecurity to their clients. This combination improves threat detection, response, and remediation, delivering protection far surpassing traditional security measures.
• Extend your team 24/7 with ConnectWise experts: Access elite cybersecurity experts who use AI-powered tech to gather MSP-specific threat intelligence, helping you monitor, detect, and respond to threats 24/7. In turn, you can better protect your customers’ businesses from advanced cyberattacks and focus on critical business objectives to minimize your total cost of ownership.
• Integrated IT management and security solution: ConnectWise MDR conveniently integrates with existing IT management tools so MSPs can manage IT operations and security from a single platform, streamlining workflows and boosting efficiency.
• Extensive support and resources for MSPs: ConnectWise offers extensive support and resources, including ongoing training, guidance around cybersecurity best practices, and dedicated technical support.
• Unique malware detection and remediation: When malicious behavior is detected, ConnectWise MDR automatically initiates remediation steps to neutralize threats before they can spread. This proactive approach reduces the risk of data breaches and minimizes potential damage.

Ultimately, MSPs that partner with ConnectWise gain access to a comprehensive security solution that merges cutting-edge EDR technology with 24/7 managed monitoring. This powerful combination will set you apart from the competition and provide unparalleled protection for your clients.

Discover how ConnectWise MDR can elevate your security offerings today.