On September 22nd, 2022, the Crowdstrike Fal.Con cybersecurity conference concluded — providing numerous seminars and industry updates to security practitioners on solutions to enhance organizational security postures, identify risks, and fully understand some of today’s lingering threats.
Our CEO and founder Delta Munoz attended this conference and came back with tremendous insights to incorporate into the Ascension Global Technology expertise and services. For example, this year, there was a particular emphasis on solutions for automating data collection, analysis, and incident response for organizations.
Of course, these types of software tools and expert services have already been on the market in the form of endpoint detection and response (EDR), managed detection and response (MDR), and network detection and response (NDR) solutions. However, the big takeaway at the conference was the value and security benefits of something known as extended detection and response (XDR) software tools.
Here we’ll go over what XDR entails, why businesses should invest in this solution, and how it differs from security information and event management (SIEM) and security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) solutions.
What is XDR?
XDR is a solution, typically a suite of software tools and services, that provide comprehensive visibility and response functions across all parts of a corporate network and technology stack. In contrast to EDR, which focuses primarily on the detection and response at the endpoints, XDR expands capabilities to cloud workloads, networks, and servers in addition to endpoint devices.
The solution utilizes automation and advanced data analytics to prevent system threats from unfolding into a successful attack deployment. It’ll collect data into a centralized system to monitor user behaviors and events taking place amongst an organization’s technology assets and analyze it for abnormal activity — automatically identifying and responding to potential threats.
XDR is designed to simplify security operations by integrating visibility and threat remediation into one holistic solution. It’s an advanced form of security information management (SIM) that replaces security information management systems (SIMS) through comprehensive monitoring and data collection, proactive tools that identify threats before they cause damage, and rapid automated incident response.
XDR vs. SIEM vs. SOAR
XDR often gets grouped with security information and event management (SIEM) and security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) solutions. Though they serve similar objectives (improving an organization’s security posture), their primary purpose and scope vary. The solution gaps make XDR an excellent supplement to SIEM and SOAR and not a replacement.
SIEM is a governance tool or service that logs events across a network, IT infrastructure, or technology stack. It aggregates all data into one location for reporting, alerting, and incident response planning. Because of the data collection and logging functions, SIEM is an excellent solution for auditing and compliance purposes.
Alternatively, SOAR is a suite of software tools that add functionality to SIEM by collecting, integrating, and analyzing threat and vulnerability data, then automating incident response and security operations workflows. While this seems nearly identical to XDR, there is a clear difference between the two solutions that make them great when working together.
- Data Processing: SOAR uses a combined set of tools to pull data from separate sources into its platform. XDR, however, integrates data tools into one collection solution from the start — helping avoid any data processing disruption caused by a disconnect.
- Analytics Capabilities: Because of the data sources and intelligence functions, XDR analytics are far more advanced and insightful than SOAR, letting security operations teams avoid false alerts and prioritize their threat and response activities.
- Automated Orchestration and Security Operations: XDR does not have some of the same functionality as SOAR. For instance, teams can’t use XDR to scan for vulnerabilities, plan incident response actions, or predict future threats that haven’t yet made real breach attempts.
Start Your XDR Journey with Ascension Global Technology
XDR is the major upgrade to EDR tools that collect and analyze data and remediates cyber threats for all parts of a technology stack, not just the endpoints. Contact us today to speak to an expert and learn about our ecosystem of practitioners and software providers that can offer your business robust XDR solutions. Also, be sure to check out our blog for industry updates, cybersecurity news, and valuable insights that can help your company improve its program and security posture.
