6 Reasons To Choose EDR Over Antivirus

Is your endpoint security advanced enough for new-age security threats?

Technological stagnation is a significant danger in today’s cybersecurity landscape. With threats evolving and becoming more sophisticated at a rapid pace, we can no longer rely on old technology. On that note, all modern organizations must embrace the technological shift from traditional antivirus (AV) to endpoint detection and response (EDR). The common consensus among cybersecurity experts is that antivirus is no longer adequate protection. Multiple factors are driving the need for more excellent endpoint protection. Attack tactics and malware technology have developed at an alarming rate in the last several years. Traditional antivirus technology can no longer adequately detect new-age multi-vector attacks. The rise in hybrid and remote working is another factor pushing organizations towards EDR. Cybersecurity measures have become lax, with more employees using personal devices for work. Managed EDR has emerged as the modern-day favorite for endpoint security specialists. This blog covers the meaning of EDR and what makes it a superior solution to traditional antivirus.

What is EDR?

EDR is a next-generation endpoint protection solution that monitors all network endpoints and detects and analyzes potentially damaging behavior. It looks for threat patterns that indicate any attempted or successful breach and employs rule-based instant responses that neutralize threats before significant damage occurs.

6 Managed EDR Capabilities That Exceed Traditional Antivirus:

1. Behavior-based detection blocks advanced threats

EDR monitors behavioral events at network endpoints. It uses behavioral analysis to connect the activities of individual users and endpoints in your network. EDR then conducts extensive research even when suspicious behavior does not match known threat patterns. Machine learning-enabled user behavior analysis protects your endpoints from not just known threats but also unknown and emerging threats. Antivirus can protect against known threats and signature-based malware, but advanced threats escape traditional AV. Antivirus solutions cannot detect advanced indicators of compromise or anomalous behavior. There are three types of attacks your antivirus solution will miss:

• Zero-day attacks
• Ransomware attacks
• Fileless malware attacks

EDR security is superior because it goes beyond signature-based detection. It doesn’t matter what kind of malware is used – EDR detects threats based on their behavior and indicators of malicious activity.

2. Forensic analysis capabilities help with detailed investigations

EDR helps investigators and analysts with advanced forensic analysis. With extensive post-breach analysis, EDR establishes attack timelines, identifies the systems, files, and programs affected by the breach, and investigates live system memory in affected endpoints. Traditional antivirus lacks advanced forensic analysis capabilities, which aid investigators. With AV, all you get is the removal of basic signature-based viruses. There are no post-breach investigative activities to boast about with traditional AV.

3. Sandboxing capabilities safeguard your network environment

EDR does not merely detect potential threats. It launches instant action against the anomaly to minimize its impact. EDR isolates and quarantines the suspected items and sandboxes the files so your network environment is not affected while investigating the threat. While some traditional antivirus solutions also offer sandboxing capabilities, they are used for threat isolation and not extensive investigations.

4. Automated remediation and instant threat removal

Advanced cyber threats become more dangerous the longer they are allowed to stay in a system. With EDR, the response cycle is instant and effective. EDR security takes corrective action as soon as a threat is discovered and uses policy-based rules to disengage the threat. Several EDR solutions perform automatic remediation by disconnecting the compromised processes or files and saving your environment from further damage. Suggested Reading: Why is EDR Crucial for Financial Industry?

5. Threat pattern identification for easy detection in the future

EDR solutions have a vision of the future. We know advanced threats will not stop developing and becoming more dangerous. To counter their evolution, we need to keep honing our technologies constantly. EDR does precisely that. With each threat that is detected, a detailed investigation follows. EDR technology correlates the threat behavior with its impact on the endpoint, its path, and the attack vector. All this information creates a threat pattern that can be used for detection and response in the future to combat threats that haven’t even been developed yet. In short, EDR is continuously developing a database of threat intelligence that will come in handy when blocking more advanced attacks in the future.

6. Centralized security and enhanced endpoint visibility

The trouble with traditional antivirus is its decentralized nature. Digital networks are ever-expanding, especially since remote work has become gained popularity. Today’s networks are characterized by large perimeters and too many endpoints to count. Decentralized AV solutions are inadequate security measures. EDR security systems are capable of providing frontline protection to your network perimeter. They offer centralized security for a vast range of endpoints and uniform detection, response, and security processes for all endpoints. EDR enhances visibility into endpoints and provides a holistic approach to endpoint security.

EDR – The Future of Endpoint Protection

Networks are more complicated than ever, and expanding perimeters have offered a large attack surface for cybercriminals. Your strategy is sorely lacking if you still depend on traditional antivirus solutions for endpoint security. EDR exceeds traditional antivirus in multiple ways. It can detect the unknown and emerging threats missed by AV solutions. With real-time responses and extensive forensic analysis capabilities, EDR is, without doubt, the superior endpoint security solution. ACE Managed EDR has partnered with CrowdStrike Falcon Insight EDR to simplify endpoint security and deliver unparalleled detection and response capabilities. Do you want to know what the combined powers of Ace Cloud Hosting and CrowdStrike can do? Book a Free Consultation Today!