What to Consider Before Buying EDR Tools?

EDR tools are designed to identify and get rid of malware on an organization’s endpoints. They have the capacity to root out malicious activities and isolate threats before they can cause any damage. This solution also works by collecting and monitoring data that can give insights into potential cybersecurity threats to the network.

The good news is, EDR tools are no longer a solution for large enterprises alone. The market for endpoint detection and response solutions has grown rapidly in recent years, making it affordable for small to medium-size businesses, too.

If you’re looking for the right EDR tools for your company, here are some of the most important factors to take into consideration. Read on.

Agent vs Agentless

An agent refers to the software component installed on every endpoint. While an EDR solution can be passively installed on your network, it’s still a great choice to utilize an agent so you’ll have the capacity to capture a lot more data on user activity.

An agentless approach to EDR, on the other hand, provides users with a quick and easy-to-deploy solution that can be relied upon when monitoring endpoints that are impossible or difficult to have an agent on.

Some organizations also find it beneficial to utilize both so they’re able to take care of all endpoints and overcome the shortcomings of each solution.

Devices and Operating Systems Coverage

Determining which devices and operating systems are covered in your EDR tools are tied to your agent versus agentless decision. Typically, agent-based solutions are only available for specific operating systems. If your prospective EDR product calls for an agent that is not compatible with your OS, you’re going to need to find another way to keep track of activities and gather data from unsupported devices.

Cloud Support

Another crucial factor to take into consideration is whether the EDR solution supports a cloud environment and to what extent. Keep in mind that while there are EDR tools that operate from the cloud, they may not be able to actually function in the cloud. This is important, especially if you have servers and workloads in the cloud. If that’s the case, the use of an agent on physical or virtual devices may not be the smartest decision for your organization.

Integration with Other Security Platforms

EDR tools cannot function by themselves alone. They must be used alongside other security tools that have complementary functionalities. Doing so can help you achieve a better understanding of your security posture and help automate your response processes and ultimately reduce the possibility of security issues.

If you’re in the market for a good EDR solution, make sure it is compatible with your current security systems. Better yet, look for a product that offers API integration. This will make it easier for the tool to feed data into your existing systems.

Detection of Advanced Attacker Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs)

Cybercriminals continuously work to make their TTPs more sophisticated. This means that you need a solution that frequently receives updates, particularly in areas such as well-sourced, high-quality Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) and Indicators of Attack (IoAs). You may also want to consider products that will allow you to incorporate your organization’s own IoCs/IoAs.

Machine learning (ML) is an essential feature of every EDR tool, which deeply analyzes endpoint and network activities to uncover vulnerabilities. Because it uses algorithms or models to evaluate substantial data, ML must be constantly tuned for it to continuously deliver accurate possible results in detecting anomalies.

Reduction of “Alert Fatigue”

The cybersecurity landscape is not totally free of flaws. One of which is the tendency for security tools to flag everything that looks suspicious as an alert. This often includes activities that only appear suspicious but are not actual threats. When this happens, an “alert fatigue” is created which sends IT teams a plethora of notifications, making it harder for them to pay attention to the ones that are really important.

Go with an EDR tool that has the capacity to collect and correlate data while validating threats before raising an alert to your security teams.

Customized Threat Detection Models

Remember: there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to EDR tools. Choose a product that will let you tailor a threat detection model that meets your company’s needs.

Reporting and Dashboards

The inclusion of a functional dashboard is vital, as well as the production of executive reports. This helps corporate executives to gather insights and review a trend over time. Continuous progress tracking and studying how data security is improving allows them to deeply understand their organization’s security posture.

Comodo is a great choice when it comes to reliable EDR tools. We offer complete endpoint protection including extensive threat hunting and expanded visibility. Our goal is to help enterprises get a better understanding of their entire environment from the base-event level—all in real-time. Take a look at what we offer today.